Innholdsfortegnelse for July - August 2016 i Kung Fu Tai Chi

In the beginning of April, we crossed half a million likes on our facebook page. I’m rather proud of this because we’ve never paid to promote our posts there. It was all done by providing a continual stream of likable content. We now have four unique major web platforms on the web: KungFuMagazine.com, which publishes exclusive weekly content and bi-weekly sweepstakes, our KungFuMagazine.com forum, which has nearly 23,000 members contributing to the online discussion 24/7, our YouTube channel, which has over 500 exclusive videos and counting, and our facebook page, which posts a lot of photos (for every photo you see in our magazine here, there are dozens that we didn’t use; now we post them in our facebook albums). We also have Twitter, MySpace and Google+ platforms, but those…

On a rainy March Saturday, competitors gathered again for the West Coast’s longest standing Chinese Martial Arts Tournament. Berkeley was enduring the ravages of El Nino, nicknamed “Bruce Lee” by some weather forecasters for its destructive potential. And while it paled in comparison to storms experienced in the rest of the nation, California has been in a drought for years, leaving the parched land as vulnerable to the torrential rainfall as one of Han’s militia before Bruce’s nunchucks. California’s punishing dry spell left the dirt too tough, the ground too hard, and the rainfall caused minor floods, sinkholes, and downed trees across the state. The foul weather took its toll on U.C. Berkeley’s 24th Annual Chinese Martial Arts Tournament. In past years, they reached their competitor cap of 500+ prior…

In the domain of martial arts there will usually be a discussion, in one manner or another, no matter what the style, about vital energy/breath (qi 氣), its circulation and internal power (jin 勁, neili 內力). What exactly this is, how it is cultivated, and how it is generated is entirely another question. Within the Hung Style (hung gar/hongjia 洪家) such a discussion quite often focuses on two taolu (forms 套路): Tiger and Crane (hu he shuang xing/fu hok seung ying 虎鶴雙形) and Iron Thread (tie xian quan/tit sin kuen 鐵綫拳). Tiger and Crane is the signature and most famous form of the style due to its attribution to Wong Fei Hung, its integration of the tiger (yang) and the crane (yin) styles, and its multiple techniques (Kong 1983, 4;…

For the most up-to-date listings, visit our online interactive calendar at KungFuMagazine.com TOURNAMENTS & GATH ERINGS 2016-07-16 8th ITKFA Chinese Martial Arts Championship TIGER CLAW SPONSORED EVENT Contact: Tomizaki’s Champions Kung Fu Institute 925-671-7100 4475-K Treat Blvd., Concord, CA 94521 info@championskungfu.com - http://itkfamartialartschampionship.com 2016-07-23 (2 Days) 2016 Legends of Kungfu Championship Held in DFW Hilton Lakes - Executive Conference Center, Dallas, Texas. In conjunction with the World Chin Woo Martial Arts Championship & Cultural Festival. Contact: Jimmy Wong 214-878-4598 899 E. Arapaho Rd., Richardson, TX 75081 legendsofkungfu@gmail.com - www.legendsofkungfu.com 2016-07-31 The 5th Annual Lightning Tai Chi Championship Held at South Pasadena Middle School Gymnasium, 1500 Fair Oaks Ave., South Pasadena, CA Contact: Lightning Tai Chi 909-680-2400 407 W Imperial Hwy, Suite H #215, Brea, CA 92821 Jeu.Hsing@Yahoo.com - http://lightning-taichi.org 2016-08-06…

According to the Traditional Chinese Medicine FiveElement Theory, summertime is ruled by the fire element and associated with the heart channel. The heart governs blood, mind and consciousness. It is easy to get overheated, which is harmful to heart qi, resulting in cardiovascular-associated ailments. Nourish the heart and clear the heat. TCM says, “Cure your winter ailments in the summer,” so this period is a great opportunity for healing. Preventatives: 1. Take a 15- to 30-minute break in between the hours of 11 AM and 1 PM to close your eyes and meditate. During these hours, your qi is in your heart channel, so it is the optimal time for meditation as it nourishes your heart and mind. 2. Avoid cold drafts and drinks, especially after you have broken a…

