Martial arts around our world

         Our teacher allowed everyone to write everything what we want as a free topic. There are too many interesting things in our wonderful world we can talk about. I would like to talk about my hobby. I enjoy martial arts and I will share it with everybody. I hope everybody will like it. :)

         Martial arts(literally meaning arts of war but usually referred as fighting arts) are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat. Martial arts all have similar objectives: to physically defeat other persons or defend oneself or others from physical threat. Some martial arts are also linked to beliefs systems such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism or Shinto while others follow a secular code of honor. Martial arts are considered as both an art and a science. Many arts are also practiced competitively, most commonly as combat sports, but competitions may also take the form of "forms competition."
  
  
Overview:
The term martial arts refers to the art of warfare (derived from Mars the Roman god of war) and comes from a 15th-century European term referring to what are now known as historical European martial arts specifically to what is today known as Historical Fencing, but is now most commonly associated with Asian fighting styles, especially the combat systems that originated in East Asia. The term both in its literal meaning however, and in its subsequent usage may be taken to refer to any codified combat system, regardless of origin, a practitioner of martial arts is referred to as a martial artist. Martial arts have originated and evolved in various cultures at various times. In the Americas, Native Americans have traditions of open-handed martial arts such as wrestling, while Hawaiians have historically practiced arts featuring small and large-joint manipulation. A mix of origins is found in the athletic movements of Capoeira, which African slaves developed in Brazil based on skills they had brought from Africa.

While each style has unique facets that differentiate it from other martial arts, a common characteristic is the systematization of fighting techniques. Methods of training vary and may include sparring (simulated combat) or formal sets or routines of techniques known as forms or kata. Forms are especially common in the Asian and Asian-derived martial arts.




And now there are some descriptions about some kinds of martial arts:

TAEKWONDO:      

 Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means ''to strike or break with foot'', kwon means ''to strike or break with fist'', and do means ''way'',''method'' or ''art''. Thus taekwondo may be loosely translated as "the art of the foot and fist" or "the art of kicking and punching."











BOXING:

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists for competition. Boxing is typically supervised by a referee engaged in during a series of one- to three-minute intervals called rounds, and boxers generally of similar weight. There are four ways to win; if the opponent is knocked out and unable to get up before the referee counts to ten seconds (a knockout, or KO) or if the opponent is deemed too injured to continue (a Technical Knockout or TKO), if an opponent is disqualified for breaking a rule, or if there is no stoppage of the fight before an agreed number of rounds, a winner is determined either by the referee's decision or by judges' scorecards.

SUMO:

Sumo is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally. It is generally considered to be a gendai budō (a modern Japanese martial art), though this definition is incorrect as the sport has a history spanning many centuries. Many ancient traditions have been preserved in sumo, and even today the sport includes many ritual elements, such as the use of salt purification, from the days when sumo was used in the Shinto religion. Life as a rikishi is highly regimented, with rules laid down by the Sumo Association. Most sumo wrestlers are required to live in communal "sumo training stables" known in Japanese as heya where all aspects of their daily lives—from meals to their manner of dress—are dictated by strict tradition. 

CAPOEIRA:

Capoeira  is a Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, sports, and music. It was created in Brazil mainly by descendants of African slaves with Brazilian native influences, probably beginning in the 17th century. It is known by quick and complex moves, using mainly power kicks and quick leg sweeps, with some ground and aerial acrobatics, knee strikes, take-downs, elbow strikes, punches and headbutts. The word capoeira comes from Tupi, referring to the areas of low vegetation in the Brazilian interior. 



And finally my favourite martial art:

WING CHUN:

Wing Chun, also romanized as Ving Tsun or ''Wing Tsun'' (and sometimes substituted with the characters ''eternal springtime'') is a concept-based Chinese martial art and form of self-defense utilizing both striking and grappling while specializing in close-range combat.

The difference between Wing Chun and other martial arts is softness. Softness and performing techniques in a relaxed manner, is fundamental to Wing Chun.

And one more thing. This is a WOODEN DUMMY. I love to practise with this very much. It makes my arms and my hands stronger. :)

 <===== It's me.
My martial art teacher decided to take some photos before we started our martial art lessons :).