2023-07-12T08:20:07Z https://www.24fightingchickens.com/feed/atom/ WordPress John <![CDATA[Kicking It Up a Notch: Westgate Casino Hotel Hosts Epic Karate Showdown in Las Vegas!]]> https://www.24fightingchickens.com/kicking-it-up-a-notch-westgate-casino-hotel-hosts-epic-karate-showdown-in-las-vegas.html 2023-07-12T08:20:07Z 2023-07-12T08:20:07Z To all the readers of this martial arts blog, we have some exciting news! There is a new

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To all the readers of this martial arts blog, we have some exciting news! There is a new karate tournament in the United States that we cannot wait to tell you about. Head out to Westgate Casino Hotel in Las Vegas this August to take part in one of the most lucrative karate tournaments out there.

Westgate Casino Hotel received a rave review for bringing karate down to Vegas and hosting two successful tournaments so far. In this article, we will discuss the upcoming third instalment of this fantastic karate competition. Readers of this martial arts blog will learn how to join as a participant or how to watch it live.

Westgate Karate Tournament – Basic Info

Let’s start with some basic information about the tournament itself.

The karate tournament will take place on August 19th, 2023, starting at 9 am. The exact location of the tournament is Westgate Casino Hotel, 3000 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, NV. If you want to contact the organizers of this event, you can call 702-813-5942 or email leo@karatelasvegas.com.

Westgate Karate Tournament – Karate Style and Rules

If you are a passionate karate practitioner, then you should give this tournament a go. The style of karate for this Westgate Casino Hotel tournament is Shinkyokushin karate, so to those of you who practice this style, this must be good news.

Shinkyokushin karate is the most popular full-contact karate around the globe. It was created by the Korean karate legend Sosai Masutatsu Oyama.

After years of mastering various karate styles and winning almost every title there is, Masutatsu Oyama came up with his own style – Kyokushin (meaning ‘the ultimate truth’). Kyokushin karate is one of the most aggressive styles of karate and one requiring utmost discipline and the following of Oyama’s philosophy (one should not ignore the philosophical aspect of karate).

After his death in 1994, many of his former students went on to create dojos of their own. Out of fear that the style would be transformed, most agreed that there should be a new name to denote Oyama’s style and that name is Shinkyokushin, with shin meaning ‘truth’ and ‘new’.

If you want to learn more about the history and the rules of this fascinating karate style, check out the WKO-Shinkyokushin website, belonging to the biggest Shinkyokushin organization in the world.

Naturally, as it is with every sports tournament, there are specific rules for the Westgate Karate Tournament. We advise all prospective participants to read the rulebook before they apply, so there are no surprises on the day of the event.

Westgate Karate Tournament – Application Process

Now let’s get back to the Westgate Casino Hotel tournament. We were pleasantly surprised by the wide range of age groups that would take part in it. Virtually everyone can join and we’re all there for it! The competition is segregated by sex, and divided by level and type of contact.

Here are all the participating groups:

  • Boys/Girls 4-6 years old (Beginner/Advanced)
  • Boys/Girls 7-9 years old (Beginner/Advanced)
  • Boys/Girls 10-12 years old (Beginner/Advanced)
  • Boys/Girls 13-15 years old (Beginner/Advanced)
  • Boys/Girls 16-17 years old (Beginner/Advanced)
  • Women’s Open (Semi Contact/Full Contact)
  • Men’s Light Weight 70 kg (Semi Contact/Full Contact)
  • Men’s Middle Weight 80 kg (Semi Contact/Full Contact)
  • Men’s Heavy Weight +80 kg (Semi Contact/Full Contact)
  • Men’s Senior Open (Semi Contact/Full Contact)

There is a fee for participation, which is $75 for minors and $85 for adults. Parents or legal guardians have to enrol their children and accompany them to the tournament. Navigate to the official website to register for this event.

Don’t forget that you have to bring gear for the tournament. For all minors and those adults who apply for the semi contact competition (there’s no required gear for the adults in the knockdown competition), it’s necessary to bring a helmet, shin guards, and gloves. Optional gear includes a mouthpiece, a groin protector, and a chest protector (for all events).

Westgate Karate Tournament – Audience

You don’t have to be a participant to watch the tournament, so if you find yourself in Las Vegas around this time, you shouldn’t miss it. The price for a ticket is set at $20, and that applies to both minors and adults. You can also get a cool T-shirt to commemorate this event.

To buy spectator tickets for this event, simply open the Westgate Karate Tournament website and fill in the form.

