***Greetings! I am currently preparing for the upcoming Martial Arts Studies conference in Cardiff. As such we will be taking a deep dive into the archives for today’s post. This essay and biographical sketch was first published four years ago in our “Lives of Chinese Martial Artists” series. While not well known in the…
The Bubishi Gets its Due: Returning the ‘Bible of Karate’ to its Chinese Roots
David S. Nisan and Liu Kangyi. 2016. The General Tian Wubeizhi: the Bubishi in Chinese Martial Arts History. Taipei: Lionbook Martial Arts Company. 136 pages of text, plus 128 pages of facsimile reprint. $47.95 USD. Introduction Given life’s many obligations, it is all too easy let one’s personal study lapse. Balancing the…
Facing Down a Wooden Dummy, and the Myth of “Perfect Practice”
“Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” – Vince Lombardi The Bane of my Existence I have spent a lot of time thinking about Vince Lombardi’s famous maxim on the value of practice. I will readily admit to hating this quote. It is exactly the sort of tough, yet…
Venezuelan Stick Fighting: What can we learn from the modernization of a vernacular fighting system?
Introduction The release of the Summer 2017 issue of Martial Arts Studies is fast approaching. Paul and I have been quite busy over the last few weeks preparing the various articles and reviews for publication. The contents of the issue look fantastic and a few of the pieces are going to be…
Through a Lens Darkly (46): Two Scenes of Early 20th Century Muay Thai/Muay Boran
As a researcher who focuses on the martial arts in modern China and North America, I do not claim any special expertise in the rich fighting traditions of South East Asia. Still, one of the gratifying aspects of running a blog like this is being able to share the thrill of new discoveries….
Violence and the Martial Arts: Contagion or Cure?
An Old Metaphor Violence has many faces. It may appear in an inter-personal, domestic, social or political form. It’s physical aspects exist on a spectrum ranging from school yard fights all the way up to interstate war. And as the recent attack on a group of Republican congressional representatives and staff…
Chinese Martial Arts in the News: June 12th, 2017: London Attacks, Kung Fu in Hong Kong and Gene Ching is a Star!
Introduction Welcome to “Chinese Martial Arts in the News!” This is a semi-regular feature here at Kung Fu Tea in which we review media stories that mention or affect the traditional fighting arts. In addition to discussing important events, this column also considers how the Asian hand combat systems are portrayed in the mainstream media….
Lives of Chinese Martial Artists (20): General Li Jinglin, the “Sword Saint” of Wudang
Who was China’s “Number One Sword?” Few individuals come to be known as both a warlord and a “sword saint.” Even by the standards of China’s tumultuous 1920s, the carving out of two such notable public personas was an impressive achievement. Yet General Li Jinglin managed to leave his stamp on both…
Anime and the Education of a Martial Artist
Introduction Occasionally life takes a turn and one’s personal martial arts training gets moved to the back burner. The last couple of weeks have been like that as my wife and I have been engulfed in a seemingly unending move. It certainly could have been worse as on paper it was a…
Research Notes: Kung Fu at the American School in Shanghai, 1936
Martial Arts Exhibitions, Old and New Earlier today I saw a Facebook notice reminding me that I am about to miss an event with the lightsaber combat group that I am currently doing an ethnography with. They have been asked to give an exhibition by a local charity. The entire thing…
Through a Lens Darkly (45): Creative Collages and Dueling Mythologies of the Chinese Martial Arts
Romanticizing the Chinese Martial Arts Vintage postcards or other ephemera may be interesting to students of martial arts studies for a variety of reasons. When assessing this material, we are often drawn to photographic images that might reveal lost details of how things “were really done.” I have come across a few…
An Opportunity to Document the Indian Martial Arts
Introduction Prof. Phillip Zarrilli’s name will already be familiar to many. His book, When the Body Becomes All Eyes: Paradigms, Discourses and Practices of Power in Kalarippayattu, a South Indian Martial Art (Oxford UP, 2000) was an important landmark in the development of Martial Arts Studies. It provided readers with both the first…
