Innholdsfortegnelse for November - December 2016 i Kung Fu Tai Chi

This issue hits the newsstands around the elections but due to print production time, I’m writing this Publisher’s note just after the Olympics. Back in August, our 2016 Rio Olympics thread dominated our main forum at KungFuMagazine.com (we have some Rio coverage our Web Fu section - see page 12). I love the Olympics. There are always so many inspirational stories, as well as some disheartening ones; such is the nature of sports. I enjoy watching all of the Olympic sports from the most popular to the rare ones that I don’t know anything about. I especially enjoy the martial-oriented ones: Archery, Boxing, Fencing, Judo, Modern Pentathlon, Shooting, Taekwondo and Wrestling. Honestly, it’s the only time I watch any Archery, Modern Pentathlon, Shooting, or Wrestling competitions. In Boxing, Clarissa Shields…

Lenox, MA – As healthy and holistic living becomes mainstream, various forms of wellness have emerged. One gaining in popularity is the ancient Chinese practice of Qigong. The first Medical Qigong and Eastern Medicine Symposium was recently held in the beautiful Eastover Estate and Retreat in Lenox, MA. The week-long symposium was the first of its kind to gather the world’s leading Qigong masters, Chinese medicine doctors, psychologists and healing practitioners. The main theme was to explore the eastern art of healing, emphasizing how our spiritual and mental health affects our physical health. The masters shared their Qigong wisdom and provided instructions and healings to the participants. Among them were Mantak Chia, Lee Holden, Roger Jahnke, Lonny Jarrett, Junfeng Li, Robert Peng, Mark Setton, Karin Sorvic and Michael Winn. The…

Those critics who grouse about the decline of traditional Kung Fu definitely weren’t in Concord, California, last July. Traditional Kung Fu practitioners convened en masse at the Concord Center for the 8th International Traditional Kung Fu Association Chinese Martial Arts Championship, hosted by Masters Daniel and Steffani Tomizaki of Tomizaki’s Champions Kung Fu Institute. The International Traditional Kung Fu Association Chinese Martial Arts (ITKFA) was formed nine years ago by Daniel Tomizaki and Marco Serra of Brazil. Tomizaki’s roots are in Brazil and he serves as both the International President and General Technical Director of the ITKFA. A large contingent of Brazilian competitors from Serra’s Instituto de Kung Fu Shaolin, Tomizaki’s sister school, made the long trek to participate. The ITKFA Championship began with a lovely a cappella rendition of…

“The thing called existence is nonexistent. The thing called nonexistence exists. Existence and nonexistence are not two.” – Yagu Munenori ( Cleary, 1993) For over two thousand years Chinese culture has been aware of two opposing forces in nature and their effect on humanity. As recorded in the Daodejing of Laozi in 4 BCE, “’Emptiness’ is what I call the origin of heaven and earth; ‘Existence’ is what I call the mother of everything that had a birth (無 名天地之始; 有名萬物之母) ... These two, Emptiness and Existence, came from the same source. Though they bear different names, they serve the same mystical cause (此兩者同出而異 名, 同謂之玄).” (tra nsl. by Lok, 2009) The Daodejing referred to these two forces as yin and yang. This perception, appearing so simplistic, is in fact…

Bruce Lee is the most iconic martial artist of our time, as well as the most impersonated. Some will claim Elvis or Michael Jackson are impersonated more often, but how many feature-length films were made by their impersonators? There are countless Bruce Lee knock-off movies. Many actors have built their entire careers on impersonating the Little Dragon. There are enough fake Bruce Lee movies to form a sub-genre of its own. And we’ve all done it, fantasized about being Bruce Lee. You can’t truly call yourself a martial artist, much less a Kung Fu practitioner, if you haven’t picked up a pair of nunchaku and made a “Wataaah!” yell at least once in your life. Bruce Lee was an inspiration. He brought Kung Fu into the global spotlight and forever…

Xing Yi Chuan is an internal martial art characterized by a small number of linear forms and the practice of standing Qigong to cultivate internal power. While the art of Xing Yi is vast, with a wealth of throwing, grappling, and kicking techniques, this article will focus on its punching combinations which, when executed with power and proper technique, make for an efficient method of defense or attack and can be applied in a variety of situations. The Punches Xing Yi Chuan (形意拳) includes empty hand forms for the five elements and for 12 animals. The five punches to be discussed are from the following forms: Crushing Fist (bengquan 崩拳), Drilling Fist (zuanquan 鑽 拳), Crossing Fist (hengquan 橫拳), Horse (ma 馬), and Sparrow Hawk (yao 鷂). These basic techniques…

Jian (4th tone 劍) means sword, specifically a double-edged straight sword. Hun (2nd tone 魂) means soul or spirit. Together these may be translated into ‘Soul of the Sword.’ This recalls an often quoted line from a story titled “Yue Maiden Swordfight” (越女論劍) which can be found in Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue (吳越春秋). Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue is an ancient ten-volume historical record of the states of Wu and Yue during the period of Spring and Autumn (771-476 BCE), written in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 CE) by historian Zhao Ye (趙曄). The quote is “A swordsman, must keep the combative spirit inside, but appear calm on the outside; resemble a fine lady, but fight back like a frightened tiger (劍者，內實精神，外示安逸；見之似 好婦，奪似懼虎).”…

