Japanese Martial Arts
the history of Japanese martial arts, like the history of any martial art, is long and complicated and shrouded in mystery. The problem is that martial artists tend to embroidered their art forms with myths. Many of these martial arts are hundreds or thousands of years old anyway, so the legends grow year after year. Someone who is a great champion in his lifetime becomes endowed with superpowers and the ability to see the future by the time a couple hundred years have passed. Given another thousand years, and he is seen as the originator of all martial arts.
Nevertheless, one thing cannot be debated: Japanese martial arts are all around cool. The most classic Japanese martial art is karate. There are different forms of Japanese karate, so just because you have seen one form in action doesn’t mean you will recognize another. Nonetheless, all of them share certain characteristics. Japanese karate is extremely offensive martial art characterized by vigorous strikes and kicks. It is pretty practical and no-nonsense ? particularly compared with kung fu and some of the other Chinese martial arts. That doesn’t mean that it is a better art, just that it has a more stripped-down style.
Of course, there are plenty of other Japanese martial arts. Judo is a popular Japanese martial art used mainly for sport fighting. Although it has a number of practical techniques that would be useful in any street fight, it is specifically adapted for sporting competition. It is a great martial art to practice because you can vigorously combat each other without hurting each other. It mostly consists of holds, throws, and chokes which can be applied without causing any permanent damage.
In my opinion, aikido is one of the most interesting Japanese martial arts. Like many other Japanese arts, aikido uses martial arts weapons. Unlike many other arts, however, it is purely defensive. It is based on harmonizing with an opponent’s energy and using it to neutralize him or her. You may think that this sounds wimpy, but you are wrong. It is actually one of the most powerful fighting arts out there. Through the use of a superior understanding of leverage, trained Masters in aikido can neutralize much stronger opponents. Although they do not spar as part of their martial arts training, they do use quite a bit of partner practice that allows them to refine their techniques and master them.
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