There are more martial arts than you can shake a stick at, in fact many of them involve just that – stick shaking – and these hundreds of martial arts originate from all over the world.

But the use of sticks and other weapons is strictly governered by the rules and conventions of each martial art, and most people who practise martial arts do so for general fitness, mental discipline, self confidence and sport – as well as self-defence.

Once you start to become proficient there are plenty of public displays and competitions you can get involved with although you may just learn for the pleasure of practising controlled movements by yourself. Karate, judo and tae kwan do are particularly popular in the UK, and originated in Japan and South Korea.

A rough way to differentiate them is that karate has an emphasis on striking your opponent with punches, kicks and open handed movements; judo concentrates more on throwing your opponent to the ground and tae kwan do focuses more on kicking – although each sport is about much more than this. In fact many martial arts are closer to dancing than to fighting and all require a huge amount of self control.

Learning a martial art can benefit all types of personality and all ages. It may build self confidence in shy people and help aggressive people channel their energy constructively.

What’s more, there is no upper age limit. Elderly people can be seen practicing the art of tai chi in parks wherever there is a Chinese population.

So what are you waiting for? There are clubs all over the country for each type of martial art and beginners are always welcome. To find out more about karate see the Karate Union of Great Britain website at www.kugb.org. For more information about judo see www.britishjudo.org.uk.To find out more about tae kwan do see www.britishtaekwondocouncil.org.

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