Martial Arts Essay, Research Paper

Martial Arts

When you think of martial arts, what comes to mind? The slow, calm movements of

ai-Chi Chuan or maybe the faster, hard movements of Karate or Tae Kwon Do. No

matter what you think of it always contains practiced movements of the body and a lot of

concentration. These two elements combined with spirit and patience is basically what

martial arts consists of. Martial arts is so great because it strengthens each of these

aspects of body and mind to make a beautiful display of movement. This has attracted

many people to all kinds of martial arts and with the help of the movies made it very

popular among Americans. Today, many Americans prefer martial arts as an exercise to

help them stay in shape.

Tai-Chi, as an example, is a great martial art because of its use of both the body and

mind. Tai-Chi can t be done correctly if the person is not relaxed and doesn t know the

movements being done very well. The basis of Tai-Chi Chuan derives from the idea of

being constantly round when performing it. If you are attacked on a straight line and you

resist on a straight line, the stronger force will win, but if the incoming force is

neutralized by circularity, then it becomes easier to defeat your opponent, no matter how

strong they might be. That s what Tai-Chi is based on, but It takes years of practice to

get any good at it and decades to master.

Another example of martial arts is Korea s Tae Kwon Do. The main differences

between Tai-Chi and Tae Kwon Do is the uniforms and idea of movement. In Tai-Chi

you can wear whatever clothes you feel comfortable in, but in Tae Kwon Do or Karate

you have to wear a Gi and must practice barefooted unless you have any medical reasons.

Tae Kwon Do is an art that uses the legs as the primary weapon since it is automatically

stronger than the arms and twice as long, their moves are also faster and depend more

upon flexibility. Learning Tae Kwon Do is a very good way for children to develop skills

such as prioritizing objectives to become organized, self-control and self-defense, and the

ability to make rational decisions quickly. It also teaches loyalty and respect for oneself

and others, self-confidence/ high self-esteem, perseverance/ diligence, a positive attitude,

and mental and physical discipline. Tae Kwon Do is a great martial art to start with

because it s easy enough to do from age 5 all the way up into your 80s. This art doesn t

take quite as long to master and you may already start learning things from the first few

classes.

The greatest thing about martial arts is that it not only increases the strength of the

body, mind, and spirit, but it can also be fun and energetic. Ever since martial arts began

appearing on television and movies more and more people have been doing it. Also, a lot

of places to learn martial arts have been popping up all over the world. It comes as no

surprise that the percentage of people doing martial arts today has greatly increased in the

United States and the rest of the world.