The term “Martial Arts” can cover a broad range of different activities. Strictly speaking, the term refers to combat practices used in war, however it is more often used to describe hand-to-hand combat techniques and fighting with traditional weapons. Most of these techniques originated in China centuries ago and quickly spread to Japan and Korea. Today many different interpretations of Martial Arts are being taught, and are based on original Japanese, Korean and Chinese styles. The differences in the arts are their variations on kicks and strikes or on power and speed. One common emphasis is shared between all of the arts: the attention to positive self-development and character building.