When you think of martial arts, what comes to mind? The slow, calm movements of .

             ai-Chi Chuan or maybe the faster, hard movements of Karate or Tae Kwon Do. No .

             matter what you think of it always contains practiced movements of the body and a lot of .

             concentration. These two elements combined with spirit and patience is basically what .

             martial arts consists of. Martial arts is so great because it strengthens each of these .

             aspects of body and mind to make a beautiful display of movement. This has attracted .

             many people to all kinds of martial arts and with the help of the movies made it very .

             popular among Americans. Today, many Americans prefer martial arts as an exercise to .

             help them stay in shape.

             Tai-Chi, as an example, is a great martial art because of its use of both the body and .

             mind. Tai-Chi can"t be done correctly if the person is not relaxed and doesn"t know the .

             movements being done very well. The basis of Tai-Chi Chuan derives from the idea of .

             being constantly round when performing it. If you are attacked on a straight line and you .

             resist on a straight line, the stronger force will win, but if the incoming force is .

             neutralized by circularity, then it becomes easier to defeat your opponent, no matter how .

             strong they might be. That"s what Tai-Chi is based on, but It takes years of practice to .

             get any good at it and decades to master. .

             Another example of martial arts is Korea"s Tae Kwon Do. The main differences .

             between Tai-Chi and Tae Kwon Do is the uniforms and idea of movement. In Tai-Chi .

             you can wear whatever clothes you feel comfortable in, but in Tae Kwon Do or Karate .

             you have to wear a Gi and must practice barefooted unless you have any medical reasons. .

             Tae Kwon Do is an art that uses the legs as the primary weapon since it is automatically .

             stronger than the arms and twice as long, their moves are also faster and depend more .

             upon flexibility. Learning Tae Kwon Do is a very good way for children to develop skills .