“In the west, Asian martial arts are everywhere. They are part of the texture of popular consciousness. Nonetheless I want to argue that they remain marginal. That is to say, although Westerners may see them often, and all... Continue Reading →
Introduction: The Shadow of History None of the short, English language, biographies of the respected martial artist and actor Yu Chenghui (1939-2015) have much to say about his struggles or activities during the Cultural Revolution. Yet even... Continue Reading →
***This is the second half of our exploration of lightsaber combat as a martial art. Reader who have not yet read Part I are strongly encouraged to do so before going on. In the last essay we considering some of... Continue Reading →
***This is the first half of two part article. However, readers may actually want to begin by reading my recent post What are “martial arts,” and why does knowing matter?*** “It [Ludosport] started in 2006 in Italy. A few friends... Continue Reading →
Introduction Ephemera, such as postcards, tourist snapshots and newspaper accounts are an important (if often overlooked) source of information regarding the traditional Chinese martial arts. While a number of printed manuals and detailed philosophical discussions do exist from the... Continue Reading →
Introduction Opportunities come in many forms, even in the guise of a sore throat. Since I have been feeling a bit under the weather I decided to use the next few days to catch up on my reading.... Continue Reading →
The TCMA as a Perpetual Revival Movement Kung Fu has an odd relationship with the past. It seems that for the last century (at least) each generation has discovered the beauty of the Chinese martial arts only to... Continue Reading →
Chinese Officer and Soldier with Ring Hilted Sabers Today's post is an early Christmas gift. When I first decided that it would be wise (for research purposes) to collect and catalog images of period martial artists, I was... Continue Reading →
“In business, be competent. In action, watch the timing. No fight: No blame.” Introduction I bet you didn’t know that the Dao De Jing was full of Christmas shopping advice. It turns out that it is, and... Continue Reading →
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