A discussion of Asian martial arts from a Western perspective.

1. Martial Arts

2. What are the “Martial Arts”?
• The martial arts are different systems of
fighting taught all over the world. The term
martial art has become heavily associated
with the fighting arts of eastern Asia, but was
originally used in regard to the combat
systems of Europe as early as the 1550s. The
term is ultimately derived from Latin, martial
arts being the "Arts of Mars," the Roman god
of war.

3. Kung Fu
Chinese martial arts, also referred to
by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu
and popularly as kung fu (Chinese: 功
夫; pinyin: gōngfu), are a number of
fighting styles that have developed
over the centuries in China. These
fighting styles are often classified
according to common traits, identified
as "families" (家, jiā), "sects" (派, pài)
or "schools" (門, mén) of martial arts.
Examples of such traits include
physical exercises involving animal
mimicry, or training methods inspired
by Chinese philosophies, religions and
legends.

4. Karate
Karate is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu
Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was
developed partially from local Okinawan fighting
methods and from Chinese kenpō. Karate is a
striking art using punching, kicking, knee and
elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such
as knife-hands.
The martial arts movies of the 1960s and 1970s
served to greatly increase its popularity and the
word karate began to be used in a generic way to
refer to all striking-based Oriental martial arts.
Karate schools began appearing across the world,
catering to those with casual interest, such as
young children, as well as those seeking a deeper
study of the art.
Karate masters are sometimes known to break boards and bricks with
their bare hands.

5. Jujutsu
Jujutsu (Japanese: 柔術, jūjutsu, also
known as jujitsu), is a Japanese
martial art and a method of close
combat for defeating an armed and
armored opponent in which one uses
no weapon, or only a short weapon.
Jujutsu is different from many other
types of martial arts in how is
focuses on using throws and
grappling techniques to subdue one’s
opponent. A form of Jujutsu featured
in the Olympics is known as Judo.

6. Capoeira
Capoeira is a Brazilian martial
art that combines elements of
dance, and music. It was
created in Brazil mainly by
descendants of African slaves
with Brazilian native influences,
probably beginning in the 16th
century. It is known by quick
and complex moves, using
mainly power, speed, and
leverage for leg sweeps.
Capoeira involves many elaborate kicks and flips.

7. What do you think?
• What are some famous styles of martial arts
from your country?
• Why do you think people practice martial
arts?
• How does Kung Fu compare to western
boxing?
• Do you think practicing Tai Chi is good for your
health?

8. Internal Martial Arts
Internal Martial Arts or Nèijiā is a term in
Chinese martial arts, grouping those styles
that practice nèijìng (內勁; literally "internal
strength"), occupied with spiritual, mental
or qi-related aspects, as opposed to an
"external" approach focused on
physiological aspects.
The internal styles are also known for their
association with the Taoist monasteries of
Wudang mountain in the Hubei Province of
China. These styles are usually known as
Tàijíquán, Xíngyìquán and Bāguàzhǎng.

9. Touch of Death
The Death Touch refers to any martial arts technique
that can kill using seemingly less than lethal force
targeted at specific areas of the body.
The concept known as Dim Mak (simplified Chinese:
点脉) traces its history to Traditional Chinese
Medicine Acupuncture. Tales of its use are often
found in Chinese martial arts fiction. Dim Mak is
depicted as a secret body of knowledge with
techniques that attack pressure points and
meridians, said to incapacitate or sometimes cause
immediate or even delayed death to an opponent.
Although Dim Mak originates in Wuxia fiction, there
have been a number of martial artists claiming to
practice the technique in reality, beginning in the
1960s with American eccentric Count Dante, who
gave it the English name "The Death Touch".
However, the subject of the death touch in real life is
in much debate and controversy

10. Nunchaku
Nunchaku (ヌンチャク, nunchaku) is a traditional Asian weapon consisting of two
sticks connected at their ends with a short chain or rope. In the English language
nunchaku are often referred to as "nunchucks", "nunchuks", or, incorrectly,
"numchucks".

11. Ninja Stars
A shuriken (Japanese 手裏剣;
literally: "sword hidden in the
hand") is a traditional Japanese
concealed weapon that was
generally used for throwing, and
sometimes stabbing or slashing.
They are sharpened hand-held
blades made from a variety of
everyday items such as needles,
nails, and knives, as well as coins,
washers, and other flat plates of
metal. In the West they are often
known as Ninja stars or throwing
stars.

12. Chain Whip
The chain whip or nine-section-whip
is a weapon used in some Asian
martial arts, particularly traditional
Chinese disciplines, in addition to
modern and traditional wushu. It
consists of several metal rods, which
are joined end-to-end by rings to
form a flexible chain. Generally, the
whip has a handle at one end and a
metal dart, used for slashing or
piercing an opponent, at the other.

13. What do you think?
• Do you believe in “internal power” (qi)?
• Have you ever heard of someone being killed
by the “touch of death”?
• What do you think about people who practice
with strange weapons like the chain whip?
• Why do you think some people still use
swords in their martial arts practice?

14. Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; 1940 – 1973) was a
Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts
instructor, philosopher, film director, film
producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet
Kune Do martial arts movement (“The Way of
the Intercepting Fist”). He is widely considered
by many commentators, critics, media and other
martial artists to be the most influential martial
artist of all time.
Though commonly thought to be from Hong
Kong, Lee was in fact born on 27 November
1940 at the Chinese Hospital in Chinatown, San
Francisco, California.

15. Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born
March 10, 1940) is an American
martial artist and actor. After
serving in the United States Air
Force, he began his rise to fame
as a martial artist and has since
founded his own school, Chun
Kuk Do. Norris appeared in a
number of action films, such as
Way of the Dragon in which he
starred alongside Bruce Lee and
was a leading star in the 1980s.
He next played the starring role
in the television series Walker,
Texas Ranger from 1993 to 2001.

16. Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (born
18 October 1960), professionally known as Jean-
Claude Van Damme is a Belgian martial artist,
actor and director best known for his martial arts
action films, the most successful of which include
Bloodsport (1988), Kickboxer (1989), Universal
Soldier (1992), Hard Target (1993), Timecop (1994),
Sudden Death (1995) and JCVD (2008). He is
known as "The Muscles from Brussels".
After studying martial arts intensively from the age
of ten, Van Damme achieved national success in
Belgium as a martial artist and bodybuilder,
earning the "Mr. Belgium" bodybuilding title. He
emigrated to the United States in 1982 to pursue a
career in film, and achieved success with
Bloodsport in 1988.

17. What do you think?
• Who is your favorite martial arts actor?
• Do you enjoy movies about kung fu, or are you
more interested in romance or comedy?
• Do you think the fighting in kung fu movies is
the same as fighting in real life?
• Do you think you could beat Jackie Chan in a
fight?