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John <![CDATA[Taekkyeon: Exploring the Korean Martial Art]]> https://www.24fightingchickens.com/taekkyeon-exploring-the-korean-martial-art.html 2022-02-18T10:55:39Z 2022-02-17T10:49:55Z In this part of our series on martial arts, we will take a look at taekkyeon – the

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In this part of our series on martial arts, we will take a look at taekkyeon – the traditional Korean martial art. Its “cousin”, taekwondo, is usually talked about when someone mentions Korean martial arts, but we chose to discuss taekkyeon instead due to its rich tradition and the fact that it’s often ignored.

In this article, you can find out more about the history of the martial art and its practice.

The Origins of Taekkyeon

It’s unclear as to when taekkyeon emerged due to insufficient records of the practice. The first mention of taekkyeon was in the book Jaemulbo, which was written during the reign of King Jeongjo (1776–1800) by Lee Sung-Ji.

In the book, taekkyeon is said to have been practiced for generations, but nobody knows for a fact when it originated or how it was formalized. One taekkyeon master today, Master Jeong Gyeong-hwa, claims that the martial art originated 2,000 years ago during the Three Kingdoms Period (57 BC-668 AD).

Taekkyeon also received international attention when it was written about in the book Korean Games (1895) by the American anthropologist Stewart Culin.

What we know is that taekkyeon was widely practiced during the Joseon period and had two variations. The first one was practiced by the masses and it was in the form of a game, while the second one was utilized by the military and it had the function of a combat style.

Taekkyeon was a popular game during celebratory festivals where participants fought against each other for fun.

The Decline of Taekkyeon

Korean society was changing and its attitude towards taekkyeon was changing too. The Chinese philosophy of Neo-Confucianism impacted the opinion of the elites who began relegating taekkyeon to a past time activity of the low classes.

The martial art suffered a decline and at one point it was only practiced in and around the capital Hanyang (Seoul). However, the worst was yet to come. The Japanese army annexed Korea to their empire in 1910 and the occupation lasted until the end of World War II on September 2, 1945. The so-called process of “Japanization” started immediately and it began changing Korean society. Taekkyeon and other traditional Korean martial arts were prohibited, which almost made them extinct.

After the war, new martial arts developed in the spirit of Chinese and Japanese fighting styles such as taekwondo emerged. They took center stage, while the indigenous martial arts like taekkyeon were all but forgotten due to years of repression.

Later, the Korean War (1950-1953) further devastated the country. Taekkyeon was on the brink of extinction if not for the miraculous survival of Master Song Deok-gi. Master Song Deok-gi was the only taekkyeon master left and he understood the important role he served in the preservation of the martial art.

Despite the threat to his life, he continued to practice taekkyeon during the Japanese Occupation and later during the Korean War. His sacrifice wasn’t for nothing and his contribution to taekkyeon was recognized in 1958 when he demonstrated the martial art to Korean president Syngman Rhee.

Deok-gi is known as the “Last Taekkyeon Master of the Joseon Dynasty”. Everything we know about taekkyeon comes from him and he luckily managed to teach students who in their turn further popularized the martial art.

Thanks to him and his student Shin Han-seung, taekkyeon received the status of an Important Intangible Cultural Asset in South Korea on June 1, 1983. Taekkyeon was put on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2011, thus becoming the first martial art to receive this honor.

Practicing Taekkyeon

There are a few traits that categorize taekkyeon. First, the movements of the body are natural and fluid. Second, the participants should be constantly moving. Third, the participants should always use their full body in each movement they perform. Fourth, the purpose of the taekkyeon combat is to catch the attacker off-guard.

If you ever observe a taekkyeon combat, you’d be mesmerized by the graceful movements of the participants. Taekkyeon resembles a dance as the participants are constantly moving using their full body; in fact, some techniques are almost identical to dance movements, especially those of the Korean dance talchum.

The practice of taekkyeon can be divided into three stages: self-learning, face-to-face scoring matches and weighing one’s ability with others, as per Master Jeong Gyeong-hwa.

