Martial Arts For Dummies

Jennifer Lawler

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN: 9780764553585
• eBook ISBN: 9781118069615
• Edition: 1

There's plenty of good reasons that millions of people around the world study martial arts. Besides the fact you can get a great workout when you study a martial art, you may also experience a rewarding balance between your mind, body, and spirit that you just won't find anywhere else. Plus, it can be a lot of fun!

No matter what shape you're in, martial arts is a great way to drop extra pounds, learn to defend yourself, and develop personal and physical discipline. Whether you're already studying a style of fighting or you're just considering it, you'll find everything you need to know in this helpful, friendly guide (including which movies to check out!).

The book breaks down the differences and presents the basics of each style of fighting, so you can make an informed choice about which style you want to study. You'll also find out what makes for a good instructor, so you can be sure that you're learning from the best. And there's much more. You'll find out:

• What martial arts is and is not
• Five resolutions you must accept
• Understanding the role of the instructor
• How to set goals for yourself
• All about the proper clothes, shoes, and equipment
• How to prevent injuries
• The philosophy of self defense
• All about competing in tournaments
• About Meditation and breathing techniques
• The lowdown on weapons

There's also a helpful glossary of foreign-language terminology that you'll frequently encounter in the dojo– that's the training hall–so you'll always be prepared. Whether you're looking for a new way to get in shape, or a new way to sharpen your mind, Martial Arts For Dummies is all you need to get started in Karate, Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do, or any other style!

Part I

Martial Arts Essentials

In this part . . .

**IN a DROPCAP**

These chapters give you basic information about martial arts, including a brief history, the benefits of training, misconceptions about martial arts, and concepts that are important to martial arts culture. These chapters also help you choose a martial arts style, select the right school and instructor for you, guide you to the right equipment, and describe ranking systems and how to set martial arts goals.

Chapter 1

Better Than a Barroom Brawl

In This Chapter

Understanding what the martial arts are

Finding out about martial arts history

Recognizing that anyone can succeed

Dispelling misconceptions

Preconditioning to get ready for training

T he martial arts, as systems of combat techniques, have been around for at least 4,000 years. (The ability to punch someone has been around much longer than that, but I’m talking about complete systems of martial arts techniques.)

How do I know that the martial arts are at least 4,000 years old? I know it, not because I’m 4,000 years old, but because ancient stories describe martial arts competitions, and old, old poems recount the deeds of brave martial artists. Sculptures, drawings, and paintings from eons ago show people punching and kicking each other in a stylized way that suggests competition, not combat.

Chinese swordsman Sun T’zu’s book of strategy, The Art of War, is more than 2,000 years old. Other combat manuals were written hundreds of years ago in China and Korea. All these things tell us that for thousands of years, people have been interested in learning ways to protect themselves and the ones they love. The Book of Five Rings, written 400 years ago by the warrior Miyamoto Musashi, is a classic treatise on combat strategy. The Muye Dobo Tongji, which was recently translated into English, is a Korean combat manual from 200 years ago.

Anything that has been around for such a long period of time has to have something going for it. Over thousands of years, the martial arts have become refined and organized. Now they’re highly efficient methods for defending yourself, becoming physically fit, and impressing your friends with your jump-spinning kick.

Kicks, Flips, and Other Stuff: What Are the Martial Arts?

The martial arts aren’t just collections of combat techniques that are taught along with some combat strategy — although you can learn combat techniques and combat strategy. The martial arts aren’t just for self-defense — although self-defense can seem pretty pertinent when a mugger is standing between you and your car. But martial arts themselves are more than just methods of combat. They’re systems that promote physical, spiritual, and psychological values.

In fact, early martial arts may have begun life as a ritual aspect of religion, according to many historians. Until recently, Sumo wrestling in Japan was performed as a Shinto divination ceremony. Who won and who lost, and how they did so, told the Shinto diviners a great deal about the world and what to expect in the near future. This is just one example of how what appear to be methods of kicking and throwing other people took on moral and philosophical elements.

This is not to say that martial arts as they’re practiced today are some form of religion. They’re not. They do have spiritual elements, and they do invite practitioners to become better people. Respecting your teacher, learning to work hard, accept criticism, and finding out that you can do more than you ever thought possible helps you to grow as a person. How deeply you delve into the philosophical and character-building aspects is up to you — dig in!

Starting on the path

The names of most martial arts end with the word do — Tae Kwon Do, Judo, and so on. Even Karate used to be called Karate-do, but the do has been dropped in recent times. The word do means way of. Thus, Tae Kwon Do can be translated to mean, “the way of the hand and foot. ”

The way simply means the path. A martial art is a path that you take, a journey that you embark on . . . and you don’t even know where the heck you’re going. You just have to take it on faith that it’s somewhere that you want to be.

