The Best and Most Noble of Martial Arts; Boxing

When the words martial arts are uttered, there is an image drawn into peoples minds of kung fu
fighters, and samurai warriors from the far east. The martial arts have invaded many aspects of western
culture, from movies, to self defense classes, and even into the Olympic Games. Where Judo and tae
kwan do have become popular competitions. There are other martial competitions in the Olympics as
well such as fencing, wrestling and boxing. In western culture, it seems nearly forgotten, that there are
western martial arts that are just as old as the eastern ones. Western styles are just as, or even more
effective, as their eastern counter parts. In many minds, even the minds of fighters, boxing is not
considered a martial art rather it is seen as sport; however, boxing is not only one of the oldest martial
arts and most gentlemanly of sports, it is perhaps the best martial art in existence.
While many styles claim to have their roots going back hundreds, or even thousands of years,
boxing has the documentation to prove it. In his article Micheal Katz says The ancient Greeks
believed fist fighting was one of the games played by the gods on Olympus; thus it became part of the
Olympic Games in about 688 BC. Homer has a reference to boxing in the Iliad. While this is not the
earliest evidence of boxing, it is the first recorded evidence where the fighters wore hand protection; as
such it is often considered the first true form of boxing. The ancient Greeks held boxing in such high
esteem that one of their major gods, Apollo was the patron god of pugilists.
Despite boxings long history as martial art and combat sport, many critics claim that boxing is
too limited in its range of techniques. Such criticism has labeled boxing as ineffective. While it is true
that the sweet science does not have any kicking or grappling techniques; it does have a level of
specificity in its foot work. Any martial artists will tell you that foot work is the most important aspect
of fighting, and in boxing foot work is drilled just as intensely as punching and defense, often times
more so. With the innumerable amount of time a boxer trains their foot work, defense, and punching
attacks boxing is one of the most effective fighting systems in existence. What it lacks in quantity it
more than makes up for in quality.

Whether inside or out of the ring, a friendly sparring match,or a fight to defend your life, a well
trained boxer is better off than many other martial artists. The reason for this is not only multitudinous
amount of technical practice, but also the simple fact that boxers fight from the start of a fighters
training. While many other styles have you practicing near mystic stances and katas; boxing starts you
off with sparring. The result of this is that a boxer is used to attacking, defending, and getting hit right
from the get go. Many other styles,with their ritualistic approach, forbid a lesser fighter to spar a
more experienced one. Often times inside of a dojo contact sparring is expressly forbidden. When it
comes to effectiveness it is easy to see why practitioners of these styles often fall short of boxers. To
show the effectiveness of boxing Tom Shook, a self proclaimed average boxer, tells the following story
in his online publication; about when he started attending a more 'traditional' martial arts school.
I actually made a sincere effort to bow out of the sparring session. I really had no
desire to get into a testosterone-induced test of skill and manhood. I was assured that he
would go easy on me. I decided to go with the flow and see what happened. My
opponent had size over me; Ill admit that much. He came straightforward with well
planned and well telegraphed strikes. He didnt really use much in the way of movement
or combination punching though, just a lot of screaming (what the hell is all that about,
anyways?) and head hunting.
The end came pretty quick, Im sorry to say. I slipped one of his haymakers to
my left, and countered with a tight left hook to the body. Now, I was being pretty kind
here as I kept my hands loose inside my gloves and just threw with the intention of
making contact. Think of tapping here folks, not hammering! Anyways, it didnt matter;
he went down like a bag of dirt. I was so shocked that my soft pedaling body punch
dropped him that I just stood there for a second, he was rightI truly was dazzled! I
quickly came to my senses and helped him up. I thanked him for the lesson and beat feet
out of his gym. I dont think Ill be going back there any time soon, even if Im invited.

(online)
It can certainly be argued when it comes to styles, there is no superior style just superior
fighters. This leads to another reason why boxing better than any other martial art. It is also a world
wide sporting competition. It has earned its place in history with the sweat and blood of the thousands
of boxers all throughout time. It has stuck with us to this present day. It is an entertaining for spectators,
fast paced, and exciting, it can keep an audience riveted and on the edge of their seats. In one fight
between Danny Williams and Mike Tyson the audience was cheering and standing the entire fight. It
was a brawl, primal, beautiful, and brutal; It kept everyone who viewed it glued to their seats with their
eyelids popped open waiting in anticipation to see which giant would fall first. While many other
martial arts have been forgotten, or lost due to a lack of relevancy, boxing is here to stay, perhaps for
another couple thousand years.
Other styles fade and die out as new technology makes hand to hand combat all but obsolete.
They get streamlined for competitions, lose techniques, and become less viable as a martial skill. More
and more, the martial arts are reformed, and changed - relegated to the realm of sport. Boxing has been
a sport and a martial art since its origins. It has not changed very much since the early Olympic games,
when wrestling and striking techniques were first separated. Aside from a few rule changes in the prize
ring (the last major change being in 1866 with the Greensberry rules) boxing has endured, and will
endure for a long time to come. Standing out among other martial arts as being simple, effective, easy
and quick to learn, yet still taking a lifetime to truly master; The sweet science is one of, if not the
best martial art.

Works Cited
Katz, Micheal. "The History of Boxing." WhiteCollarBoxing.com White Collar Boxing, n.d.
Web. 2 Oct. 2013.
Shook, Tom. RossBoxing.com. Ross Boxing, Apr. 2005. Web. 1 Oct. 2013.