What is the purpose of the martial arts?

[KickChick]

I would like to share with all of you an absolutely awesome article written by James Wood http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~shotokai/character.html

 

I give this a

 

... what do you all think?

 

 

[Ti-Kwon-Leap]

snip-"Producing people of character who were gentle, good mannered, excellent strategists and extremely capable of defending themselves and others. "

 

No school is complete that doesn't stress the higher ideal (IMHO).

 

Thank you for that article, KickChick. You are always inspiring.

[Slider V]

 

Martial arts were designed with one thing in mind...to defend ones self against an attacker threating his/her life, or that of their families. Sure it teaches a "mental" discipline so that one who practices can exercise control, but the ultimate goal is confiedence that you will survive a confrontation....should that unfortunate situation arise.

 

I am a big believer that it is not the art, or style that makes the differance, but the martial artist, and how he/she chooses to practice it.

 

Hasta!!

 

Slider

 

3rd Degree Black Belt

 

Ed Parker Kenpo Karate

[Bon]

On 2002-04-23 13:04, Crucio wrote:

 

10. Light GIs are very easy to move in and aikido and judo people have a hard time of fighting u without the thicker clothes to grab.

 

For the most, your statements are opinions.. this is too in away, but I don't think it can be an opinion.. if you know what I mean ? Kinda hard to explain. But, you're stating this more like a fact..

 

The purpose of a heavy gi in BJJ is so you build up an excellent defense against your opponent. You learn to protect your neck and do other things to help prevent you getting submitted so easy. Also, training in the heavy gi is hard to move in, yes, and it gets quite hot. Again, this is intended to increase endurance and make conditions as uncomfortable as possible. Now, in a real right, most people will have a shirt on at least, and if it's winter, most likely a jumper/sweater of some kind.

 

Do you see how this can apply to a real right ? Learning to protect your neck by wearing a gi which makes it easier for your opponent to choke and strangle you, thus building up excellent defenses. The weight of your clothing won't matter to you in a real fight, nor will the conditions because you're used to it.

 

It's always good to train with no gi sometimes, which we do!

 

 

[Bon]

KickChick, very good article.. That ugly prince reminds me of myself when I first started MA.

 

I think any humane person when they get to a proficient level in MA realise they do have the knowledge and power to seriously injure someone if they want to & only do so when left with no other choice.

 

 

[tessone]

Martial arts were designed with one thing in mind...to defend ones self against an attacker threating his/her life, or that of their families. Sure it teaches a "mental" discipline so that one who practices can exercise control, but the ultimate goal is confiedence that you will survive a confrontation....should that unfortunate situation arise.

 

See, I'd say this is a very Western mentality that isn't really in keeping with the arts themselves. The West is very centered on the notion that A is A--we put things in dichotomies (black/white, good/bad) and like sorting things into groups, etc. Eastern philosophy, on the other hand, is far more holistic.

 

All of the etiquette, internal arts, forms, breathing techniques, etc., that we learn are intimately wrapped up in training to defend oneself. There's no way to separate them, and to say that one thing is more or less important in martial arts is to miss the bigger picture.

 

 

[Lau gar]

Martial arts are also fun

[TKDMASTER]

Martial arts are about respect. I always curios about martial arts. I remember when i was young watching movies,I thought if u took ma then u must be invincible. I also thought it wouldnt be that hard,boy was i wrong. If your school dont teach u how u should use it,then theres something wrong. If you dont work at ma then you will be just another wimp with false security.(I admit there are some guys that r tough without taking ma) Im not saying be a wimp and run,cause im a big believer in not backing down.Just dont be the instigater.

[ninjanurse]

The purpose of martial arts is to learn how to fight.

 

Look up martial, likened to war and then art, beauty. Learning to fight includes a lot of things which includes discipline, self-control, etc.

 

The purpose of martial arts is to learn "peaceful resolution of conflict".

 

"One must learn to fight in order to learn not to fight".

 

Gichin Funakoshi

 

[CrazyAZNRocker]

If anyone was to look at the martial arts, passed all the honor codes, passed all the flowery words, passed all the teachings of self confidence and disipline, passed all the character devolopment, passed all the BS basically, the purest form of martial arts is simply this...

 

When one learns the martial arts, one learns to kill the enemy in the shortest time possible. That is the purest form of martial arts. That is why the martial arts have been taught to armies of yesteryear. Like the ancient samurai for example. Sure the samurai had a huge honor code, and they were well taught and educated, but the main job of the samurai, was to use there martial arts of swordsplay, to kill the enemy. Ninja's learned the ways of moving in the shadows, and for what? To kill. And todays soldiers like the Marines or the Navy, they are trained in martial arts, though it may not seem like martial arts to some, it truely is. They learn the basics of striking the enemy armed or with barehands. And what are soldiers? They are trained professional killers. Now I can truely understand the thought of some that armed combat, and empty hand are different in terms of martial arts, and that would be false. If one is taught to kill, then one is a martial artist. To truely grasp that philosophy however, is to find that beast inside of oneself, and to find that killing instinct. Not many martial artists in the common world have that killing instinct. However their are people with that instinct. If you look into the eyes of soldiers at this time, when the world might go to war, you can see some of them, the fire in their eyes. They are protecting there contries, but they are going to kill to do it, and they are willing to do so without a blink of an eye, whether be a gun, knife, or there bare hands. That is the truest form, the purest form of martial arts, to kill.