MODULE FUNDAMENTALS OF MARTIAL ARTS
CHAPTER I : Introduction to Fundamentals of Martial Arts
Objectives:
1. Demonstrate the knowledge of Martial Arts
2. Identify the importance, components and types of Martial
Arts.
3. Familiarize with popular martial arts styles such down
striking, grappling, throwing, weapon-based style and
more
A Brief History of Martial Arts
Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of
training for combat. Though studied for various reasons, broadly
speaking, martial arts share a single objective: to defeat a person
physically or to defend oneself from physical threat. Some martial
arts are linked to spiritual or religious beliefs/philosophies such as
Buddhism, Daoism or Shinto while others have their own
spiritual/non-spiritual code of honour. Martial arts are commonly
associated with East Asian cultures, but are by no means unique to
Asia. Throughout Europe there was an extensive system of combat
martial arts, collectively referred to as Historical European martial
arts, that existed until modern times and are now being
reconstructed by several organizations while Savate is a French
kicking style developed by sailors and street fighters. In the
Americas Native Americans have a tradition of open-handed martial
arts, that includes wrestling and Hawaiians have historically
practiced arts featuring small and large joint manipulation, a mix of
origins occur in the athletic movements of Capoeira that was created
in Brazil by slaves, based on skills brought with them from Africa.
Martial arts existed in classical European civilization, most
notably in Greece where sports were integral to the way of life.
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Boxing (pygme, pyx), Wrestling (pale) and Pankration
(from pan, meaning "all", and kratos, meaning "power" or
"strength") were represented in the Ancient Olympic Games. The
Romans produced Gladiatorial combat as a public spectacle.
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IMPORTANCE
IMPORTANCE MARTIAL ARTS
1. Self-
Self-Defense
The most obvious reason why you should learn martial arts is
that it teaches you how to defend yourself. It is undeniable that there
is violence in the world. It occurs unexpectedly and without regard
for who the victim is. Violence can affect all of us. It is important to
be prepared for such occurrences, and the crux of training is to
learn fighting skills. Not only do you learn specific techniques, but
you also develop toughness and stamina needed to endure a
physical altercation. This knowledge and conditioning lead to other
benefits besides just being equipped with techniques.
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Martial arts inspires confidence.
2. Confidence
Because you can handle yourself physically, you begin to
develop confidence in yourself and your capabilities. You walk taller
with your head up; you're prepared, calm, and self-assured. You
would be surprised at the change in your mental attitude after a
decent sparring session at the dojo. You learn that you can endure,
that you can apply real self-defense techniques, and that you are
capable and strong.
3. Focus and Awareness
In training, you must be very aware of your actions and the
people around you. You become more aware of your environment,
which helps to keep you safe out in the world. This broadening of
awareness is important in life. It can help in school, work, and in your
relationships. It can generally help you navigate your way through
life.
4. You Make Friends
It's an understatement to say that you make friends in martial
arts. My experience is that your teacher and fellow students are
family. Your instructor is more than just a teacher; he becomes a
confidant, a father, and a counselor. Your friends are part of your
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social circle, helping you through thick and thin. They become good
people to have in your corner.
Martial artists form solid relationships.
5. Reduces Stress the Right Way
There are plenty of bad ways to reduce stress, and many of us
have tried all of them. Martial arts offer a positive way to reduce
stress. You direct your energy in a physical way that is beneficial,
and there is no doubt that hitting a punching bag is a great way to
release pent up energy and stress.
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6. Health
Martial arts is a complete workout. You build stamina, strength,
and flexibility. You also develop coordination and balance. You feel
better physically as your body becomes stronger and more capable.
You breathe better, and blood flows to all the necessary parts of the
body more freely. Martial arts is a fun way to stay in shape.
7. Improves Character
You learn respect, discipline, how to cooperate, and how to be
humble. This is all part of perfecting your art. You work with your
partners and learn from your instructor in a setting where bowing
and handshakes are commonplace and helping each other is the
norm. You must focus and be open to being corrected. You use
criticism to improve yourself. The martial arts school is a great
environment for learning the importance of perseverance and
excellence.
