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