is this true?

[fireka]

intresting though none the less. since it seems despite what we have said here, every time someone says 'origin of the martial arts' we always shout out 'shoulin Temple'

[Guest]

Martial arts started long before spoken language I'm sure. A martial art is any art or skill involving war or battle. Perhaps cave men "archers" threw stones at the enemy another, whilst their "infantry" beat each other with big sticks. Both of these activities would be considered martial arts.

 

This is sort of a contrived example, but it demonstrates my point.

[Guest]

As far as the Shaolin, it could be that it is the most reliable documented source of our fighting arts, or perhaps believing that they came from the Shaolin gives us sort of a romantic, mystical feeling.

[major_motoko]

This article about the Shaolin is absolutely fascinating.. very long tho. It talks a little bit about Bodhidharma bringing early martial "exercises" from India to the Shaolin monks, which became the famed Shaolin Kung Fu we know today, which in turn brought about the Okinawan arts.

 

http://www.karate.org.yu/legacy_of_shaolin.htm

 

osu,

 

motoko

[Kirves]

Shaolin was the origin of several Chinese -based styles (like karate of Okinawa is based on Chinese arts and so on), but not all arts in the world as some seem to claim. Also, the source of the Shaolin arts is a mystery. Some claim Boddhidharma brought some arts with him, some say he just told the monks to start exercising. One of the most logical stories goes like this:

 

1. Boddhidharma told the weak monks to exercise

 

2. The monks started doing yoga among other things

 

3. The monks started learning martial arts from all the passing and staying warriors in the temple

 

4. The monks became experts as they learned from so many people among the years and decades

 

5. Eventually the temples became known as sources of martial arts expertise

 

But this, as any, is just a theory among others. As there aren't enough records giving exact historical facts.