Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of
combat
Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...
practiced for a number of reasons such as
self-defense;
military and
law enforcement applications;
competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development;
entertainment; and the preservation of a nation's
intangible cultural heritage
An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. Int ...
.
Etymology
According to Paul Bowman, the term ''martial arts'' was popularized by mainstream
popular culture during the 1960s to 1970s, notably by
Hong Kong martial arts films (most famously those of
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...
) during the so-called "
chopsocky" wave of the early 1970s.
According to John Clements, the term ''
martial arts
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...
'' itself is derived from an older
Latin term meaning "arts of
Mars", the
Roman god of war, and was used to refer to the combat systems of Europe (
European martial arts) as early as the 1550s.
The term martial science, or martial sciences, was commonly used to refer to the fighting arts of
East Asia (
Asian martial arts) up until the 1970s, while the term ''Chinese boxing'' was also used to refer to
Chinese martial arts up until then.
Some authors have argued that fighting arts or fighting systems would be more appropriate terms on the basis that many martial arts were never "martial" in the sense of being used or created by professional
warriors.
Variation and scope
Martial arts may be categorized using a variety of criteria, including:
* Traditional/historical arts vs. contemporary styles: e.g.,
folk wrestling compared to modern
hybrid martial arts.
* Techniques taught: armed vs.
unarmed, and within these categories
** armed: by type of weapon (
swordsmanship,
stick fighting etc.)
** unarmed: by type of combat (
grappling vs.
striking
Strike may refer to:
People
*Strike (surname)
Physical confrontation or removal
*Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm
*Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
,
stand-up fighting
In martial arts and combat sports, stand-up fighting is hand-to-hand combat between opponents in a standing position, as distinguished from ground fighting. Clinch fighting is stand-up grappling. Fighters employ striking, including striking com ...
vs.
ground fighting)
* By application or intent:
self-defense,
combat sport,
choreography
Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design ...
or demonstration of forms,
physical fitness
Physical fitness is a state of health and well-being and, more specifically, the ability to perform aspects of Outline of sports, sports, occupations and daily activities. Physical fitness is generally achieved through proper nutrition, moderate ...
,
meditation, etc.
* Within
Chinese tradition
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
:
"external" vs.
"internal" styles
By technical focus
Unarmed
Unarmed martial arts can be broadly grouped into those focusing on
strikes
Strike may refer to:
People
*Strike (surname)
Physical confrontation or removal
*Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm
*Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
, those focusing on
grappling, and those that cover both fields, often described as
hybrid martial arts.
Strikes
Strike may refer to:
People
*Strike (surname)
Physical confrontation or removal
*Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm
*Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
*
Punching:
Boxing,
Wing Chun
*
Kicking:
Kickboxing
Kickboxing is a combat sports, combat sport focused on kicking and punch (strike), punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is pract ...
,
Taekwondo,
Capoeira,
Savate,
Karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
* Others using strikes:
Lethwei
Lethwei ( my, လက်ဝှေ့; IPA: ) or Burmese boxing, is a full contact combat sport from Myanmar that uses stand-up striking including headbutts. Lethwei is considered to be one of the most brutal martial arts in the world,
*
*
* a ...
,
Muay Thai
Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...
,
Kung Fu,
Pencak Silat,
Kalaripayattu
Kalaripayattu (; also known simply as Kalari) is an Indian martial art that originated in modern-day Kerala, a state on the southwestern coast of India. Kalaripayattu is known for its long-standing history within Indian martial arts, and is ...
Grappling
*
Throwing:
Hapkido,
Judo,
Sumo
is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...
,
Wrestling,
Aikido
*
Joint lock/
Chokeholds/
Submission holds
A grappling hold, commonly referred to simply as a hold that in Japanese is referred to as ''katame-waza'' ( "grappling technique"), is any specific grappling, wrestling, judo, or other martial art grip that is applied to an opponent. Grapplin ...
:
Jujutsu,
Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...
,
Sambo,
Catch wrestling
*
Pinning Techniques: Judo, Wrestling, Aikido
Armed
The traditional martial arts that cover
armed combat often encompass a wide spectrum of
melee weapons, including
bladed weapons and
polearms. Such traditions include
eskrima,
silat,
kalaripayat,
kobudo, and
historical European martial arts, especially those of the
Italian Renaissance. Many
Chinese martial arts also feature weapons as part of their curriculum.
