Geography of Martial Arts Capstone Project

Martial Arts can be defined as a system organized into a code or it may be termed as the customs that revolve around practices that may give rise to conflict. This art is used by people for a number of reasons such as safety, championship, physical up gradation subliminal and divine development (Clements, 2006).

People hold completely different perspectives towards the idea of Martial arts. A large number of people consider it as a behaviour that depicts crudeness and inhumanity. Some might consider it as a source of recreation. A huge number of studies have shown that people who possess certain knowledge about martial arts have less degree of humiliation and wrath in them. Moreover these people have knowledge of how to defend themselves and their beloved from all the situations which might be a threat to human safety. Such activities are used for physical fitness. Also, these arts help to enhance the muscular flow and smooth the blood flow. These activities help to enhance the flexibility of the body and every technique enhances the coherence among the body parts.

There have been some studies done that show which show that people who practice Tae kwon have been noticed to have become less aggressive, less anxious, have got a better quality of life and have got high self-esteem. A lot of people feeling that when they go under training their body's flexibility increases a lot as well. The reason behind this is the fact that these exercises make use of the muscles from all the body which helps in improving its flexibility. Some of the types of martial arts that are known to increase the flexibility of the body are Thai kickboxing, kung fu, tae kwon as well as some other schools of karate. Coordination also gets improved with the help of all of these types of martial arts.

One of the reasons why martial arts is really different from other kinds of physical activities is the fact that by practicing it people are able to achieve the peace of mind and at times they feel a spiritual connection as well. Therefore, these kind of trainings not only help people in achieving the mental focus but they also enable them in developing self-control as well. People who seen regular training of Martial Arts enjoy a certain level of neutrality which helps them to reduce their day-to-day tension. Furthermore these activities are a source to maintain stress. We see that people tend to seek training of Martial Arts in the form of groups where they get a chance to get over their stress. These training classes are healthy for children as they are able to gain self-confidence get over with all their fears (Clements, 2006).

These training classes focus on one of the most important attribute of human behaviour which requires giving respect. The students who tend to opt for these classes are more well-mannered. It helps them in getting disciplined not only in the classes but generally in life as well. Individuals or the student who have bad attitudes are noticed to become well behaved even by attending these classes a couple of times a week. The instructors put a lot of emphasis on the element of respect in these classes and this is the reason why respect becomes so important for the students as well. They believe in the idea of mutual respect which helps them to flourish in every walk of life. (Reid, Howard and Croucher, 1983).

The above mentioned benefits of martial arts completely explained the reason of popularity of these practices among young children and adults. But it is important to keep in mind the fact that it is not necessary that every time these activities would lead to the desired results because in case of combat fighting contrary results are obtained so one has to be careful (Reid, Howard and Croucher, 1983).

Top 10 Martial Arts in the World

No.10 Judo

Where is it originally from?

The word judo has been derived from Ju which means "soft method" or the art of using the strength of enemy against himself. This was introduced by Japanese instructor Kana Jigoro.

This game mainly focuses on work on ground rather than hitting the enemy. It also includes locks that are important for protection. Kano introduced judo in 1932 for the first time as he was hopeful that this game would seek international recognition.In 1968 it was excluded from Olympics but later became part of it (Jones and Hanon, 2010).

Where is it practiced?

Judo became famous in Tokyo in the year of 1964 as it was even played in Olympics. Today it is being practiced in many parts of the world and is taught to children in schools and special academies as defence training and physical activity (Jones and Hanon, 2010).

Where is it most popular?

As the game was introduced by a Japanese instructor, it is very popular in Japan. However, today it is being played and learnt in many others parts of the world too for the purpose self defence as well as physical activity (Jones and Hanon, 2010).

Where are there more practitioners?

The image of Judo enhanced when it became a part of the world championship in 1956. Initially it wasn't much famous as there were a total of 31 athletes' from 21 different countries. Firstly, only males used to play this game until Women championship was introduced in 1980. The events for males and females were coordinated together in 1987 except in the year where Olympics take place. Moreover an event for women in particular was organized in 1988 (Hoare, 2009).

Therefore, today it is being practiced by men, women and children in many parts of the world. It is even a part of some of the schools' curriculums where children are taught Judo as a self defence exercise (Jones and Hanon, 2010).

No.9 Aikido

Where is it originally from?

This art came from Japan somewhere around 1900. Followers learnt to use the power of the aggressor against them. This is a bit different as during the training period the student is taught to be careful with the opponent as they are not to harm the other person. Moriheir Uesbhiba was the one who introduced Aikido. He said that if one hopes to be successful in aikido he/she has to first receive 99% of the attack from the attacker and literally stare death in the eyes, only then can a person master the art of aikido and learn to use the strength of an opponent against him. (Shishido and Nariyama, 2002).

Where is it practiced?

Minoru Mochizuki introduced it to the work in 1951 when he was on a trip to France. Tadashi Abe followed him and became the representative of Aikido in 1952. Tomikii went with a group of important representatives of martial arts to U.S. In 1953 and visited 15 continents. Koichi Tohei went to Hawaii for one year and there he got a chance to set up dojo. From the year of 1955 to 1965 there were various delegations that went to Germany, Italy, Europe and Africa. Seiichi Sugano introduced aikido to Australia in the year of 1965. Steven Seagal represented Aikido in Hollywood films in the year of 1900 (Shishido and Nariyama, 2002).

Where is it most popular?

Today aikido is being practiced all over the world. It has mainly been able to achieve such popularity due to its appearance in the Hollywood movies (Shishido and Nariyama, 2002).

Where are there more practitioners?

It is being practiced all over the world by men, women and children as it teaches self-defence along with mind and body control (Shishido and Nariyama, 2002).

No.8 KravMaga

Where is it originally from?

This came from Israel. It was frequently used by the police in order to harm the opponent up to an extreme. It can pose serious threat to the life of the other person as in many cases any object can be used as a weapon to hurt the other person. It works on a three step approach Firstly it helps to respond to any attack, then react to it and finally neutralize its effect (Aviram, 2009).

Where is it practiced?

It is being practiced by the Israeli Defense forces. There are many intelligence and defence agencies that have made practices by keeping Krav Maga as their basis. Various organizations in United Kingdom give proper training of KravMaga (Aviram, 2009).

Where is it most popular?

This is most popular among the Israeli Defense forces that use this technique frequently. They also adopt various variations according to their requirement (Aviram, 2009).

Where are there more practitioners?

Krav maga is being practised by men as well as women in many counties of the world. However, majority of the women who practice it.....