Checking out online resources celebrating martial arts
Checking out online resources celebrating martial arts
Ellen Whyte, Columnist, Malaysia, ellenwhyte@lepak.com
Many of the fighting sports like pencak silat and tae kwon do
originated in Southeast Asia, but since the 1960s international
sports competitions, films and television shows featuring martial
artists have attracted an increasingly large and enthusiastic
international fan base. This week we take a look at websites
celebrating some of the more popular martial arts.
* Pencak Silat
Pencak silat has been practiced in Indonesia and Malaysia for
some 1,400 years. Pencak silat can be used for self-defense, to
promote physical fitness, as a way of achieving mind-body balance
and as an art form. There are more than 700 different styles of
pencak silat practiced today in schools and clubs throughout the
world.
Excellent overviews of the history and philosophy of pencak
silat are available at The Devastating Art of Pencak Silat at
www.cassmagda.com/Hsilat1.HTM, and Al-Azhar Muslim Martial Arts
at angkatan23.tripod.com/asbdsmu/index.htm.
For a selection of articles in English and Malay discussing
different aspects of pencak silat, as well as a great photo
gallery illustrating the different fighting styles and some of
the weapons used, visit the site of Indonesian-born world
champion pencak silat artist Sumaryono, better known as O'ong
Maryono, at www.kpsnusantara.com.
* Tae Kwon Do
The Korean art of tae kwon do is characterized by high kicks
that make it particularly interesting to watch. The modern sport
was formed in the 1950s but the origins of the various techniques
are ancient, perhaps as much as 4,000 years old.
Since the 1950s tae kwon do has increased steadily in
popularity, eventually becoming an Olympic Sport with the first
competitions taking place in 2000.
A great overview of the history, philosophy, practice and
techniques of this sport is available at ThinkQuest's Taekwondo:
A Dream Becomes Reality at library.thinkquest.org/16082. More in-
depth information is available in the training section of
Taekwondo Bibles. Visit the other sections of the site to learn
about Korean culture. There are various language versions
available, including Malay and Korean.
* Kung Fu
Also known as Gongfu or Pa Kua Chang, this martial art was
made internationally popular by martial arts expert and actor
Bruce Lee. It is believed the sport originated with Taoists
living in China in the 5th century BC, who practiced a form of
kung fu that promoted physical fitness. Later, during the Chou
Dynasty (1111-255 BC), the exercise was developed into a fighting
technique. Today there are hundreds of different armed and
unarmed styles of kung fu.
To find out more, start with the excellent Introduction To Pa
Kua Chang at www.pa-kua-chang.com, which has lots of informative
articles, descriptions of techniques and styles, answers to
frequently asked questions and tips for finding instructors.
Kung Fu and Martial Arts Resources at www.spheral.com/alma
covers kung fu in depth and has extensive areas devoted to other
martial arts. Check out the Knowledge Base for history, style,
training and philosophy articles.
* Aikido
Believed to be about 600 years old, aikido is a Japanese
martial art that focuses purely on self-defense against armed and
unarmed opponents. Moves are designed to turn the strength and
thrust of the attack against the perpetrator. As aikido was
intended purely for defense, a special style called Tomiki Aikido
had to be evolved for competition.
AikiWeb at www.aikiweb.com is a web community offering a
library of articles as well as message boards, booklists and
other goodies. A similar site is the Aikido FAQ at
www.aikidofaq.com. It also has ton of information including a
songbook, multimedia section and mailing list.
* Judo
In 1882 Jigoro Kano, a Japanese martial arts expert, took the
principles from the martial art jujitsu and developed judo. Like
aikido, judo turns the energy of an attack against the opponent.
Participants wrestle each other on to mats and then "overcome"
the loser. Judo quickly attracted fans worldwide and has been an
Olympic sport since 1964.
JudoInfo at www.JudoInfo.com discusses the history,
techniques and philosophy of judo, distinguishes between the
sport and the martial art and gives advice to blind people
wanting to participate. Check out the big multimedia area! For
information about jujitsu, the martial art judo is derived from,
visit Jitsuka at www.jitsuka.org/jitsuka/index.htm.
* General Information
People study martial arts for different reasons: to improve
their overall fitness, to learn to defend themselves, to improve
their self-esteem. An overview of dozens of different types of
martial arts (including various non-Asian ones), plus tips on how
to choose a sport and school that suit your requirements, are
available at the Rec.Martial-Arts newsgroup FAQ at www-
2.cs.cmu.edu/~mcweigel/rmafaq.
Another massive resource base that covers dozens of different
disciplines, as well as devoting sections to actors, legends,
humor, injuries and other topics, is About Martial Arts at
martialarts.about.com. This site also has a selection of
interesting feature articles that address general topics of
interest discussed by the martial arts community.
For more information search for: martial arts, combat sport.