How Did Martial Arts Evolve?
It is hard to tell exactly how martial arts came about but many believe it began with Cain and Able as the first to demonstrate the need to defend themselves with their wits and bare hands. Today there are many different ways in which martial arts are uses: as sports; as competitions and as self-defense. To many, the evolution of martial arts has encompassed every nation and race and not only one culture.
People who are beginning to learn the basics of martial arts often wonder how did martial arts evolve. There are many answers to this question but the majority of experts believe that martial arts can be traced back to the days of Cain and Able. From there, every race, culture and nation helped to evolve this unique way of defense and sport, mostly through necessities of wars.
For the categorizing of non-aggression in martial arts, the Shao-lin Monks were the first to come up with this form of physical fitness and using the body and brain for a combined way of feeling whole. This would have been around 600 a.d. and many historians claim it was a visiting India Monk named Bodhidharma.
They also learn the way of the fist, Chinese Boxing or Kempo. As each country and master leader learned this form of martial arts, they adapted it to meet their needs and the needs of their people, plus their strong beliefs in religion. It wasn't until the 1600's that there is more written proof of martial arts. This is when karate was being taught in secret due to the Japanese occupation. Karate gave individuals a fighting chance against property and home invaders.
It was the Korean War gave us tae kwon do to America, which has experienced resurgence in the past several years as a healthful way to exercise and connect the mind to the body. Many people with chronic pain swear by this form of martial art to alleviate pains and calm the mind.
Various forms of Martial arts found there way to America through war and immigration. Bruce Lee was the first to open up a school to teach what had otherwise been a closely kept art form within the Chinese culture. The end of World War II saw the beginning of many different types of martial arts and today there are Mix Martial Arts.