Martial Arts - The Origins

Each and every one of you, dear readers, probably has got an idea what are martial arts. However, to be more precise I’ll start from a general definition of the said tradition – and I call it tradition on purpose, as it is always deeply rooted in culture of a certain social group or nation.

Ancient picture of Shaolin monks practicing self defense.

Boxing practice in the ancient Mediterranean.

Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for combat. They all have a very similar objective: defend oneself or others from physical threat. In addition, some martial arts are linked to beliefs such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism or Shinto while others follow a particular code of honor. Martial arts are considered as both an art and a science. Many arts are also practiced competitively, most commonly as combat sports, but may also take the form of dance.

Capoeira or the "Dance of War", painted by Johann Moritz Rugendas

A quick look at Capoeira.

Although nowadays there are numerous combat systems all around the world, such as Brazilian Jujitsu, Wrestling, MMA, or Capoeira, they are mainly based on Asian traditional fighting styles. The foundation of the Asian martial arts is probably a blend of early Chinese and Indian martial arts. Extensive trade occurred between these nations beginning around 600 BC, with diplomats, merchants, and monks traveling the see route to and from South India. During the Warring States period of Chinese history extensive development in martial philosophy and strategy emerged, as described by Sun Tzu in “The Art of War” - wrote around 350 BC and still concerned as a phenomenal handbook not only for warfare, but also for business and everyday life situations.

The beginning of The Art of War, in a "classical" bamboo book.

The above mentioned development of martial arts was strictly connected with philosophical codes of the two cultures, and as such was strongly based on morality and ethics. The Buddhist monks stated the Zen virtues of martial arts, which were discipline, humility, restrain, and respect. Those connected virtues lead towards self-development and that is the main heritage of the ancient martial arts towards modern combat styles.

How did it happen that those traditional practices came to Europe and to all parts of the world afterwards?

The answer is simple, after the European colonization of Asia in 19th century there was some moderate interest in this tradition and that were the beginnings. However, the real explosion of martial art schools in the West started in the lat 20th century, as the propagation of cinematography enabled production such as “Enter the Dragon” to be widespread.