Innholdsfortegnelse for November - December 2017 i Kung Fu Tai Chi

I wrote my September+October 2014 Publisher’s Corner from a backpacking trip in Yosemite National Park. Late last July, I was backpacking there again and was thrilled to be able to climb Half Dome. It was something I did with my late father about forty years ago. This time, I got to do it with my own child, which made it extra special. It was inspirational, and a much needed break from the avalanche of media and work that buries us all. Even several months since our Kung Fu Tai Chi 25th Anniversary Festival, I’m still closing some final details. Hopefully, I’ll have it all done before the next one (which is May 19-20, 2018 by the way, mark your calendars). When I returned from my vacation, we retrofitted our office…

The first official events of the United States Dragon & Lion Dance Federation (USDLDF) were held on August 4–6, 2017, in Denver, Colorado. The US National Judges Course & Certification Exam was held over that three-day period at the Marriott Hotel at Gateway Park, followed by the official inauguration of the USDLDF, held at King’s Land Chinese Restaurant. The course had a total of 30 attendees who came from a variety of states including Hawaii, Washington, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Texas, Louisiana and Massachusetts, as well as international representatives from Brazil and Australia. The course covered both Southern Lion and Dragon Dance rules, regulations, evaluation, scoring and protocols, among other items. It was taught by Master Albert Fong, a certified judge under the International Dragon & Lion Dance Federation…

Learn Wushu Foundation ExercisesThat Only Require a Wall & You There are many famous walls, both ancient and modern, around the world. The Great Wall in China, the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Hadrian’s Wall in England and the Wall of Babylon in Iraq are just some of them. Here in the United States we may be on the verge of getting our own notable wall. You may ask, can a wall be beneficial? Is it practical? Though opinions and reasons abound, let’s throw that aside for now and consider how a wall might be used in the modern era. In today’s world, old ways of doing things are constantly tested for their effectiveness. This is especially true in the martial arts, where people question all methods and their applicability. It’s…

When watching a public Shaolin Kung Fu demonstration coming out of Shaolin Temple or nearby Dengfeng City, one might notice the majority of the skills displayed involve solo training drills and routines. However, Shaolin Kung Fu offers much more to its practitioners in the form of partner practice. Working together with a partner is no doubt an integral and important part of Shaolin training. One important benefit of Shaolin two-person training drills is body-toughening. A tough body that can withstand punishment gives the Kung Fu student an advantage in a physical altercation. One of the first partner drills taught in Shaolin Kung Fu (as well any many other Kung Fu systems) is the basic arm-banging drill. This drill is performed by facing a partner and performing high and low strikes…

Kung Fu Tai Chi is distributed by the following fine locations ARIZONA Hung Fa Yi Wing Chun of Arizona 1805 E. Elliot Rd. STE110 Tempe, AZ 85284 Mark Jones 480-820-2428 Shaolin Arts 4330 W. Union Hills Dr. B8 Glendale AZ 85308 Chris Workman 623-581-2000 www.shaolinarts.com CALIFORNIA Shaolin Temple Cultural Center 9143 La Rosa Dr. Temple City, CA 91780 Shi Yanxu 626-292-1355 http://shaolinus.com Shaolin Temple Cultural Center 3628 Nogales St., West Covina, CA 91792 Shi Yanxu 626-292-1355 http://shaolinus.com Tai Mantis Kung Fu 758 E Highland Ave. San Bernardino, CA 92404 Don Newton 909-881-2226 www.taimantis.com John Cho’s Kung Fu School 2435 N. Fresno St., Fresno, CA 93720 John Cho 209-225-9796 Lily Lau Eagle Claw 1651 El Camino Real Millbrae, CA 94030 Sifu Kalman Wong 510-201-3098 www.lilylaueagleclaw.com Gee Yung Fut Ga Assoc. 922…

