Perhaps because of its literal translation as “the craft of war” and a poor representation by the media, martial arts are often associated with physical violence and general mayhem – but nothing could be further from the truth. Most martial arts in fact teach grace, discipline and non-aggression.

Martial arts are coded systems of fighting or training styles used in armed and unarmed combat, without the use of modern weapons such as guns. The English term was translated from the Japanese bu gei or bujutsu, or the Chinese wu shu, which all mean “the craft of warfare”.

There are hundreds of different martial arts around the world. Contrary to popular belief, martial arts are not strictly an Asian phenomenon and exist in almost every culture, at every level in society, and across all of human history.

Every martial art organises its fighting techniques into a coherent, effective system. They have effective methods of instruction, and essential techniques that can be taught, learnt and memorised.