Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2018 i Kung Fu Tai Chi

“I have very strong theories about magazine publishing. And I think that it is the most personal form of journalism. And I think that a magazine is an old friend.” That quote came from the person who is arguably the most famous American magazine publisher to date, the late Hugh Hefner. Hefner said that in an interview in 2010, when Playboy’s market value was plummeting and he was jockeying for more control of the franchise. In the 70s, Playboy had a circulation of more than 7 million. Now circulation is somewhere over a million. Over the last few years, Playboy has lost $7 million annually. Kung Fu Tai Chi has never had a million readers or made million in profit. Not even close. We’re a niche magazine and survive through…

Co-Directors Mason Tong and Henderson Wong dash back and forth across the chaotic floor of U.C. Berkeley’s RSF Fieldhouse, hustling to put out the latest fire, all while struggling to maintain their courteous smiles. It’s another crazy year for Chinese Martial Arts Tournament, or CMAT as locals call it, and the rings are running way behind schedule. “I do have to apologize to people that are here,” says Master Bryant Fong, CMAT Tournament Chairman. “Things didn’t run exactly on time. Well, you know, we graduate students every three years. And so this is a whole new group – all freshmen. So a lot of them are learning to go through the whole process. What do you got to do to set up the tournament? What are you responsible for? And…

Grandmaster Allen Joe was the last surviving member of Bruce Lee’s Oakland circle, self-proclaimed “The Four Musketeers.” Apart from Bruce Lee and Joe, the other two members were James Yimm Lee and George Lee. James passed away in 1972, Bruce in 1973, and George in 2013. Joe passed away on April 2, 2018. Within the martial community, Joe was a humble man who eschewed titles and was affectionately known as “Uncle Allen.” Joe was a WWII veteran and a bodybuilder. Both Joe and James Lee were avid bodybuilders. Joe says he gave Bruce his first set of weights and all three of them had the same wings – their latissimus dorsi development was extraordinary, no doubt from training together with the same self-created regimen. Joe trained bodybuilding under Ed Yarick,…

Leveraging and locking are martial techniques used primarily to subdue and submit adversaries. Qinna (literally seizing and holding 擒拿) is often packaged and presented as a highly effective approach to self-defense, which in fact it can be. However, when it is the keystone upon which a classical fighting system is built, such as Eagle Claw (Ying Jow Pai 鷹爪 派), it is important to acknowledge and understand the conditions and circumstances that enable it to be most effective within reality-based combat. Training to Learn and Learning to Use Qinna, also known as chin na (its Wade-Giles Romanization) and kam na in Cantonese, is one of four categories of traditional Chinese martial techniques – the other three being da (striking 打), ti/tek [Cantonese] (kicking 踢), and shuai/seut (throwing 摔). Qinna itself…

The History and Uses of the Tiger Fork 虎钯 (扒 or 叉) The Tiger Fork is a long weapon originally used by soldiers in battle. It was effective at stopping advancing soldiers on horseback by targeting the horse. It could also be used for hunting by tying a rope to it and then throwing it like a spear. The animal could be retrieved with ease, and the rope made it easy to repeat this over and over. The Tiger Fork has three blades. The middle blade is longer than those to the side by three to four inches. This weapon also has some alternate names such as Three-Headed Fork (saam tao cha 三头叉) and Three-Horned Fork (saam gok cha 三角叉). The handle has a melonshaped ball at the end that…

Date unknown Only the head of this weapon is original. The shaft is new. The three Trident tines have diamond-cross sections with graceful hand-hammered prongs that each taper to a sharp point. There’s a diamond-cross section piece at the throat that echoes the pattern. The throat-piece is thin yet solid and then widens to a long conical neck to fit the wooden shaft. The length of the throat piece seems unusual as most modern versions of Tiger Tridents have much shorter necks. However, it bears to reason as tridents are top heavy, prone to breaking at the neck, so an actual weapon needs more support than the modern versions, assuming it’s going to actually be used for combat. There’s a fair amount of pitting from rust, but the piece remains…

I never understood the sense of urgency to get the children signed up for summer camps until I had kids of my own. I guess it is another stripe on my “adulting” belt! I was reminded of it once more this year when my wife said that it was time to pick out summer camps and start signing the kids up again. There was fear that all the good ones would be full. If we couldn’t get the kids into camp, what would we do with them while we were at work? Who would watch them? I did not want to think about this. It was only March! How does this tie to martial arts? Well, nowadays many martial arts schools offer great summer programs. Perhaps the school that…

