***It is May the 4th, everyone's favorite Star Wars themed, merchandise based, holiday! As regular readers know I occasionally write about the Lightsaber Combat Community. Here is an essay touching on the importance of rhythm in the practice of various... 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 →
Becoming Ip Man, in all the Wrong Ways On a Saturday morning in 2011 I found myself running an “open session” for my Sifu’s Wing Chun school. The weekday classes were always structured affairs in which learners worked... Continue Reading →
A Tricky Step Darth Nihilus* was grinning as he stripped off his fencing helmet and strode over to the open section of floor where I, and one of his more senior students, had been working on... 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... Continue Reading →
Warning: Speculation Ahead No topic surrounding Wing Chun elicits more interest than its deep historical origins. Did the art really originate at the southern Shaolin Temple? Was it connected to late Qing revolutionary groups? Did Leung Jan actually learn... Continue Reading →
Introduction There are a number of different ways of observing a community. One of the most frequently overlooked is to pay attention to their physical culture. What sorts of objects do individuals invest their scarce time... Continue Reading →
Meeting a New Friend Recently I have been spending a lot of time (and practice hours) thinking about the Mook Yan Jong. This type of wooden dummy is commonly used in Wing Chun schools around the world. I had not... Continue Reading →
Introduction It is that time of year again. A time for lights and laughter. A time for memory and reflection. But mostly it is a time of terror as you contemplate what you will get for that "very particular" martial... Continue Reading →
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