What is the origin of MA?

[alexis101]

That said, it is my belief that systematized fighting methods have existed since the birth of civilization, which would place the origin of martial arts somewhere in Africa or the Middle East.

I agree. I would also guess that it started somewhere in Africa or the Middle East. Possibly it started in Mesopotamia. Possibly somewhere far away and much earlier that we have discovered yet.

This whole topic would be a very interesting paper (if you have to do one) for a black belt test requirement.

Me too, I think it's in Mesopotamia. It's where the oldest known civilization is.

Fighting has been a culture in the past.

[Zoodles]

There is no origin point. Every culture on earth has developed its own martial arts to suit its needs.

[Zaine]

There is no origin point. Every culture on earth has developed its own martial arts to suit its needs.

I would disagree to an extent. Everything has an origin point. Sure, there are different origin points for different MAs, maybe one could trace their's back all the way to the beginning. However, at some point in history (although more likely prehistory) someone started the first Martial Art.

[bushido_man96]

There is no origin point. Every culture on earth has developed its own martial arts to suit its needs.

I would disagree to an extent. Everything has an origin point. Sure, there are different origin points for different MAs, maybe one could trace their's back all the way to the beginning. However, at some point in history (although more likely prehistory) someone started the first Martial Art.

I tend to agree with Zoodles here. I do think that there might have been someone that decided to start organizing things to defend themsleves or to train groups to defend a city or invade another, but I'd be willing to bet that others followed suit rather quickly out of necessity, and things evolved from there.

I'd be willing to guess that those that stood out in combat from the others were culled from the group later, and made to be instructors of a sort, in order to make the others better. The "champions" so to speak probably ended up drilling, and things evolved from there.

[JusticeZero]

The other issue is that our knowledge of history reaches back furthest in societies which lived in arid climates and had a thing for writing things down on pieces of rock and burying them in sealed containers. Even from that knowledge, the picture is clear that the earliest history known is somewhere in the late middle of an ongoing story.

[Safroot]

The other issue is that our knowledge of history reaches back furthest in societies which lived in arid climates and had a thing for writing things down on pieces of rock and burying them in sealed containers. Even from that knowledge, the picture is clear that the earliest history known is somewhere in the late middle of an ongoing story.

The earliest I know are the Pharaohs in Egypt about 7000 years ago, they were practicing WRESTLING (not sure if this is considered MA or not??), many temples and tombs shows scenes of people wrestling !! anyone knows something older

[JusticeZero]

We know that the Egyptians knew of a variety of cultures that were much more ancient than they were. But by and large, those cultures didn't build huge monuments full of writing in the middle of a dry, arid waste.

[ShoriKid]

I don't know about the origin of martial arts, but I do think I can name the first claim of "McDojo-ism". Ancient Greece, Plato...or was it Socrates, mocks those teaching individual dueling techniques. The summery of his critique was that it had nothing to do with real fighting (ie. warfare). Thus it wasn't effective for the field..err, street.

[Harkon72]

This is an interesting question; if we look at the words "Martial Arts"; the first one means "Ways of making War", so by definition; these are ways that existed from the first instance of human warfare, or making an effort to harm another for defense or attack. You could argue that Pan-Neolithic man did this while hunting and protecting his tribe from aggressors. The second word "Art" suggests a craft or skill that was developed to make such a human better or more efficient at his martial ways. There are examples of Cro-Magnon arrowheads designed for hunting and protection and they had developed hand axes and other stone tools. There are records of this intelligent gene-type at lest 43,000 years ago. Mammoths roamed the earth when the Pyramids of Giza were first being built; there was different evolutionary development and stages of mind set all over the planet at different times. This question of the origin of martial arts can be argued until the cows come home; but this was a brief attempt of mine at some reason.

[Safroot]

This is an interesting question; if we look at the words "Martial Arts"; the first one means "Ways of making War", so by definition; these are ways that existed from the first instance of human warfare, or making an effort to harm another for defense or attack. You could argue that Pan-Neolithic man did this while hunting and protecting his tribe from aggressors. The second word "Art" suggests a craft or skill that was developed to make such a human better or more efficient at his martial ways. There are examples of Cro-Magnon arrowheads designed for hunting and protection and they had developed hand axes and other stone tools. There are records of this intelligent gene-type at lest 43,000 years ago. Mammoths roamed the earth when the Pyramids of Giza were first being built; there was different evolutionary development and stages of mind set all over the planet at different times. This question of the origin of martial arts can be argued until the cows come home; but this was a brief attempt of mine at some reason.

Solid post