The Eighties in America - Salem Press (2009)

Martial arts

Definition Specialized forms of hand-to-hand
combat and self-defense that are also practiced
as sports

During the 1980’s, a wide variety of international martial
arts became popular in the United States—as disciplines in
which to train, as spectator sports, and as the subjects of
movies and television programs.

There are dozens of martial arts schools and forms.
These various schools originated in a number of re-
gions including Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Ameri-
cas. Most often, they were originally developed as
forms of hand-to-hand combat, or as combined com-
bat styles and philosophical disciplines. Martial arts
are often associated with unarmed, bodily combat,
but many also employ weapons, including, staffs,
swords, clubs, and bows and arrows. Skilled martial
artists may also be trained to employ random objects
to augment the offensive and defensive capabilities
of their hands and feet. The major forms, such as
boxing (Europe), karate (Japan), kung-fu (China),
and tae kwon do (Korea) have been developed over
a period of centuries. Each of the major types of mar-
tial arts has given rise to many variations institution-
alized in hundreds of schools practicing derivative
forms around the world.
Immigrant populations brought martial arts into
the United States from the country’s beginnings,
but most were practiced in military and in private
schools and did not enter the public limelight. With
the advent and spread of various media, the martial
arts were developed in dojos, or schools, across
the country. They were popularized in print, film,
and television. As they became popular, martial arts
provided new cultural input and exchange and in-
creased the diversity of fighting arts and awareness
of foreign ideologies in the United States. As the pro-
cess of globalization accelerated during the 1980’s,
hundreds of derivative schools were developed to
satisfy the interests of those wanting to learn either
simple self-defense methods or an entire way of life
based upon the philosophical systems underlying
each of the forms practiced.

Impact The martial arts expanded enormously in
the 1980’s as a result of their popularization in the
media. Actors such as Bruce Lee in the 1970’s cre-
ated both a movie and a television platform, origi-

nating primarily in the staged operas of Beijing

and transferred via Hong Kong to Hollywood. In

the 1980’s, the next generation of performers took

center stage. These included Jackie Chan in Hong

Kong, Chuck Norris—who originated the American

Style of karate and became an American icon in

the television seriesWalker, Texas Ranger—and other

popular action movie stars such as Jean-Claude Van

Damme and Steven Seagal. Each of the many stars

and practitioners during the 1980’s had his or her

own unique background, school, and style of martial

arts. Together, they exposed the public to ancient el-

ements of cultures from around the world. Many ac-

tion films and television shows were produced in the

1980’s that, combined with the emergence of thou-

sands of schools across the country, completed the

integration of martial arts into mainstream Ameri-

can society.

Further Reading

Borkowski, Cezar.The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Martial

Arts. Royersford, Pa.: Alpha Press, 1998.

West, David.Chasing Dragons: An Introduction to the

Martial Arts Film.New York: I. B. Tauris, 2006.

Michael W. Simpson

See also Action films; Asian Americans; Boxing;

Film in the United States; Globalization.

Martin, Steve

Identification American comedian, writer,

producer, actor, and entertainer

Born August 14, 1945; Waco, Texas

Martin, a leading comedian, writer, producer, and actor,

had a strong influence on 1980’s popular culture through

his comedic movies, recordings, and television perfor-

mances.

Steve Martin greatly extended his reach in enter-

tainment in the 1980’s. As a youth, he had sold

magic gadgets at the magic shop on Disneyland’s

Main Street, where he learned to do magic and bal-

loon tricks. Martin became a comedy writer for the

Smothers Brothers in the late 1960’s and rose to

fame as a “wild and crazy guy” and a zany comedian

in the 1970’s with his trademark arrow-through-the-

head prop. Martin was a frequent guest onSaturday

Night Liveand gained wide recognition in 1979 by

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Martial arts The Eighties in America