A good article saying all the standard things, but...

2009-11-22T01:16:39.764-06:00

A good article saying all the standard things, but there are also a few standard mistakes:

1) Karate - akaKara Te -> China Hand -> Chinese boxing wasn't a super secret thing used to decieve the Samurai. It was well known. A little boxing wasn't considered a threat to the occupation. Swords, spears and bows were a problem. Improvised self defense weapons and badly done Kung Fu were not. In fact, one of the reasons Karate survived the US occupation was that the Japanese didn't consider it a "real" martial art.

2) Aikido, especially in its older incarnation - the pre WWII Aiki Budo - was and is a martial art. The thing most people forget is Ueshiba-Sensei's early students were all skilled martial artists. Aside from the Judo and Kendo everyone got in school they all had teaching certificates in other martial arts. Aikido really shines as a post-graduate course for someone who already knows what he's doing. As a first MA for someone who doesn't know how to fight and is picking Aiki up to avoid unpleasant things like conflict it's not so great.

3) The dance aspect hid the martial part to some degree, but it wasn't like the Portugese and later Brazilian governments didn't know what was going on. Capoeira was illegal. Punishing it except in a couple officially sanctioned police schools was a crime. Thing is, Capoeira isn't just a dance or just a martial art. It's part of a physical tradition that really can shade either way. The categories aren't nearly as clear as an outsider might like them to be. I suppose that would suit a crafty old thief just fine...

Comments on The Martial Explorer, Jesse Crouch: Martial arts history - understanding origins

A good article saying all the standard things, but...