The origin and history of Martial Arts is a controversial issue. One can see signs of martial arts in Egyptian, Greek, African, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, as well as other cultures.
The first fighting systems on earth probably evolved alongside humans because mankind must have always had a need to defend himself against animals, as well as against his fellow man. Ancient murals and sculptures show fighting poses from Egypt, India and Babylon dating from as far back as 5,000 years ago.
The martial arts as we know them probably did not evolve until systems of offensive and defensive skills were devised in or imported into China. There, in a country saturated with the spiritual teachings of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism, these fighting skills were combined with intangible elements such as compassion, discipline and self-control.
Martial arts are thought to have originated in India and made their way through China and across the rest of Asia. Folklore recounts mythical creatures called Tengu who practiced martial arts and passed them on to humans.
Founders of martial arts who wanted to give their methods the aura of legitimacy would often claim that the Tengu had taught them the art. 
Legend says that Bodhidharma, the Buddhist monk who brought Zen to China from India, also brought the martial arts. There is a clear path leading from the Southern China regions up to Korea, Okinawa and Japan. The details before that, and the exact details of that transfer, are greatly debated by historians and Martial Artists alike.
Through various periods in history when weapons were outlawed, the martial arts prospered as the only means for a person to defend himself and his family. But even as more civilized times descended upon humanity, the arts survived. They managed to outlive their violent origins primarily because they teach man much more than fighting. The true martial arts stress character development, discipline and respect. Self-defense, physical fitness and competition are some of the other benefits which modern practitioners enjoy. The fact that the martial arts have had a chance to evolve into many different styles has allowed it to endure for so many centuries.
The History of Muay Thai
Among the multitudes of Muay Thai fans in Thailand one will have to search for the proverbial needle in the haystack to find someone with an unbiased interest or accurate knowledge of the sport’s true origins.
The best known and most celebrated of the early fighting greats was Nai Khanom Tom, who, having been captured by the Burmese, regained his freedom by defeating twelve of the enemy’s gladiators in an unarmed contest witnessed by the Burmese king. His story is related in many versions and appears in grade school textbooks. There is no doubt that Nai Khanom Tom was a historical figure, although no accurate historical records exist. Besides this setback, the most reliable history of the origins of Muay Thai comes from Burma.
Researchers who have attempted to uncover details of Muay Thai’s past have met with little success: the fighting art’s true origin remains unknown. Thailand’s early historical records were lost forever in 1767, when Burmese armies laid siege to Siam’s ancient capital of Ayuddhaya. The city was overrun, ransacked and put to the torch. All treasures, religious relics and works of art as well as the royal archives were destroyed.
Thailand’s history, as it is known today, has been pieced together from provincial record, the writings of early European visitors and Burmese, Cambodian and Chinese sources. It is from this amalgamation of information, with its many contradictory statements, that our little knowledge of early Muay Thai comes.
It seemed to have been fairly common to settle disputes of national importance by unarmed combat duels. The annals of Chiang Mai relate the story of King Sen Muang Ma, who died in 1411. His two sons, Yi kumkam and Fang Ken, fought for the throne, but despite long conflict neither could get the upper hand. Fang Ken suggested settling the issue by single combat. Each side was to select a champion boxer from among his followers who was to fight until blood was drawn. The prince whose boxer lost would forfeit his claim to becoming the new ruler. The terms were accepted by both sides. The bout lasted for several hours before Fang Ken’s fighter received a scratch on his foot which showed a trickle of blood. The contest was over and Yi Kumkam became the new king.
During the reign of King Naresuen the Great ( 1590-1605 ), Muay Thai was part of military training. The king himself was an expert on individual combat techniques and won several contests which had considerably historical consequences. In 1577, at the age of 22 he was declared a national hero. Although firearms were already in use at the time, Muay-Thai was an important item in a warrior training curriculum. It supplemented the sword and pike in close-in fighting.
