MARTIAL ARTS
By martial art we mean a set of physical, mental and psychological practices related to combat. Originally used to increase the warrior's chances of victory in battle, today they are a form of individual improvement and complete physical activity as well as for personal defense.
The term came into common use at the beginning of the sixties when oriental martial arts were introduced in the West and is sometimes associated only with these and in particular with the Chinese, Japanese and Korean martial arts. In reality, combat systems in Europe were defined in this way as early as 1500; one English fencing manual from 1639 in particular used it when referring specifically to the "science and art" of sword fighting, deriving it from Latin since "martial art" literally means "art of Mars", the Roman god of war.
Today, martial arts are studied for various reasons: to obtain fighting skills, self-defense, sports, physical health and form of gymnastics, self-control, meditation, empowerment in the use of strength, gaining confidence in one's body, confidence in one's abilities and awareness of its own limits. Some martial arts are considered "traditional" and are linked to an ethnic, religious or cultural background, while others are modern systems developed by a founder or association.
The history of martial arts is double-sided, a military one and a sporting one, in turn deriving from the most primordial needs of human settlements, namely the hunting and defense of the territory. They defined man's relationship with the environment and with other men respectively. In both cases, without objectively dangerous natural weapons, man had to resort to technological development for survival.
The history of martial arts around the world is complex. Many groups of people have needed to defend themselves at some point and have therefore developed fighting techniques. Although these fighting techniques have proven obsolete over time, especially with the advent of firearms, martial arts have survived. This is partly due to the cultural importance that martial arts have had in certain areas, and partly to their functions of gymnastics and physical and mental training; other reasons are the sporting application that some of these have assumed over time, and the use made of them in the military training of some countries.
The term came into common use at the beginning of the sixties when oriental martial arts were introduced in the West and is sometimes associated only with these and in particular with the Chinese, Japanese and Korean martial arts. In reality, combat systems in Europe were defined in this way as early as 1500; one English fencing manual from 1639 in particular used it when referring specifically to the "science and art" of sword fighting, deriving it from Latin since "martial art" literally means "art of Mars", the Roman god of war.
Today, martial arts are studied for various reasons: to obtain fighting skills, self-defense, sports, physical health and form of gymnastics, self-control, meditation, empowerment in the use of strength, gaining confidence in one's body, confidence in one's abilities and awareness of its own limits. Some martial arts are considered "traditional" and are linked to an ethnic, religious or cultural background, while others are modern systems developed by a founder or association.
The history of martial arts is double-sided, a military one and a sporting one, in turn deriving from the most primordial needs of human settlements, namely the hunting and defense of the territory. They defined man's relationship with the environment and with other men respectively. In both cases, without objectively dangerous natural weapons, man had to resort to technological development for survival.
The history of martial arts around the world is complex. Many groups of people have needed to defend themselves at some point and have therefore developed fighting techniques. Although these fighting techniques have proven obsolete over time, especially with the advent of firearms, martial arts have survived. This is partly due to the cultural importance that martial arts have had in certain areas, and partly to their functions of gymnastics and physical and mental training; other reasons are the sporting application that some of these have assumed over time, and the use made of them in the military training of some countries.