Transforming Southern Martial Culture How did Taijiquan, now ubiquitous, establish itself in Southern China? What about the other northern Shaolin systems? I would think that the lion’s share of the credit must go to the Jingwu Association… Continue Reading →
Chinese Martial Arts in the News: Dec 10...
Introduction Its official, holiday madness is upon us. Still, I wanted to comment on some of the more interesting stories that have been floating around. For new readers, this is a semi-regular feature here at Kung Fu Tea in which we review media… Continue Reading →
Varieties of “Tradition”: Work, Play and
A Different Kind of Race Horse races are strongholds of pageantry and tradition, but when it comes to medieval texture, few can compare with the Palio di Siena. Oddly, any footage of the event reminds me of a critical… Continue Reading →
Wabi-Sabi: Martial Arts in a Warming Wor...
Martial Arts and Politics: The Big Picture The latest (dire) global warming report produced by US government scientists is inspiring conversations everywhere. I overheard a particularly interesting discussion between two colleagues earlier this week which focused not… Continue Reading →
STAFF VERSUS SPEAR
– 棍進槍 STAFF VERSUS SPEAR 蘭晉如 by Lan Jinru [Chapters 7–10 of An Authentic Description of Shaolin Staff Methods, published Jan, 1930] [translation by Paul Brennan, Nov, 2018] – 第七章 棍進槍 CHAPTER SEVEN [CHAPTERS 7–10]: STAFF VERSUS SPEAR 開門式 第一動作 OPENING POSTURE … Continue reading →
2018 Christmas Shopping List: Martial Ar...
I am not going to lie. The annual Christmas list is my favorite post of the year. So welcome to Kung Fu Tea’s seventh annual holiday shopping list! Not only are we going to find some cool gift ideas, but hopefully… Continue Reading →
2018 Christmas Shopping List: Martial Ar...
I am not going to lie. The annual Christmas list is my favorite post of the year. So welcome to Kung Fu Tea’s seventh annual holiday shopping list! Not only are we going to find some cool gift ideas, but hopefully… Continue Reading →
The Modern Roots of ‘Ancient’ Martial Ar
I have just arrived back in Ithaca after spending Sunday driving rather than typing. Still, I have two items that I want to share. The first is a short interview I did with the Rochester Review after The Creation of… Continue Reading →
Bruce Lee: Memory, Philosophy and the Ta...
***I am off visiting family over the holiday weekend, so we are headed back to the archives. Since our (American) readers have just celebrated Thanksgiving, I though it would be appropriate to revisit an essay that asks what we… Continue Reading →
Research Notes: Judo’s Triple Transforma
Doing the Homework Students of Martial Arts Studies are the fortunate few. As research areas go, ours is pretty interesting. Yet as I review the literature (even recent publications from big name academic presses), it is clear that many… Continue Reading →