Early History of Martial Arts

The teaching of martial arts in Asia has historically followed the cultural traditions of teacher-disciple apprenticeship. Students are trained in a strictly hierarchical system by a master instructor: Sifu (師傅) in Cantonese; Shih fu (師父) (Wade-Giles), Shī fù (Pinyin) (lit., master-father) in Mandarin;
In the warrior Kshatriya caste of South Asia, organised martial traditions were studied as a part of the Dharma (duty) of the caste. The senior teachers were called Gurus and taught martial arts at gurukuls to the shishyas (students).

Some method of certification can be involved, where one's skills would be tested for mastery before being allowed to study further; in some systems, there may not be any such certifications, only years of close personal practice and evaluation under a master, much like an apprenticeship, until the master deems one's skills satisfactory.[citation needed] This pedagogy, while still preserved and respected in many traditional styles, has weakened to varying degrees in others and is even actively rejected by some schools, especially in the West.

Many if not most Asian styles have had at least some influence from martial arts from China, India or both. It is often the case that both countries have left their mark especially in Southeast Asia and the Himalayan region. In Indonesia and Malaysia for example, a large number of arts under the umbrella term of Silat are practiced. It is difficult to pin down the origin of these arts, which have much in common with Yoga, Qigong, Yiquan and many forms of Chinese and Indian martial arts. Dharmic iconography figures prominently in contexts to these arts highlighting the influence of Dharmic religions. They have both internal and external qualities illustrating the influence of styles from other parts of Asia.

Throughout Asia martial arts were practiced as can be seen in the art, history and current traditions in Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), Vietnam and the Philippines. In many countries local arts like Te in Okinawa,[4] Kenjutsu and Ju-Jutsu in Japan,[5] and Taekyon and Soobak in Korea[6] - mixed with other martial arts and evolved to produce some of the more well known martial arts in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries like Karate, Aikido, and Tae-kwon-do.