When did martial arts originate?

For a while I was following the "Yahoo Answers" martial arts section (Yes, I was that bored). But it made me think about some stuff, and got my rusty pen (and brain) to slowly start moving again. Here is something I enjoyed writing:

Question:

During which dynasty did martial arts originate in?

My Answer:

Do you think the first cavemen to pick up a club and beat another caveman over the head with it never thought to practice with it? My guess is that cavemen figured out pretty quick swinging a club on your own a bit before going toe to toe with another low-brow helps to increase your survival of the fightest. Martial arts have been with us in some form as long as violence has.

As long as their have been weapons in the world, there have been ideas about how to teach the use of weapons – which is what martial arts are. So the first “martial artist” would have been the first caveman to swing a club, and would have evolved from there into the veritable plethora of dorky white guys dancing around in pajamas that we see today.

Martial arts, in China, India and elsewhere, have been around as long as war has been around. So a better question to be ask, and much easier to find truthful answers to based on archeological evidence is this (are these):

When, according to archeological, records were swords invented (India, China, elsewhere)?

Going back further in time (Pre-iron/bronze age):
When, according to archeological, records were spears invented (India, China, elsewhere)?

Going back even further in time (cro-magnon man, or possibly homo erectus or homo habilis):
When, according to archeological, records were clubs invented (India, China, elsewhere)?

Okay, I believe this question is asking more specifically, when (what dynasty) did martial arts originate in CHINA, and the simple answer is that modern martial arts originated long before the first Chinese “dynasty”. The relatively “modern” styles of fighting like Shaolin Kungfu and Taichi evolved very gradually from more primitive tribal arts, which probably resembled Filipino Kali. The tribal fighting arts evolved (in China) very slowly from the first (Chinese) caveman hitting another (Chinese) caveman with a club.

What do swords, spears and clubs have to with the evolution of empty-handed fighting styles (in China, anyway)? Everything. Empty-handed kungfu and fighting with weapons is fundamentally the same. You learn to fight with your hands and feet first. When you can do that real good, you pick up a sword or a spear or a big stick, and do the same stuff. The way you move, the way you use your body and interact with another body, is fundamentally the same. The feeling is the same.

People who trained martial arts 1000 years ago were training for war. They trained empty-handed, but they didn’t go to war empty-handed. They most important aspect of martial arts was preparing you for war, preparing you for the use of a weapon in life-or-death combat, not point-sparring or the UFC.

They started teaching beginners to fight empty-handed because they were less likely to lop off their own ear that way (or their teacher’s). Let ‘em get some skills before they handle anything long and sharp.

At what point in time (during which dynasty), did they decide to teach empty-handed fighting skills before learning weapons? Dunno, try Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kungfu

According to Chinese legends, martial arts were introduced by the “Yellow Emperor” Huang Di in 2698… Around the same time period, according to western legends, Eve was created from Adam’s rib and she caused humanity to fall from grace because she merely listened to some insipid serpent. Yada, yad, yada…

The wikipedia page on Chinese martial arts describes the earliest known records of martial arts activities as predating Lao Tzu and Confucius. It summarizes with this sentence:
“The modern concepts of wushu (Shaolin and similar styles) were fully developed by the Ming and Qing dynasties.”

I know that everybody has stories about Bodhidharma bringing martial arts to the Shaolin Temple from India during the early fifth century AD, but according to wikipedia:
“The oldest evidence of Shaolin participation in combat is a style from 728 CE… From the 8th to the 15th centuries, there are no extant documents that provide evidence of Shaolin participation in combat. However, between the 16th and 17th centuries there are at least forty extant sources which provided evidence that, not only did monks of Shaolin practice martial arts, but martial practice had become such an integral element of Shaolin monastic life that the monks felt the need to justify it by creating new Buddhist lore” [the Bodhidharma mythology]

"What dynasty did [shaolin] martial arts originate [in China]?”
War was not suddenly invented by the Emperor Huang Di in 2698.
As long as their have been human tribes going to war with other human tribes, their have been martial arts.

The sudden appearance of Kungfu in the Shaolin Monestaries, and extensive oral histories about Shaolin kung fu, coincides with the arrival of the Qing dynasty, an ethnically non-Chinese dynasty. The Qing dynasty was plagued from the start to finish (1644-1911) by revolutionary societies trying to build secret armies and overthrow the Manchu invaders and restore a Chinese emperor to the dragon throne. What better way to hide a secret army in plain sight than have them shave there heads and start telling stories about Buddhist monks peacefully training kung fu for spiritual cultivation.

Some other Q's and A's from "Yahoo Answers":


Question:

How would Batman do in the UFC?

My Answer:

Batman would lose many of his traditional advantages; the UFC rules would not allow him wear his utility belt in the octagonthere are no shadows for him to lurk in, either. And that cape of his could be used against him. Picture batman getting jerseyed, hockey-fight style, by Wolverine. He'd do okay against Aquaman on dry land, of course. He would obviously be able to take out the Green Lantern, seeing as how jewelry is not allowed in the ring, and Green Lantern's ring is the source of all of his power. However, though he's a highly motivated, resourceful and even talented fighter, he just wasn't born with the raw natural athletic ability of Superman. If it were a streetfight, Batman might be able to use krav maga or ninjitsu to take out Superman, but in a pro NHB fight, he doesn't stand a chance against Superman. Or even Wonder Woman, for that matter.

Source(s):
What little is left of my brain.

Question:

Is there anything wrong with a lesbian couple expecting a baby?

My Answer:

There is one thing wrong with a lesbian couple having a baby: I would be highly suspicious that one of the individuals involved has been unfaithful.

Source(s):
5th grade sex-ed booklet

Question:

What is the different between ninjutsu and other fighting styles (or other martial arts)??

My Answer:

Ninjutsu is a martial art that is practiced primarily by turtles and other cartoon characters. The majority of other styles are practiced by real, live B-movie actors.

Source(s):
TV guide

Question:

Who would win in a fight, Rocky or Chuck Norris?

My Answer:

That would entirely depend on who's writing the screenplay.

Question:

Can I become a Shaolin Monk in under 17 months?

My Answer:

Modern shaolin monks are civil servants like meter maids and postal workers. Why would you want to become a postal worker in Communist China?

Question:

(Judo) What defences can I use against poopie-jime? (I am not making this up)

My Answer:
Try Pampers-ma-te or Huggies-ushi-gari.