A BRIEF HISTORY OF MARTIAL ARTS

As a combat art, the Martial Arts have traditionally represented a large number of offensive and defensive fighting techniques derived from the Far East. Historically, the techniques were developed in India and then transmitted to mainland China by Bodhidharma, the legendary founder of the famous Shaolin School. During the Sui and T’ang Dynasties these skills were spread to Korea, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines and Brazil.

Throughout most of these formulative years the arts were secretly developed and transferred by word of mouth due, in large part to repressive feudalism. Since World War 2 military serviceman carried the arts worldwide, with the development of commercial air travel, and information technology virtually everyone has been exposed to some aspects of the martial arts. Today much of the exposure and hype bombards viewers through television, video and cinema, however the reality of the martial arts is far from this media presentation.

Styles are shrouded in tradition and a degree of mystery. Each country (and region) developed its own fighting skills. Each art is unique and was developed through trial and error on the battlefield and personal defence. Below are short summaries of such:

JAPANESE martial arts stretch back more than 600 years. Kendo is one of the most ancient. Ninja's were contract assassins, hired to dispatch their victims, usually by poison or by a knife in the back. The samurai were the soldiers of ancient Japan. They believed to die in battle was a fitting and noble death that would guarantee everlasting life in the next world. The four original styles of Karate Shotokan, Wado Ryu, Shito Ryu and Goju Ryu began on the island of Okinawa and spread to the Japanese mainland quite recently, 1920AD by Funakoshi.

CHINESE martial arts are the oldest in the world with some dating back more than 2000 years. They are linked to Taoism, which uses the yin/yang symbol to show how strength should be balanced with compassion and gentleness. The Shaolin monks were introduced to Martial arts to assist their academic studies. They are renowned for their amazing feats and agility.

KOREAN In 1909 Japanese troops invaded nearby Korea and introduced the Japanese arts. The Korean people developed their own form and created Tang Soo Do, Hapkido and Taekwondo. Taekwondo was introduced as an Olympic sport at the Sydney 2000 Olympic games.

BRAZILIAN Jiu Jitsu has evolved from its early 20^th century beginnings to become a formidable ground fighting art winning many of the early UFC no holds barred competitions.

PHILIPPINES Eskrima, Kali & Arnis (Stick Fighting) were developed by the Filipinos whilst defending against invading neighbouring islands. The Filipinos also used single and double sticks to ward off the sword wielding Spanish empire invaders to defend their home. The Filipino's then incorporated blade and sword into their arts.

THAILAND An independent country with a strong fighting heritage developed Muay Thai & Krabi Krobong (weapon system) on the battlefield whilst defending their homeland. Modern Muay Thai is often referred to as the deadliest ring sport for its combat application.

WESTERN / EUROPEAN. From the Gladiators to the Holy Wars, fighting was developed utilizing various weapons. Firearms put an end to Swordsmanship. Weapon restrictions to civilians saw an increase in unarmed combat with boxing, wrestling and hybrids developing.

MILITARY WARFARE As technology evolves, so too does the weapons of warfare.

FREESTYLE Martial Arts developed with the ‘information age’ where travel and communication has allowed Martial Artists worldwide the opportunity to learn and grow from an immensely wide choice of skills and concepts. Bruce Lee was one of the first to embrace the idea of blending arts.

AUSTRALIAN FREESTYLE MARTIAL ARTS Has developed using modern fighting concepts to build an effective self-defence system with all the benefits of Martial Arts. A blend of traditional martial arts, modern sport sciences (body mechanics, combat psychology) & survival techniques, give you a unique system of self defence and fitness made for today’s modern and unfortunately often violent world.