It is not easy to pinpoint a starting point for martial arts, since numerous forms seem to have been used all over the world for centuries. Most could have a different answer influenced by their opinion of what constitutes a martial art, so coming up with a definitive history could be tricky. However, it’s possible to determine when and where different types of martial arts got their start, that may provide a useful general history of these disciplines.
The fundamental meaning of martial arts is that it is different way of saying the art of waging combat. In its original form, martial arts experts used their skills just to survive, as the world must have been a much different place. In primitive society, people needed to kill or be killed, which meant that martial arts were the only way to survive in some situations. Most martial arts within this period were unstructured and involved doing whatever the individual had to do to live through the clash, however they have evolved significantly since this time.
Throughout the years, several types of martial arts have gained in popularity, but it can be said that just about all have more similarities than differences. For instance, in every martial art, each movement has a purpose and is directed towards a desired result. Additionally, each of them endeavor to teach principles to their followers, which are ideals through which the follower is supposed to live. In the end, all martial arts are also about self-defense, because they give people the opportunity to protect themselves against others in virtually any situation, which is definitely a good skill to have in any society.
As was mentioned previously, its impossible to pinpoint the time and location of the origin of martial arts, but evidence does exist that the Egyptians used hand-to-hand combat dating back to 2500 BC. This would make martial arts nearly 5000-yrs . old, so there is a long tradition of self-defense. Some believe, however, that the Egyptian form of combat was too primitive to be regarded as a martial art and point to the more structured version that appeared in China around 1300 BC. In Europe, evidence exists stating that a type of wrestling existed around 750 BC, which would be the first martial art that could be considered as such. The Greeks and Romans wrestled for sport around 40 BC and India had something similar at around 1 BC. No matter which historical reference you believe, you cannot argue that these ideas have been about for a long time and definately will continue well into the future.
For many, martial arts are considered a great gift and this gift has been handed down from generation to generation in a good many societies. While martial arts are no longer considered arts of war, they do teach physical and mental conditioning which can be used in combat. Many martial artists in the current society would prefer to walk away from a fight than accept one, which is where mental conditioning comes into play. Many of those people are some of the most relaxed and mellow individuals you have ever met, as they know that they possess this gift, but don’t desire to use it on anyone.
During the last 20-years, individuals have begun training in multiple martial arts to take part in a sport called mixed martial arts. This evolution has taken quite a while to come to fruition, as various martial arts have existed for hundreds of years. Through participation in mixed martial arts, individuals can learn many different physical skills, but can also become familiar with the mental skills that go together with this physical ability. By combining all of these varieties of martial arts together, martial artists are now more skilled than ever and have brought together philosophies from a range of different cultures along the way.
Moving forward, we will likely see a further evolution in martial arts, as more obscure forms will start to enter our society. Since these arts have existed for years and years, it will take some time for people to perfect them, but it will occur, just like it is with more mainstream martial arts today. As long as this expansion occurs with peace in mind, it should be a fantastic time for all martial arts practitioners, as they will have the opportunity to learn much more about their craft.












