Martial Arts - An Introduction

About 100 million people participate in the martial arts as a means of self-defense, physical fitness, mental tranquility, and competition.

You don't need the lightning reflexes of Jet Li or the bamboo-like flexibility of Jackie Chan to learn a martial art. With a wide range of approaches and new classes springing up all over the UK, there is a martial art to suit everyone, even the most ardent pacifist.

Martial arts can be divided by function and philosophy into traditional and nontraditional, according to the way they are taught. Traditional teachers emphasize self-improvement, whereas nontraditionalists emphasize self-defense. When instructing their students, traditionalists focus on three priorities, in the following order: spiritual development, discipline, and aesthetic form. Nontraditional instruction emphasises combat, discipline, and spiritual development. Both schools of thought offer advantages to students, encouraging the cultivation of such traits as self-confidence, which can then be successfully carried over and applied to everyday life.

The Different Martial Arts...