From the Desk of Keith Hafner

A Brief History of the Martial Arts in the United States

Statistics tell us that, in the United States, approximately 3 and one half million people participate in the Martial Arts.

Observation bears this out.  Martial Art schools are everywhere!  Usually, even the smallest of towns have some type of Martial Art instruction available.

So…where did this begin?  And how did the Martial Arts develop such a huge following in the U.S.?

Here are 5 key events…

#1.  In the years following World War II and the Korean War, the United States maintained a large military presence in Asia…particularly Okinawa, Japan, and Korea.  Many GI’s took advantage of the opportunity to train in the Martial Arts.  Some earned their Black Belts…and some of those, when they returned to the U.S., opened Martial Art schools.

#2.  Beginning in the late 1970’s, the Martial Art industry began to attract the expertise of outside business experts, like Nicholas Cokinos.  Sound business practices were merged, for the first time, with the ancient traditions.

#3.  Things changed radically in 1984 when the movie Karate Kid was released.  Suddenly, nearly every kid in America wanted to be the Karate Kid!  Going back to the 1960’s, most of the people practicing Martial Arts were adults.

#4.  In the 1990’s, due to cooperation and networking between school owners of differing styles – styles started to borrow from each other.  Tae Kwon Do schools began to teach weapons.  Okinawan schools began to teach grappling techniques.  A new, hybrid American Martial Art began to be developed.

#5.  As the benefits of Martial Art instruction, courage, focus, respect, and self-control, began to manifest, they captured the attention of mainstream media.  Movies, television shows and commercials…all began to reflect a culture that had embraced, and put it’s own imprint on, the ancient traditions of the Martial Arts!