What is the history of martial arts?

0:00 Welcome to History's Not Boring by Kidopoli.com. I'm Mira. And I'm Finn. Before we kick things off, we have some special shout-outs. First, hello to Weston and Shay in San Diego, California.

0:15 Yeah, they love Brazilian jujitsu and wanted to know exactly how martial arts began.

0:21 And a very happy fourth birthday to Luna, who is travelling the entire world in a van with her family and her big brother Ollie.

0:30 Wow, living in a van and travelling the world. That sounds like an epic adventure. And Luna listens every single day.

0:38 Thanks for listening everyone! So, with Weston and Shay wondering about jujitsu, today we are diving into the epic history of martial arts.

0:48 Yes, I'm ready for some high kicks and ninja moves.

0:52 Well, get ready for this. On November 12th, 1993, a guy who weighed just 178 pounds stepped into a cage.

1:03 A cage? Like a tazoo?

1:06 No, a fighting cage in Denver, Colorado! He fought three giant men, including one who weighed over 215 pounds. No way! Did he get squashed? Nope. He defeated all three of them in a combined time of just four minutes and 59 seconds, without even throwing a single punch. Wait, how do you win a fight without punching?

1:31 By using martial arts. But martial arts aren't just about fighting, Finn. They're about turning combat into a science of skill, discipline, and respect. So what exactly does martial mean anyway? The word martial means having to do with the military or war. It comes from Mars, the ancient Roman god of war.

1:53 Oh, so martial art just means war skills.

1:57 Exactly. Thousands of years ago, before modern technology existed, soldiers had to fight hand to hand, or with swords and spears. That sounds really dangerous. It was. But over time, people across the world realize that to be a great warrior, you couldn't just be angry. You needed total control of your mind and body.

2:21 So where did they start?

2:23 Did someone just invent karate one day?

2:26 Not exactly. To find one of the oldest routes of martial arts, we have to travel back to the year 495 CE, to the misty mountains of central China. Ooh, I love a good mountain story. What was there? The emperor built a massive sanctuary called the Shaolin Temple, but the real story starts about 25 years later, around 520 CE.

2:52 Who showed up? A famous general? Nope, an Indian Buddhist monk named Bodhidharma. He travelled thousands of miles across the freezing Himalaya mountains just to reach the temple. That's a huge hike. What did he do when he finally got there? He meditated. Legend says he stared at a cave wall for nine whole years.

3:16 Nine years? My legs fall asleep after nine minutes.

3:20 The Shaun monks have the same problem. Bodhidharma noticed that the monks were weak and sickly from sitting all day.

3:27 So what did he do? Tell them to go jogging?

3:30 He created a set of 18 exercises called the 18 Lohan Hands. It combined deep breathing with animal-like stretches to make their bodies incredibly strong.

3:42 Wait, so martial arts started as a workout routine?

3:46 Yep, but soon the monks had to protect their temple from bandits. They adapted those 18 exercises into a lightning fast fighting style. And that became Kung Fu! Exactly! Shaoling Kung Fu grew to include hundreds of moves inspired by five animals the tiger, crane, leopard, slake, and dragon.

4:10 I want to be a tiger. But wait, what about the samurai in Japan? Didn't they have martial arts too?

4:18 They sure did. For hundreds of years, samurai warriors used a grappling system called jujitsu. By the 1800s, there were over 700 different jujitsu styles in Japan. 700? How did anyone even choose which one to learn? Well, the problem was that many styles were super dangerous. But in 1882, a 22-year-old man named Ji Goro Kano changed everything.

4:47 Was he a giant samurai warrior? No! He was only 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighed barely 90 pounds. Bigger kids picked on him constantly, so he wanted to learn to defend himself. Good for him. Did he learn all 700 styles? He mastered a few, but he realised he could make them safer for sports. He removed the deadly moves and focused entirely on using an opponent's energy against them.

5:15 What do you mean, using their energy against them? If a big guy pushes you, you don't push back. You pull him forward and he trips over his own feet. Carno called his new art judo, which means the gentle way.

5:29 That's genius! A 90-pound guy throwing a giant across the room.

