Martial Arts Myths & Misconceptions

All Martial Arts Are Ancient

By Jonathan Maberry

No way. Although there are indeed ancient arts — such as varmannie (5,000-plus years old), some forms of kung fu (3,000 years old or older), jujutsu (1,000 years) and so on — new arts are springing up all the time.
Karate, as we know it, is less than a century old, having been introduced to Japan by Okinawan masters who practiced versions of karate-jutsu that were more combative. Judo was born in 1882, and aikido in 1935. Taekwondo and hapkido were introduced in the 1940s and ’50s, even though they were based on much older systems. American kenpo was developed in the latter part of the 20th century.

There are also new systems of martial arts, new versions of older arts and hybrid systems springing up all the time.

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Jonathan Maberry
Jonathan Maberry is the award-winning author of over 700 articles as well as several books, including Ultimate Jujutsu Principles and Practices and The Martial Arts Student Logbook. He holds an 8th degree black belt in jujutsu and a 5th dan in Hapkido, is a member of the Martial Arts Hall of Fame, and is co-founder of the COP-Safe program. Visit his website here.