What constitutes a martial art? Is boxing a martial art? Wresting? Olympic style Tae Kwon Do? There are lots of opinions and thoughts out
there. I will share some of those opinions
and thoughts as well as mine.
If you go by just the word martial, which is derived from
the name Mars, the Roman god of war, it would any style that could be used in
combat. And if we agree that is the definition
of a martial art, then firearms, archery, fencing should be considered a martial
art. If part of the definition of a martial
art is that it is systemized or “codified through curriculum” [Ref. 2] then a
few of these may fall off the list like firearms.
In Japanese, the compound of the toots “bu”,
translates to war or martial. The term bujutsu
usually refers to the application of techniques to real-world situations or
battlefield situations [Ref. 4] or martial arts techniques [Ref. 6]. “It is nothing less than a complete study of
the arts of war and combat.” [Ref. 7] So,
if one’s interpretation is a martial art is synonymous with the definition of bujutsu,
then you might consider boxing, wresting, and firearms but maybe not Olympic Style
Tae Kwon Do (my personal opinion is Olympic Style Tae Kwon Do is designed as a
sport and would not be effective on the battlefield).
If you look at other interpretations, you may come to different
conclusions.
For example, Chinese character “mu” can be translated into
the word martial. “The Chinese character “mu”
literally means “to stop fighting” or “to put down weapons.” The word “arts” in
martial arts points to skill, expression of beauty or creativity. The
combination “martial arts” may be interpreted to mean ending conflict skillfully.
Peace is the ultimate goal of the martial arts [Ref. 3].” In
this case, you would take all combative sports like boxing, wresting and Olympic
Style Tae Kwon Do off the list as being a martial art.
The Japanese term Budo literally
translates to the “Martial Way’, but I have also seen it refer to as the way of
the warrior, the martial way, and the way of martial arts. “Budō is the idea of formulating propositions,
subjecting them to philosophical critique and then following a "path"
to realize them.” Dō signifies a
"way of life" [Ref. 4]. So, if one’s interpretation is a martial
art is synonymous with the definition of budo, then you must consider not just the
techniques and the combat skills but “the path, the way”. The path
most commonly refers to the means to self-improvement in body, mind and spirit. So, by this definition, if boxing or wresting
was as a way to achieve mind, body, spirit, then they would be considered a martial
art.
In my opinion, a martial art encompasses both the teachings
of techniques to protect yourself in real-world situations in a codified, systematic
way as well as providing a path that improves mind, body and spirit.
How would you define a martial art?
Regards,
Kelly
“A Martial Artist may become A professional fighter but not every
Fighter is capable of becoming A martial artist. Martial Arts are about
restoration of physical and spiritual balance and fluidity; they are about
observing restraints and 'setting example'. ~ Soke Behzad Ahmadi, Okinawa ShorinjiRyu Swsni, Advisor
at International Seishinryu Karate Federation (ISKF), Technical Advisor at
Korea Taekwondo Association and author
References:
1. What
is Martial Arts? - A Knowledge Archive (infomory.com), retrieved 4/1/2023
2. Martial Arts
- A Definitive Guide - Martial Devotee, retrieved 4/1/2023
3. What
is the True Meaning of Martial Arts? | Master S.H. Yu Martial Arts
(master-sh-yu.com), retrieved 4/1/2023
4. Budō
- Wikipedia, retrieved 4/1/2023
5. Bujutsu (Bugei) vs.
Budo: – Welcome To The Florida Jukido Jujitsu Academy Website, retrieved
4/1/2023
6. Budo vs Bushido | AWMA Blog, retrieved
4/1/2023
7. What is
Koryu Bujutsu (way-of-the-samurai.com), retrieved 4/1/2023