Muay Thai reached the height of its popularity during the reign of Pra Chao Sua, the "Tiger King" ( 1703-1709 ). Siam was at peace with her neighbors and the army was idle. Boxing became the favorite pastime of the population, with young and old, rich and poor joining fighting camps. Every village staged it prize fights and heavy betting, often for all or nothing, transformed ordinary bouts into vicious battles. The king himself was a skillful fighter and was reported to have visited village arenas (Visaidchicharn District) to challenge and eventually defeated the 3 local champions and, still undetected, walked off with the prize money. According to some authorities it was customary to bind hands and forearms with strips of horse hide in order to protect one’s own skin and inflict maximum damage on one’s opponents. Some of the techniques used today are said to be based on Pra Chao Sua’s style of fighting.
The horse hide thongs were later replaced by hemp ropes or starched strips of cotton soaked in glue before being tied to a boxer’s hands. It is also said that for some matches and with the agreement of both contestants, ground glass was mixed with the glue. The fighters wore groin guards of tree bark or sea shells held in place with a piece of cloth tied between the legs and around the waist. In those days there were no such arrangements as weight divisions, or three minute rounds. A bout lasted as long as fighter could continue. Many a boxer is said to have left the arena on a bamboo stretcher-dead.
By the beginning of this century Muay Thai was taught in schools. It continued thusly until 1921.
When too many serious injuries and several cases of brain damage prompted the government to prohibit the practice in all elementary and high schools. The use of hemp ropes and sea shells continued until the 1930s. At that point Muay Thai underwent a major transformation. A number of rules and regulations from international boxing were adopted, modern boxing gloves were introduced and the shell was replaced by a metal cup as a groin protector. Weight divisions were established and bout were staged in a modern ring.
From : Muay Thai, the art of Siamese Un-armed Combat.
By Hardy Stockmann
The History of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
The combat arts arose from numerous cultures and have undergone countless changes throughout the centuries of their existence. Each culture that developed its own system of fighting did so for one of two reasons, protection from coercion or to expand and empire.
Numerous factors contributed to the development and improvement of these arts, however arguably the most influential has been the mixing of ideas from a variety of culturally diverse civilizations.
Initially, the first country to develop its own unique systemized form of combat was India. The art of Vajramushti was practiced by the Indian warrior caste known as Kshatriya. This art dates as far back as 1000 BC. Vajramushti translates to "the clenched fist as a weapon" demonstrating that this early art was clearly striking based. There is no written record of this art’s existence the only physical historical evidence are statues of temple guardians in combat poses and paintings and drawings found portraying men striking each other. All other information on the art is purely anecdotal.
While the Indians were practicing their art of striking a heavily grappling based art was beginning to arise from the Greeks. The art of Pankration became one of the most popular athletic events following its introduction at the 33rd Olympic games in 648 BC. The Olympics were athletic tournaments, in which Greece’s greatest athletes performed for the entertainment of the gods. The word Pankration is derived from the Greek words pan and kratos, which translate to "all powers". The art mixed both striking and grappling in no rule contests. Common techniques included joint manipulation, various boxing strikes, wrestling pins, and strangulation (chokes). Pankration bouts would be held without time limits or weight restrictions and would continue until one combatant surrendered, fell unconscious, or died.
Many of the holds, throws and striking techniques used in Pankration are displayed on the pottery, statues, and drawings of the times. The Greeks also had another art known as the Pyrrhic Dance. This was a dance done both armed and unarmed that simulated combat, similar to modern katas. The Greek system and Indian system continued to develop independently of one another until Alexander The Great invaded India in 326 BC. During the Greek’s occupation of the region they introduced Pankration and the Pyrrhic Dance to the Indians. The Indians then took elements of those arts and combined it with their preexisting art of Vajramushti. In 500 AD an Indian monk named Bodhi Dharma began spreading Buddhism throughout India. The religion was very well received however; thieves constantly attacked the monks while they traveled the countryside. The monks did not carry weapons as it was against their religious beliefs. Therefore Bodhi Dharma began teaching the monks Vajramushti so that they could defend themselves. The monks embraced the art and trained intensely, this training fostered the growth of the art further and more techniques were developed.