In the wake of an exciting series of bouts at the 13th World Wushu Championships held in Jakarta, Indonesia, women’s Sanda ( 散打) enjoyed an important surge in popularity and expansion. Terrific athletes from the five continents stepped onto the raised platform to carry out their best combat techniques and strategies, pursuing a final position on the medal podium. The crowd was rapturous, waving and cheering their appreciation for the athletes. They saw more than women’s Sanda; they saw what they were there to see: great Sanda! Early Historical Developments Intended to be a merger of the most adaptable concepts and realistic techniques from several styles of traditional Wushu and other martial arts, Sanda is a comprehensive fighting system and an international full-contact sparring division under the umbrella of modern…

He stands before his opponent with aggressive intention. His posture is like a tiger ready to pounce, eyes focused, gaze stern and unfaltering. One hand is clenched tightly in fist at his side, chambered, ready to unleash; the other hand firmly grips a wooden board held out for his opponent to see. He bursts with energy, and with a crack like a gunshot two pieces of board fall to the ground. His fist returns and rests at his hip, tightly clenched, eyes unmoved. Unimpressed, his opponent merely replies, “Boards don’t hit back.” Every martial artist has heard or used this phrase at some point in their lives. It is a classic stand against narrowmindedness in martial arts training. Punching bags, focus mitts, and wooden dummies also don’t hit back, yet…

When this Chollywood Rising column was first launched in 2010, China had just become the 2nd largest economy in the world. That shift was reflected in China’s burgeoning film market which we’ve covered here every other month since. Back then, industry observers predicted that if this growth trend continued, China’s box office would exceed Hollywood’s in a decade or so. But now, after lucrative gains last February, market analysts are saying that the China movie market might outpace the U.S. as early as next year. Of course, February was Chinese New Year, a time when Chinese rush to the movies. There’s a lull in Hollywood then too, as all eyes turn to the Oscars. Nevertheless, it vindicates our Chollywood column as we’ve been anticipating this shift here for over half…

This beautiful matched pair of Melon Hammers display the elegant craftsmanship of Qing Dynasty weapon makers. Melon Hammers are unusual mace weapons, unique to the Chinese arsenal. European maces are usually flanged or spiked, not round like a melon. The closest cold arm from another culture is the Indian gada. The gada has a very similar design but are usually much larger and more ornate. The gada is the weapon of India’s Monkey King Hanuman, along with a few other legendary deities and warriors, so it has a holy quality to it. Accordingly, it is used as a ceremonial scepter for India’s top wrestling champions. The gada can be wielded as a single weapon or in pairs. Still practiced in some Indian martial arts, it is also used as a…

Return of the Kung Fu Stewardesses In our September+October 2015 installment of Web Fu, the Chengdu Aviation Training Institute Stewardesses were showcased. Recently, another report of hundreds of flight attendants studying Wing Chun in Sichuan appeared in the Chinese news. The report claimed it was in response to surveillance footage of a woman being attacked at the Yitel Hotel in Beijing that went viral. The report was met with skepticism because the women appearing in the photos were dressed in skimpy halter tops and daisy duke shorts. www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread. php?60046-Kung-Fu-Stew ardesses&p=1292798#po st1292798 The World’s Largest Guan Yu Statue The largest Guan Yu statue will be unveiled later this year in Jinzhou, Henan Province. Created of steel and bronze, the statue will stand over 190 feet tall and weigh some 1,200 tons.…

The history of the Guan Gong Da Dao (關公大 刀) can be traced back to the Song Dynasty. Originally it was used only by high-ranking government officials in ceremonies, as it was deemed too heavy for battlefield use. Later on, it was discovered to have utility for cavalry and infantry alike, as an antipersonnel weapon and in battle. This article focuses on a version of the Guan Gong Da Dao made of solid steel and weighing 90 pounds, the shaft being as thick as a can of Coca Cola. Historically it was made of iron, but in modern times it is forged from steel. Master Shi Yanshuang (釋延雙) began to study the solid-steel 90-pound Guan Gong Da Dao after already training in the Shaolin arts for over 15 years. Master…

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