Situating the Martial Culture of Shii-cho All of the Jedi I know speak with an accent. A particularly keen observer might notice them as they walk into the Central Martial Arts Academy, shedding their boots... Continue Reading →
Introduction Paul Bowman, Kyle Barrowman and I have all been hard at work over the last couple of weeks putting the finishing touches on Issue 3 of the interdisciplinary journal, Martial Arts Studies. With seven research articles and a... Continue Reading →
The Debate Neil Gong’s article, “How to Fight Without Rules: On Civilized Violence in “De-Civilized” Spaces,” (Social Problems, 2015, 0, pp. 1-18) is the sort of work that is sure to find its way onto a... Continue Reading →
***Paul Bowman recently wrote an essay dealing with attempts to both define the martial arts and to think about the development of martial arts studies as a distinct field. Given the importance of the points that he raises, and... Continue Reading →
First, the Important Stuff Is it possible to approach history without theory? I think not. It is the existence of some sort of preexisting story or framework of understanding that we carry around in our heads which... Continue Reading →
“The lightsaber has become an important touchstone, both within the films and within our culture…They serve as a source of identification and identity. They are the ultimate commodity: a nonexistent object whose replicas sell for hundreds of dollars. This... Continue Reading →
Meeting the Boxer I recently had the good fortune to meet one of my favorite Chinese Boxers. I had been stalking him for years. This early 20th century postcard was probably purchased in Beijing and then... Continue Reading →
Greetings from Germany! I am current attending the 5th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Sport Science's Martial Arts Commission at the Sports University of Cologne. I will soon be delivering my keynote address (titled "Creating Wing... Continue Reading →
"Inoue said the Japanese style of judo traditionally focused more on quantity rather than quality, trying to instill a tough mentality. But in Europe, which Inoue describes as “the mainstream of judo today,” judoka train more efficiently. “A... Continue Reading →
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