Passion Project: Martial Arts Caleb Lacy

It all started when... The summer before 9th grade, my uncle had just moved back to Texarkana and was looking to restart his martial arts training. As a bored kid more than halfway into the summer, I decided to join him. After the first few classes I found myself spending most of my time practicing Karate, and even though school went on to consume a lot of my time, I still managed to find a way to practice.

Origins It is uncertain where martial arts specifically originated other than just Asia in general. While many Asian countries have their own unique martial art styles, they all share a lot of similar techniques because traders and travelers would teach each others their techniques. “History of Martial Arts.” Martial Arts Academy. n.d. web. 16April13.

Benefits Other than self-defense, learning martial arts holds many benefits. While giving you good exercise, better balance and confidence, martial arts can help with stress management and concentration. Some martial arts such as Tai Chi can help prevent disease and improve health conditions. Dupler, Douglas; Frey, Rebecca. “Martial Arts." Encyclopedia. web. 16 Apr

Uses While they have many useful side effects, the primary purpose of martial arts has always been to defend yourself. Gichin Funakoshi made perhaps the most important twenty rules of karate, and really all martial arts. Some of these include, do not forget that karate begins and ends with respect, there is no first strike in karate, karate stands on the side of justice and apply karate to all things, therein lies beauty.

Careers While it may seem unlikely, there are many careers for a good martial artist. Among these are a martial arts instructor, a fight choreographer, a stunt double, and perhaps the most lucrative of these, a professional fighter. “Career Opportunities in the Martial Arts.’’ USA Dojo. n.d. web. 16April2013.

Movies Martial arts have become a large part of the movie industry, even if you don’t realize it. Any decent action movie has quality martial artists behind the scenes mapping out fight scenes, regardless of whether or not it’s a “Martial Arts” movie. “Fight Choreographer.” Hollywood Stunt Coordinator. n.d. web. 16April2013.

Different Styles There are many different kinds of martial arts. Often times a style will have different forms. An example would be in Kung Fu(which comes from China), there are styles such as the snake, crane, tiger, dragon, and monkey. “Martial Art Styles.’’ Martial Arts. n.d. web. 16April2013.

Myths Contrary to popular belief, martial artists cannot shoot beams of energy from their hands, nor can they control the natural elements. Those are from highly fictionalized T.V. shows. It can’t happen, end of story. Spector, Brian. “Reality of Fiction.’’ Empower Network. 13November2013. web. 16April2013.