5:35 Exactly! Judo became so popular it was the first Asian martial art added to the Olympic Games, and Carno's best students travelled the world to teach it. Did they go to America? They went everywhere. In 1914, a judo master named Mitsuyo Maeda travelled all the way to Brazil. Brazil!

5:55 Is this where Weston and Shay's favourite sport comes in?

5:59 You guessed it. Maeda taught a teenager named Carlos Gracie. Carlos then taught his younger brother, Helio Gracie.

6:07 Let me guess, Gelio was also really small.

6:10 Right again, Helio was frail and couldn't use the sheer strength required for some judo throws. So he adapted the moves to work entirely on the ground. Ground fighting? Like wrestling. Exactly! He figured out that if you take a giant opponent to the ground, their huge size matters way less. He invented Brazilian jujitsu.

6:32 And that brings us back to that crazy cage fight in 1993.

6:36 Yes, Helio's son Royce Gracie entered the very first Ultimate Fighting Championship in Denver, Colorado.

6:44 He was the 178-pound guy you mentioned.

6:47 Yep, there were absolutely no weight losses. Royce faced massive boxers and wrestlers. But by using Brazilian jujitsu, he forced them all to quit and won $50,000. $50,000?

7:01 And he did it by wrestling giants to the ground? That's the ultimate brain over brawn story. It completely changed how the world viewed fighting.

7:11 But wait, what if you do want to throw punches and kicks? Yeah, what about punching? Then we have to visit Thailand. In the year 1767, the Burmese army captured the ancient city of Ayutthaya.

7:27 Oh no, what happened?

7:29 They took thousands of prisoners, including a Thai warrior named Nai Kanom Tom. Seven years later, the Burmese king threw a festival and wanted to see who was a better fighter.

7:41 Let me guess, they forced Nai Canom Tom to fight.

7:45 Yes, he stepped up to fight the Burmese champion. And he used a martial art that uses fists, elbows, knees and shins. Wait, that's like eight different weapons on one body. Exactly. It's called Moy Thai, the art of eight limbs. Nike Nom Tom knocked out the champion so incredibly fast, the king actually thought he used magic.

8:10 Haha, magic elbows.

8:13 But the king wasn't done. He made Nikean Om fight nine more champions back to back with absolutely no breaks. Ten guys in a row. Did he survive? He defeated every single one of them. The king was so impressed. He granted Nike Nom Tom his freedom on the spot. Today he's known as the father of Muay Thai.

8:38 From Chinese monks to a Brazilian cage fighter, martial arts history is absolutely wild. Alright Finn, it's quiz time! Are you ready? I am ready. Hit me with those martial arts facts.

8:51 First question. Around what year did the monk Bodhidharma arrive at the Shaolin Temple? Next one. Who was the 90 pound man who invented judo in 1882? Question 3. Which Gracie family member won the very first UFC tournament in 1993? Here's number four. What Thai martial art is famous for being called the Art of Eight Limbs?

9:27 Last question. How many Burmese fighters did Ny Kanon Tom defeat in a row to win his freedom? Great job! Let's see how you did. The first answer is Bodhidharma arrived around the year 520 CE. For question 2, the founder of Judo was Gigoro Kano. Number 3. The answer is Royce Gracie won UFC 1. Question 4.

10:00 The art of 8 limbs is called Muay Thai. And the final answer is, Nai Kanom Tom defeated exactly 10 fighters in a row.

10:09 I still can't believe a 90 pound guy invented an Olympic sport just to stop bullies. History is so cool.

10:17 It really is. It shows that intelligence, technique, and discipline can overcome pure strength. That's the true spirit of martial arts.

10:26 I think I'm going to go practice my gentle judo throws on my stuffed animals.

10:31 Have fun with that, Finn. And hey listeners, if you enjoyed today's episode, please leave us a five-star review faster than a Muay Thai Roundhouse Kick. Just scroll down on your podcast app and tap those stars.

10:44 Yeah, it really helps us out. Oh, and don't forget to check out our site, kidopoly.com. We've got tons of fun learning games and awesome activities there.

10:54 That's right. Head over to kidopoly.com for more cool stuff to explore. And if you want a shout out on the show or just want to say hi, email us at hello at kidopoly.com. We love hearing from you. Thanks for travelling through martial arts history with us. See you next time on History's Not Boring. Bye everyone!