| Any discussion of martial arts has to be tempered | | | | Another way to classify martial arts is by style. Some |
| because of an inherent problem. Simply put, there are | | | | are said to be circular and some are said to be linear. |
| so many fighting styles that it is hard to know what | | | | Circular styles involve a lot of circular motion in the |
| martial arts are exactly. | | | | attacks while linear tend to be direct and head on in |
| When you discuss martial arts, you are really | | | | approach. Other style classifications might be soft vs. |
| introducing a very broad and complex subject. People | | | | hard. Soft style martial arts tend to deflect and redirect |
| have developed a lot of different ways to classify | | | | energy while the hard styles tend to meet force with |
| them and there is sometimes a lot of controversy and | | | | force and be more aggressive than defensive. Once |
| disagreement on what art falls into which category. | | | | again, many martial art forms have style elements that |
| The basic dividing point might be between classical | | | | are both linear and circular. They might sometimes be |
| martial arts and non-classical martial arts. Such things | | | | soft and other times hard. |
| as fencing, archery, or even knife fighting might be | | | | Yet another way of classify martial arts is external vs. |
| considered non-classical. Although at one time they | | | | internal. The external forms tend to be more direct and |
| might have shared the characteristics of classical | | | | usually are both hard and linear. Weight, strength, and |
| fighting arts, they have evolved into something else in | | | | body position tend to be the major focus of external |
| modern times. Of course, there are advocates of | | | | martial arts. Internal martial arts tend to be soft and |
| these arts that would disagree and see them as the | | | | circular and use meditation and self discipline to a |
| most classical forms of all. | | | | higher degree. Pressure points would be more |
| Other people try to classify them according to the | | | | important than blunt force in the attack. |
| main intent of the art. They might say some are for | | | | In the end it is hard to try to classify or group the |
| sport as opposed to pure fighting. Others might be | | | | unique variations of martial arts by style or to divide |
| more for exercise and others might be more based on | | | | them into any sub-group. They too often share the |
| philosophy. The problem with separating the types this | | | | characteristics of each other in many ways while still |
| way is that most martial arts will actually have | | | | retaining something that makes them unique. It might be |
| elements of all of them and it is hard to say that one is | | | | just best to list them with their common names. |
| entirely devoted to one of the four groups. An art that | | | | Regardless of what they are called, be it fencing, |
| is very connected with philosophy might now be a | | | | archery, Tae Kwon Do, or Karate, they all share the |
| sport although it was originally developed specifically | | | | common history of self defense and are joined, |
| for fighting. | | | | ultimately, as the basic skills of the Warrior. |