The types of techniques are divided into six groups:

  • Footwork (Pumbalki) – the footwork is important in taekkyeon and it emphasizes on fluid and rhythmic motions. It’s performed in a triangular shape.
  • Arm Swinging (Hwalgaejit) – the arm movements are reminiscent of birds clapping their wings and their performance should sync with the footwork.
  • Kick Techniques (Baljil) – there are so many kick techniques in taekkyeon that we’ll need a whole article to describe them all. Some of them are low, medium, and high jumps, inward trips, fake-outs, tempo, slide-stepping, and wall-jumping.
  • Hand Techniques (Sonjil) – these techniques always involve all the parts of the arm. They should be in sync with the footwork.
  • Throwing and tripping (Taejil) – a participant trying to throw the opponent tends to use the opponent’s full body strength against him.
  • Joint Locks (Sinju) – the joint locks are intended to be used when the opponent prepares an attack. The attack can be neutralized with a joint lock and then it can be followed by a counter-attack. <
  • /ul>

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    ]]> John <![CDATA[Shotokan Karate – Discover this Karate Style]]> https://www.24fightingchickens.com/shotokan-karate-discover-this-karate-style.html 2022-02-18T10:49:51Z 2022-02-08T10:44:38Z This article, part of our series on martial arts, is dedicated to Shotokan karate. Shotokan karate is a

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    This article, part of our series on martial arts, is dedicated to Shotokan karate. Shotokan karate is a style of karate that was developed in Japan in the early 20th century. We will tell you more about the history of this karate style, its rules, and how popular it is today.

    History of Shotokan Karate

    The creator of Shotokan karate is Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957), and the name of the style comes from the name of the dojo he established – Shotokan. Funakoshi previously used Shoto as a pen-name; the word “Shoto” representing the motion of the pine needles when the wind blows, while “kan” stands for house. Now that’s poetic.

    The Shotokan dojo was founded in 1936 in Okinawa, Japan. Unfortunately, the building was destroyed in 1945 as a result of allied bombings. However, the style was kept alive by Funakoshi’s students, especially his son Yoshitaka Funakoshi. The students gave it the name Shotokan and popularized it around the world (Funakoshi didn’t pick a name for his style, he just called it karate).

    Before we tell you more about the style itself, we think it’s appropriate to talk about karate in Okinawa, so you can understand why the style was developed in the first place. There was a strict ban on weapons in Okinawa, which is credited for the development and popularization of unarmed fighting techniques.

    The fighting style in Okinawa was very simple and effective and it’s the result of centuries of real combat. At the same time, there were a lot of Chinese people and people of Chinese descent living on the island who added something to the Okinawan style. More precisely, they induced with Chinese philosophy centered around discipline and non-violence.

    Funakoshi was the disciple of this mixed Okinawan fighting style, and he injected its teachings into Shotokan. Although karate was invented around the 17th century in Okinawa and it was systemized by the 20th century, it remained an Okinawan affair until then. For those who might not know, Okinawa was not always part of Japan. It used to be an independent kingdom called Ryukyu until 1609 when Japan conquered it. Although 300 years had passed since then, Japanese and Okinawan cultures didn’t always coincide and this is exemplified in karate, which was unknown to most Japanese people.

    Gichin Funakoshi, along with his son Yoshitaka and masters Shigeru Egami and Takeshi Shimoda, sought to change that by exporting karate to other parts of Japan in the 1920’s. They staged karate demonstrations all around the Japanese islands to introduce people to it.

    This process was also one of learning as these karate masters gradually began adopting certain techniques from Japanese martial arts, as well as Japanese philosophy. The Shotokan karate style experienced many changes before and after Funakoshi’s death in 1957 to turn into Japanese Shotokan Karate.

    Apart from karate demonstrations, Master Funakoshi’s students realized the importance of documenting the style, so they encouraged him to write the basic rules and philosophy of his karate style, which turned into the book called “Kyohan”. This book officially formalized Shotokan Karate.

    Unfortunately, the allied bombings of Okinawa in 1945 destroyed the Shotokan dojo and a few months later, Funakoshi lost his son and heir Yoshitaka. After losing his wife as well, Funakoshi moved from Okinawa to Tokyo.

    The American occupying army banned martial arts instruction, but karate wasn’t considered one, so Funakoshi continued practicing it. American servicemen were fascinated with it and wanted to keep practicing it after they left Japan. This led to Funakoshi sending his students all around the world to teach it, and thus the tale of Shotokan Karate had a happy ending.

    Philosophy of Shotokan Karate

    Having drawn inspiration from Chinese and Japanese philosophy and history, Master Funakoshi established the basic philosophical principles of Shotokan Karate, called Dojo Kun:

    • One. Seek perfection of character.
    • One. Be faithful.
    • One. Endeavor.
    • One. Respect others.
    • One. Refrain from violent behavior.