If you think about it, the use of the way makes sense. If martial arts were just sports or a means of keeping fit, we wouldn’t call them the way of . . . . After all, no one calls soccer “the way of the head and feet.”

Martial arts mythology

Once upon a time, as folklore from Asia tells us, supernatural creatures called the Tengu practiced the warrior arts. The Tengu deigned to instruct worthy humans in these secret arts (no word on who instructed the Tengu). To gain credentials for their martial arts (this was long before the International Sport Karate Association was founded), teachers often claimed that the Tengu had taught them their arts.

I don’t mean to suggest that these early teachers were liars, but you can draw your own conclusions.

Achieving harmony and balance: It’s more than self-defense

Martial arts incorporate a complete way of living in harmony and balance, within you and in relation to the outside world. This harmony and balance is achieved through physical effort, meditation, and character-building exercises and requirements.

All martial arts teachers expect practitioners to become “better” people. Each style has a method for teaching students to better themselves. For instance, in Tae Kwon Do, the five tenets are taught. All Tae Kwon Do practitioners are expected to follow the five tenets and display the qualities of courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit. The five tenets are more important — much more important — than the ability to do a flying side kick.

People sometimes confuse aerobic-class martial arts, such as cardio-kickboxing, with the real thing. Just because you work out with your Tae Bo tape each day, does not mean that you’re prepared to defend yourself against a mugger. Only specific self-defense or martial arts training can give you the knowledge and experience that you need to defend yourself.

What It Ain’t: Martial Arts Misconceptions

Frankly, its slightly sinister reputation was one of the reasons that I began training in the martial arts. I knew martial arts were not aerobics, and that appealed to me.

Martial arts are definitely not for people who are unwilling to work hard, sustain a bruise or two, and cultivate a certain toughness of mind and body. On the other hand, misconceptions abound about the martial arts that might stop a person from trying them. I try to dispel some of these misconceptions in the following sections.

Clarifying the spiritual aspect

Martial artists are not all Buddhists or followers of some obscure religious sect (although some of them are and do). Many martial artists are Presbyterians. I know one who is a Methodist minister. Others are Muslims, Catholics, Zoroastrians, agnostics, and atheists. It doesn’t matter what religion you practice: Anyone can be a martial artist. When martial artists talk about spiritual matters, they mean a higher being or a higher level of existence — not a specific religious creed.

Demystifying the black belt mystique

The idea of the black belt “lethal weapon” is sorely misunderstood. To become a black belt, you don’t have to be initiated by doing any of the following:

Defeating a black belt in a no-holds-barred fight to the finish

Injuring or maiming innocent (or even guilty) people

Firewalking across burning coals

You don’t have to do anything remotely like the misconceptions that are listed. I know it may sound boring, but you become a black belt through dedicated practice and perseve...

Table of contents

• Title
• Contents
• Introduction
• Part I : Martial Arts Essentials
• Chapter 1: Better Than a Barroom Brawl
• Chapter 2: Martial Arts Culture
• Chapter 3: Choosing a Style
• Chapter 4: Choosing a School or Instructor
• Chapter 5: Go Get ‘Em: Goals and Ranking Systems
• Chapter 6: Clothes, Shoes, and Equipment
• Chapter 7: Playing It Safe and Avoiding Injury
• Part II : Walking the Walk and Talking the Talk
• Chapter 8: Getting the Most from Your Training
• Chapter 9: Protecting Yourself: Self-Defense Details
• Chapter 10: Preparing for Competition without Losing Your Head (Literally)
• Chapter 11: Working the Mind-Body-Spirit Connection
• Chapter 12: Just Like in the Movies: The Lowdown on Weapons
• Chapter 13: Using Martial Arts Outside of Class
• Part III : Styles, Techniques, and Tactics: An Up-Close Look
• Chapter 14: Karate
• Chapter 15: Kung Fu
• Chapter 16: Tae Kwon Do
• Chapter 17: Judo
• Chapter 18: Aikido
• Chapter 19: Escrima
• Chapter 20: Hapkido
• Chapter 21: Muay Thai
• Chapter 22: Jeet Kune Do and Eclectic Martial Arts
• Chapter 23: T’ai Chi Chuan
• Part IV : The Part of Tens
• Chapter 24: Ten Rules for the Martial Arts Classroom
• Chapter 25: Ten Qualities a Good Instructor Must Have
• Chapter 26: Ten Tips from the Master
• Chapter 27: Ten Cool Martial Arts Movies
• Part V : Appendixes
• Appendix A: Glossary
• Appendix B: Sources and Resources