The Martial Arts Portal
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preservation of a nation's intangible cultural heritage. (Full article...)
Although the earliest evidence of martial arts goes back millennia, the true roots are difficult to reconstruct. Inherent patterns of human aggression which inspire practice of mock combat (in particular wrestling) and optimization of serious close combat as cultural universals are doubtlessly inherited from the pre-human stage and were made into an "art" from the earliest emergence of that concept. Indeed, many universals of martial art are fixed by the specifics of human physiology and not dependent on a specific tradition or era.
Specific martial traditions become identifiable in Classical Antiquity, with disciplines such as shuai jiao, Greek wrestling or those described in the Indian epics or the Spring and Autumn Annals of China. (Full article...)
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In order to secure military contracts, Emerson eventually founded Emerson Knives, Inc a production company to mass-produce his designs in 1996. Emerson's knives have been displayed as museum pieces, designed for use by Navy SEALs and used by NASA in outer space.
Emerson's knives have been featured in films and novels, due to their association with military units. This has furthered their popularity with collectors.
Emerson is an accomplished martial artist who has developed a combatives system, Emerson Combat Systems, which has been taught to police officers, military units, and civilians. (Full article...)
Selected entertainment
Girlfight is a 2000 American sports drama film written and directed by Karyn Kusama in her feature directorial debut, and stars Michelle Rodriguez in her first film role. The film follows Diana Guzman, a troubled Brooklyn high school student who decides to channel her aggression by training to become a boxer, despite the disapproval of both her father and her prospective trainers, as well as the competitors in the male-dominated sport.
Kusama wrote the screenplay for Girlfight after learning to box, wanting to make a film about the sport with a female protagonist. Although she struggled to find financiers for the film's $1 million budget, the production was eventually funded by John Sayles, Maggie Renzi and the Independent Film Channel. Rodriguez was cast in the lead role despite having never acted before, and trained in boxing for four months before filming commenced in New York and New Jersey.
Girlfight premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2000, where it tied with You Can Count on Me for the Grand Jury Prize, and Kusama won the Best Director Award. It was theatrically released on September 29, 2000, to critical acclaim, with particular praise for Rodriguez's performance and Kusama's direction. The film earned several accolades, including a nomination for the Bronze Horse at the 2000 Stockholm International Film Festival. At the 16th Independent Spirit Awards, Kusama was nominated for Best First Feature and Rodriguez won for Best Debut Performance.
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Dempsey and Firpo (sometimes referred to as Dempsey Through The Ropes) is an oil-on-canvas painting executed in 1923–1924 by the American artist George Bellows. It depicts the September 14, 1923, boxing match between American Jack Dempsey and Argentine Luis Firpo. It has become Bellows' most famous boxing painting. The work has been in the collection of the Whitney Museum of Art since the museum's opening in 1931. (Full article...)
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- Regional origin - China - Europe - India - Indonesia - Japan - Korea - Philippines
- Unarmed techniques - Chokehold - Clinch - Footwork - Elbow strike - Headbutt - Hold - Kick - Knee strike - Joint lock - Punch - Sweep - Takedown - Throw
- Weapons - Archery - Duel - Knife fighting - Melee weapons - Shooting - Stick-fighting - Swordsmanship - Nunchaku
- Training - Kata - Practice weapon - Punching bag - Pushing hands - Randori - Sparring
- Striking - Boxing - Capoeira - Karate - Kickboxing - Muay Thai - Lethwei - Sanshou - Savate - Taekwondo - Vovinam
- Internal - Aikido - Aikijutsu - Baguazhang - Tai chi - Xing Yi Quan
- Full contact / Combat sports - Professional boxing - Professional kickboxing - Knockdown karate - Mixed martial arts - Pankration - Submission wrestling
- Self-defense / Combatives - Arnis - Bartitsu - Hapkido - Kajukenbo - Krav Maga - MCMAP - Pencak Silat - Systema - Wing Chun - Legal aspects
- Eclectic / Hybrids - American Kenpo - Chun Kuk Do - Jeet Kune Do - Shooto - Shorinji Kempo - Unifight
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