Engaging in
sports requires a lot of disciplined instilled in oneself. Doing sports activities require a lot of concentration in doing every move, maintaining balance of the mind and the body, achieving the right amount of speed and agility, and giving a lot of attention to what the person is doing. One particular sport requiring much concentration, balance, speed, agility and attention is
Martial Arts.
Martial arts exhibits codified and ordered moves and practices for combat. There is a wide range of martial arts practiced around the world as each region throughout the globe has their own traditional
practice of martial arts, and all of these
types of martial arts are geared to one main objective which is to defend oneself or others from physical threats. Though martial arts have many different variations throughout the world, they have primarily 3 different areas which categorize each art namely: striking, grappling, and weaponry. Martial arts which involve striking include punching and kicking, such as Tae Kwon Do, Boxing, Karate, Wing Chun, and Muay Thai. Grappling martial arts involve sports such as Wrestling, Judo and Aikido. Martial arts involving the use of weaponry are sports such as Fencing, Eskrima, and Kendo.
Wrestling is a form of martial arts that makes use of the technique of grappling. The
sport involves movements like pinning, clinch fighting, throwing, and doing takedowns and joint locks. In the art of wrestling, the main objective is to compete with the opponent physically and gain control over the situation and maintain superior position over the other. However, in these modern times, wrestling is now done as a competition between two or more people at times. There are many forms of wrestling, such as Greco-Roman wrestling, Freestyle Wrestling, and Submission Wrestling. Some forms of wrestling are part of the Olympics, such as the Greco-Roman wrestling which is an
international sport which involves high amplitude throws.
Taekwondo, or Tae Kwon Do, is a Korean martial art which makes use of the technique of striking. Literally, tae means to strike or break using the foot; kwon means to strike or break using the fist; and do means way or method. When considering the number of practitioners, Taekwondo can be dubbed as the most popular sport in the world. Moreover, there are two styles used by its practitioners in the world: the one organized by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) and the one by the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF). Both styles do the same discipline, though they differ in certain rules that its practitioners follow.
Kendo is a Japanese martial art which uses weaponry as part of the act. It literally means “the way of the sword” and is based on the Japanese swordsmanship called Kenjutsu. The sport’s practitioners are called kendoka (one who practices kendo), and some are called kenshi (swordsman). Kendokas make use of the shinai, which are 4 bamboo slats held together by leather fittings, which represents the Japanese katana. The katana is a single-edged sword which is curved and slender and has a long grip which gives room for both hands. In Kendo, kendokas shout to express their passion for fighting when doing every strike.