    The reason why every point on this list is marked as the first one is because Funakoshi wanted to emphasize on the fact that they are all equal in importance. To attain true mastery of Shotokan Karate, everyone must follow these principles and to constantly think of them while practicing the martial art.

    Practicing Shotokan Karate

    Let us briefly describe the practice of Shotokan Karate in the next three sections.

    Kihon

    Kihon or basics, is the foundation that contains simple moves that include blocks, punches, and specific positions. The student learns how to control their body in terms of balance, stability, and relaxation. The proper techniques are also learnt through kihon.

    Kata

    Kata or forms, encompasses the formal movements of Shotokan Karate. These movements are used during simulation of attacks and defenses. Each kata session begins with a block to emphasize the self-defense nature of karate. The kata can be divided into two types of practice; one focuses on muscle strengthening, while the other concentrates on speed and orientation.

    Kumite

    Kumite or sparring, is the culmination of the practice. Students face each other with one of them assuming the role of the attacker, and the other – that of the attacked. While kata uses imaginary enemies, kumite’s purpose is to recreate realistic scenarios in which Shotokan Karate can be used for self-defense.

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    John <![CDATA[Judo: History and Practice Become One]]> https://www.24fightingchickens.com/judo-history-and-practice-become-one.html 2022-02-18T10:44:33Z 2022-01-15T10:38:26Z In this article, part of our series on martial arts from different culture, we focus on the art

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    In this article, part of our series on martial arts from different culture, we focus on the art of judo. We personally find the origin story of judo to be fascinating and very surprising, which is why we couldn’t wait to share it with you.

    By the time you finish this article, you will know everything about the history of this martial arts, as well as some bits about its practical application. Enjoy reading!

    The Creator of Judo

    There probably isn’t another martial art that can be traced back to a single human with a dream. One might argue that Gichin Funakoshi created the karate we know today, which is true, but he had been practicing the Okinawan martial art, a centuries-old tradition, before he founded his own dojo that consequently re-shaped karate.

    The same cannot be said about Kano Jigoro, the creator of judo. Some of you familiar with his story might say that judo is the modern version of jujutsu, but you can only claim that if you completely ignore Kano’s philosophy. It’s our intention to tell you about his life and how his experiences led to the creation of judo.

    The History of Judo

    Kano Jigoro (1860-1938) came from a wealthy family. His grandfather was the head priest of the Shinto Hiyoshi shrine, his father became an official in the Shogunate government, while his mother was an heiress to a sake brewing company. Despite his affluent family, Kano suffered a lot of abuse in school.

    Still, he wasn’t going to let that bring him down and he actively sought to be trained in jujutsu to fight back. This feat, however, proved to be very difficult to achieve. Jujutsu was falling out of favor in Japan, which was in the process of westernization. Many dojos closed their doors with teachers refusing to teach anymore.

    Finally, Kano found a small dojo that practiced Tenjin Shin’yō-ryū jujutsu. The Master, Fukuda Hachinosuke, focused on fighting technique rather than formal exercise, which would go on to inspire Kano. During his time there, Kano became the best student and even demonstrated the martial art to U.S. President Grant. Upon Fukuda’s death in 1880, Kano became the supposed “heir” and he inherited the dojo scrolls.

    Kano kept practicing jujutsu afterwards at the dojos of Iso Masatomo and Iikubo Tsunetoshi. Iikubo also concentrated on randori (free practice) like Fukuda, while Masatomo used Kano as a randori assistant, while he concentrated on kata (forms).

    Kano founded his own dojo that would later become the Kodokan (place to expound the way). His last teacher, Iiukubo would teach there a few times a week too. Kano and Iikubo would often have jujutsu matches; Kano noticed that he threw Iiukubo more often than him as a result of his focus on how to break the posture of the opponent.

    Kano shared his ideas with Iikubo to which the teacher replied that he had nothing else to teach him and gave him all his books on Kito-ryu jujitsu. Kano went to combine the throwing techniques of Kito-ryu jujitsu with the pinning and choking of Tenjin Shin’yō-ryū to create judo. The word judo comes from “ju” (pliancy) and “do” (method/way).

    He wanted to mix together the elements he liked about the schools he attended and to add his own techniques to create a new martial art based on physical culture and moral training. Kano said he viewed judo in three ways that created the perfect symbiotic relationship:

    • Rentai-ho – physical exercise
    • Shobu-ho – martial art
    • Shushin-ho – virtue and wisdom; the application of judo in daily life

    Practicing Judo

    Much like other martial arts, judo consists of kata (forms) and randori (free practice). Unlike karate, however, kata is almost exclusively practiced with a partner. During kata practice, the students learn pre-arranged positions, some of which are not in use anymore, but are taught to preserve them in history.

