INTRODUCTION

Sport is the institutionalization of certain practices, and the degrees of movements are epistemic relations with other social activates. The sport as we see it today is different from the sport of the emergence of Olympic Games with Coubertin’s stimulation. That sport was founded between modern industrialization and post modernity. But Sport emerges in modernity before the beginning of Olympic Games, institutionalizing the traditional games. Sport begins to be the institutionalization of a human motricity play.

India is home to variety of fighting styles. In sankrit they may be collectively referred to as sastravidya or dhanurvidya . The former is compound of the words sastra (weapon) and vidya (knowledge), meaning “knowledge of sword” or “knowledge of weaponry”. The letter term drives from the words for bow (dhanushya) and knowledge (veda), literally the “science of archery” in Puranic literature, later applied to martial arts In general. The vishnu purana text describes dhanurveda as one of the traditional eighteen branches of “applied knowledge” or upaveda.

The first English known mention the “martial arts” is registered in an anonymous book from 1939 with a reference of Jo Sotheby to the “[…] famous Martial art of fencing, […]” [Pallas Armata, orig.: 1639]. “Martial arts” appear in English 1933 dictionaries as translating Japanese bujutsu. The French dictionary defines “martial art” as “traditional combat sports from East Asia”: “arts martiaux” – “les sports de combat traditional d’Extr ềme orient – Le dictionnaire Petit Robert, Paris, Le Robert, 1989, p. 1159.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Indian epics contain accounts of combat, both armed and bare-handed. The Mahabharata describes a prolonged battle between Arjuna and Karna using bows, swords, tress rock and fists. Anther unarmed battle in the Mahabharata describes two combatants boxing with clenched fists and fighting with kicks, finger strikes, knee strikes and headbutts. Many of popular sport mentioned in the Vedas and the epics have their origins in militraytraining, such as wrestling (maladvandva), chariot-racing (rathachalan) horse-riding (ashvrohana), boxing (musti yuddha) and archery (dhanurvidya). In the third century, elements from the Youga Sutras of Patanjalii, as well as finger movements in the nata dances, were incorporated into martial arts. A number of Indian fighting styles remains closely connected to yoga, dance and performing arts. Some of the choreographed sparring in kalaripayat can be applied to dance. Some traditional Indian dance schools still incorporate kalaripayat as part f their exercise regimen. Written evidence of martial arts in Southern India dates back to the Tamil Sangam literature of about the 2 nd century BC to the 2 nd century AD. The word Kalari tatt denoted a martial feat, while kalari kozhai meant a coward in war. Each warrior in the Sangam era received regular military training. The combat techniques of the Sangam period were the earliest precursors to kalripayat. References to “Silappadikkaram” in Sangam literature date back to the 2 nd Century. This referred to the silambam staff which was in great demand with foreign visitors. References to fighting arts are found in early Buddhist texts, such as the Lotus Sutra which refers to a boxing art while speaking to Manjusri. It also categorized combat techniques as joint licks, fist strikes, grapples and throws. The Louts Sutra makes further mention of martial art whit dance-like movements called Nara. Another early Buddhist sutra called Hongyo-kyo describes a “strength contest between Gautama Buddha’s half-brother Prince Nanda and his cousin Devadatta. Siddhartha Gautama himself was a champion of swordplay, wrestling and archery before becoming the Buddha. Around this time, tantric philosophers developed important metaphysical concepts such as kundaline, chakra, and mantra. The sushruta Samhita indentifies 107 vital points on the human body of which 31 were classified as being lethal if properly struck with afist or stick. Vedica and epic sourees, it is certain that India’s early fighters knew and practice attacking or defending vital points. Martial arts were not exclusive to the kshatriya caste, though the warrior class used them more extensively. The 8 th century text Kuvalaymala by Udyotanasuri recorded fighting techniques being taught at ghatika and salad educational institutions, where non-Kshatriya students from throughout the subcontinent (particularly from South India, Rajasthan and Bengal) “were learning and practicing archery, fighting with sword and shield, with daggers, sticks, lances, and with fists, and in duels (niuddham)”. Hindu priests of the Gurukullam institutions also taught armed and unarmed fighting techniques to their students as a way of increasing stamina and training the physical body. There intense martial culture and adherence to Kshtriya Dharma as propounded in Bhagvada Gita and Vedic Dharmasastra only, they were able to defeat Arab Asia failed in defending themselves while also amass largest empire at that time in India. In some place Gurjara gatka and kushti are still practiced with much fervor as there have been some world-class wrestlers from the community competing at national and international level. Organized martial arts in ancient India included malla-yuddha, or combat- wrestling, codified into four forms, Stories describing Krishna report that he sometimes engaged in wrestling matches where he used knee strikes to the chest, punches to the head, hair pulling, and strangleholds. Based on such accounts, Svinth (2002) traces pres ups and squats used by Indian wrestlers to the pre classical era.

MODERN PERIOD

Indian martial arts underwent a period of decline after the full establishment of British colonial rule in the 19 th century. The increasing use of firearms, gradually eroded the need for traditional combat training associated with caste- specific duties. The British colonial government banned kalaripayat in 1804in response to a series of revolts. The resurgence of public interest in kalaripayat began in the 1920s in Tellicherry as part of wave of rediscovery of the tradition arts throughout south India witch characterized the growing reaction against British colonial rule During the following three decades, other regional styles were subsequently revived such as silambam in Tamil Nadu, and thang - ta in Manipur.