the martial arts are a system of ancient combat techniques, and are often employed for use in self-defense, fitness, and spiritual and emotional development. the earliest martial arts can be traced back to china over 4000 years ago.

some martial arts are considered traditional and are associated with an ethnic or cultural background - while others are modern combat systems developed by an individual founder, often as a supplement or replacement for a martial art the founder became a master in.

a famous example of the concept described above is bruce lee - he was a trained master of kung fu, and went on to create jeet kune do, an american martial art with its traditions steeped in chinese kung fu.