In 520 Bodhi Dharma traveled to China and introduced Buddhism at the Shaolin Temple. Along with his religious teachings he also brought his knowledge of combat. Practice of the combat art continued long after Bodhi Dharma’s death, eventually evolving into numerous forms of fighting (or "Wushu") including Chinese boxing, Kung Fu and Ch'uan Fa.
The next major advancement in the martial arts came when the techniques of China were brought to Japan. There did exist combat systems in Japan dating as far back as 23 B.C. however these systems relied heavily on weapons and "battlefield combat". With the exception of Sumo, early Japan did not have many systems of unarmed or empty hand combat. The need for unarmed combat arose during the unification of Japan with the establishment of the Sword Edicts in 1586, which stated that only the samurai were allowed to carry weapons. This meant for ordinary citizens to defend themselves they would have to learn to fight with their hands. Japan would be introduced to China’s methods of empty hand combat from a man named Chingempin.
Chingempin was born in 1587 in the Chinese providence of Chekiang. He was an erudite man who was heavily interested in philosophy and art. In the spring of 1621 he journeyed to Japan to protest pirate activity on the South Coast of China. Once in Japan he received great acclaim for his skill at composing poetic verses. Chingempin went back to China but returned to Japan in 1638 after the Manchus invaded China.
While in Japan, Chingempin studied at the Kokusho-ji monastery in Tokyo. There he came to know three master-less samurai, or "ronin" by the names of Fukuno, Isogai, and Miura. Fukuno. Chingempin taught these men three "tricks" of seizing a man, which he observed while studying in China. It is believed that the tricks that were taught to these samurai were the methods of atemi-waza (striking and kicking the vulnerable parts of the body).
After the death of Chingempin the three ronin continued studying the fighting arts and became increasingly skilled forming the first jiu-jitsu ryu from which many others would originate. However, it was Fukuno who would make the most significant contributions to the development of Jiu-jitsu. In his travels Fukuno would meet a samurai by the name of Terada. Fukuno would train with Terada and together the two founded Kito Ryu. The techniques of Kito Ryu are fast, fluid, subtle, and direct. Kito emphasizes projective throwing methods, and kokyu techniques (focusing ones energy through breathing). Kito is considered the earliest form of what is now known as aiki-jujutsu.
Another important development for Jiu-Jitsu came during the Edo period in Japan from a Japanese doctor by the name Akiyama Shiirobei Yoshitoki. Akiyama ventured to China where he studied in depth the combat art of Hakuda under the Chinese doctor, Haku-Tei. When Akiyama returned to Japan he began teaching the techniques he had learned while in China. However, he found it difficult to keep students, as the effectiveness of the techniques were limited because they required a great deal of strength to apply. As a result, Akiyama ventured to the temple of Temmangu at Tsukusai around the year 1723. There he felt he could study these techniques more thoroughly and attempt to expand and improve on them.
During a winter storm Akiyama noticed snow piling up on the branches of the trees outside the temple. He observed that although the snow piled heavily on the stiff branches of the mighty Oak tree, it slipped harmlessly off the pliable branches of the Willow tree. Eventually the branches of the Oak tree began to break under the weight of the heavy snow, but the Willow branches would simply yield and allowed the snow to fall off, thereby preserving the tree. Akiyama realized this concept and applied it to his techniques. The idea was that leverage could be used to overcome a great amount of force; this concept would enable a weak fighter to overcome a stronger one by yielding in the manner of the willow tree. Akiyama would call his new art Jiu-Jitsu, Jiu meaning soft and gentle and Jitsu meaning art or technique. He would teach his techniques at the Yoshin-ryu (Willow Tree School).
Over the course of time an increasing number of Ryus would develop, each specializing in a certain area of attack. At one point there were over 700 documented Jiu-Jitsu schools in Japan. Schools taught the techniques of gripping, throwing, locking, grappling, kicking, and punching. Some schools studied only certain areas of combat; other schools studied all however each had their own specialty.