And this is why many martial artists call their training a way of
life. It permeates a person's life and creates solid relationships and a
sense of justice and respect. These are among the reasons why
martial arts is so important.
COMPONENTS OF MARTIAL ARTS
COMPONENT 1: TECHNIQUES
Techniques are the movements and postures specific to your
discipline.
A few examples of martial arts and some of their signature
techniques include:
• Boxing: jab, cross, hook, uppercut, bob and weave, etc.
• Freestyle wrestling: double leg takedown, single leg takedown,
inside trip, cradle, suplex, Turk, etc.
• Fencing: lunge, parries, riposte, disengage, flèche, etc.
• MMA: right cross, double leg takedown, superman punch etc.
• Muay Thai: round kick, teep, clinch knee, spinning elbow, etc.
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• Judo: Osoto gari, uchi mata, o goshi, juji
juji-gatame,
gatame, sangaku-
sangaku
jime, etc.
• Kung fu: the “shadowless kick,” “monkey steals the peaches”
and 1000 other fancifully named techniques!
Clearly the actual techniques used differ enormously between
arts…
Harimau Silat and Chinese Baquazhang look nothing alike.
Filipino Kali is very weapons
weapons-centric,
centric, whereas western boxing is
entirely an empty-handed
handed system. Kyokoshin karate, Capoeira and
Judo are easily recognisable as totally different systems, even by
laypeople with no martial arts experience.
In the modern era it’s not uncommon ffor cross-pollination
pollination to
occur between different systems. This has been going on forever,
but with the advent of online video it’s going faster than ever…
Anthony Pettis landed his famous running
running-jumping-cage
cage kick on December 16, 2010.
COMPONENT 2: EQUIPMENT
Traditionally many martial arts had their own unique training
devices and equipment.
Some examples of martial arts equipment might include:
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• Wrestling: wrestling mat, crash mat, takedown and suplex
dummies
• Karate: makiwara (punching board), chi chi-ishi
ishi (macebell), ishi-
ishi
sashi (stone padlocks), nigiri game (gripping jars)
• Boxing: gloves, headgear, heavy bag, speed bag, uppercut bag,
focus mitts
• Sumo: doyho (the ring), mawashi (the sumo loincloth), teppo
pole (slapping pole)
• Wing Chun Kung Fu: wooden dummy, rattan and steel forearm
rings, wall mounted punching pads
• Thai boxing: thai pads, long thai bag, uppercut bag, focus mitts,
shin roller, banana tree trunks (traditionally)
The presence or absence of specific training equipment can
have a HUGE effect on a martial art.
For example, consider how the boxing glove has changed boxing
technique.
In the old days of bare knuckle boxing there were far fewer head
shots.
Typically boxers back in the day would hold their hands lower
and focus on power shots to the body. The risk of breaking your
hand striking the wrong part of the head was a deterrent.
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Now, because gloves are widely used in training, the hands are
usually held higher, and head shots are much more common (this is
true even in modern ‘bare knuckle boxing’ in the British Isles where
combatants usually still use extensive hand wrapping even if they
don’t use gloves).
The use of mats for everyday training allows people to spend a
lot more time on the bottom developing their skills than they might if
they were training on concrete.
Although scrapes and bruises wouldn’t worry me in a real
street confrontation, if I ended up mauled and unable to walk every
time I grappled then I’d certainly be much less inclined to train
positions like the guard or my escapes from bad positions.
The mats in jiu-jitsu allow you to avoid getting too badly beaten
up in training, which then encourages you to put in more time on the
mat and get in more repetitions for skill development.
COMPONENT 3: TRAINING METHODS
Training methods are the systems, drills and exercises used by
a martial art in order to drill the techniques and make them
instinctive.