Sometimes, training with one specific weapon may be considered a style in its own right, especially in the case of
Japanese martial arts
Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budō'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts.
The usage ...
, with disciplines such as
kenjutsu
is an umbrella term for all ('' ko-budō'') schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also included modern forms of ...
and
kendo
is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread ...
(sword),
bojutsu (staff), and
kyūdō (archery). Similarly, modern martial arts and sports include
modern fencing
Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the Foil (fencing), foil, the épée, and the Sabre (fencing), sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an ...
, stick-fighting systems like
canne de combat,
modern competitive archery and
practical shooting.
By application or intent
Combat-oriented
Health-oriented
Many martial arts, especially those from Asia, also teach side disciplines which pertain to medicinal practices. This is particularly prevalent in traditional
Asian martial arts which may teach
bone-setting, herbalism, and other aspects of traditional medicine.
Spirituality-oriented
Martial arts can also be linked with religion and spirituality. Numerous systems are reputed to have been founded, disseminated, or practiced by monks or nuns.
Throughout the Asian arts, meditation may be incorporated as a part of training. In the arts influenced by a mix of
Chan Buddhist,
Taoist and
Confucian philosophy, the practice itself may be used as an aid to attaining mindfulness.
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese styles, when concerning non-physical qualities of the combat, are often strongly influenced by
Mahayana Buddhist philosophy. Concepts like "
empty mind" and "beginner's mind" are recurrent.
Aikido practitioners for instance, can have a strong philosophical belief of the flow of energy and peace fostering, as idealised by the art's founder
Morihei Ueshiba.
Traditional Korean martial arts place emphasis on the development of the practitioner's spiritual and philosophical development. A common theme in most Korean styles, such as
Taekkyon,
taekwondo, and
Hapkido is the value of "inner peace" in a practitioner, which is stressed to be only achievable through individual meditation and training. The Koreans believe that the use of physical force is only justifiable for self defense.
Systema
Systema (russian: Система, Sistema, system) is a Russian martial art. There are multiple schools of systems that began appearing after the end of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, with teachers claiming their respective "systems" (usually ...
draws upon breathing and relaxation techniques, as well as elements of
Russian Orthodox thought, to foster self-conscience and calmness, and to benefit the practitioner in different levels: the physical, the psychological and the spiritual.
Some martial arts in various cultures can be performed in dance-like settings for various reasons, such as for evoking ferocity in preparation for battle or showing off skill in a more stylized manner, with capoeira being the most prominent example. Many such martial arts incorporate music, especially strong percussive rhythms (see also
war dance).
Pahlevani and zourkhaneh rituals is the name of a Persian Martial arts inscribed by
UNESCO for varzesh-e pahlavāni ( fa, آیین پهلوانی و زورخانهای, "heroic sport") or varzesh-e bāstāni (; ''varzeš-e bāstānī'', "ancient sport"), a traditional system of athletics originally used to train warriors in
Iran (
Persia), and first appearing under this name and form in the Safavid era, with similarities to systems in adjacent lands under other names.
History
Historical martial arts

Human warfare dates back to the
Epipalaeolithic to early
Neolithic era. The oldest works of art depicting scenes of battle are
cave paintings from eastern Spain (
Spanish Levante
The Levante (; Catalan language, Catalan: ; "Levant, East") is a name used to refer to the eastern region of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Spain, Spanish Mediterranean coast. It roughly corresponds to the former Xarq Al-Andalus, but has no moder ...
) dated between 10,000 and 6,000 BCE that show organized groups fighting with bows and arrows.
Similar evidence of warfare has been found in Epipalaeolithic to early Neolithic era
mass burials, excavated in Germany and at
Jebel Sahaba in
Northern Sudan.
Wrestling is the oldest
combat sport, with origins in
hand-to-hand combat
Hand-to-hand combat (sometimes abbreviated as HTH or H2H) is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range (grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of weapons.Huns ...
.
Belt wrestling was depicted in works of art from
Mesopotamia and
Ancient Egypt , and later in the
Sumerian
Sumerian or Sumerians may refer to:
*Sumer, an ancient civilization
**Sumerian language
**Sumerian art
**Sumerian architecture
**Sumerian literature
**Cuneiform script, used in Sumerian writing
*Sumerian Records, an American record label based in ...
