Introduction
Martial Arts Westchester: White Plains, New Rochelle, Yonkers,
Bronx
The Martial Arts Info Westchester section of Aikido Westchester is educational and designed for beginners in their search
for martial arts or self defense training. Aikido Westchester provides instruction in the martial art of Aikido and the
Shaolin Temple Overseas Headquarters provides instruction in the martial arts of Shaolin Kung Fu and Tai Chi Chuan,
both in Scarsdale (centrally located in Westchester for the White Plains, Yonkers & New Rochelle region).
Martial Arts Westchester: White Plains, New Rochelle, Yonkers,
Bronx
The Martial Arts Info Westchester section of Aikido Westchester is educational and designed for beginners in their search
for martial arts or self defense training. Aikido Westchester provides instruction in the martial art of Aikido and the
Shaolin Temple Overseas Headquarters provides instruction in the martial arts of Shaolin Kung Fu and Tai Chi Chuan,
both in Scarsdale (centrally located in Westchester for the White Plains, Yonkers & New Rochelle region).
Basic Attributes of Different Martial Arts Available in Westchester, NY
Locating a Martial Arts or Self Defense School in the White Plains, New Rochelle & Yonkers Triangle of
Westchester, NY
Why am I Interested in Martial Arts Again?
The Basics Attributes of Different Martial Arts Available in Westchester:
History Martial Arts Westchester: White Plains, New Rochelle, Yonkers, Bronx
Taking the historical development of Asian martial arts from Shaolin Kung Fu, these striking oriented martial arts traveled
through to Japan as Karate and Korea as Tae Kwon Do. In addition, internal martial arts developed in China much later
in the forms of Tai Chi Chuan, Bagua and Hsing Yi. In mainland Japan, the ancient Jujitsu forms were developed for
Samurai to defend themselves if ever caught without a weapon. Over 1,000+ years these martial arts splintered into
many systems (e.g. Brazilian Jujitsu) and were eventually modernized into Judo and Aikido. Today, many of these martial
arts are offered in Westchester County, NY. Mixed Martial Arts or MMA, although not prevalent in Westchester, is a
recent innovation enabling practitioners of different martial arts to compete with each other. The original weapons
martial arts, such as Kendo and Iaido sword forms, may also practiced separately, although they are not prevalent in
Westchester County either.
Striking Arts Martial Arts Westchester: White Plains, New Rochelle, Yonkers, Bronx
As the development of each martial art relies heavily upon the culture and situation of its founder, each system tends to
emphasize different aspects of technique, training methods and the general spirit of practice. For example, certain
martial arts tend to emphasize striking as the ultimate objective of the technique. Kung Fu, such a martial art, employs a
vast array of physical movements, often in various forms. Karate is derived mainly from this system, but is a simplified
form, and the movements tend more towards being linear as opposed to circular. Tae Kwon Do, derived from Karate and
some indigenous Korean martial arts, tends to add particularly high kicks as well as an overall emphasis on kicking.
These martial arts involve external (hard) power, and teach mainly through forms or katas. One on one competition is
used as well, but specific applications are not practiced as much as in other martial art systems. As for the spirit of
practice, these styles teach powerful and disabling attacks right from the outset to build confidence. While the ultimate
objective of all martial arts is to minimize harm to everyone, self confidence is a vital ingredient in minimizing injury to an
attacker, so these martial arts begin with an expedient to build such confidence.
Tai Chi Chuan developed in China later than Kung Fu, and emphasizes the slow practice of forms often for health
benefits. The purpose is to develop internal (soft) power, as opposed to the external (hard) force emphasized in the
martial arts of Kung Fu, Karate and Tae kwon Do. The training methods (competition, forms, etc.) are also similar to
Kung Fu, Karate & Tae Kwon do. While the emphasis often tends to be in striking the opponent, traditional Tai Chi
Chuan teaches how to control an attacker rather than injure them from the outset of training, thus bypassing the
expedient above.
Throwing Arts Martial Arts Westchester: White Plains, New Rochelle, Yonkers, Bronx
Jujitsu takes on many forms, emphasizing grappling, throwing, striking, etc. That said, most forms of Jujitsu, Judo and
Aikido minimize the use of strikes in favor of throws, pins, etc. Ground work is common in the martial arts of Judo and
Brazilian Jujitsu, for example. Judo is one modernization of Jujitsu, Aikido being the other. Judo emphasizes throwing and
submission grappling on the ground in competition. Aikido emphasizes movement to deal with multiple attackers in a
noncompetitive setting. In Aikido, an attacker is controlled and thrown or pinned. Forms, or katas, are used minimally or
not at all in Aikido, Judo and many forms of Jujitsu, in favor of the practice of applied technique. Of the three, only Aikido
teaches to minimize harm to an attacker from the outset as in Tai Chi Chuan, while the other martial arts use the
expedient to build self confidence.