Jiu-Jitsu had become rather popular throughout Japan and some made very profitable livings teaching the art. However, in the 1800s Japan would go through a radical change and Jiu-Jitsu would greatly suffer. By the 1860's, the Tokugawa Shogunate (which had ruled Japan for over 300 years) was rapidly losing its power. The arrival of Admiral Perry in 1854 showed the Japanese how their isolation had stunted their cultural and intellectual growth, and in 1868 the Shogunate were overthrown and Emperor Meiji was returned to power. Japan jubilantly welcomed study of the outside world, despite the fact that Japanese cultural was regarded as backward and uncivilized by the world at large. This revolution caused many Japanese to reevaluate much of their traditions, including the study of Jiu-Jitsu. Many began to see Jiu-Jitsu as a violent unnecessary part of Japanese culture. Jiu-Jitsu, reached an all time low in public opinion as it also represented the older, backward Japan that modernizers saw no use for in the new era. Jiu-Jitsu was in need of a savior, someone who could simultaneously take the art to a higher technical level and convince the public of its importance. The man who would do this was Jigoro Kano. Kano was born on October 28, 1860, the third son in his family, which also consisted of two girls. Kano and his family moved to Tokyo in 1871 during a time in which great changes were sweeping Japan both socially and politically. Kano’s father was a high-ranking government official which provided the family with both wealth and prestige. As a young man Kano was very intelligent and learned, unfortunately he was not nearly as gifted physically. By his mid teens Kano was full-grown, he stood only 5 feet 2 inches and weighed approximately 90 pounds. In school Kano was harassed, beaten, and bullied on a regular basis. Kano refused to allow himself to be taken advantage of and made his decision to study Jiu-Jitsu, which still had a reputation of making men strong. However, Kano’s father forbid his son from studying the art, believing it was uncivilized and boorish. Kano went against his father’s orders (which was unheard of at the time) and sought out instruction in Jiu-Jitsu.
He began looking for a teacher. Only a few still taught the old fighting arts. Jiu-Jitsu had nearly been swept away by the Meiji Restoration. The negative social view of Jiu-Jitsu pushed it into obscurity; it was then only practiced by an exclusive group of celebrated masters. Kano began taking lessons despite the aforementioned difficulties. He originally studied under a teacher named Ryuji Katagiri. Katagiri did not take Kano seriously due to his youth, and merely provided him with a few introductory lessons and then told him to study hard.
In 1878 Kano enrolled in Tokyo Imperial University. While at the university Kano sought the company of an osteopath, a profession that historically included Jiu-Jitsu instruction. Following a meeting with Teinosuke Yagi, a local bone doctor, Kano was introduced to Hachinosuke Fukuda, a master of Tenjin-Shinyo Ryu Jiu-Jitsu. Tenshin shinyo ryu is a school of jujutsu founded by Iso Mataemon highly regarded for its vital-point attacks (atemi-waza) and immobilization methods (torae). Popular belief is that the art was a forging of the schools Yoshin ryu and the Shin-no-Shindo ryu.
Contrary to many Jiu-Jitsu schools Fukuda emphasized free-style practice over kata (forms), which resulted in a more realistic training approach (this would later heavily influence Kano‘s preference towards randori). Unfortunately, after only one year of training with Kano Fukuda suddenly fell very ill and died. Following Fukuda’s death Kano began another Tenjin-Shinyo Ryu instructor named Masatomo Iso (who’s teaching and training style was similar to Fukuda’s). Kano dedicated all of his free time to Jiu-Jitsu. He would train with an incredible passion. His intensity eventually reached the point where he would go home exhausted, fall asleep into nightmares, and wake up shouting Jiu-Jitsu words and kicking off his blankets. However, Kano’s diligence paid off, by time he was 21, he had become a master of Tenjin-Shinyo Ryu Jiu-Jitsu.
