The History of Fighting

Image: Bodhidharma on an Elephant
Date:  c.17th Century
Artist:  Yiran
Info:  This picture on a silk hanging scroll depicts Bodhidharma, the
Indian monk who is credited by many as being the founder of Shaolin Kung Fu.

Henri de St. Didier was a fencing legend who came from France and was very influencial in the 16th century. In 1573 he became the first master of his country to write a treaties on fencing and acknowledged that the Italian style was the best. The main lessons he gave to the fencing world was how to counter-attack effectively and instruction on disarming an opponent.

More Fencing Legends

Sochin (Tranquil Force) may have its origins in martial arts history in Dragon Style Kung Fu and then later come through the Naha-te school in Okinawa, where it was taught by Seisho Arakaki. According to legend, Higaonna Kanryo learned it from him then passed it down to Kenzo Mabuni, the founder of Shito-Ryu.

Mabuni is said to have spent some time instructing Gichin Funakoshi’s son, Yoshitaka in the art of kata and as a result of these instructions, the Shotokan syllabus gained not only Sochin, but also Nijushiho and Unsu. In his book, ‘Karate Kata Zenshu’, Hirokazu Kanazawa claims it is a karate history fact that Sochin gets its name from the extensive use of the stance, Sochin Dachi. However this may not be the case as it has been suggested that the stance, originally called ‘Fudo,’ got renamed Sochin in reference to the kata.

The version of Sochin that is practised in Shotokan karate today, was developed by Yoshitaka in the late 1930s. It is likely that one of the changes he made to the older version of the kata includes the heavy usage of Sochin dachi, a stance he is known to have heavily favoured.

Interesting facts about Sochin;

• Sensei Gichin Funakoshi tried to rename it Hakko but the name did not take hold.
• It is said that this kata was designed to be particularly good for developing the internal energy known as Ki (Chi in Chinese).
• Other translations of the word Sochin that are used in different styles include; ‘Grand prize’, ‘Grand battle, ‘Strong calm’ and ‘Immovable’.

Artist:  Unknown
Date:  Second – third century CE
Info: In this mosaic from the villa at Nennig, Germany, a retiarius gladiator, who fought with a net and a three pronged trident, stabs at his opponent who is a secutor gladiator, whose weapon of choice was usually a short sword or a gladius.

Here, the great master is preparing to throw his opponent using body leverage.



Pastinha aims a kick at his opponent (he was around 74 years old when these pictures were taken).



This move is a counter attack from a defensive position

Nuba fighting is a form of African combat mainly practiced in central Sudan. It is a mixture of stick fighting and wrestling and began, according to local tradition, hundreds of years ago with the moves being developed through the imitation of monkeys and local insects. It serves as a passage of rites for young men and has religious & cultural significance, mainly taking place at special tournaments and events.

In-Kungfu.com

Jackie Chan demonstrating his skills in the classic Kung Fu movie Drunken Master.

Title: Jack Broughton

Artist: Francis Hayman (1708 – 1776)

Infomation: This is an illustration of John ‘Jack’ Broughton, commonly thought of as the
‘Father of English Boxing’. He was champion from 1729 – 1750 and was the first
to add a set of widely accepted rules to the sport, which included stopping when
an opponent was knocked to the floor and using gloves, though only for training
purposes.