''
Epic of Gilgamesh''. The earliest known depiction of
boxing comes from a
Sumer
Sumer () is the earliest known civilization in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC. It is one of the cradles of c ...
ian relief in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) from the 3rd millennium BC.

The foundation of modern
East Asian martial arts and
South Asian martial arts is likely facilitated by cultural exchanges of early
Chinese and
Indian martial arts
Indian martial arts refers to the fighting systems of the Indian subcontinent. A variety of terms are used for the English phrases “Indian martial arts”, deriving from ancient sources. While they may seem to imply specific disciplines (e.g. ...
. During the
Warring States period of
Chinese history
The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the ''Book of Documents'' (early chapter ...
(480–221 BC) extensive development in martial philosophy and strategy emerged, as described by
Sun Tzu in ''
The Art of War'' (c. 350 BC). Legendary accounts link the origin of
Shaolinquan to the
spread of Buddhism from
ancient India during the early 5th century
CE, with the figure of
Bodhidharma
Bodhidharma was a semi-legendary Buddhist monk who lived during the 5th or 6th century CE. He is traditionally credited as the transmitter of Chan Buddhism to China, and regarded as its first Chinese patriarch. According to a 17th century apo ...
, to China. Written evidence of martial arts in Southern India dates back to the
Sangam literature of about the 2nd century BCE to the 2nd century AD. The combat techniques of the
Sangam period were the earliest precursors to
Kalaripayattu
Kalaripayattu (; also known simply as Kalari) is an Indian martial art that originated in modern-day Kerala, a state on the southwestern coast of India. Kalaripayattu is known for its long-standing history within Indian martial arts, and is ...
.
In Europe, the earliest sources of martial arts traditions date to
Ancient Greece.
Boxing (''pygme'', ''pyx''),
wrestling (''pale'') and
pankration were represented in the
Ancient Olympic Games
The ancient Olympic Games (Ὀλυμπιακοὶ ἀγῶνες; la, Olympia, neuter plural: "the Olympics") were a series of athletic competitions among representatives of city-states and were one of the Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece. ...
. The
Romans produced
gladiatorial combat
A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some g ...
as a public spectacle.
A number of historical
combat manual
Martial arts manuals are instructions, with or without illustrations, specifically designed to be learnt from a book. Many books detailing specific techniques of martial arts are often erroneously called manuals but were written as treatises.
Pros ...
s have survived from the European
Middle Ages. This includes such styles as
sword and shield,
two-handed swordfighting and other types of
melee weapons besides unarmed combat. Amongst these are transcriptions of
Johannes Liechtenauer's mnemonic poem on the longsword dating back to the late fourteenth century. Likewise, Asian martial arts became well-documented during the medieval period,
Japanese martial arts
Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budō'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts.
The usage ...
beginning with the establishment of the
samurai nobility in the 12th century,
Chinese martial arts with
Ming era treatises such as
Ji Xiao Xin Shu,
Indian martial arts
Indian martial arts refers to the fighting systems of the Indian subcontinent. A variety of terms are used for the English phrases “Indian martial arts”, deriving from ancient sources. While they may seem to imply specific disciplines (e.g. ...
in medieval texts such as the
Agni Purana and the
Malla Purana, and
Korean martial arts from the
Joseon
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
era and texts such as
Muyejebo (1598).

European swordsmanship always had a sportive component, but the duel was always a possibility until
World War I. Modern
sport fencing began developing during the 19th century as the French and Italian military academies began codifying instruction. The Olympic games led to standard international rules, with the Féderation Internationale d'Escrime founded in 1913. Modern boxing originates with
Jack Broughton's rules in the 18th century, and reaches its present form with the
Marquess of Queensberry Rules of 1867.
Folk styles

Certain traditional combat sports and fighting styles exist all over the world, rooted in local culture and folklore. The most common of these are styles of
folk wrestling, some of which have been practiced since antiquity and are found in the most remote areas. Other examples include forms of
stick fighting and boxing. While these arts are based on historical traditions of folklore, they are not "historical" in the sense that they reconstruct or preserve a historical system from a specific era. They are rather contemporary regional sports that coexist with the modern forms of martial arts sports as they have developed since the 19th century, often including cross-fertilization between sports and folk styles; thus, the traditional Thai art of
muay boran developed into the modern national sport of
muay Thai
Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...
