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Martial Arts History, Wing Chun and Chinese Martial Studies.

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Chinese Martial Studies

Failed Transformations: Peloton, Master Ken and Traditional Martial Arts

    Fitness and Agency Rose clippers are a key symbol within Judkins family folklore.  When I was about ten my mother bought my father, who does not garden, a set of rose clippers.  These have lived, unused, in a... Continue Reading →

Through a Lens Darkly (47): The Sword Shops of Beijing’s Bow and Arrow Street

***I am currently preparing for a demonstration and tournament which I will be hosting on Friday.  As such, we are turning to the archives for today's post.  This essay offers readers a unique look at the nexus between the martial... Continue Reading →

The Transformation of Chinese Martial Arts During the Song Dynasty

  Introduction I have always wondered about the Song period (960-1279) and its connection to the modern Chinese martial arts (let’s say 1850 to the present).  One could be forgiven for placing the genesis of our current systems sometime in... Continue Reading →

The Immigrant Experience: Asian Martial Arts in the United States and Canada, by Joseph R. Svinth

    ***Happy Thanksgiving!  This is a day when we commemorate the initial act of European immigration to North America.  From that point onward the flow of people and ideas across our borders has never really stopped.  As such, it... Continue Reading →

Chinese Martial Arts, Religion and Spirituality: A Guide for the Perplexed

  Can the confused lead others to clarity?  Perhaps the title of this essay risks overselling the contents as I can think of no subject within the field more demanding of nuance, yet less likely to receive it, than the... Continue Reading →

Lives of Chinese Martial Artists (9): Woman Ding Number Seven: Founder of the Fujian Yongchun Boxing Tradition

Introduction: Gender and the History of the Chinese Martial Arts Women are a challenging subject in Chinese martial studies.  One the one hand traditions about female boxers, nuns, bandits and heroes abound in the folklore of the “Rivers and Lakes.” ... Continue Reading →

Are the Chinese Martial Arts Fake?

    Given that this essay is being hosted on a blog mostly read by practitioners of the TCMA, I doubt that the question posed by the title will generate a great deal of enthusiasm. I suspect that most of... Continue Reading →

Rediscovering China’s Flails

  Reclaiming Bruce When is a nunchuck, perhaps the most iconic weapon to emerge from Okinawan karate, not a nunchuck?  When it is being held by Bruce Lee.  At least that is what the discussion in my Facebook feed seemed... Continue Reading →

Chinese Martial Arts in the News: October 28th, 2019: Bruce Lee, Taijiquan and Debating the Traditional Martial Arts

  It has been too long since our last news update.  Halloween is just around the corner, and now is the perfect time to get caught up on recent events! For new readers, this is a semi-regular feature here at Kung Fu... Continue Reading →

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