People who practice any disciplined style of combat that espouses self-defence, and leads to the betterment of the mind, body and spirit are those individuals known as martial artists. Martial artistry also takes the form of competitions and exhibitions, allowing the experts to showcase their specific styles of combat. Martial arts have been around for millennia, with records indicating drilled combat styles within Egypt and China as far back as 4,000 years in the past. When looking throughout the European continent, Greece holds the oldest accounts of martial arts combat in forms like wrestling and Pankration, the latter of which could be seen as the progenitor of Mixed Martial Arts due to its combination of wrestling, boxing, kicks, holds and even biting. While martial arts have been cultivated by humanity for centuries, the idea of martial arts as a sport did not take root until the 19th century. This era is when forms like kendo, fencing, boxing and karate t...
Andy Britnell is a highly experienced technology sales executive & sales leader living and working in Reading, UK. He is currently the VP of Sales (UK) at Identity Methods Limited. He balances his professional career with a variety of other interests, including community involvement, charity work, and fitness and sports, particularly martial arts and kickboxing.