| Although today martial arts is something that is | | | | of warfare. One of the earliest events in the |
| considered by many people to be sport, marital | | | | development of martial arts as a spiritual practice |
| arts began with the war like nature of humans | | | | was the writings of a man named Bodhidarma |
| and the need to defend yourself. | | | | who lived around 550 A.D. He was credited with |
| In modern Western Civilization, we have become, | | | | associating the unarmed martial arts of the time |
| for the most part, accustomed to war being a | | | | with the meditative practices of Zen Buddhism. He |
| serious but far away event. Although personal | | | | is also said to have influenced the Shaolin priests |
| violence comes into our life from time to time, it | | | | of China. The Shaolins were later introduced to |
| is mostly on the television news. It has not | | | | popular culture through the television show, Kung |
| always been this way. People have been forced | | | | Fu. |
| to defend themselves, their homes, and their | | | | Over the years, many of the Asian martial arts |
| families from deadly personal attack since the | | | | disciplines were formalized through a system of |
| time we all lived in caves and dressed in animal | | | | teacher and learner. The teacher was the |
| furs. The history of martial arts begins there. It | | | | experienced Master who passed on the |
| begins when the man had to be able to fight to | | | | knowledge of the arts to his students. Some of |
| defend himself or lose his life to a stronger and | | | | the forms became highly stylized with tests being |
| better fighter. | | | | administered to pass to a higher rank, but others |
| The story of martial arts begins with the | | | | remained rooted in the teacher/student method. |
| development of a warrior tradition in human | | | | Experience was the important thing and training. |
| development. Methods of self defense were | | | | In recent times, martial arts have entered popular |
| developed using weapons when they were | | | | culture via the medium of movies and television. |
| available and bare hands and feet when they | | | | Many events such as "full contact karate" events |
| were not. Once these skills were learned, they | | | | and "mixed martial arts" (MMA) competitions have |
| were passed on from generation to generation. | | | | replaced boxing as popular television and arena |
| The clans that learned them well and perfected | | | | events. Although some martial arts purists have |
| them the fastest were the ones that survived. | | | | decried the competitions as straying away from |
| Many of these early forms of martial arts were | | | | the meditative and self discipline aspects of the |
| transformed as weapons began to improve. | | | | traditions, they continue to attract much interest |
| Wooden clubs were replaced with swords, and | | | | and have helped spread knowledge of martial arts |
| slings were replaced with crossbows. The | | | | to a wider audience. |
| techniques of martial arts became the techniques | | | | |