In many cases, the term is used to refer to self-defense techniques born in Asian countries, although the definition can include practices from all over the world.
Mental discipline and the pursuit of enlightenment are also part of many martial arts. While some focus on using the feet to attack or disarm an opponent, other martial arts focus on using the hands or throwing to disable an opponent.
Popular martial arts include karate.
Some of the most popular martial arts are Tae Kwan Do, Kenpo, Judo, Hapkido, Kung Fu, Akido, and Karate. Each of these emphasizes the art form of the discipline itself. Through the repeated practice of movements, steps, punches, and kicks, students of these martial arts develop grace, strength, and mental discipline.
Aikido involves defending yourself from a variety of weapons.
The words Tae Kwan Do are translated as: “the way of the foot and the fist.” Although primarily an art where foot strikes are the focus, Tae Kwon Do also teaches the use of the hands to hit an opponent or block an opponent’s kicks or punches. This Korean-born art emphasizes flexibility and mental discipline.
Many types of martial arts have their origin in Asia.
Jujitsu is a Japanese martial art originally developed to complement samurai fighting with weapons. Over time, his focus has shifted to hand-to-hand combat, although the use of weapons in various Jujitsu teachings remains an important part of the discipline.
In its broadest sense, the term martial arts can refer to any type of combat technique system.
Developed by instructor Morihei Ueshiba, Akido, as a martial art, emphasizes throws and joint locks. Akido’s focus is not on using punches or kicks to defeat an opponent; rather, Akido teaches the concept of using an opponent’s own energy to gain control of the opponent or to throw him aside.
The samurai used the martial art of jiu jitsu .
The roots of Kenpo and Karate date back to the 5th century BC and as such carry great mystery. The teachings of Kenpo began in the Shaolin Temple and was considered a necessary art form to lead one down the “path of enlightenment.”
Karate was developed primarily as a form of fist fighting, and the teaching of Karate instructors still focuses on using the hand as a weapon. Today, Karate and Kenpo are still taught in martial arts academies around the world.
Karate is a Japanese martial art.
Judo and Kung Fu are two other popular and traditional martial arts. The Kung Fu teachings are based on the movements of five animals: the dragon, the tiger, the snake, the leopard, and the crane. Grace, strength, and mental discipline are the goal of any Kung Fu student.
Combining finesse and flexibility, the origins of judo can be found in the close combat teachings of jiu jitsu.
In the 1950s, the International Judo Federation was founded and many teachers migrated to other counties to teach the art. With the expansion in popularity of judo, it became an Olympic sport in 1964.
It has continued to grow in popularity as a competitive sport, although some claim that it has done so at the expense of the intellectual and spiritual elements of the art itself.
The words Tae Kwan Do are translated as “the way of the foot and the fist.”