    Judo focuses on randori, Kano’s preferred emphasis. There are three types of randori – Yakusoku geiko, where both participants allow each other every throw, Sute geiko, where a more experienced participant allows to be thrown by their less experienced partner, and yakusoku geiko, where the objective is to win.

    Although yakusoku geiko is used in competitions, for obvious reasons, the other types of randori are taught to preserve not only the style, but the philosophy of judo, which promotes lifelong learning.

    There are three main types of waza (techniques) in judo. Nage-waza (throwing techniques), katame-waza (grappling techniques), and atemi-waza (striking techniques). It’s important to know how to fall without sustaining an injury, which is why each training session begins with ukemi (break-falls).

    Judo competitions are supervised by a jury that awards points to the participants. To win a match, you need to score an ippon or to throw your opponent on their back with impetus and control. There’s also a lesser throw (insufficient force) that grants you a waza-ari; two waza-ari equal one ippon.

    You can also pin your opponent on their back and keep them there for at least 20 seconds or until they surrender. If the pin lasts less than 20, but more than 10 seconds, you score a waza-ari.

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    John <![CDATA[Capoeira: The Martial Art of Dancing]]> https://www.24fightingchickens.com/capoeira-the-martial-art-of-dancing.html 2023-07-12T08:13:35Z 2021-12-20T10:32:02Z In this article, part of our series on martial arts around the world, we will focus on capoeira

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    In this article, part of our series on martial arts around the world, we will focus on capoeira or the dancing Brazilian martial art. Capoeira is such as unique and distinctive martial art that it can never be mistaken for another.

    We were curious as to how it originated and how it was developed, and we found some very interesting things about it. We wanted to share them with you and we hope you enjoy reading this overview of capoeira.

    The History of Capoeira

    Capoeira dates back to the Brazilian colonial period. The roots of capoeira are in fact very tragic. Capoeira was invented by African slaves living in Brazil as a means of defense. It’s estimated that 40% of the Africans captured and sold during the Transatlantic Slave Trade ended up in Brazil; the highest number of any slave-holding countries.

    It’s believed that capoeira emerged in the 16th century around the same time that the African slaves were brought to the Portuguese colony of Brazil. Some scholars argue that capoeira was inspired by the Angolan ritual combat called “Engolo” and that it thus originated from Angolan slaves.

    Capoeira had a practical application and it was borne out of necessity. Slaves could obviously not own weapons, so they needed a way to defend themselves against other people, most usually the European ruling class.

    Capoeira was especially necessary for fugitive slaves who were navigating the unknown Brazilian lands. The name itself “capoeira” comes from the Tupi words (the language spoken by one indigenous Brazilian tribe) “ka’a” (forest) and “paũ” (round), which stand for the areas in Brazil where slaves would hide.

    The growing number of fugitive slaves eventually allowed for settlements to develop. While they were mostly populated by free black people and escaped slaves, there were also Europeans who hid to evade the law. The practice of capoeira flourished in these settlements, called quilombos. There, it evolved from a survival method into a martial art used for combat.

    Meanwhile, as the country was entering industrialization and urbanization, many slaves were sent to the city with their masters. Unlike slaves in the US, Brazilian slaves were allowed to leave their masters’ property in order to look for extra work. This allowed them some free time, which could be used to practice capoeira.

    Around the mid-19th century, the authorities took notice of capoeira and tried to suppress its practice across the land as they were fearful of slaves rebellions. The authorities began jailing people found to be practicing capoeira and even publicly executed some of them.

    Slavery was officially abolished on May 13, 1888, but ex-slaves still struggled to make it in Brazil. Some used their capoeira skills and became bodyguards who were used by warlords. After a bunch of raids, Brazil formally prohibited capoeira in 1890.

    Capoeira teachers sought to change the public’s perception of it and the martial art experienced many changes in the early 20th century, which changed its status into a self-defense technique.

    Professor Mario Aleixo was among these capoeira practitioners who wanted to change and formalize capoeira, along with Anibal “Zuma” Burlamaqui who published Ginástica nacional, Capoeiragem metodizada e regrade, the practical guidelines of capoeira. This new capoeira drew inspiration from judo and wrestling in order to turn it into a “proper” martial art”.