Master Dean Chin (proper name ChinYuk Din) is remembered for the lives he touched and the legacy he left behind. Considered the Father of Jow Ga Kung Fu in America, he brought the system here from Hong Kong in 1967. From the time of his arrival until his untimely passing in 1985, no single person did more to promote and spread the system. At this year’s 2nd Annual Dean Chin Memorial Banquet, practitioners of the system gathered to pay their respects and remember the man who meant so much to so many. The event was attended by many longtime students of Master Chin such as Chris Henderson, Ricardo Ho, Marc Bretzfelder, Ivan Robinson, Gloria Grimes, and Keith Walls. Also present were many senior instructors trained by Dean Chin himself –…

Eating only what the body needs, with simple and wholesome foods. The current trend in the martial arts is to focus on the here and now. What techniques are the fastest and most effective for fighting – and in particular, competition fighting such as MMA or sport grappling tournaments? If one pays attention to martial arts social media, one is sure to have noticed several recent events that may point out the ill effects of MMA training and competition on the practitioner’s health and longevity. MMA gained popularity just over 20 years ago, so it is no wonder that martial artists are just beginning to notice that, as the old adage goes, “For every loss there is a gain and for every gain there is a loss.” The fast and…

In many action movies, the fights look so fake. Obviously, it is fake because it’s a movie, but for action star Jino Kang, fight choreography is best when it’s based on reality. Kang has written, directed, starred in and choreographed three indie action films: Blade Warrior (2001), Fist 2 Fist (2011), and Fist 2 Fist: Weapon of Choice (2015). He brings a diverse background of real martial arts skills to the screen, being a 7th degree Black Belt in Hapkido, a Black Belt Professor in Charles Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a Kyokoshin-Kai Black Belt, a Taekwondo Black Belt, and he also practices Judo and Eskrima. Here he demonstrates three of his favorite techniques that are both cinematically thrilling and potentially destructive. For Kung Fu practitioners, this also demonstrates two of the…

The cultural baggage of Chinese martial arts is a two-edged sword. When critics say Kung Fu is ineffective on the street, advocates often reply by saying that it has much more than just fighting, it’s culture too. Culture is a great selling point, especially with the largest demographic of students, or more specifically, their parents. For many schools, kid’s classes pay the rent and the parents that foot those bills are happy to hear their children are learning a little extra culture. But this begs the question – how much culture do you need to know to study Chinese martial arts? How much Daoism does a Tai Chi player need to know? Must a Shaolin Kung Fu practitioner take Buddhist vows to be authentic? And for students of Baguazhang, do…

JetLi would be proud to see how wushu has grown in the Western Hemisphere with so many talented elite athletes in the sport---had he been there. Lubbock, Texas on the campus of Texas Tech was the venue of the 11th Biennial Pan American Wushu Championships from August 12 to August 14. The invitation-only tournament of top competitors in each category featured both Sanda (sparring 散打) and Taolu (forms 套路) competitions, hard systems and soft systems (Taiji) and weapons. Representing the United States were 71 national team athletes of various age groups and disciplines. In addition to the U.S., Brazil, Mexico and Canada also had sizeable teams among the 13 countries present. Wushu is an extremely physically and mentally taxing sport. Injuries occur and can be expected in the Sanda matches.…

Hongquan (红拳) is one of the oldest styles of Kung Fu, purported to have its origins in the Zhou and Qin dynasty (1700–206 BCE), well before Shaolin Kung Fu. Often confused with the Southern Shaolin style of Hung Kuen (because in Mandarin the characters are homophonic), Hung Kuen is a Cantonese term. In Mandarin, it is also pronounced Hongquan, but the Chinese character is different. The Chinese character for Hung in this Southern Hung Kuen means “vast,” “great,” “immense,” or “flood” (洪). This name is attributed to the regal title of the first Ming Dynasty Emperor Hongwu (1328– 1398 CE 洪武), a nod to the anti-Manchu sentiment of Hung Kuen practitioners who thrived during the successive Qing Dynasty (1644–1912). The Hong in Hong Quan means “red.” Shao Zhiyong (绍智勇), President…

The weapon most associated with the monks of Shaolin Temple (少林寺) near Dengfeng (登封) is the staff. Though the weapon itself is plain and simple, the fighting techniques associated with it are decidedly not. Because the temple was situated near the centers of imperial power, the temple and its monks became involved in political power struggles between various rivals. Armed contingents of monks aided the future emperor Taizong (唐太宗) (personal name, Li Shimin (598–649 李世民)) in his quest for power. When he finally became emperor, he gratefully bestowed upon Shaolin Temple more lands and privileges. With Buddhism taking root in China, Buddhist temples were looked upon with favor by later emperors, thus establishing the temples as important religious centers with a martial tradition. The historical record suggests that, from the…

This period is the end of autumn and the beginning of winter. The season turns to cold. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Five Elements Theory, winter belongs to the element of water. The reflective viscera are the kidney and urinary bladder. Kidney oversees bones and stores jing (essence 精). Accordingly, reproductive and urinary system maladies are prevalent. Prevention paths include reducing sexual activity, adopting good sleeping habits, eating properly and exercising regularly to maintain physical power. In TCM, it is said, “Extinguish negative winter influences that will bring sickness in spring.” This means that if you indulge in excessive sensual pleasures during the winter, skip resting and eat poorly, your energies will be dissipated and you’ll get sick in spring. The following recipes are recommended for this period. Four Black…