Kano continued his study of Jiu-Jitsu under the Kito ryu with master Tsunetoshi Iikubo. It is interesting to note that a previous master of Kito Ryu, Kuninori Suzuki, modified the name of the art from Kito-kumiuchi to Kito-ryu Judo in 1714. However, as time went on, Kito-ryu Judo began to be referred to as Kito-ryu Jiu-Jitsu, but the use of the term Judo initially originated from this source. Kito-ryu consisted of mainly throwing techniques. As Kano studied the details of the art’s techniques he devised methods make them more effective. He noticed that although throws relied heavily on leverage to achieve their effectiveness, they did not take into account the importance of balance. He realized that a throw demanded significantly less effort and simultaneously yielded a much greater result if it was executed at the moment one’s opponent was off balanced. Kano deemed this concept of off balancing "kazushi". Kano became so skilled at utilizing kazushi that one day he threw his master Iikubo three times to which Iikubo proclaimed, "From now on you teach me". Kano was then given the title of master in Kito-Ryu. Kazushi is now recognized as one of the essential concepts in all of Jiu-Jitsu. Kano continued to study other forms of Jiu-Jitsu as well as many western-wrestling styles and while under Iikubo, he developed the new throws of kata guruma, uki goshi, and tsuri-komi-goshi.
When Kano graduated from Tokyo University he was immediately appointed to teach literature at the Gakushin, an educational facility for the descendant of the Japanese elite. In 1882, at the age of 22, Kano took nine of his students to the Eishoji temple, where he began teaching Jiu-Jitsu. On occasion, Iikubo would aide Kano with the instruction. The Eishoji priests would tolerate Kano's practices, however, especially when Iikubo visited, practice could become intense and violent. As a consequence mortuary tablets would fall onto the floor and on occasion the floor itself would begin to collapse, and Kano would be forced to crawl under the temple with a lantern to fix broken boards. Since Jiu-Jitsu was still frowned upon by the general public, his students would attend practice by promising their parents that they were going to study literature with Professor Kano.
Eventually the priests grew tired of the damage being done by the Jiu-Jitsu training and Kano was obliged to relocate his group to his home in 1883. It was at this time that Kano began using the term Kodokan Judo to describe his training. Kano used this term to differentiate his style from the old Jiu-Jitsu and to signify his deeper philosophy, which was influenced from Chinese Taoism. Kano described his system by "taking together all the merits I have acquired from the various schools of Jiu-Jitsu, and adding my own devices and inventions, I have founded a new system for physical culture, mental training, and winning contests. This I call Kodokan Judo". Kodokan Judo literally translated to, the Hall (kan) for Studying (ko) the Gentle (Ju) Way (do).
In addition to the concept of kazushi the major difference between Kano’s Judo and the various ryus of Jiu-Jitsu was the idea of "randori" or free sparing. A great many Jiu-Jitsu schools would only practice their techniques in Kata, pre-orchestrated forms against a non existent opponent. Kano saw that Kata was extremely limiting because without a live opponent there was no guarantee that the motions practiced could actually be used against someone in real combat. Kata was like learning to drive without ever getting behind the wheel. With randori the techniques were practiced against a fully resisting opponent, allowing one to truly test and refine their skills. Another idea Kano did not embrace was the idea of "Shobu" or sudden death. This was the idea that an opponent could be defeated with one fatal blow. Kano saw that when fighters trained for only one technique it promoted extreme caution. Conversely, randori promoted risk taking which led to a variety of creative strategies and tactics.
In 1885, the Kodokan had their first tournament with the Metropolitan police pitting the police Jiu-Jitsu against the Kodokan Judo in organized competition. The Kodokan was victorious in all matches. In 1886, the Tokyo Police hosted another tournament between the Kodokan and Totsuka-ha Yoshin-ryu Jiu-Jitsu, which was considered the strongest style of Jiu-Jitsu at the time. The Kodokan lost only two matches, and drew one; they were victorious in the other 12 matches fought. As a result of the competition, Judo had overtaken Jiu-Jitsu as the strongest martial art in Japan.
Following the Kodokan’s victory Kano instituted the first ranking system in martial arts history. Kano saw the lack of rank as very unorganized; he felt senior students should be differentiated from new ones. In addition, Kano believed the lack of ranking provided students with little incentive to train because they were not presented with clear goals to guide their ambitions. Also, there were no degrees for teaching and Kano considered instruction certification to be of paramount importance. To remedy these shortcomings, Kano introduced a belt ranking system to represent various levels of technical growth in the Judo. Non-black belt ranks were a reflection of ones understanding of Judo‘s basic foundation. Once one was considered to have mastered a sufficient foundation of Judo they were given first Dan, or black belt, rank. Originally the belt system consisted of three white belt, three brown belt, and three black belt grades. Eventually, the system expanded to include a variety of colored belts, such as yellow, green, and blue.
