Morty Vicar
Banned
The debate between formalised and informal styles (styles which have set moves vs those which don't, eg karate vs boxing) is interesting. A lot of the old karate masters felt that karate competitions weakened the art, because they removed techniques that were designed to be fatal or do serious injury. It's true that Muay Thai pracitioners tend to win mixed martial arts contests, but there is perhaps an argument to be made that it does not contain the deadly moves necessary for a real and serious fight.
I think Chinese martial arts tend to be more flowery and symbolic etc, often incorporating unnecesary acrobatics which look cool but leave the practitioner extremely vulnerable, for next to no gain. Wheras on the other hand the Japanese martial arts seem to have a more practical approach.
My understanding of martial arts in China is that they were developed by monks, who were forbidden from using weapons, but were allowed to defend themselves. They developed styles of fighting, often influenced by nature and philosophy. Perhaps it's unimaginative, but I suppose there could be some analogue to that with european monks. Or perhaps an earlier restriction on weaponry within towns and cities, may lead to the development of a self-defence system.
The major aspect here though is the fact that martial arts culture kept going, despite urbanisation, technological advances, increased civility and safety etc. Is it fair to say they experienced a revival of sorts?
I think Chinese martial arts tend to be more flowery and symbolic etc, often incorporating unnecesary acrobatics which look cool but leave the practitioner extremely vulnerable, for next to no gain. Wheras on the other hand the Japanese martial arts seem to have a more practical approach.
My understanding of martial arts in China is that they were developed by monks, who were forbidden from using weapons, but were allowed to defend themselves. They developed styles of fighting, often influenced by nature and philosophy. Perhaps it's unimaginative, but I suppose there could be some analogue to that with european monks. Or perhaps an earlier restriction on weaponry within towns and cities, may lead to the development of a self-defence system.
The major aspect here though is the fact that martial arts culture kept going, despite urbanisation, technological advances, increased civility and safety etc. Is it fair to say they experienced a revival of sorts?