The teaching of martial arts in Asia has historically followed the cultural traditions of teacher-disciple apprenticeship. Students are trained in a strictly hierarchical system by a master instructor: Sifu in Cantonese ; Shih fu (Wade-Giles), Shi fù (Pinyin) (lit., master-father) in Mandarin ; Guru in Sanskrit , Hindi and Malay ; Sensei in Japanese ; Sa Bum Nim in Korean ; Kallari Gurukkal in Malayalam ; Asaan in Tamil ; and Achan in Thai . The instructor is expected to directly supervise their students' training, and the students are expected to memorize and recite as closely as possible the rules and basic training routines of the school.

In a Confucian influenced martial art, students with more seniority are considered older brothers and sisters; those with less seniority as younger brothers and sisters. Such clearly delineated relationships are intended to develop good character, patience and discipline. [ citation needed ] In the warrior Kshatriya caste of India , organised martial traditions were studied as a part of the Dharma (duty) of the caste. The senior teachers were called Gurus and taught martial arts at gurukuls to the shishyas (students). [ citation needed ]

Some method of certification can be involved, where one's skills would be tested for mastery before being allowed to study further; in some systems, especially in China , there may not have been any such certifications, only years of close personal practice and evaluation under a master, much like an apprenticeship, until the master deems one's skills satisfactory. [ citation needed ] This pedagogy , while still preserved and respected in many traditional styles, has weakened to varying degrees in others and is even actively rejected by some schools, especially in the West.

A number of martial arts were developed in ancient India , such as Mallayuddha (wrestling combat), Silambam (staff fighting), Kuttu Varisai (empty hand combat), Varma Kalai (the art of vital points), Adithada (kickboxing) and Kalari Payattu (way of the arena). [1]

In Indonesia and Malaysia , a large number of arts under the umbrella of Silat may also include Kateda and Sindo . Kuntao styles are found across this region. It is difficult to pin down the origin of these arts, which are claimed to be indigenous but nonetheless have much in common with the Indian martial arts , Qigong , Yiquan , and possibly Shaolin Wushu or Kung Fu . They have both internal and external qualities so perhaps could be seen as an original hybridization of other arts, the origins of which are lost in the mists of time. [ citation needed ]

Martial arts were also studied in Cambodia , Thailand , Myanmar , Vietnam , the Philippines , and almost every other corner of the Earth. This in turn led to further exploration of disciplines from China, Korea, and Japan for their historical and cultural value.

The Western interest in East Asian Martial arts dates back to the late 19th Century, due to the increase in trade between America and China and Japan. Relatively few Westerners actually practiced the arts, considering it to be mere performance. Many of the first demonstrations of the martial arts in the West were performed by Asians in vaudeville shows, which served to further reinforce the perception of the martial arts as dramatic performance. [ citation needed ]

Edward William Barton-Wright , a railway engineer who had studied Jujutsu while working in Japan between 1894-97, was the first man known to have taught Asian martial arts in Europe. He also founded an eclectic martial arts style named Bartitsu which combined jujutsu , judo , boxing , savate and stick fighting .

During the late 19th century and early 20th century, catch wrestling contests became immensely popular in Europe . These tournaments involved the likes of the Indian national wrestling champion Great Gama , Swiss champion John Lemm, Americans Frank Gotch , Ad Santel , Ed Lewis and Benjamin Roller , Mitsuyo Maeda from Japan and Estonian Georg Hackenschmidt . Travelling wrestlers and European tournaments brought together a variety of folk wrestling disciplines including the Indian variety of Pehlwani , Judo and Jujutsu from Japan, et cetera. Each of these disciplines contributed to the development of catch wrestling in their own way. [ citation needed ]

As Western influence grew in East Asia a greater number of military personnel spent time in China, Japan, Korea and elsewhere. Exposure to martial arts during the Korean war was also significant. Gradually some soldiers saw the value of Eastern martial arts and began training in them.

William E. Fairbairn , a Shanghai policeman and a leading Western expert on Asian fighting techniques, was recruited during World War II by the Special Operations Executive (SOE) to teach Jujutsu to UK, U.S. and Canadian Special Forces. The book Kill or Get Killed , written by Colonel Rex Applegate, became a classic military treatise on hand-to-hand combat. This fighting method was called "Defendu". [ citation needed ] Modern variations that can still trace an authentic lineage to Applegate are very few. "Combato" (Jen Do Tao) as taught by Bradley Steiner is one popular method, yet has no direct personal links to any legitimate authority on the subject. A prominent instructor of modern close-combat is Carl Cestari, who had a direct relationship with both Colonel Applegate and WWII self-defense pioneer Charlie Nelson. [ citation needed ] In 2006 Carl Cestari was named one of the top 10 "Most Dangerous Men On The Planet" by Black Belt Magazine .

With large numbers of American servicemen stationed in Japan after World War II, the adoption of techniques and the gradual transmission of entire systems of martial arts to the West started. It was in the 1950's, however, when this exportation of systems really began to gain momentum. Large groups of U.S. military personnel were taught Korean arts ( Taekwondo ) during the Korean conflict, and many of these brought their training home and continued to practice and teach after their demobilization. [ citation needed ] By the 1960s, Japanese arts like Karate and Judo had become very popular. [ citation needed ] The early 1970s saw martial arts movies, due in part to martial artist and actor Bruce Lee , furthered the popularity of martial arts.

This exportation of the martial arts led to such styles as sport karate, which became a major international sport, with professional fighters, big prizes, television coverage, and sponsorship deals.