The Kodokan had established itself as a well-respected and undefeated school until 1900 when it entered a contest against Fusen Ryu Jiu-Jitsu. The Fusen Ryu differed from other Jiu-Jitsu school in Japan in that they dedicated almost all their training to "ne waza", or grappling techniques. At this point the Kodokan was skilled in striking and without companion in throwing skill, however they had very limited ability in ground grappling. In the contest the Fusen Ryu realized they could not outmatch the Kodokan on their feet so they employed a unique ploy. The Fusen Ryu fighters would pull the Kodokan fighters between their legs and fall to the ground, once on the ground they would apply a choke or joint lock and force the Kodokan fighters to submit (the modern day equivalent to "pulling guard"). The Kodokan were defeated by submission in all ten of their matches, it was the school’s first defeat. Kano now realized that ne waza was of equal or greater importance to tachi waza (throwing techniques). Immediately following his school’s defeat Kano persuaded Fusen Ryu's headmaster, Mataemon Tanabe, to instruct him on Fusen Ryu’s techniques and principles. Kano also sought out a similar grappling intensive style Jikishin Ryu Jiu-Jitsu and began to incorporate its techniques into the Kodokan. Over the next six years Kano composed a method of ne waza specifically designed for Kodokan Judo. Included in this system were three main types of techniques: Katame Waza (locking techniques), Shime Waza (choking techniques), and Osae Waza (holding techniques). Kano incorporated ne waza into his randori training. Victory was signified when one opponent tapped the mat. Tapping was a symbolic admission of death, which kept alive the samurai tradition of life and death combat while keeping Judo safe and sportive to train daily. Kano managed to show the Japanese public that Judo was both effective for combat and sport. The Japanese embraced the sport of Judo, and Judo/Jiu-Jitsu was no longer considered a barbaric or outdated practice.
In his time Kano produced many great fighters. Arguably the greatest fighter to study under Kano’s tutelage was Mitsuyo Maeda. Maeda came to the Kodokan in 1897, a time when Judo was beginning to focus a great deal of attention to ne waza. He had a natural flair for Judo and quickly moved through the rankings, proving himself to be one of the best fighters in the Kodokan.
In 1904 Maeda, who was now a 4th degree black belt, was given the opportunity to go to the United States with one of his instructors, Tsunejiro Tomita. The two were invited to the military academy at West Point for a demonstration in Judo. Shortly after beginning their demonstration Maeda was challenged by a student who was also a wrestling champion. Maeda accepted the challenge. The wrestler quickly took him to the ground where Maeda secured an arm lock on the man forcing him to submit. The students were not satisfied; they wanted to see Tomita fight. Tomita was in his 40’s and well passed his prime as a fighter, but his honor forced him to accept the challenge. After a failed throw Tomita was tackled and pinned to the ground, unable to move he was forced to give up.
Tomita and Maeda parted ways with Tomita heading to the West Coast and Maeda staying in New York. Maeda began teaching at Princeton University part-time after he won some challenge matches there. He also taught in New York City, but the Americans did not take to the Japanese style of teaching and his students did not stay long. Around this time Maeda was offered to take part in a challenge fight for money by some local Japanese. Maeda was desperate for money and although it was against Kodokan rules he accepted. His opponent was a New York City wrestler. Maeda was victorious and so began his career as a professional fighter.
Maeda persuaded a group of Japanese businessmen to financially sponsor him with $1,000 in prize money while he traveled fighting in North, South, and Central America proving the supremacy of Judo. Despite being merely 5 foot 5 and 154 pounds Maeda took on all challengers regardless of size. Maeda reportedly fought in over 2,000 matches losing only twice in the catch-as-catch-can world championship in which he fought in both the middleweight and heavy weight divisions (he advanced to the finals and semi-finals in those divisions). In Judo/Jiu-Jitsu style matches he was never defeated.
