What Truly is a Martial Art?

Martial art is identified as any skill that is useful within warfare. The definition of martial means "military." So traditionally, a martial art is a military art. The first things that usually pop into your head when discussing modern fighting systems do you think leaping, kicking, punching, blocking, inverting elbows, twisting necks, throwing, and weapons combat. But also horsemanship, javelin throwing, archery, spear fighting, halberd fighting, wrestling, knife fighting, rifle, shotgun, and pistol shooting, demolitions, logistics, and battle strategy can all be classified within the field of martial arts. Anything that a soldier might do in battle is a martial art.

Martial art usually it is meant aikido, arnis, boxing, capoeira, chow gar, Choy la fut, hapkido, hsing'i, hun gar, jeet kune do, jow gar, judo, jujitsu, karate, Kempo, kickboxing, krav maga, kung fu, pa kua, penjak silat, praying mantis, savate, Shaolin, tae kwon do, tai chi, white crane, ving tsun, wu shu and more! As you can see the list is quite long and it is very promising how many combat arts systems there are and how many methods of self-defense can be formulated.

The best style out there for you is the style that helps you achieve the product you have set for yourself, and that advances you to take your skills up a level. If that means full contact training, then you need styles that can give you that.

Often within a martial arts school, it is taught that 'this style is the best system, and it was created to beat all the others. Of course, every martial artist would have the viewpoint their style is the best because that is the style they have chosen to do, but in reality, what they are saying is 'this is the best style for me as it suits my attitude and I like the teaching environment'.

There is an ongoing joke in martial arts, that says when someone says theirs is the best style, what they mean is "I study X". Have an open mind and open eyes, and you will find the style or styles that best fit your needs.

The Changing of the Arts

During the period of this history and development of the martial arts and all the combat systems of man, our training tools have been instrumental in evolving and perfecting these fighting systems.

All the martial arts have been altered due to the function that mechanical devices play whether it be weapons, dojo mats, breaking boards, or even the uniforms we wear - all these paraphernalia identify the martial arts into their systems and style.

The main players in shaping our new martial arts would surely be the non-contemporary wooden dummy, ving tsun rings, iron palm ointments, and even the system of using forms and kata have developed the martial arts into their current form.

Even today modern training tools are common and again martial arts are evolving and growing with new training products such as heavy bags, focus mitts, and kicking shields. All with a common idea, to create a well-rounded combat system.

Ideally, a martial arts solo training tool has to be workable for all and based on great background ideals and through constant drilling develop into a sound physical application. The ideology and theory would have to take into account all the history of the combat technology of man and give this competition and street application.

Martial Arts Modern Warfare 

Chinese fighting systems especially are renowned for the wide variety of their hand techniques. Most Kung-Fu styles use a good variety of hand/arm weapons (such as claws, gouges, palms, backhands, punches, backfists, hammer fists, forearm, elbows, and shoulder strikes) than their Japanese, Okinawan and Korean counterparts.

In addition to the actual number of natural body weapons used there is also a tremendous range of different applications due to the regionalized development of Kung Fu styles and the different approaches taken by hard or internal/external styles.

In this analogy, the legs are used as the body's heavy artillery, while the hands are the body's infantry. In a military encounter, it is common to use first satellite technology to view the opponent's attack and defense capabilities and then use long-distance stealth artillery to soften up the enemy and to provide a moving cover behind which the infantry can advance to seize and hold disputed territory. Without the benefit of the artillery, the infantry would take heavy casualties.

However, artillery with nothing else cannot seize and hold territory - a major bombardment may drive the enemy out. So it is with arm and leg techniques - we often use our legs to soften up the opponent and to enable us to bridge the gap until we can close in and finish the fight with hand/arm techniques and the proper use and co-ordination of hand/arm and leg techniques is often crucial to success/ survival.

We espouse a combination approach that uses hand/leg attacks from different angles of attack and at various target levels. The concept is to maintain a flow of offensive techniques moving into an opponent's target zones from different angles and at different levels, to disorientate him/her completely. We believe that this position is superior tactically to reliance upon one or two heavily committed techniques.

Martial Development of Power 

Most Chinese styles use a calm approach to power development. We try to keep unnecessary muscles from being involved in the technique, to avoid inhibiting the prime movers behind a certain technique from achieving its result. Essentially, a straight punch is a triceps-driven technique, and the Chinese style of punching allows the triceps to do its job without the inhibition of significant biceps involvement in this punch.

Most other techniques can be viewed similarly - you have muscles that are vital to the effective execution of a technique and muscles which can not, or which are even counter-productive when involved in that technique. No matter which martial arts style you do, try to avoid unnecessary muscle involvement.

Many Chinese styles use more "follow-through" in their techniques and achieve their power by driving the entire body weight through a target zone at speed. The arm is relaxed until contact is made and the body is still driving deeper into the target when attention is brought to the technique using a trigger.

The body has more inertia to overcome before it can move with the descending line of force and, as a result, the power is more completely absorbed by the body rather than being partially dissipated by the body moving more freely with the punch, as with a horizontal line of force.

Economy of motion 

JKD students are told to waste no time or movement. When it comes to combat JKD practitioners believe the easiest things work best.

“Be like water my friend.” – Bruce Lee

Lee believed that martial systems should be as flexible as possible. Time and time again Lee used water as an analogy to describe why flexibility is a desired trait in martial arts. Water is flexible. It can be seen through, yet at other times it can obscure things from sight. It can split and go around things, rejoining on the other side, or it can crash through things. It can erode the hardest rocks by gently lapping away at them or it can flow past the tiniest pebble. Lee believed that a martial system should have these behaviors. JKD students reject traditional systems of training, fighting styles, and the Confucian guidance used in traditional kung fu schools because of this lack of flexibility. JKD is often said to be a dynamic concept that is forever changing, thus being extremely flexible. "Absorb what is useful; Disregard that which is useless" is an often-quoted Bruce Lee maxim. JKD students are encouraged to study every form of combat available. This is believed to expand one's knowledge of other fighting systems; to both add to one's arsenal as well as to know how to defend against such tactics.

As with all other JKD principles, nothing is "written in stone". If an open area presents itself take advantage of the situation.