When you think of martial arts, what comes to mind? The slow, calm movements of Tai-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 such as prioritizing objectives to become organized, self-control and self-defense, and the ability to make rational decisions quickly.