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Martial Arts Westchester: White Plains, New Rochelle, Yonkers, Bronx
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), a recent innovation, falls into a category of its own in that it employs the use of numerous
martial arts. The globalization of society enabled practitioners of differing backgrounds and cultures to contact each
other, and martial artists have taken advantage of the opportunity to test their skills against other practitioners. The
characteristics of training are more likely to retain the nature of the underlying martial art in which each competitor trains,
although the competitive process surely focuses on the use of destructive technique in the early stages. While in theory
MMA competition is a useful tool for a martial artist to learn and study their respective systems, in practice the crude
search for the most effective martial art by junior practitioners is a distraction from the study of the critically important
principle notions that actually cause all martial arts to be effective. In addition, the availability of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
in Westchester is limited.
Weapons Martial Arts Westchester: White Plains, New Rochelle, Yonkers, Bronx
Although not prevalent in Westchester, many of the empty handed martial arts were originally derived from weapons
systems used for warfare. Some weapons only martial arts employ competition (Kendo) and others use forms (Iaido).
However, most of the empty handed martial arts also retain their weapons training in varying degrees.
Conclusion Martial Arts Westchester: White Plains, New Rochelle, Yonkers, Bronx
Regarding technical emphasis, some martial arts focus on striking an opponent (Kung Fu, Karate, Tae Kwon Do & Tai
Chi Chuan, Mixed Martial Arts - MMA), whereas others emphasize throws and pins (Aikido, Judo, Jujitsu, Mixed Martial
Arts - MMA). Those that focus on striking also tend to use katas or forms as a primary training method (with the possible
exception of Mixed Martial Arts - MMA), whereas the others use practical application. We find most martial arts utilize
competition (Kung Fu, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Tai Chi Chuan, Judo, Jujitsu, Mixed Martial Arts - MMA), while others are
more traditionally interested in survival (Aikido, Iaido and some forms of Jujitsu). Regarding the spirit of training, most
martial arts teach destructive techniques first to establish the student’s confidence and then how to control an attacker,
but Aikido, traditional Tai Chi Chuan and perhaps Hapkido reverse the order. All martial arts developed in response to
different circumstances culturally/historically and all martial arts are very effective.
History Martial Arts Westchester: White Plains, New Rochelle, Yonkers, Bronx
Taking the historical development of Asian martial arts from Shaolin Kung Fu, these striking oriented martial arts traveled
through to Japan as Karate and Korea as Tae Kwon Do. In addition, internal martial arts developed in China much later
in the forms of Tai Chi Chuan, Bagua and Hsing Yi. In mainland Japan, the ancient Jujitsu forms were developed for
Samurai to defend themselves if ever caught without a weapon. Over 1,000+ years these martial arts splintered into
many systems (e.g. Brazilian Jujitsu) and were eventually modernized into Judo and Aikido. Today, many of these martial
arts are offered in Westchester County, NY. Mixed Martial Arts or MMA, although not prevalent in Westchester, is a
recent innovation enabling practitioners of different martial arts to compete with each other. The original weapons
martial arts, such as Kendo and Iaido sword forms, may also practiced separately, although they are not prevalent in
Westchester County either.
Striking Arts Martial Arts Westchester: White Plains, New Rochelle, Yonkers, Bronx
As the development of each martial art relies heavily upon the culture and situation of its founder, each system tends to
emphasize different aspects of technique, training methods and the general spirit of practice. For example, certain
martial arts tend to emphasize striking as the ultimate objective of the technique. Kung Fu, such a martial art, employs a
vast array of physical movements, often in various forms. Karate is derived mainly from this system, but is a simplified
form, and the movements tend more towards being linear as opposed to circular. Tae Kwon Do, derived from Karate and
some indigenous Korean martial arts, tends to add particularly high kicks as well as an overall emphasis on kicking.
These martial arts involve external (hard) power, and teach mainly through forms or katas. One on one competition is
used as well, but specific applications are not practiced as much as in other martial art systems. As for the spirit of
practice, these styles teach powerful and disabling attacks right from the outset to build confidence. While the ultimate
objective of all martial arts is to minimize harm to everyone, self confidence is a vital ingredient in minimizing injury to an
attacker, so these martial arts begin with an expedient to build such confidence.