, which in turn came to be practiced worldwide and contributed significantly to modern hybrid styles like
kickboxing
Kickboxing is a combat sports, combat sport focused on kicking and punch (strike), punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is pract ...
and
mixed martial arts.
Singlestick, an English martial art can be seen often used in
morris dancing. Many European dances share elements of martial arts with examples including Ukrainian
Hopak, Polish Zbójnicki (use of
ciupaga), the Czech dance
odzemek, and the Norwegian
Halling.
Modern history
Late 19th to early 20th century
The mid to late 19th century marks the beginning of the history of martial arts as modern sports developed out of earlier traditional fighting systems. In Europe, this concerns the developments of
boxing,
wrestling and
fencing as sports. In Japan, the same period marks the formation of the modern forms of
judo, jujutsu, karate, and
kendo
is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread ...
(among others) based on revivals of koryu, old schools of Edo period martial arts which had been suppressed during the Meiji Restoration In 1882, Kano Jigoro established the Kodokan School of
judo which began the sport of judo. Kano Jigoro had gathered the old knowledge of jujutsu before establishing his school of judo.
Modern
muay Thai
Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...
rules date to the 1920s. In China, the modern history of martial arts begins in the Nanjing decade (1930s) following the foundation of the Central Guoshu Institute in 1928 under the Kuomintang government.
Western interest in
Asian martial arts arises towards the end of the 19th century, due to the increase in trade between the United States with China and Japan. Relatively few Westerners actually practiced the arts, considering it to be mere performance. Edward William Barton-Wright, a railway engineer who had studied jujutsu while working in Japan between 1894 and 1897, was the first man known to have taught Asian martial arts in Europe. He also founded an eclectic style named Bartitsu which combined jujutsu, judo, wrestling, boxing, savate and
stick fighting.
Fencing and Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the 1896 Summer Olympics. FILA Wrestling World Championships and Boxing at the Summer Olympics were introduced in 1904. The tradition of awarding championship belts in wrestling and boxing can be traced to the Lonsdale Belt, introduced in 1909.

20th century (1914 to 1989)

The International Boxing Association (amateur), International Boxing Association was established in 1920. World Fencing Championships have been held since 1921.
As Western influence grew in Asia a greater number of military personnel spent time in China, Japan and South Korea during World War II and the Korean War and were exposed to local fighting styles. Jujutsu, judo and karate first became popular among the mainstream from the 1950s–1960s. Due in part to Asian and Hollywood martial arts movies, most modern American martial arts are either Asian-derived or Asian influenced. The term
kickboxing
Kickboxing is a combat sports, combat sport focused on kicking and punch (strike), punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is pract ...
(キックボクシング) was created by the Japanese boxing promoter Osamu Noguchi for a variant of muay Thai and karate that he created in the 1950s. American kickboxing was developed in the 1970s, as a combination of boxing and karate.
Taekwondo was developed in the context of the Korean War in the 1950s.
The later 1960s and 1970s witnessed an increased media interest in
Chinese martial arts, influenced by martial artist
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...
. Bruce Lee is credited as one of the first instructors to openly teach Chinese martial arts to Westerners.
World Judo Championships have been held since 1956, Judo at the Summer Olympics was introduced in 1964. Karate World Championships were introduced in 1970.
The "Chopsocky, kung fu wave" of Hong Kong action cinema in the 1970s, especially Bruce Lee films, popularized martial arts in global
popular culture. A number of mainstream films produced during the 1980s also contributed significantly to the perception of martial arts in Western popular culture. These include ''The Karate Kid (1984 film), The Karate Kid'' (1984) and ''Bloodsport (film), Bloodsport'' (1988). This era produced some Cinema of the United States, Hollywood action stars with martial arts background, such as Jean-Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris.
Also during the 20th century, a number of martial arts were adapted for
self-defense purposes for military
hand-to-hand combat
Hand-to-hand combat (sometimes abbreviated as HTH or H2H) is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range (grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of weapons.Huns ...
