There are a few individuals who have popularized hand to hand combat and the martial arts the world over. When it comes to drawing attention to the martial arts in the United States, perhaps the earliest individual who did the most to bring people's attention to these disciplines was Teddy Roosevelt.
Teddy Roosevelt was United States President during the early years of the 20th century. Many people do not appreciate everything else that Teddy Roosevelt did during the course of his remarkable life. Indeed, Teddy Roosevelt led a more full and interesting life than all but a very few Americans.
Throughout most of his life, Teddy Roosevelt spent a great deal of traveling to different parts of the world. Teddy Roosevelt was a very adventurous person. He spent many a day on safari and on other adventure trips. He was also a noted military man, leading the famous charge up San Juan Hill during the Spanish - American war.
Teddy Roosevelt was also a man interested in learning. No matter where he went in the world, Teddy Roosevelt was always interested in learning local customs and history. To that end, during his travels, Teddy Roosevelt learned a great deal about different types of combat and self defense regimens, including the Asian martial arts.
In time, Teddy Roosevelt brought back to the United States what he learned in regard to the martial arts. Many experts and historians agree that Teddy Roosevelt was the first well know person in North America to take a keen interest in the martial arts.
In addition to learning the basics of martial arts himself, Teddy Roosevelt also was an advocate for other people learning the intricacies of the martial arts. Through the leadership of Teddy Roosevelt, a number of other Americans -- both famous and unknown to the public at large -- began taking an interest in learning about self defense, hand to hand combat and the martial arts. Even members of his own White House Cabinet studied jiu-jitsu with Teddy Roosevelt's personal instructor.
During his Presidency, Teddy Roosevelt encouraged the military leaders in the country to develop a course of hand to hand combat training that included at least some basic instruction in the martial arts. These requirements are still in force at the United States Military Academy at West Point even today.
Teddy Roosevelt and his advocacy of adding the martial arts to military training proved providential. During the First World War, hundreds of thousands of soldiers from the United States and other allied countries found themselves involved in trench warfare. As a result, hand to hand combat was a frequently used skill for defeating the enemy. Those combatants that had martial arts training fared far better in the hand to hand combat of trench warfare than did those men without similar training.
As World War One drew to a close, both military leaders and civilians demonstrated a greater interest in the martial arts. The experiences of men on the field during the First World War left people with the strong conviction that Teddy Roosevelt had been correct in encouraging people from all walks of life to approach the martial arts.
As a result of Teddy Roosevelt and his early advocacy of the martial arts, combined with the experiences of the Allied forces during the dark days of the First World War, martial arts training was added to the overall basic training for servicemen around the world. By the beginning of World War Two many soldiers from both the Allied and Axis countries were trained in the martial arts. Indeed, training in hand to hand combat (including training in the martial arts) became a significant part of the overall course of basic training in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom.
Even today, in the earliest part of the 21st century, Teddy Roosevelt's commitment to the martial arts remains obvious from people in all walks of life. Men, women and children of all ages have found themselves in all types of martial arts training programs.
These people have taken to the martial arts -- quite like Teddy Roosevelt -- for both self defense and for self discipline. Schools that teach people of all ages the martial arts have cropped up around the globe.
Experts in the martial arts predict that the legacy of Teddy Roosevelt will continue well into the future. More and more people are expected to be attracted to the martial arts, both for reasons of self defense and self discipline.
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