Bdaze Posted October 12, 2003 Posted October 12, 2003 this question has bugged me for a while. it all started when my freind and i where talking about martial arts and he said soemthing like "Boxing isn't a martial art, you would never be able to use that in a real fight" obviously this isn't true, i wouldnt wanna get in a fight with Mike Tyson, even if i was a black belt. but besides my freinds ignorance, it did raise an interesting question. what makes something a martial art. so boxing isn't a martial art but Kung fu (not real kung fu, i mean the kind thats more like a dance than a practical fighting system) is considered a martial art? if any sport or system that involves combat of any sort amartial art then does that mean something like football is one because you learn to tackle and take people down? If in your journey you encounter God, God will be cut ~Hatori Hanso (sonny chiba)
Shorinryu Sensei Posted October 13, 2003 Posted October 13, 2003 I suppose defining a martial artist is an individual thing, depending on your way of thinking, and what you consider a martial art to be. For me, a martial art is anything having to do with warring arts. This includes all forms of karate, kungfu, etc that pertain to fighting, or have roots in fighting arts. This would also include boxing, wrestling (although WWF might be questionable ), track and field events..maybe even swimming? Certainly archery and anything gun related I would classify as a martial art of a sort. Oh yeah...one last thing. Yes, if given the chance, I'd love to fight Mike Tyson in the ring You bet!!! Any day buddy. Just let me sign that contract for $10-20 MILLION dollars first, and I'll be glad to let him knock me out in the first 10 seconds (I figure it will take him that long to catrch me)., My nightly prayer..."Please, just let me win that PowerBall Jackpot just once. I'll prove to you that it won't change me!"
Bdaze Posted October 13, 2003 Author Posted October 13, 2003 hah, yeah, for a few mil i'de take him on in the ring too. good point bbut only in the ring, i was saying if a hypothetical mike Tyson ran into me in an alley and decided he wanted to beat the tar out of me. If in your journey you encounter God, God will be cut ~Hatori Hanso (sonny chiba)
G95champ Posted October 13, 2003 Posted October 13, 2003 unarmed combat practice (General George S. Patton Jr.) "It's the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that ensures victory."
paolung Posted October 13, 2003 Posted October 13, 2003 well to me it breaks down to a translation of sorts... martial = warlike, art = something not quite as easily translated it's the 'art' part that i think gets people... lots of things can be 'martial' in nature. i suppose we can contrast art with something, like science, but then what about those 'scientific martial arts'? are they a dichotomy by nature then? i think the 'art' portion to me represents a sort of system but with some esoteric things, the mysterious part of the martial "arts", the creative expression, the personal flavor of it all. it's a pretty good topic and one that isn't easy to put into words, at least so far (for me). "It is not how much you know but how well you have mastered what you've learnt. When making an assessment of one's martial arts training one should measure the depth rather than the length". - MASTER "General" D. Lacey
Practise is the Key Posted October 13, 2003 Posted October 13, 2003 please don't give up your dreams because if you put aside your dreams its as yuo put aside your life. Kiai unarm and amred combat style. I am still training however, having dabbled in Shotokan and Shotokai Karate. I am please to report that Kenshukai is one of the strongest and most disciplined styles ( i did not write this)
G95champ Posted October 14, 2003 Posted October 14, 2003 Kendo, Fencing, etc IMO are a bit differant from MA. Why is not sharo shooting a MA then? Just my take. (General George S. Patton Jr.) "It's the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that ensures victory."
tommarker Posted October 14, 2003 Posted October 14, 2003 martial = war so we have empty hand skills, and weapons. from a historical perspective, this covers just about everything: spears, swords, staffs, guns, flails, horsemanship, etc. If kyudo is a martial art, than sharp shooting certainly is. Just a modern evolution. Hell, tank driving is just a modern evolution of horsemanship (cavalry.) Lemme get my BB in Tank-Jutsu I'm no longer posting here. Adios.
Drunken Monkey Posted October 14, 2003 Posted October 14, 2003 an interesting question here would be to ask why bruce lee said what he did. another question would be to ask why did you accept that boxing isn't a martial art? and in the chinese language, i don't think the term "martial" is used. as you will have heard, kung fu means hard work. wushu means (roughly) art of fighting quan-shu means art of fist. looking at it this way, boxing IS an art of fighting. post count is directly related to how much free time you have, not how intelligent you are."When you have to kill a man it costs nothing to be polite."
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