Tai Chi Chuan developed in China later than Kung Fu, and emphasizes the slow practice of forms often for health
benefits. The purpose is to develop internal (soft) power, as opposed to the external (hard) force emphasized in the
martial arts of Kung Fu, Karate and Tae kwon Do. The training methods (competition, forms, etc.) are also similar to
Kung Fu, Karate & Tae Kwon do. While the emphasis often tends to be in striking the opponent, traditional Tai Chi
Chuan teaches how to control an attacker rather than injure them from the outset of training, thus bypassing the
expedient above.
Throwing Arts Martial Arts Westchester: White Plains, New Rochelle, Yonkers, Bronx
Jujitsu takes on many forms, emphasizing grappling, throwing, striking, etc. That said, most forms of Jujitsu, Judo and
Aikido minimize the use of strikes in favor of throws, pins, etc. Ground work is common in the martial arts of Judo and
Brazilian Jujitsu, for example. Judo is one modernization of Jujitsu, Aikido being the other. Judo emphasizes throwing and
submission grappling on the ground in competition. Aikido emphasizes movement to deal with multiple attackers in a
noncompetitive setting. In Aikido, an attacker is controlled and thrown or pinned. Forms, or katas, are used minimally or
not at all in Aikido, Judo and many forms of Jujitsu, in favor of the practice of applied technique. Of the three, only Aikido
teaches to minimize harm to an attacker from the outset as in Tai Chi Chuan, while the other martial arts use the
expedient to build self confidence.
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Martial Arts Westchester: White Plains, New Rochelle, Yonkers, Bronx
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), a recent innovation, falls into a category of its own in that it employs the use of numerous
martial arts. The globalization of society enabled practitioners of differing backgrounds and cultures to contact each
other, and martial artists have taken advantage of the opportunity to test their skills against other practitioners. The
characteristics of training are more likely to retain the nature of the underlying martial art in which each competitor trains,
although the competitive process surely focuses on the use of destructive technique in the early stages. While in theory
MMA competition is a useful tool for a martial artist to learn and study their respective systems, in practice the crude
search for the most effective martial art by junior practitioners is a distraction from the study of the critically important
principle notions that actually cause all martial arts to be effective. In addition, the availability of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
in Westchester is limited.
Weapons Martial Arts Westchester: White Plains, New Rochelle, Yonkers, Bronx
Although not prevalent in Westchester, many of the empty handed martial arts were originally derived from weapons
systems used for warfare. Some weapons only martial arts employ competition (Kendo) and others use forms (Iaido).
However, most of the empty handed martial arts also retain their weapons training in varying degrees.
Conclusion Martial Arts Westchester: White Plains, New Rochelle, Yonkers, Bronx
Regarding technical emphasis, some martial arts focus on striking an opponent (Kung Fu, Karate, Tae Kwon Do & Tai
Chi Chuan, Mixed Martial Arts - MMA), whereas others emphasize throws and pins (Aikido, Judo, Jujitsu, Mixed Martial
Arts - MMA). Those that focus on striking also tend to use katas or forms as a primary training method (with the possible
exception of Mixed Martial Arts - MMA), whereas the others use practical application. We find most martial arts utilize
competition (Kung Fu, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Tai Chi Chuan, Judo, Jujitsu, Mixed Martial Arts - MMA), while others are
more traditionally interested in survival (Aikido, Iaido and some forms of Jujitsu). Regarding the spirit of training, most
martial arts teach destructive techniques first to establish the student’s confidence and then how to control an attacker,
but Aikido, traditional Tai Chi Chuan and perhaps Hapkido reverse the order. All martial arts developed in response to
different circumstances culturally/historically and all martial arts are very effective.
Scarsdale Aikido
4 Gray Rock Rd
Scarsdale, NY 10583
914-648-0492
or Contact Us
4 Gray Rock Rd
Scarsdale, NY 10583
914-648-0492
or Contact Us
| Martial Arts Info Westchester: White Plains, New Rochelle, Yonkers, Bronx Self Defense: Tai Chi - Kung Fu - Karate - Tae Kwon Do - Aikido - Judo - Jujitsu - MMA - Weapons |
Overview Martial Arts
Locating a School
Why Train in Martial
Arts?
Kung Fu
Karate
Tae Kwon Do
Tai Chi Chuan
Aikido
Judo
Jujitsu
Mixed Martial Arts
(MMA)
Weapons (Sword,
Staff, Archery)
Locating a School
Why Train in Martial
Arts?
Kung Fu
Karate
Tae Kwon Do
Tai Chi Chuan
Aikido
Judo
Jujitsu
Mixed Martial Arts
(MMA)
Weapons (Sword,
Staff, Archery)
