What does the term "Martial Art" mean to you?

[Big Don]

What does the term "Martial Art" mean to you?

Properly applied violence

 

[seasoned]

Howdy Stevebjjj; I wasn't necessarily meaning anyone here. If you go to the dictionary and look it up, you come up with some meanings as someone put down, if you google it, you will see it also has reference to a Roman Poet of some fancy name I'm to tired to look up tonight again. That's what I mean by any name can be redefined into what someone wants or tweaked alittle to sound different. That's all I mean't by that.

If I may be so bold. Makes sense to me.

Properly applied violence

Most assuredly, Big Don.

 

[Steve]

Properly applied violence

That's a cool, if somewhat vague, definition! I had an image of two people. One is standing up and one writhing on the ground clutching a broken elbow. If both were asked about whether the violence was properly applied, each might have a different answer.

 

[searcher]

Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for combat. While they may be studied for various reasons, martial arts share a single objective: to physically defeat other persons and to defend oneself or others from physical threat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martial_art


Works for me!!!

 

[Joab]

To me, it has to something of a systemized way of moving that relates to combative situations in some way. I don't consider street fighting, for instance, a martial art, because it is not systemized, even though elements of it can and should be used as systemized martial art. Perhaps "martial art" can be consider in categories such as "sports martial arts", "cinematic martial arts" "combat martial arts" and "esoteric martial arts". "sports martial arts" would be those that can be fought out in a sports environement involving competition between athletes with rules and points awarded, "cinematic martial arts" could be considered that which is seen in the movies, involving moves that have cinematic appeal (i.e. look good in a movie, not necessarily practical) "combat martial arts" being those that work in a battlefield or on the streets in actual combat, "esoteric martial arts" being those that may involve a lot of mysticism and movements that don't at least appear to have application on the streets or battlefields, but perhaps do if you study it long enough and truly understand them.

Well, that's my two bits, some of which I've gotten from various readings but definitely put into my own words, nothing qouted, no need to post a link I assure you, these are my words, written as I typed...

 

[Ronin74]

While it's interesting to see how each of us defines the term "martial art", I can't help thinking that the more we try to define it, the more we possibly limit it for ourselves.

Maybe it's just me.

 

[Steve]

While it's interesting to see how each of us defines the term "martial art", I can't help thinking that the more we try to define it, the more we possibly limit it for ourselves.

Maybe it's just me.

Perhaps, but English isn't a very precise language. There are certain words we use often around here and we presume that everyone else defines the term in the same way.

I'm not interested in limiting anything. Just understanding.

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

Perhaps, but English isn't a very precise language. There are certain words we use often around here and we presume that everyone else defines the term in the same way.

This is the main problem that I have with the term martial art. The first word is poorly understood by the general population and the second is even more poorly understood, partly because people believe that the word subjective when in actuality, it is not.

Daniel