Indian Martial Arts

[raghu_001]

The following links are to videos of practitioners performing Kalaripayattu, a uniquely Indian system of martial arts that is still practiced in the state of Kerala today. Kalaripayattu encompasses unarmed combat, use of weapons, and even locks/breaking techniques. Some say that Kalaripayattu may be the ancestor of Eastern martial arts. I have been previously told by instructors in Japanese and Korean martial arts systems that they credited the origin of their martial arts to a Buddhist monk (Bodhidharma) who brought martial arts from India to China. I do not know if this is actually the case, since the historical records from that period are scant. However, it is pretty clear to me that Kalaripayattu as displayed here does have techniques that look similar to techniques that I have studied in both Japanese and Korean martial arts, and witnessed in Chinese martial arts. But unlike the East Asian systems, Kalaripayattu appears to be put a greater emphasis on speed and flexibility.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsUai4wt6Yk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B09z...eature=related

[hindustallion]

hey friend,
im frm Kerala and i get a sense of pride when i hear others talking abt kalaripayattu. Its really gr8, sword leashes and other stuffs. But i don't think its getting the deserved publicity. Its limited to southIndia, i think. and teenagers go of learning karate instead of kalaripayattu. Karate evolved from kalaripayattu, its true. Kerala had trade relations with China, Japan and Rome way before. The discovery channel's programme "fight quest" once featured it. I am proud 2 say i live near the famous kalaripayattu training centre. i am frm Thiruvananthapuram. Kalaripayattu was way awesome when it was used by the army of Travancore

[eriko]

I am karate black belt but I am proud of it. But anyways isn't it obvious that teenagers will learn Karate since it is more developed? And besides I haven't come across any kalaripayattu training centers in Delhi. I deeply respect martial arts and would have loved to learn Kalaripayattu. Indian government should be blamed for not promoting it.

[hindustallion]

Very True ! Karalipayattu is developed though but it didn't got the deseved publicity. How can d Indian Govt. promote it, they only know 'Italian' culture.

[Sagefrakrobatik]

hey friend,
im frm Kerala and i get a sense of pride when i hear others talking abt kalaripayattu. Its really gr8, sword leashes and other stuffs. But i don't think its getting the deserved publicity. Its limited to southIndia, i think. and teenagers go of learning karate instead of kalaripayattu. Karate evolved from kalaripayattu, its true. Kerala had trade relations with China, Japan and Rome way before. The discovery channel's programme "fight quest" once featured it. I am proud 2 say i live near the famous kalaripayattu training centre. i am frm Thiruvananthapuram. Kalaripayattu was way awesome when it was used by the army of Travancore

I was just in Kerala last summer. We actually visited a Kalaripayattu studio. I showed my uncle a pampelet of it because he used to be big into Martial Arts. I hoped it changed his perceptions of India== he seemed to be interested in it..but it could just be subtle sarcasm.