Maeda firmly believed that Judo was the supreme combat art. He thought of western arts such as wrestling and boxing as merely sportive games. Maeda stated in his autobiography that his approach to fighting was so successful because he took the techniques of Kodokan Judo and modified them for real combat, bringing them down to their most efficient, basic, and effective methods. Maeda studied wrestling and boxing, the styles he encountered the most, in order to understand their strengths and weaknesses. He then would exploit their weaknesses while avoiding their strengths. For example he would clinch with boxers to avoid their punching power and then take them to the ground, where they were very unfamiliar, and apply a submission. Against wrestlers he would often set up his throws with elbows or low kicks due to their lack of striking knowledge.
Maeda would never hesitate to demonstrate the superiority of Judo. Once while in London, he saw an article in the paper where a Russian wrestling champion was quoted as saying that wrestling was better than judo. Maeda tracked the wrestler down and challenged him on the spot. He refused claiming he was misquoted. Maeda also went on to challenge Jack Johnson, the world heavyweight boxing champion to a no rules fight; his challenge was never accepted (this tradition would later be carried on by Helio Gracie’s challenge to Joe Lewis and Royce Gracie’s challenge to Mike Tyson, the boxers always refused the fight).
Maeda’s travels brought him throughout Europe and Central America before he finally settled in Brazil in 1915. During this time period, Brazil had the largest concentration of Japanese inhabitants outside of Japan. While attempting to setup a Japanese colony in Brazil Maeda was assisted by a man named Gastao Gracie, a Brazilian man of Scottish decent. Out of appreciation for Gracie’s help in the colonization movement, Maeda taught Gastao’s son Carlos the basic techniques of Jiu-Jitsu. Carlos only trained with Maeda for about two years, however in that time he came to understand the guiding principles of leverage and balance, which made up Jiu-Jitsu and with this knowledge Carlos taught his brothers Oswaldo, Jorge, Gastao, and Helio. Many wonder why Maeda used the term Jiu-Jitsu and not Judo when teaching the Gracies. Some argue that Maeda taught techniques that were forbidden in Judo so the name Jiu-Jitsu was more appropriate. Others claim that it was because Maeda did not have permission from the Kodokan to teach the Gracies Judo. Whatever the reason, the techniques shown to Carlos by Maeda would go on to be known as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
By: Brian McLaughlin www.bjjfighter.com
The History of Kung Fu
Kung Fu can trace its origins back some 4000 years to 2674 BC, when Emperor Huang Ti of China used a rudimentary form of martial arts called Chiou Ti as a form of individual combat and military tactic. In 2600 BC a new style of combat named Go-Ti came into being which had wrestling as its main focus. At the same time monks developed Cong Fu. This was a form of medical gymnastics designed to keep body healthy, mind alert, and spirit tranquil.
In about 600 BC, Confucius declared it necessary to cultivate the martial arts. Lao Tzu (a Taoist sage), living at the same time, composed the Tao Te Ching (The Power and the Way), the original book and foremost source of Taoism. Taoism (pronounced "Daoism") is a philosophical system, but also a way of life and a method of achieving higher consciousness. Legend has it that it was passed down from a legendary culture, known as the "Sons of Reflected Light" some 14000 years ago. It taught scholarship, meditation and alchemy. Taoist principles are today still considered an important and relevant study, and many of its principles have been understood to be similiar to theories in modern, cutting edge, quantum physics and biology.
Taoism became enmeshed with the arts of Cong Fu and Go-Ti, which by this time had become fused into one system. Taoist monks became Cong Fu/Go-Ti experts, and martial arts practitioners began to follow Taoism. This Cong Fu/Go-Ti system formed the beginnings of what we now know as Kung Fu. Although the term has many meanings, for example "hard work", it can be best understood as "patient accomplishment" - the mastery of a skill through the investment of time and energy. (Kung means "energy" in Chinese and Fu means "time"). Therefore when a person has mastered a particular skill, he may be said to have "kung fu". The term became associated with martial arts because the mastery of any martial arts system requires years of dedicated practice.
