Unpacking the Mysticism of Martial Arts: What’s Real and What’s Fiction?
8 mins read

Unpacking the Mysticism of Martial Arts: What’s Real and What’s Fiction?


There is more to martial arts than what we see in competitions, movies, or popular culture. The most visible parts of martial arts are only a small part of any fighting discipline. This gap between the visible and less visible aspects of martial arts leaves plenty of room for misunderstanding.

One category of such misconceptions is the role and reality of mysticism in martial arts. Let’s find out if and how martial arts interact with the metaphysical. A great place to start is to explore the core of martial arts mysticism: its culture.

How martial arts and culture interact

Keep in mind that most martial arts popular today come from particular cultures. Muay Thai originated in Thailand, Karate originated in Japan, and Kung Fu is uniquely Chinese. Likewise, several wrestling and boxing disciplines have unique cultural markers stemming from their places of origin. So, what exactly do we mean by cultural indicators? Here’s a short list that helps paint a picture:

  • Some martial arts were developed by and for people in certain occupations, such as soldiers, guards, and hunters. An example is Shaubó, an ancient martial art that allowed Chinese soldiers to succeed in close combat.
  • Many societies used (and still use) martial arts for self-improvement. Such societies value activities such as martial arts as much as other art forms such as literature, music, painting, sculpture, calligraphy or theatre.
  • Civilian populations who practiced martial arts also created combat disciplines for self-defense. These populations often disguised their respective arts as dance (such as Capoeira) or physical exercise.
  • Terminology in different martial arts reflects their cultures of origin. You will find that the names of different techniques, weapons and equipment are common words in a particular language.
  • Many martial arts also have unique images that harken back to their origins and cultures. An example of such images is the unique Gis that the Japanese wear for Judo, Kendo or Aikido.
  • Some martial disciplines are rich in folklore that narrate the exploits of warriors with immense abilities. These legends have been passed down from generation to generation, providing source material for many of the characters we see in manga and martial arts films.
  • Most martial arts promote philosophies and mentalities that carry over into everyday life. At the same time, a martial discipline will often reflect the values ​​and aspirations of its culture of origin.
  • Martial arts such as Shaolin Kung-Fu developed as part of the religious life of some groups, such as monks. There are also strong Buddhist influences in most Chinese and Japanese martial arts.

The last item on this list shows that spirituality and culture interact. Now we will find out if certain martial arts have elements of religion, spirituality or mysticism.

Connections between martial arts and the intangible

The fighting disciplines are described as “martial arts” in reference to “Mars”, the Roman god of war. This is just one of many examples of spiritual influences on combat disciplines.

A discipline like Tai Chi focuses on harnessing and developing the life force in the body. This is why one finds numerous descriptions of Tai Chi as an internal martial art. It is worth mentioning that Taoist principles inform many Tai Chi practices. This is just one of the many spiritual aspects of Tai Chi as a martial art. Starting from Tai Chi, let’s retrace some practices still present in martial arts that fall into the “spiritual” category:

  • Meditation that seeks to achieve balance, stillness, hyperawareness and inner peace.
  • Exercises that teach breathing control and relaxation.
  • Adoption of values ​​such as consistency, discipline and calm in daily life.

In some contexts, a martial arts competition begins after a prayer and/or other religious ritual. Some videos on the Internet show prayer before fights in styles such as Muay Thai.

Up to this point we have discussed the reality of martial arts from a cultural, religious and spiritual point of view. Now let’s examine the presentation of martial arts mysticism in popular culture.

Martial arts mysticism in popular culture

Many people learn about martial arts by watching televised combat sports, watching movies, watching anime or Chinese Wuxia, or reading Manga. This makes the mass media the primary channel that presents martial arts to the world, for better or worse.

Here are the most interesting myths that have made their way into popular culture:

  • Skilled fighters can subdue a skilled opponent with a single touch or a few touches.
  • Some fighters possess the ability to submit an opponent without touching them.
  • Chi can be harnessed to perform mystical feats such as knocking out an enemy or leaping from rooftop to rooftop, like a ninja.

These skills look impressive, but they are the result of special effects, choreography and animation. In reality, normal humans have to train long and hard to master a fighting discipline. Furthermore, there is no amount of training that can equip you to do a fraction of what ninjas and Wuxia characters do. It’s unlikely that you could ever run through the branches of a tall fir tree while fighting an opponent without crashing to the ground.

Mysticism versus skill: the reality

The truth is that time, hard work, and consistency will improve your skills, not immediately, but over time.

Time, hard work and consistency can improve your fighting skills. The skills acquired through years of training can be impressive. Watching talented fighters with years of experience can convince your mind that you are watching a mystical fight due to:

  • Their speed and accuracy in hitting and dodging the opponent.
  • A fighter’s ability to anticipate an opponent’s actions can make it appear as if he or she is moving at very high speed.
  • Years of training can condition a fighter’s body to withstand long, demanding bouts. This kind of resistance may seem like the stuff of legend.

Martial arts train the mind to remain calm while being hyperaware of every aspect of its environment. Mastering stillness amidst high-speed movement allows fighters to achieve feats that seem superhuman. However, no amount of training can give you the superpowers of the ultimate airbender.

Self-mastery is still a worthy goal

Human nature craves the mystical and supernatural, often in search of power. The good news is that you can gain a lot of power over yourself by learning martial arts to discover your strengths, weaknesses and nature.

Learning about yourself allows you to develop your strengths and work on your weaknesses in ways that work with your personality. With this foundation, you can use martial arts to develop discipline, self-control, calmness and self-confidence. You also learn to handle difficult situations without panic or rash judgments.

These are inner skills that are useful in all parts of our lives. They constitute an ethical code that helps us overcome life’s twists and turns. We can achieve this by doing the inner work that martial arts requires us to do.

Come to one of Evolve MMA’s free martial arts courses to start your journey.

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Evolve Mixed Martial Arts® is Asia’s leading martial arts championship brand. It has authentic world champions in Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, mixed martial arts, boxing, wrestling and No-Gi Grappling. Named the #1 martial arts organization in Asia by CNN, Yahoo! Sports, FOX Sports, ESPN StarSports, Tokyo Times and many other leading authorities, Evolve MMA aims to provide the best martial arts instruction available anywhere on the planet.





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