Lesson3 Martial Arts①

Ken Beatty

What do the words martial arts mean?

Martial means military[2] . Martial arts include any fighting skill. Traditional martial arts use hands, feet or simple weapons[3]. Many martial arts were invented because people had no way to defend[4] themselves. In some places, farmers learned to fight with their simple tools. Today,the most popular martial arts are from Asia. Fighting styles were invented more than 3,000years ago in China.

Many teachers taught their own styles of fighting. One famous teacher came from India.He was a monk[5] called Da Mo. He came to China about 1,500 years ago and went to the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song, in China’s Henan Province. Da Mo thought the temple monks had trained their minds, but not their bodies. He invented exercises for the monks to do. These exercises became the Shaolin Martial Arts.

Wild animals were also teachers of martial arts. In India, China, Indonesia and elsewhere[6], people looked at how animals fought. They tried to use those animal movements when they fought.

Over the years, many women as well as men developed their own forms of martial arts. In ancient China, some women carried heavy weights in their sleeves[7]. To defend themselves, they swung the sleeves and broke an enemy’s nose or arm.

Many martial arts teach you not to fight. You learn to see how others get ready to fight. This way, you can stop a punch[8] or a kick before it hits you. For example, when someone is going to punch or hit you, they may move their feet in a certain way or look at you in a strange way. The best defence may be just to walk away.

Martial arts can be soft or hard. People who use soft martial arts try to get out of the way of the arms and legs of the attacker[9]. They also use the attacker’s strength against him. For example, when someone tries to punch you, you can pull the attacker’s arm to make him fall. A hard martial art is different. In a hard martial art like karate[10],you hit and kick the other person. Most martial arts have both soft and hard parts.

Here are six traditional Asian martial arts: tai chi[11], kung fu, judo[12], karate, Thai kickboxing[13] and tae kwon do[14].

During the Qing Dynasty (1644—1911), kung fu teachers trained fighters at temples around China. Ng Mui, one of the masters[15] who was a Buddhist nun[16], taught her style of martial arts to a young girl named Wing Chun. This is how a style of fighting called Wing Chun Kung Fu started. Many kung fu masters try to teach good ideas as well as fighting skills. These ideas can help kung fu students with their fighting as well as with other things they do.

Tai chi was invented by the people in the Chen Family Village in Henan Province. At first, tai chi was for fighting,just like other Chinese martial arts. Later,it became a slow and gentle exercise. The moves are still based on fighting positions,but they are practiced very slowly. That is why tai chi looks easy to do, but is difficult to do well. People practise sets of movements. These sets are usually made up of 18 to 108 movements. People spend years trying to make each move perfect. Today, people all over the world practise tai chi, including more than ten million people in China. This makes tai chi one of the most popular sports in the world.

Around 1372, some monks from China went to Japan and took their martial arts with them. Some people believe these monks and the people in Japan invented karate.Karate, which means open hand, teaches you how to fight someone without using weapons. It teaches you how to stop another person’s punches and kicks, and how to make your punches and kicks as powerful as a weapon. However, a weapon called “nunchuk[17]” is sometimes used in some forms of karate. The nunchuk was originally afarmer’s tool.

Judo was invented in 1882 by Dr. Jigoro Kano. The Japanese word judo means the gentle way. It is a soft martial art and a popular sport. In this sport, you must throw the other person to the floor for one point and hold him or her down for another point.There are many ways to throw the other person. For example, you can sweep the person’s feet away with your feet. Or you can throw the person over your shoulder.

Outside Thailand, the Thai national martial art is known as kickboxing or Thai kickboxing, but in Thailand it is called Muay Thai. Traditional Thai kickboxing fights begin with a special dance. This dance is called Ram Muay. The dance shows respect to the fighter’s king, family and teachers. It also helps the fighter to warm up and feelcalm. Traditional Thai kickboxing teachers teach their students different dances. If two fighters have the same dance, they probably had the same teacher. These fighters cannot fight each other.

In 1955, tae kwon do was born. Tae kwon do means the way of kicking and punching. It is a hard martial art with high kicks and jumping kicks. One tae kwon do teacher said that he knocked over a bull with a flying side kick! But tae kwon do teachers teach their students to be peaceful. Strength and self-control are important parts of tae kwon do.

Nowadays, many people want to be superheroes. They develop their own fighting styles and unusual weapons, which can also be called martial art.

(933 words)

Exercise

Ⅰ. How well did you read?

1. [Check the details] How many traditional Asian martial arts are introduced in this passage?

A. Six. B. Seven. C. Five.

2. [Draw a conclusion] In fact, many martial arts teach you________ .

A. to beat others

B. not to fight

C. to fight with their weapons

3. [Check the details] Who teaches us martial arts?

A. Masters. B. Wild animals. C. Both A and B.

Ⅱ. Read for words

1. Choose one best paraphrase or Chinese meaning for the underlined words.

(1) It teaches you how to stop another person’s punches and kicks, and how to make your punches and kicks as powerful as a weapon. (Para.10)

A. strong B. vital C. necessary

(2) It also helps the fighter to warm up and feel calm. (Para. 12)

A. quiet B. relaxed C. peaceful

(3) Strength and self-control are important parts of tae kwon do. (Para. 13)A. 制服别人 B. 自我控制 C. 自信

2. Choose one best paraphrase or Chinese meaning for the underlined expressions.

(1) Over the years, many women as well as men developed their own forms ofmartial arts. (Para. 4)

A. the same as B. as well C. familiar with

(2) People who use soft martial arts try to get out of the way of the arms and legs of the attacker. (Para. 6)

A. copy B. avoid C. meet

(3) The moves are still based on fighting positions, but they are practiced very slowly. (Para. 9)

A. 基于 B. 建立 C. 远离

Ⅲ. Writing practice

Answer the following questions according to the passage, and then join them into one short passage. Do not include anything that is not in the passage.

1. What are martial arts?

2. Where did martial arts come from?

3. Please introduce soft and hard martial arts to us.

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