    Mestre Bimba practiced traditional capoeira, but also incorporated techniques from other martial arts just like Professor Aleixo and Zuma. Bimba founded the first capoeira school in 1932, although the martial art remained illegal until 1940. Fortunately, despite the many changes to capoeira, the original style still exists today and it’s known as Capoeira Angola, noting its roots.

    Practicing Capoeira

    Musical Instruments in Capoeira

    Capoeira is perhaps the only (or one of the few) martial arts that is accompanied by music. The reason for that is pragmatic; slaves who practiced capoeira played music during their practice to hide its martial nature. Music is still played today and it sets the tempo of the match.

    There are many techniques associated with capoeira, so we can’t go into much detail, but we will give you some of the main ones:

    • Ginga (swinging)
    • Cadeira (low squat)
    • Aú (cartwheel)
    • Balanço (feint)
    • Bananeira (handstand)
    • Macaco (back handspring)
    • Negativa (negating an attack)
    • Rolê (rolling)
    • Troca de Pé (changing a foot)
    • Ponte (bridge)
    • Esquiva (dodge)
    • Armada (reverse roadhouse kick)
    • Bênção (frontal push kick)
    • Chapa (frontal kick with the sole/heel)
    • Asfixiante (straight punch)
    • Cotovelada (elbow punch)
    • Arpão de Cabeça (full body headbutt)

    Capoeira is famous for its speed and the diverse techniques, some of which you can see above. The focus is on the lower body, but the upper body is also used to assist these attacks and sometimes deliver attacks as well, although punches are considered aggressive and are uncommon.

    The goal of capoeira is to never break the rhythm and for the movements to flow into one another, giving it a dance like quality, especially combined with the beautiful music in the background. It’s always exciting to spectate capoeira matches because they offer many twists and turns due to the richness of capoeira techniques.

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    John <![CDATA[Welcome to Our Blog Dedicated to Martial Arts]]> https://www.24fightingchickens.com/welcome-to-our-blog-dedicated-to-martial-arts.html 2022-02-18T10:31:58Z 2021-12-05T10:25:24Z We wish to extend our warmest welcome to you, our lovely readers. As you can guess by the

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    We wish to extend our warmest welcome to you, our lovely readers. As you can guess by the title, this blog is dedicated to martial arts. We wanted to create a blog, a space of learning, that encompasses the history, practice, and philosophy of various martial arts.

    We want to use our welcome post to tell you a bit more about martial arts themselves like where they come from and what their essence is.

    History of Martial Arts

    Let’s start off by dissecting the term “martial art”. Martial is something relating to war and it comes from the name Mars, given to the Roman god of war. The term “martial art” emerged around the 14th century to describe European fighting arts, now known as Historical European martial arts.

    With that ends the easy part; the hard part is to trace the origins of martial arts. Nobody can tell for sure when the first martial art was invented, but what we know is that humanity has practiced them for at least a few millennia.

    What we know is that martial arts developed all around the world, from the most western islands to the Far East, at different points of history. Some of them developed on their own, meaning that a specific tribe or nation invented them, while others borrowed ideas from existing forms of martial arts belonging to a different tribe or nation (e.g., Chinese martial arts inspired many others).

    Although we can only guess which was the first martial art, due to the lack of historical recourses, there is a mighty contestant for that title – the Indian Kalaripayattu. It has mythical origins, which will fascinate every martial art enthusiast.

    The creator of the martial art is thought to be Parashurama, the sixth incarnation among the Dashavatara of the Hindu god Vishnu. It’s said that Parashurama learnt Kalaripayattu from Shiva and taught it to the people of Kerala who still practice it today. These sacred origins encapsulate the essence of martial arts, the symbiosis of combat and spirituality.

    Every martial art you can find is not simply a system of techniques and their application, but a philosophy to live by. You cannot ignore the moral teachings of the creators and the masters if you ever want to perfect a martial art; there is no martial art without them.

    Still, it would be silly to claim that the techniques do not serve an important role. Each one of them was specifically tailored to serve a specific function. Many of the martial arts, if not all, devote a significant amount of time to the practice of forms (pre-arranged movements), which are often performed alone.

    This not only preserves the original art, but it also exemplifies the importance of perfecting every motion to perform gracefully with a partner. It’s also the common link between martial arts coming from all around the world – they have systemized techniques.

    Thank You

    Whatever your reason is for visiting this blog, we hope we can satisfy your desire to learn about various martial arts. Thank you for your support!

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