Surprisingly, there is no single definition of this term; different martial artists are unlikely to agree on the purpose or even the main elements that comprise a martial art. Is it to learn to fight? Competition? Self-defense? Personal improvement? Some may have such a narrow view but to me it’s all this and more.
Today’s martial arts are based upon fighting skills that date back thousands of years, which we re originally created for battle – empty hand techniques, archery, swords, etc. But as warring tribes grew into more peaceful kingdoms/countries and as warfare grew to include bombs and artillery, these battlefield skills diminished in importance. Many of these practitioners recognized the value of this training however, and so to honor this tradition they continued teaching their set of techniques – some merely being passed from father to son.
Over time, the focus changed from developing better warrior/soldiers to instead developing better human beings. These martial artists realized that those who follow the warrior’s path benefit in many ways; physically, mentally and emotionally. In order to provide the same benefit to the general public the leaders of many traditional schools of techniques founded a modern martial art by organizing their set of combat skills into an official curriculum; thus creating the “Do†for their style of techniques – the “way†to follow that will guide you on the path. This included a methodology and philosophy intent on achieving a specific goal. Not all had the goal to maintain the warrior tradition, however. Some preferred to focus on a subset of techniques with a more specific goal: sport/competition (Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Kendo), practical self-defense (Jeet Kune Do, Krav Maga), philosophical (Aikido), health/meditative (Tai Chi), etc.
Within the last several decades, many students have broken off to start their own schools and organizations, in many cases losing the methods and philosophies that founded their martial art. Very recently, the advent of so called Mixed Martial Arts has created additional fractionalization as many martial arts schools try to incorporate additional material to their curriculum. This presents many problems. Even if the instructors are highly trained in the new material, and even if it is complementary to the original style, this still results in diminishing the original martial art by reducing its importance and straying from its philosophies and goals. This is much like the combination of two cultures; the watered- down result is a loss to both original cultures. If the above criteria are not met however, then resulting clash of philosophies and styles of movement can be catastrophic.
The proponents of this movement claim to be improving upon these martial systems by trying to “modernize†them – highly unlikely, unless the goal is strictly that of self-defense. These people are myopic in their perspective, thinking that martial arts are nothing more than a series of techniques used for self defense. The reality is that a true martial art is many things – techniques, movement, philosophy, moral principles, strategies, etiquette, etc – which together form a framework that results in more than the sum of its parts. Much like archery can be used as to teach Zen; the archery is but a means to an end, not an end in itself. Similarly, martial art studies provide the framework to continually seek truth, enlightenment and a path to the art of living – the warrior’s path.
So, what is the purpose of a martial art? While it can’t be adequately summarized in one sentence; the best I can offer is: “to provide the means for individuals to develop as human beings, and by extension, to improve the human race as a whole.†And what could be more important than that?
By Sabumnim Scott MacKnight
Tags: martial arts