Martial Arts Benefit for Quake Victims On May 12th, 2008, a devastating earthquake struck Sichuan, China. The loss of life and property was tremendous. Martial Arts Benefit for Quake Victims was staged in less than two weeks at the Ultimate Internationals, a Tiger Claw Elite Championship Qualifier, organized by Ray and Debbie Delgado. It was a sold out show and raised over $70,000. A special fund for the Sichuan quake victims was established by the Tiger Claw Foundation, non-profit charitable martial arts organization. The proceeds of this DVD are going towards this fund. For more information and other ways that you can donate, visit www.TigerClawFoundation.org. DVD-CA112 $24.95 Xingyi Six Harmony Fist Xingyi is another major internal art akin to Tai Chi, attributed to Grandmaster Ji Jike of the early Qing…

On June 29, 2017, Grandmaster Pan Qing Fu (潘清福) passed away at home in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Renowned for his iron fist, Grandmaster Pan had extremely calloused knuckles from years of training. Those knuckles were his signature, and he was always willing to rap someone’s skull with them if they questioned his veracity. Grandmaster Pan began as a child practicing martial arts in the basement because he didn’t want anyone to watch him. His first master convinced him to enter a local tournament, and although reluctant to compete, he won. His youthful ferocity earned him the nickname "Little Tiger" and, soon after, a slot on the Provincial Martial Arts Team. Pan was a voracious student who studied under more than a dozen masters, including Wen Jingming (溫敬銘). Grandmaster Wen was…

The three-section staff is an ancient Chinese weapon. Its origin is attributed to the founder of the Song Dynasty, Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin (927–976 CE 宋太祖赵匡胤). Dynastic emperors are always credited with many achievements and among his was the creation of panlong gun (literally “plate dragon cudgel” 盘龙棍). This weapon was more commonly known as a sweeper (saozi 扫子) by modern practitioners in Northern China. It is actually a two-section staff, more like a pole arm with a flail end. One stick is long for attacking the hoofs of horses. The other is a short flail. This is considered to be the precursor to the three-section staff (san jie gun 三节棍), as well as to the nunchaku made popular by Bruce Lee. The Chinese martial arts classify the three-section staff…

Traveling for work, going to martial arts events, getting the chance to talk to school owners and practitioners is one of the best ways for Tiger Claw to grow and improve our product. Year after year it gets a little harder to leave my growing family and get out of my daily routine, but I remind myself that it is a valuable opportunity to learn something that I might not have known about our customers. Every time I get home I’m so excited to see my girls, but also excited because I pick up something Tiger Claw can do better, something we can create or innovate. That makes our company better – and better able to serve you, the martial arts community. The last time I attended Dennis and Andrena…

THE city of Lubbock, Texas, hosted the 2017 Wushu National Championships. Hosted by the United Martial Arts Training Center and sponsored by the municipal government tourism organization Lubbock Sports, the event included the US National Wushu Team Trials for Taolu (forms 套路) and Sanda (sparring散打), the National Traditional Wushu Team Qualification and the National Championships. Over 300 Wushu athletes from across the country gathered at the Civic Center Exhibit Hall in Lubbock to clash for bronze, silver and gold in one of the most successful editions of this event in the last decade. After three days of intense competition, the following athletes were selected to represent the US at the 14th World Wushu Championships (WWC) in Kazan, Russia, in September 2017. In Taolu: Stephanie Lim, Lucy Lee, Mia Tian, Alyssa…

The first ever Shaolin Temple competition took place on July 30 and 31 of this year. Though the competition’s name was Shaolin 72 Specialty Skills (Shaolin 72 jidasai 少林七十二技大 赛), it only focused on four of the specific Shaolin specialty skills: shi suo (stone locks石锁), brick breaking, knife and dart throwing, and iron finger feats. The competition was open to all amateur Shaolin enthusiasts. Competitors came from all over China, totaling 116 participants. Though the competition was open to all, this year’s competitors were solely Chinese. The opening ceremony was held within the famous Shaolin Temple walls the day before competition began. Hundreds of visitors filled the Temple along with hundreds of Kung Fu students from various schools within the Shaolin compound. There were military personnel and reporters from various media sources…

