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Martial Arts have been in existence for thousands of years. Martial practices, which are defined as being able or suitable for war, have been around for much longer. ... Martial arts are not only about conditioning ones body to defend itself, but focuses on a deeper philosophy that should be more important than the physical movements themselves. When taught in the correct traditional manner, these philosophical aspects should be found in all martial arts. While the martial arts have many influences, including Zen Buddhism, the most influential philosophy is Daoism, which even influenced Zen Buddhism. Through traditional practices of a master passing down information to his student, who passes the same ideals to the students after him, Daoism continues to play a large role in the Martial Arts today.
While many of the early recorded documents of the martial arts have been destroyed, it is the popular belief that when most began they were associated with religious practices. In China, temple monks practiced Martial Arts exercises to help keep their strength from deteriorating as they spent so much time in seated mediation. In Korea Martial Arts were practiced by the Hwarang Warriors, who were much like the Chinese monks and educated themselves in philosophy, religion, and the arts. While the religious background of these practitioners may not have solely been Daoism, the Daoist philosophy and to some extent the religion played a large role in the study. After the Xiaolin Temple was destroyed during a Manchurian invasion, monks turned to the outside world and began teaching their martial arts to others. But even still the philosophy of Daoism continued to be passed down to each generation.
The method in which the martial arts were taught themselves is deeply rooted in Daoism. ... This ideal is very strong in the martial arts- students or disciples of a Master instructor are expected to do everything the master says, to obey every command without questioning or hesitation. ...
Not only is the way the Martial Arts are passed down from Master to student based on Daoist ideas, but the principles taught are Daoist themselves. ... These arts, as well as most others, are more than just fighting systems. The "Do" shows that they teach the philosophical ideas created in Daoism. ... 6 The Daoist concepts taught within these, as well as many other martial art forms, are abundant. ... "7 In all martial arts motions it is of utmost importance to be relaxed and fluid, rather than stiff and hard. By being relaxed, supple and fluid one is able to perform techniques of martial arts with better speed, and accuracy. ... "9 While obviously not the first to say this, Bruce Lee, one of the most famous martial artists of our time, has been quoted on numerous occasions on this idea. ... "10 Obviously, this idea of yielding like water is very applicable in martial arts technique. ... What then would be the point of learning martial arts? ... By learning to move with the attack rather than against, a martial artist can not even be there when the strike
comes in. A very old martial arts saying, whose author is no longer known, is "A beginning student blocks, an advanced student blocks and at the same time counters, a master is not even there when the strike comes.
Approximate Word count = 2695
Approximate Pages = 10.8
(250 words per page double spaced)
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