The origin and history of Martial Arts is a controversial issue. One can see signs of martial arts in Egyptian, Greek, African, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, as well as other cultures.
The first fighting systems on earth probably evolved alongside humans because mankind must have always had a need to defend himself against animals, as well as against his fellow man. Ancient murals and sculptures show fighting poses from Egypt, India and Babylon dating from as far back as 5,000 years ago. The martial arts as we know them probably did not evolve until systems of offensive and defensive skills were devised in or imported into China. These fighting skills were combined with intangible elements such as compassion, discipline and self-control.