. World War II combatives, KAPAP (1930s) and Krav Maga (1950s) in Israel,
Systema
Systema (russian: Система, Sistema, system) is a Russian martial art. There are multiple schools of systems that began appearing after the end of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, with teachers claiming their respective "systems" (usually ...
in Soviet-era Russia, and Sanshou in the People's Republic of China are examples of such systems. The US military de-emphasized hand-to-hand combat training during the Cold War period, but revived it with the introduction of LINE (combat system), LINE in 1989.
1990 to present
In 1993, the first Pancrase event was held in Japan.
The K-1 rules of kickboxing were introduced, based on 1980s Seidokaikan karate.
During the 1990s,
Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...
became popular and proved to be effective in
mixed martial arts (MMA) competitions such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC and Pride Fighting Championships, PRIDE.

Jackie Chan and Jet Li are prominent martial artists who have become major movie figures. Their popularity and media presence has been at the forefront for promoting Chinese martial arts since the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
With the continual discovery of more medieval and Renaissance fighting manuals, the practice of Historical European Martial Arts and other Western Martial Arts have been growing in popularity across the United States and Europe.
On 29 November 2011,
UNESCO inscribed
Taekkyon onto its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List.
Revival
Many styles of
Indian martial arts
Indian martial arts refers to the fighting systems of the Indian subcontinent. A variety of terms are used for the English phrases “Indian martial arts”, deriving from ancient sources. While they may seem to imply specific disciplines (e.g. ...
were banned by the colonial authorities during the period of British Raj, British rule in India, which led to a decline in their popularity. Some, such as
Kalaripayattu
Kalaripayattu (; also known simply as Kalari) is an Indian martial art that originated in modern-day Kerala, a state on the southwestern coast of India. Kalaripayattu is known for its long-standing history within Indian martial arts, and is ...
, did not undergo such declines since they were mostly practised in areas of the Indian subcontinent Princely states, outside direct British control. Other Indian martial art, such as Silambam, while not widely practiced in India, continue to be practiced in other countries in the Greater India, Indian cultural sphere such as Indonesia and Malaysia. Many other Indian martial arts such as Mardani khel, Mardhani Khel and Paika akhada, Paika Akhada survived by practitioners practicing the art in secret, or by telling the colonial authorities that it was a form of dance. While many regional Indian martial arts forms are fading into obscurity, martial arts such as Gatka and
Kalaripayattu
Kalaripayattu (; also known simply as Kalari) is an Indian martial art that originated in modern-day Kerala, a state on the southwestern coast of India. Kalaripayattu is known for its long-standing history within Indian martial arts, and is ...
are experiencing a gradual resurgence.
Testing and competition
Testing or evaluation is important to martial artists of many disciplines who wish to determine their progression or own level of skill in specific contexts. Students often undergo periodic testing and grading by their own teacher in order to advance to a higher level of recognized achievement, such as a different Belt (clothing), belt color or title. The type of testing used varies from system to system but may include forms or sparring.

Various forms and sparring are commonly used in martial art exhibitions and tournaments. Some competitions pit practitioners of different disciplines against each other using a common set of rules, these are referred to as mixed martial arts competitions. Rules for sparring vary between art and organization but can generally be divided into ''light-contact'', ''medium-contact'', and ''full-contact'' variants, reflecting the amount of force that should be used on an opponent.
Light- and medium-contact
These types of sparring restrict the amount of force that may be used to hit an opponent, in the case of light sparring this is usually to 'touch' contact, e.g. a punch should be 'pulled' as soon as or before contact is made. In medium-contact (sometimes referred to as semi-contact) the punch would not be 'pulled' but not hit with full force. As the amount of force used is restricted, the aim of these types of sparring is not to knock out an opponent; a point system is used in competitions.
A referee acts to monitor for fouls and to control the match, while judges mark down scores, as in boxing. Particular targets may be prohibited, certain techniques may be forbidden (such as headbutting or groin hits), and fighters may be required to wear Personal protective equipment, protective equipment on their head, hands, chest, groin, shins or feet. Some grappling arts, such as aikido, use a similar method of compliant training that is equivalent to light or medium contact.