The name Eyebrow Level Staff inevitably brings to mind images from myths and stories about cudgel-bearing warrior monks taking part in battles against Japanese bandits along China’s southeastern coast. However, this article is not about the Eyebrow Level Staff that according to legend originated in the Southern Courtyard of the Shaolin Temple. Instead, this is about lesser-known Chen style Taijiquan weapon form of the same name, still practiced in Chen Village today, based on our exclusive conversations with the 20th generation Chen Family (12th generation Chen Taijiquan) descendent Master Chen Ziqiang (陈自强) during his most recent visit to Santiago, Chile, as part of his 2017 Annual Workshop Tour in South America.  Introducing Chen Village’s 4th Dragon Born in 1977, Master Chen Ziqiang began practicing Chen style Taijiquan at a very…

The most exciting development in cinema now comes from an old cross-dressing friend. Disney’s live-action version of Mulan may bring honor to us all. The project just added Donnie Yen and Gong Li to the cast and possibly even Jet Li too. Mulan is dear to our hearts, not only as a revered legend, but also as a successful crossover of Chinese culture to the West. When Disney’s animated original came out in 1998, it introduced the world to one of China’s most beloved heroines. And her Kung Fu was good. Our June 2000 cover master, Master Mimi Chan, served as the motioncapture model for Mulan’s Kung Fu fighting sequences. For the Chinese dubbed version, Jackie Chan voiced Captain Li Shang too. The film received many accolades, including Golden Globe…

June 4 to August 7 is summertime. According to the Traditional Chinese Medicine five-element 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 11AM 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…

The Kwan Yin Palm Sitting Form (觀音坐蓮掌) of Choy Li Fut (蔡李佛) Kung Fu is a very rare and advanced level set which is unique because it is entirely performed while sitting in the lotus position. The set is named after Kwan Yin the Goddess of Mercy because there are many depictions of the deity sitting down in the lotus position. There are also characteristic palm positions throughout the set that appear in many paintings and statues of Kwan Yin. Beyond the similarities in sitting and palm positions there are no associations with religious practices, and the overall goal is to develop the martial artist through training and meditation. Similar to the Shaolin sitting Xi Sui Jing (Bone Marrow Washing 洗髓经) qigong, the Kwan Yin Palm Sitting Form has a…

The double sabers (or double broadswords 雙刀) are a formidable weapon and an excellent choice for Kung Fu demonstrations. This paired weapon, held in a single scabbard, accentuates the ferocity of the single saber. With a bewildering array of attack and defense moves, double sabers provide twice the attacking potential of one, and thereby increase the wielder’s lethality. If the single saber is said to have the ferocity of a single tiger, the double sabers should have the ferocity of two tigers! Unlike double hooks, double sabers are easily carried – and more easily concealed – since the two sabers fit into one scabbard. Imagine the surprise of the opponent when, all of a sudden, he is met by two sabers instead of only one! Although Guan Gong (160–219 BCE…

Tournaments & Gatherings 2018-06-01 (3 Days) The Tai Chi Gala & Intuitive Arts Retreat Held at the 175-acre retreat property of Lindenmere, 163 Lindenmere Ln, Henryville, PA 18332. Tai Chi Master Jou Tsung Hwa originally founded the event and named it the “Zhang San Feng Festival,” after the legendary ancient founder of tai chi chuan, Grandmaster Zhang San Feng. The purpose is to UNITE all those interested in: tai chi, qigong, Taoist internal arts, and the intuitive/holistic arts in a spirit of sharing, and FUN. It’s been renamed “Tai Chi Gala” to make the name easier to understand and remember. Contact: Alpha State Events, LLC 973-202-9409 contact@taichigala.com - http://taichigala.com 2018-06-01 (3 Days) Ohana 2019 Held at the Nugget Hotel and Casino, Reno NV TIGER CLAW SPONSORED EVENT Contact: Jujitsu America…

Wen hua chuan cheng 文化傳承 Wen (文 2nd tone) can mean “writing’, ‘literature’, or ‘culture’. It is the compliment of Wu (武) or ‘martial’. Hua (化 4th tone) means ‘reform’ but as a suffix to Wen, the two coupled characters specifically mean ‘culture’. Chuan (傳 2nd tone) means ‘propagate’ or ‘transmit’. When coupled with Tong (‘unite’ or ‘govern’ 統) into Chuantong, it means ‘tradition’. Cheng (承 2nd tone) means to ‘inherit’, ‘receive’ or ‘succeed’. This fourcharacter idiom (chengyu 成語) is commonly translated at ‘Cultural inheritance’. Anny Hu was the Advanced Internal Grand Champion for the over 46+ female division at the 2017 Tiger Claw Elite KungFuMagazine.com Championship.…