Whenever people ask me if I do any sports, they get mad when I say karate and tell me that isn't a sport. Why do so many people say martial arts aren't sports? Is it just because they don't involve being on a team and chasing a ball around like a dog, or am I missing something? I wonder this same thing when people say that chess shouldn't be considered a school sport. (Why did Yahoo suggest that I put this in the LGBT section?!)
2007-07-23 06:17:36 · 18 answers · asked by Lycanthrope777 5 in Sports ➔ Martial Arts
I wouldn't care what people think if it weren't for the fact that I've been thrown against fences before over this (I know what you're thinking, but this was at school and I'd rather not be expelled for using karate).
2007-07-23 09:22:47 · update #1
we cant blame people 4 their ignorance. when i tell people i do ma, they tell me that they are only 4 movies. but martial sports are a seperate field from martial arts.and lets face it i would rather be called an artist over a jock anyday.
2007-07-23 10:04:48 · answer #1 · answered by hisROYALbadnes 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Many people here don't like it when martial arts is called a sport, either.
...and they also fail to realize that "martial arts" is under "sports." T_T
Also, right now I'm looking at colleges and visiting a lot of websites. Whenever I see a "sports" listing for college profiles or whatever, "martial arts" is always under that heading.
Also, MMA is almost exclusively sport-- just look at competitions like UFC and Pride.
To be fair, not all martial arts is sport. Karate can be a martial art or a martial sport. So can Tae Kwon Do. It can be a hobby, a lifestyle, whatever. The world of marital arts is huge and multi-dimensional, and you can go anywhere you please.
However, there are many arts that you just cannot turn into sport-- like krav maga. And what about tai chi? How the heck do you adjust that for sport? Unless you visit this link... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W1ym3yggR4
:-)
2007-07-23 16:21:27 · answer #2 · answered by ATWolf 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
People are basically more ignorant than they'd like to believe. And Americans, in general, are notoriously ignorant of other cultures, religions and philosophies outside of their own.
Martial arts in their purest form are really "arts" and not sports. However, with regard to Japanese martial arts specifically, during the Tokagawa period which was about late 1600's-1800's the Samurai were disbanded and most martial arts were taught in the "-do" form which denoted they were more for health and sport. The original forms of these arts was "-jutsu" which was specifically for fighting. You see this with Karate-do vs. Karate-jutsu or the sword art, Ken-do vs. Ken-jutsu.
So in the Japanese mind any "-do" form is more of a watered down sport/health version of the original "-jutsu" fighting form. So depending on the style you do you may do a sport or fighting form of Karate.
As far as how Americans view it -- who cares? Any martial art should be done for your physical, mental and spiritual well-being. Let others think what they will. However they view it, you have an advantage that you know how the art/sport affects you and impacts your life.
The beautiful thing about martial arts is that as you improve you realize that the gross physical forms and moves really aren't the end of it -- they are merely the tip of the iceberg. So in that sense I think martial arts go way beyond sport! However the greats of any sport: Boxing, Baseball, track, etc... can attest to the spiritual levels they reached at peak moments. Martial arts just connect you to this level much faster and better than most other means.
Hope that means something for you? May the Force... well you know...
Darth
2007-07-23 15:28:21 · answer #3 · answered by Darth Facilitus 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I get the same thing (I'm a brown-black belt in the Korean martial art of Kuk Sool Won), and I think it has something to do with a person's perception of sports. Most people seem to think that it's not a sport unless there's some type of competition. When I tell people I'm into martial arts, they say that's not a sport, but when I say I fight competitively in mixed martial arts or kickboxing tournaments, I have never heard anyone say "That's not a sport." See the difference?
2007-07-23 13:23:53 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
If you are in karate tournaments and compete, I definately consider it a sport. If you just practice it but don't actually compete, I would call it a pasttime. In my eyes, to be a sport, 2 conditions must be fulfilled.
1) It must be played competitively against another team or individual.
2) It must required at least some level of physical skill to excel.
Since chess requires no physical skill, I would not consider it a sport. That is not to say it isn't a difficult activity, but it's not a sport.
2007-07-23 13:23:04 · answer #5 · answered by steeler6326 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The answer is yes. Some people are certainly ignorant.
Many consider anything different from football && baseball or something along those lines not a sport.
I do many sports that many consider not sports.
Field Hockey, diving, and track.
Diving being the main one in question.
I get what your saying though. Martial arts takes a lot of effort and a lot of work and concentration along with time.
I give you props. I tried Karate it's mucho hard.
2007-07-23 13:23:17 · answer #6 · answered by Hello there. 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Some of the people who get are ignorant, other people just have different ideas about what's a sport and what isnt. Some people say the same about chess because in most cases sports involve physical activity, and not good skills and strayegy. So yes, some of them are ignorant, but not ALL of them.
2007-07-23 13:27:43 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it just that martial arts have always seemed more like entertainment to most americans. (American Ninja movies, Chuck Norris, etc.)
I agree that martial arts should be considered a sport the same as any other Individual Sport (like gymnastics or the luge)
As for why Yahoo suggested you put your question in the LGBT section is, your question at the top is often asked by people in that forum.
2007-07-23 13:25:21 · answer #8 · answered by The_Chocolate_Moose 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Martial arts is a philosophy that is studied and not really a sport. However, full-contact karate and mixed martial arts competition are sports.
2007-07-23 13:40:03 · answer #9 · answered by Truth is elusive 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sport is "1. a. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively."
Thus, karate itself is not a sport. Certain competitive events in karate can be considered sport, but a martial art in and of itself is merely a style of fighting.
2007-07-23 13:21:34 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes, people are just like that. They are full of prejudice, and their way of thinking has hardly changed since the stone age:)
But really! Karate is a sport and I don't understand why would anyone think otherwise.
Chill and let them be, YOU know what is the truth, ok?
2007-07-23 13:25:55 · answer #11 · answered by Mediana 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