In some styles (such as fencing and some styles of taekwondo sparring), competitors score points based on the landing of a single technique or strike as judged by the referee, whereupon the referee will briefly stop the match, award a point, then restart the match. Alternatively, sparring may continue with the point noted by the judges. Some critics of point sparring feel that this method of training teaches habits that result in lower combat effectiveness. Lighter-contact sparring may be used exclusively, for children or in other situations when heavy contact would be inappropriate (such as beginners), medium-contact sparring is often used as training for full contact.
Full-contact
Full-contact sparring or competition, where strikes or techniques are not pulled but used with full force as the name implies, has a number of tactical differences from light and medium-contact sparring. It is considered by some to be requisite in learning realistic unarmed combat.
[ – An essay on contact levels in training]
In full-contact sparring, the aim of a competitive match is to knock out the opponent or to force the opponent to submission wrestling, submit.
Where scoring takes place it may be a subsidiary measure, only used if no clear winner has been established by other means; in some competitions, such as the UFC 1, there was no scoring, though most now use some form of judging as a backup.
Due to these factors, full-contact matches tend to be more aggressive in character, but rule sets may still mandate the use of protective equipment, or limit the techniques allowed.
Nearly all mixed martial arts organizations such as Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, Pancrase, Shooto use a form of full-contact rules as do Professional Boxing, professional boxing organizations and K-1. Kyokushin karate requires advanced practitioners to engage in bare-knuckled, full-contact sparring allowing kicks, knees and punching although punching to the head is disallowed while wearing only a karate ''gi'' and groin protector. Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo matches do not allow striking, but are full-contact in the sense that full force is applied in the permitted grappling and submission techniques. Competitions held by World Taekwondo Federation#Sparring, World Taekwondo requires the use of Headgear (martial arts), Headgear and padded vest, but are full contact in the sense that full force is applied to strikes to the head and body, and win by knockout is possible.
Martial sport

Martial arts have crossed over into sports when forms of sparring become competitive, becoming a sport in its own right that is dissociated from the original combative origin, such as with western fencing. The Summer Olympic Games includes judo, taekwondo, western archery, boxing, javelin, wrestling and fencing as events, while Wushu (sport), Chinese wushu recently failed in its bid to be included, but is still actively performed in tournaments across the world. Practitioners in some arts such as
kickboxing
Kickboxing is a combat sports, combat sport focused on kicking and punch (strike), punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is pract ...
and Brazilian jiu-jitsu often train for sport matches, whereas those in other arts such as aikido generally spurn such competitions. Some schools believe that competition breeds better and more efficient practitioners, and gives a sense of good sportsmanship. Others believe that the rules under which competition takes place have diminished the combat effectiveness of martial arts or encourage a kind of practice which focuses on winning trophies rather than a focus such as cultivating a particular moral character.
The question of "which is the best martial art" has led to inter style competitions fought with very few rules allowing a variety of fighting styles to enter with few limitations. This was the origin of the first Ultimate Fighting Championship tournament (later renamed UFC 1, UFC 1: The Beginning) in the USA inspired by the Brazilian Vale tudo tradition and along with other minimal rule competitions, most notably those from Japan such as Shooto and Pancrase, have evolved into the
combat sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).
Some martial artists compete in non-sparring competitions such as Breaking (martial arts), breaking or choreographed routines of techniques such as poomse, kata and aka (burmese), aka, or modern variations of the martial arts which include dance-influenced competitions such as tricking. Martial traditions have been influenced by governments to become more sport-like for political purposes; the central impetus for the attempt by the People's Republic of China in transforming Chinese martial arts into the committee-regulated sport of Wushu (sport), wushu was suppressing what they saw as the potentially subversion (politics), subversive aspects of martial training, especially under the traditional system of family lineages.
Health and fitness benefits
Martial arts training aims to result in several benefits to trainees, such as their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.
Through systematic practice in the martial arts a person's
physical fitness
Physical fitness is a state of health and well-being and, more specifically, the ability to perform aspects of Outline of sports, sports, occupations and daily activities. Physical fitness is generally achieved through proper nutrition, moderate ...
may be boosted (strength, stamina, speed, flexibility, movement coordination, etc.) as the whole body is exercised and the entire muscular system is activated.
