***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... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
“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... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
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