In 527 AD, Bodhi Dharma (also known as Da Mo), an Indian Buddhist prince came to preach in the Buddhist Shao Lin Temple, a Buddhist monastery. He saw the Shao Lin priests were weak and sickly and sought to help them. Legend has it that he meditated in front of a wall for nine years. The results of this meditation were written in two books. The Yi Gin Ching taught ways to increase the strength and health of the physical body. An exercise regimen known as the "18 Movements of the Arhan Hands" or "18-Monk Boxing" which was practiced by the monks was based on this work. The Shi Sui Ching was primarily a religious treatise explaining methods for developing the Buddhist spirit by using Chi energy. These teachings were incorporated into kung fu and made a great impact on the art. From Da Mo comes the mystical concept of "empty mind" and other meditations. Breathing techniques in kung fu were also further developed in Da Mo’s teachings.
The next major development followed a drift away from the Buddhist influence and back into the Taoist influence. In 1417 a Taoist monk Chang San-fung invented a radical new element of kung fu known as "soft fist" or "internal style". This is a slow, relaxed and mystical style, as opposed to the older styles, which were hard and externally orientated. Chang San-fung believed that the intensive physical exertion of the former styles of Kung Fu was against Taoist philosophy. The focus instead should be on internal energy and harmony. Taoist temples became centres of Kung Fu knowledge. One such existing internal style derived from the Taoist way is "Tai Chi Chuan" or "Mind Fist".
In 1530, the Shao Lin Temple once more gained great influence in the growth of Kung Fu. A Shao Lin Temple priest named Chueh Yuan decided to rejuvenate Shao Lin martial art and restore it to its former glory. Chueh created five animal styles or forms: Dragon - to cultivate spirit, Tiger - to develop tough bones, Leopard - to build strength, Crane - to strengthen sinew, and Snake - to generate chi. Chueh combined hard and soft techniques in his forms.
After this restoration, the major milestones of development of Kung Fu became inextricably bound with historic events involving international influences on China. In 1644, the Manchurians invaded China and replaced the Ming Dynasty with the Ch'ing dynasty. The Shao Lin Temples became hives of revolutionaries. In order to counteract the threat from these insurrectionists, the Manchurians destroyed the Shao Lin Temples. The inhabitants of the Temples fled, and in this way Kung Fu knowledge was spread. At the same time, however, it became diluted amongst the masses and hundreds of new styles developed.
MODERN KUNG FU
In 1900 the Boxer Rebellion against the Manchurians occurred. Kung fu practitioners joined the struggle against the invaders. However, their fighting skills were no match for the now sophisticated Manchurian army. Despondent, Kung Fu practitioners turned to crime. Hence the once-esteemed esoteric Kung Fu societies of a forgotten age became mafia-like crime organisations known as the Triads. During World War II, Japan invaded China and gave representative power to the Triads. As a result, these organizations became very powerful. After World War II, Kung Fu knowledge spread to the West, and hundreds of new forms evolved to make up the myriad of Kung Fu systems that exist today. These systems are sometimes as different from each other as Judo is from Karate.
The 1960’s marked not only an awakening in the socio-cultural and political ideology of the West but also of the martial arts world. The 60’s brought the revolutionary influence of the late Bruce Lee. Lee is famous because of his appearance in numerous movies, but many people are unaware of his major influence on the martial arts. Lee’s profound contribution was the release of Kung Fu from its traditional bounds. He placed less emphasis on forms and particular techniques as ends, and more on training as a means toward physical and mental health, self-growth, inner harmony, and peaceful inner simplicity.
Bruce Lee’s principle "Absorb what is useful and reject that which is useless" has become one of the most quoted statements in martial arts circles in recent years. Lee did not have one particular style that he trained. He taught that one must not bind oneself to the restrictions of a single style. He learned various martial arts including numerous styles of Kung Fu, Thai Boxing, Kali, Judo, Ju Jitsu, and Aikido. He also practiced western boxing, wrestling, fencing and French Savate. Bruce Lee’s impact spread far and wide, and has radically awakened the consciousness of many martial artists all over the world.