Beyond contributing to physical fitness, martial arts training also has benefits for mental health, contributing to self-esteem, self-control, emotional and spirituality, spiritual well-being. For this reason, a number of martial arts schools have focused purely on therapeutic aspects, de-emphasizing the historical aspect of self-defense or combat completely.
According to
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...
, martial arts also have the nature of an art, since there is emotional communication and complete emotional expression.
Self-defense, military and law enforcement applications

Some traditional martial concepts have seen new use within modern military training. Perhaps the most recent example of this is point shooting which relies on muscle memory to more effectively use a firearm in a variety of awkward situations, much the way an iaidoka would master movements with their sword.

During the World War II era William E. Fairbairn and Eric A. Sykes were recruited by the Special Operations Executive (SOE) to teach their martial art of Defendu (itself drawing on Western boxing and Jujutsu) and pistol shooting to UK, US, and Canadian special forces. The book ''Kill or Get Killed'', written by Colonel Rex Applegate, was based on the Defendu taught by Sykes and Fairbairn. Both Fairbairn's ''Get Tough'' and Appelgate's ''Kill or Get Killed'' became classic works on hand-to-hand combat.
Traditional hand-to-hand, knife, and spear techniques continue to see use in the composite systems developed for today's wars. Examples of this include European Unifight, the US Army's Combatives system developed by Matt Larsen, the Israeli army's KAPAP and Krav Maga, and the US Marine Corps's ''Marine Corps Martial Arts Program'' (MCMAP). Unarmed dagger defenses identical to those found in the manual of Fiore dei Liberi and the Codex Wallerstein were integrated into the U.S. Army's training manuals in 1942
and continue to influence today's systems along with other traditional systems such as
eskrima and
silat.
The rifle-mounted bayonet which has its origin in the spear, has seen use by the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps, and the British Army as recently as the Iraq War.
Many martial arts are also seen and used in Law Enforcement hand-to-hand training. For example, the Tokyo Riot Police's use of aikido.
[Twigger, R. (1997). ''Angry White Pyjamas''. London: Phoenix. ]
Martial arts industry
Martial arts since the 1970s has become a significant industry, a subset of the wider sport industry (including martial arts films, cinema and sports television).
Hundreds of millions of people worldwide practice some form of martial art.
Web Japan (sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs) claims there are 50 million karate practitioners worldwide.
The South Korean government in 2009 published an estimate that taekwondo is practiced by 70 million people in 190 countries.
[Kim, H.-S. (2009)]
Taekwondo: A new strategy for Brand Korea
(21 December 2009). Retrieved on 8 January 2010.
The wholesale value of martial arts related sporting equipment shipped in the United States was estimated at US$314 million in 2007; participation in the same year was estimated at 6.9 million (ages 6 or older, 2% of US population). R. A. Court, CEO of Martial Arts Channel, stated the total revenue of the US martial arts industry at US$40 billion and the number of US practitioners at 30 million in 2003.
Equipment
Martial arts equipment can include that which is used for conditioning, protection and List of martial arts weapons, weapons. Hojo undō, Specialized conditioning equipment can include breaking boards, dummy partners such as the Muk Yan Jong, wooden dummy, and targets such as punching bags and the makiwara. Personal protective equipment, Protective equipment for sparring and competition includes boxing gloves, Headgear (martial arts), headgear and mouthguards.
Martial arts fraud
Asian martial arts experienced a surge of popularity in the West during the 1970s, and the rising demand resulted in numerous low quality or fraudulent schools. Fueled by fictional depictions in martial arts movies, this led to the ninja craze of the 1980s in the United States. There were also numerous fraudulent ads for martial arts training programs, inserted into comic books circa the 1960s and 1970s, which were read primarily by adolescent boys.
In the seventies, lower ranks (kyu) began to be given colorful belts to show progress. This proved to be commercially viable and colored-belt systems were adopted in many martial arts degree mills (also known as ''McDojos'' and ''belt factories'') as a means to generate additional cash. This was covered in the ''Penn & Teller: Bullshit!'' List of Penn & Teller: Bullshit! episodes#Season 8: 2010, episode "Martial Arts" (June 2010).
See also
* Martial arts timeline
* History of martial arts
* List of martial arts
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martial arts
Martial arts,
Combat sports
Individual sports
Cognitive training
Performing arts
Self-defense