Any discussion of martial arts has to be tempered because of an inherent problem. Simply put, there are so many fighting styles that it is hard to know what martial arts are exactly.
When you discuss martial arts, you are really introducing a very broad and complex subject. People have developed a lot of different ways to classify them and there is sometimes a lot of controversy and disagreement on what art falls into which category. The basic dividing point might be between classical martial arts and non-classical martial arts. Such things as fencing, archery, or even knife fighting might be considered non-classical. Although at one time they might have shared the characteristics of classical fighting arts, they have evolved into something else in modern times. Of course, there are advocates of these arts that would disagree and see them as the most classical forms of all.
Other people try to classify them according to the main intent of the art. They might say some are for sport as opposed to pure fighting. Others might be more for exercise and others might be more based on philosophy. The problem with separating the types this way is that most martial arts will actually have elements of all of them and it is hard to say that one is entirely devoted to one of the four groups. An art that is very connected with philosophy might now be a sport although it was originally developed specifically for fighting.
Another way to classify martial arts is by style. Some are said to be circular and some are said to be linear. Circular styles involve a lot of circular motion in the attacks while linear tend to be direct and head on in approach. Other style classifications might be soft vs. hard. Soft style martial arts tend to deflect and redirect energy while the hard styles tend to meet force with force and be more aggressive than defensive. Once again, many martial art forms have style elements that are both linear and circular. They might sometimes be soft and other times hard.
Yet another way of classify martial arts is external vs. internal. The external forms tend to be more direct and usually are both hard and linear. Weight, strength, and body position tend to be the major focus of external martial arts. Internal martial arts tend to be soft and circular and use meditation and self discipline to a higher degree. Pressure points would be more important than blunt force in the attack.
In the end it is hard to try to classify or group the unique variations of martial arts by style or to divide them into any sub-group. They too often share the characteristics of each other in many ways while still retaining something that makes them unique. It might be just best to list them with their common names. Regardless of what they are called, be it fencing, archery, Tae Kwon Do, or Karate, they all share the common history of self defense and are joined, ultimately, as the basic skills of the Warrior.
Aazdak Alisimo writes martial arts articles for MartialArtsSupplyandEquipment.com
Source: www.isnare.com
