Ideas of Martial Arts

by Mickey Davidow

THE STORY OF UKI AND TORI

There was once two friends, who were next door neighbours, by the names of Uki and Tori. However a problem arose because Uki's dogs was chasing Tori's chickens, while Tori's chickens were disturbing Uki's garden. They found that it would be necessary to build a wall between the two homes. As there were no builders available, they decided that they would do the building work themselves.

Uki undertook to build the back door, while Tori would build the side wall. Uki purchased all the correct tools, while Tori found that he could make do with old pieces of metal. Uki made enquiries as to how the concrete should be mixed and how the bricks should be laid, while Tori decided to ask advice of people that did not have too much knowledge. Needless to say, Uki completed his wall in a short time with a minimum amount of work.

The wall was solid and also looked very attractive. Tori's wall however was never completed. It fell down several times, the bricks were loose and worst of all, he had not laid a proper foundation to hold the wall.

This analogy holds true for our martial arts training. We need the right equipment, the correct principles that make up the technique and above all a solid foundation.

The Yo-Rule of martial arts is simply a means of teaching us how to use the right equipment and apply the correct principles in order to develop a solid foundation.

The term Yo appears to have its origin in ancient India. There are many theories as to its meaning, the most popular of which is unification, as in Yoga.

Whatever its meaning, it does not appear to have any impact on the art itself. An individual may attempt a technique but be unable to master it. Using the principles of the Yo, we suddenly find the mistake.

We have heard many theories and fables as to the origin of the martial arts. Taken literally, martial arts means fighting arts, however there is a strong spiritual and philosophical side to the training as well. Thus it is a whole lot more than just about fighting.

The origin? Well lets see! In extremely basic terms, theory has it that the Western world received most of the arts from Japan. The Japanese received it from the Koreans who in turn received it from the Chinese. The Chinese in turn from India who in turn were trained by the ancient Greeks.

The Greeks were a high cultured and civilised race by comparison to other nations. The Olympic Games originated in Greece, and although this was designed to entertain some non-existent gods on Mount Olympus, the idea of bringing all nations together once every four years, often resulted in peace between warring parties.

It is also believed that the Greeks may have learned much of their arts from the ancient Egyptians. Most certainly the ancient Egyptian knowledge of alchemy has, in many instances, not been equalled to this day. The art of preserving bodies, or mummies, for thousands of years still has avenues that defy explanation. Much is also said in the Biblical book of Exodus about the sorcery of the this Egyptian culture.

Martial arts as we know it can also be seen in biblical times. Jacob wrestled with an angel throughout the night. The angel could only subdue Jacob by touching a pressure point in Jacob's leg. The Bible tells us that Jacob was left lame for many days as a result of this encounter. And if we read that Cain killed Abel, some form of Martial art must have been used to achieve this. I doubt if these had any rules!

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