Five Ancestors Fist originated after the fall of the Ming dynasty in 1644 to the Manchu of the Qing dynasty. Intense resistance against the Qing continued, especially in Southern China, headed by secret societies such as the Tien De Hui (天地会). The dominant martial art system (especially in Fujian province) was the Tai Cho Kun (Grand Ancestors Fist 太祖拳). Tai Cho was created by the first Song emperor Zhao Kuangyin (960–1279 CE 趙匡胤) and later expanded by the first Ming emperor Zhu Yuanzhang (1369–1644 CE 朱元璋), whose era was called Hongwu (洪武). Tai Cho, or Taizu in Mandarin, is an honorary term given to emperors that found their dynasty. The Song Tai Cho was referred to as Tai Cho Chang Kun (Grand Ancestor Long Fist 太祖长拳) while the Ming Tai…

Bag training in traditional Chinese martial arts is typically associated with iron palm development (tit sa jeung in Cantonese 鐵沙掌). As an ancient aid in conditioning, strengthening, and fortifying the hands for offensive potential, sa baau (sand bag 沙包) training is still widely used across many family fighting methods (ga 家), styles (kyun 拳), and systems (paai 派). However, there is a conical-shaped cousin known as the luk dau doi (綠豆袋),, literally mung bean bag, that emphasizes catching and clawing reflexes, coordination, and coiling mechanics essential in the execution of the close-quarter combat methods of many Hakka-based martial techniques. Origins Little is known about the genesis of the luk dau doi. While it may have variations in both size and practice throughout various martial systems, this particular version is descended…

2nd Gua Block the opponent’s right fist strike with the left hand and counter with a right palm strike. As the opponent parries with his left forearm and kicks with his left leg, immediately spin to the left to avoid and check the kick. Follow through with a right palm strike. OF all the styles of Baguazhang, Fu Zhen Song’s (1872–1953 傅振嵩) holds a place of special significance, due in large part to the remarkable life of Master Fu himself. He was renowned as one of the “Five Tigers” of Northern China, invited by the governor of Guangdong Provin himself to be the best martial artist in his home village in Henan Province. Fu’s brand of Baguazhang (八卦掌) gained wide popularity, and even attracted the interest of actor Donnie Yen’s…

TOURNAMENTS & GATH ER INGS 2017-10-07 U.S. Challenge IX Held at Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center, 9751 Washingtonian Boulevard, Gaithersburg, MD 20878. Chen Style Taiji, Northern Kungfu, Southern Kungfu, Team Events, Wushu, Yang Style Taiji. TIGER CLAW SPONSORED EVENT Contact: Christopher Pei 703-698-8182 2979 Prosperity Ave, Fairfax, VA 22031 wushucoach@aol.com - http://uswushuacademy.com/index.php/en-us/ 2017-11-04 7th New England International Chinese Martial Arts Championships, 4th USA Tai Chi Cup and 2017 Inaugural Tai Chi Judges Training and Examination Course An open tournament with eight age groups, three experience levels, and hundreds of events in internal and external styles, barehand and weapons forms, light contact sparring and sanda/sanshou, and push hands. Contact: Malee’s School 860-646-6818 100 Bidwell Road, South Windsor, CT 06040 info@maleeschool.com - https://maleeschool.com/championships/ 2017-11-19 California Karate Championships Finals Held at the Crowne Plaza…

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, “Extinguistores 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…

Shou shi liang shan men, quan ping tui da ren 手是兩扇門，全憑腳打人 By Grandmaster Tu Jin-Sheng Shou (3rd tone 手) means ‘hand’ as in Sanshou (free hand 散手). Shi (4th tone 是) is a demonstrative pronoun which in this case means ‘akin’. Liang (3rd tone 兩) means ‘two’ or ‘a pair’. Shan (4th tone 門) means ‘door panel’ and men (2nd tone 全) means ‘door’. Quan (2nd tone 手) means ‘to maintain’ and ping (2nd tone 門) means to ‘depend’ or ‘rely’. Jiao (3rd tone 手) means ‘foot’ or ‘leg’. Da (3rd tone 打) means strike as in Sanda (free strike 散打). And Ren (2nd tone 人) means ‘man’ or ‘people’. This can be translated as ‘The hand is akin to two doors; Depend on the leg to strike people.” It is a common combat strategy of Kung Fu. Grandmaster Tu Jin-Sheng (涂金盛) was the cover master on the March+April 2003…