1 Martial Arts Have a Long History Performing Kalaripayattu in Kerala India 2016 Martial arts is the name for many different combat sports Most of these sports started in Asia thousands of years ago They were used to train 4 warriors to fight and defend themselves Some ancient martial arts are not as well known as other types These include Taekkyon which started in Korea
around 50 BC Kalaripayattu is an Indian fighting style from 3,000 years ago Pankration is an ancient Greek martial art that combined wrestling boxing and kicking One of the unique things about martial arts is they combine physical exercise with mental and spiritual discipline Ancient religions such as Daoism and Zen Buddhism teach people to focus their thoughts so that the body and mind become one Martial arts use this 2697 BCE First recorded year of Shuai Jiao an ancient Chinese martial art Shuai Jiao was first used in a fight between the Yellow Emperor and Chih Yiu Later the best fighters became the emperor’s bodyguards Shuai Jiao is still taught in Chinese police and military training strategy to help fighters control their bodies and movements without thinking 5
2 Little Equipment Is Needed Performing karate indoors Practicing taekwondo Some martial arts use equipment Many just use the body as a weapon Karate means empty hand in Japanese This style uses hands and feet to strike and block blows Fighters stand up as they battle 6 Taekwondo is another martial arts that is practiced standing up
This style uses powerful kicks to fight an opponent It is also a good martial art to use against more than one opponent Other martial arts are more focused on getting an opponent down on the ground In judo and aikido fighters use strength to wrestle an opponent to the ground Even when fighters use weapons they tend to be very simple Staffs sticks and poles are the most common martial arts weapons 8 Number of limbs counted in Muay Thai Muay Thai is called the art of eight limbs because it uses elbows and knees to strike It is the national sport of Thailand Muay Thai is popular with UFC Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters THINK ABOUT IT Do you think it is better to use weapons or not while learning a martial art 7
