Martial Arts

Martial Arts

By Visook, Neung, New, TUMdong

Nowadays it is becoming more common to see examples of violent crime in newspapers and on television. Therefore, it is important that people are able to protect themselves. Martial arts offer a way to do this.The four most popular martial arts are Thai boxing, Tae kwondo, Kung Fu, and Karate. However, martial arts are not only a form of self defense, but also represent the history and culture of a country.

Thai boxing originated in Thailand during the Sukhothai Era between 1781 and 1951. It was spread in the Ayuthaya Era by Nai khanomtom, who was a famous Thai boxer. In 1996 Olympic Games in USA, Somluck Kumsing was the gold medalist. Now, Phanom Yeeram is famous for Thai martial arts film but he was not famous when he was a boxer. In a fight, Muay Thai allows the competitors to use foot, knee, elbow and fist. Before a competition, a boxer must 'wai kru' (pay respect to his coach) and 'ram muay' (dance to show boxing moves). Muay Thai has 5 rounds and each round takes about 3 minutes and there is 2-minute break between rounds. There are at least 3 referees for a Muay Thai competition. The score is usually given after each round. Muay Thai can also be used for self defense.

Tae kwondo is a Korean martial art. It is a way of kicking and striking. It was founded over 2000 years ago but only popularized in the 1950's by General Choi Hong Hi. Song Kook Dee was the first Tae Kwondo expert. Competitions consist of 3 rounds of non-stop contact with a rest between rounds. Junior and senior black belt competitors fight for 2 minute rounds with a 30 second break. kicks to the head score 2 points, while kicks to the body score 1 point. In event of a tie at the end of three rounds, a fourth "sudden death" overtime round will be held to determine the winner after a 30 second rest period. In the year 2000, Tae kwondo became an Olympic sport.

Kung Fu is a Chinese martial art developed from the earliest forms of martial arts introduced by Huangdi, the yellow emperor, around 2700 BC. Kung Fu is a philosophy suggesting deeper meaning. The following three elements must be present: motivation, self-discipline, and time. Strong, flexible muscles, management of the breath, and proper body mechanics are important for basic Kung Fu movements. Basics training involves simple movements that are performed repeatedly, such as stretching, stance work, conditioning, meditation and basic kicking and punching techniques. There are no rules in Kunng Fu because there no competitions, only shows. Professional players is Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li. There is no champion because there don't have competition.

Karate is Japanese martial arts developed from the Kung Fu which was very popular in Japan. Karate is mean "Empty Hand". In 14Th century, Daruma is the first person to start playing karate. He was a monk of Japan but practiced Karate at Saolin temple in China. The first public demonstration of karate in Japan was in 1917 by Gichin Funakoshi, at the Butoku-den in Kyoto. Karate can be divided into many divisions including gender, age, and weight. In Karate competition, there are 5 people needed for a game to take place including a designated referee, an observer, a secretary, a timekeeper, and a medic.The well known sport player of Karate was Christophe Pinna. He helped France to win championship in World Karate Federation tournaments in 1994 and 1996. In the present, Karate is not included in the Olympic yet but later in the future, it will be in the Olympic.

In conclusion, the world has many Martial arts and the most popular are Thai boxing, Tae kwondo, Kung Fu, and Karate. All martial arts are Asian, representing the history and culture of their country of origin. Everybody knows martial arts help people protect themselves. We should use martial arts intelligently, not just to harm another people. We should preserve the traditions of martial arts for the next generation.