London Institute of Martial Arts
The LIMA (London Institute of Martial Arts) seeks to provide students with an opportunity to pursue Further and Higher education and research in the martial arts culminating in the attainment of an undergraduate degree in Martial Arts Studies.
The Institute presents a course of study in the martial arts as an area of academic inquiry and empirical and analytical examination, exploring the broader themes within the discipline of martial arts. Beyond the area of personal self-defence, the martial arts provide enormous historical, cultural and scientific value in the areas of holistic well-being, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, and constitute a prime reality for the advanced study of all aspect of kinesiology.
In the Chinese, Korean and Japanese traditions, the martial arts represent the synthesis of knowledge and practice of the entirety of the human condition, including psychological and psychosocial aspects as well as physical and mechanical elements. Reflecting this varied nature of the martial arts as a discipline, the Institute offers courses exploring philosophical, historical, scientific, artistic and physical aspects of the martial arts. This approach reflects the nature of an undergraduate degree course necessitating the wider coverage of corollary areas through the curriculum. The Institute thus introduces students, who might typically be well accustomed to physical practice, to the nature and rigours of academic enquiry in the social sciences. In addition, the institute employs the use of technological and analytical developments in the area of human performance and kinesiology, and offers opportunities for the exploration of modalities for rehabilitation and recovery after physical, neurological and psychological injury.
The study and practice of the martial arts and corollary areas is widely pursued globally. In China, Korea and Japan established academic institutions offer higher instruction in the physical, cultural, philosophical and scientific aspects of the martial arts. In the United Kingdom, despite there being over 250,000 practitioners of the martial arts, there is no such validated course of study available for higher education in the discipline.
The institute is intended to fill that void. In addition, it serves students who wish to pursue further studies or a career in the sports sciences. The requirements for admission into the institute will generally reflect the admission criteria for Middlesex University with whom the Institute is affiliated. Further, consideration will be made for students who are practitioners of the martial arts to an advanced level, and who can demonstrate their capacity to pursue academic work to an acceptable level whether through professional experience or prior academic experience.