Essentially this is where you learn how to make your techniques
smooth, instinctive, and functional in a real-life situation!
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Every system has one or more training methods that shape the
entire expression of entire art.
Karate has its katas and one-step sparring…
Wing chun has its 3 primary forms, sticky hands, and the wooden
dummy…
Boxing has its shadowboxing, heavy bag training, focus mitt training,
and sparring…
Judo has two person uchikomi, three person uchikomi, tachiwaza
randori, newaza randori, and yes, kata…
So in the case of the Kung Fu, training used four primary training
methods:
1. Isolated technique repetition (punches and kicks from a static
stance)
2. Single person forms/kata
3. Two person forms/kata
4. Punching bag training
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In each of those classes they may be using training methods
unique to that style; in jiu-jitsu they may be shrimping and bridging,
doing drills of repeated swinging armbars, and sparring, whereas on
a given day in boxing they may mostly be working their
shadowboxing and hitting the focus mitts.
And then they’ll put it all together in blended MMA practices, which
brings us to…
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DIFFERENT TYPES OF MARTIAL ARTS
Striking or Stand-Up Martial Arts Styles
Striking or stand-up martial arts styles teach practitioners how to
defend themselves while on their feet by using blocks, kicks,
punches, knees, and elbows. The degree to which they teach each of
these aspects depends on the specific style, sub-style or instructor.
Also, many of these stand-up styles teach other components of
fighting. Striking styles include:
• Boxing
• Capoeira
• Karate
• Kickboxing
• Krav MagaKung Fu
• Tae Kwon Do
• Tang Soo Do
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Grappling or Ground-Fighting Styles
The grappling styles in martial arts focus on teaching
practitioners how to take opponents to the ground, where they either
achieve a dominant position or utilize a submission hold to end the
fight. Grappling styles include:
• Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
• Catch Wrestling
• Jujutsu
• Luta Livre
• Russian Sambo
• Sumo
• Wrestling
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Throwing or Takedown Styles
Combat always starts from a standing position. The only sure way
to get a fight to the ground is through the use of takedowns and
throws, and that’s where these throwing styles come into play. Note
that all of the grappling styles listed above also teach takedowns,
and most of these throwing styles teach grappling. Clearly, there is a
significant amount of overlap, but the primary focus with these styles
is takedowns. Throwing styles include:
• Aikido
• Judo
• Hapkido
• Shuai Jiao
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Weapons-Based Styles
Many of the aforementioned styles use weapons in their systems.
For example, Goju-ryu karate practitioners are taught to use
the bokken (wooden sword). But some martial arts are centered
entirely around weapons. Weapons-based styles include:
• Kali
• Iaido
• Kendo
•
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Low-Impact or Meditative Styles
Practitioners of low-impact styles of martial arts are mostly
concerned with breathing techniques, fitness, and the spiritual side
of their movements rather than combat in particular. However, all of
these styles were once used for combat and still can be, as the 2013
Chinese-American film "The Man of Tai Chi" illustrates. Low-impact
styles include:
• Baguazhang
• Tai Chi
• Chi Gong-based styles
Hybrid Fighting Styles
Most martial arts styles use techniques found in others. In recent
years, many schools are simply teaching several martial arts styles
together, which is known as mixed martial arts and has been
popularized by contests such as the Ultimate Fighting
Championship. The term MMA generally refers to training in a
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competitive style of martial arts that incorporates grappling, stand-
up fighting, takedowns, throws, and submissions. In addition to
the aforementioned styles, hybrid martial arts forms include the
following:
• MMA
• Jeet Kune Do
• Ninjutsu
• Shootfighting
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REFLECTION:
Discussion Questions on Term and Concept:
• What are the advantages and advantages of martial arts?
• What are the pros and cons of learning martial arts?
• What are true martial arts?
• What are the top martial art advantages?
• Why are the martial arts good?
Reference :
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https://www.sandiegounified.org/
https://www.liveabout.com/martial-arts-styles-2308281
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