Why so many Martial Arts in the world and U.S.?

I haven't heard of most of the ones listed here sometimes. Why so many if all Martial Arts are based on a few things such as striking, grappling, submission, throwing, heart, soul and mind etc....I don't see how you can get so many combos out of those few skills and doesn't all train on them to some degree..?

Why so many Martial Arts in the world and U.S.?
There are so many because they are selling something.








In other words you are correct that there are actually only a few ways to attack. Boxing style punches, muay thai style kicks and knees and elbows, wrestling style takedowns, judo style throws, jujitsu style submissions and a few extra things like eye gouging and biting.





All martial arts in their pure or original form look the same as this.





As any jailbird, special forces guy, MMA fighter or anyone else who fights to live will tell you.





The reason there are' two million other styles' is that the original style is corrupted any time people stop fighting for a living.





They start teaching something that appeals to certian people, like a certain 'market'.





They have to give it a name and like in any marketing give it some "new improved moves" so people will learn it instead of choosing another one.





And so then you have 200,000 different martial arts, all no longer teaching the original style, selling a different product.
Reply:There is no limit to the versatility of the human mind and the human body. When the two are combined to form a weapon, there is no limit to the number of combinations that can be formed. Every martial art teaches a different style of fighting, based upon different principles and background and what they believe to be most important. Some stress kicks and punches, some stress throws. Some stress grappling. Some Stress blocks, evasions, sweeps, or strikes. For others it is pressure points. Some seek to build the fighter up from within by honing him or her spiritually. Every school of though has a different approach. They all have merit and there are valuable lessons to be learned from all of them. But in truth there are as many different styles of fighting as there are fighters. Not every fighter is a teacher, but every fighter is unique, so their teaching methods are unique. I prefer being a well-rounded fighter, so I've learned from a wide range of disciplines. Every fighter has an opinion on which discipline is best, but anything that expands your knowledge is good. And yes, I prefer the term, fighter to martial artist. I create art with clay or paintbrush or pencil, and I'm very good at that. When I'm fighting, It is not an art it is combat and I am there to win.
Reply:Its just like Religion. You go with what you believe in. If not you'll fall for anything.
Reply:there are so many because there are so many people. The art form comes by the mind and the mind is effected by the environment around them. Like Israel has krav magra sorry if its not spelled right, but it is a very effective war style that they made because everyday they are at war. People made staff styles because that is what they had at the time. Farmers from Asia made use of their tools and turned them into the weapons of today. Their are so many because their are so many people and don't limit martial arts. Sure their is some that is mostly flash but it can still be a part of it. Although basics are good for fighting because it does not over complicate things.
Reply:First, ask yourself how many cultures are presently in the world. then, ask yourself how many more we have had in the past. Also, take into consideration that it is only in recent history that armies are able to fight without using man-to-man combat, so any nation, people, village needing to protect itself would have to find some way to do so.





This is especially true when you consider how many cultures and nations had rulers who forbid their citizens from owning weapons. Many martial arts were developed for this reason. The people had to protect themselves so they practiced, studied, worked together, sparred, one thing led to another, and you have all the disciplines we have now.





Some of these disciplines go back for literally millenia and it would not be false to say that more has been forgotten than is now known. But the cool thing is that those who reach higher ranks generally discover new methods and forms and add it to their knowledge and teach it to their students, so it is ever-evolving. Very cool.