How much longer until the myth of Bruce Lee the legend overwhelms the facts of Bruce Lee the man? How long did it take for real Wong Fei Hung to fade into the folk hero?
May 1, 2009
Black Belt Youth Charged With Assault For Self-Defense
If you’re going to spout racial slurs and pick on a kid who can defend himself, take your lumps. When the victim is the only one charged with a crime, though, something is very wrong. (via @porksocks)
Do Not Empty Your Cup
A nice little article rejecting the usual interpretation of the shut-up-and-learn story we’ve all heard so often.
Don’t pretend to forget everything you already know, but do sincerely keep a closed mouth, an open mind and try to learn what you’re being taught, otherwise you’re wasting everybody’s time. Respect the teacher-student relationship, at least until you get off the mat. Then you can decide for yourself about the synthesis of all your training. Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless, and add what is uniquely your own. Didn’t somebody smart say that?
Stretching FAQ Provides Excellent Resource On More Than Just Stretches
A really great writeup of not just how to stretch, but also the anatomy and physiology involved. Stretching isn’t just about increasing flexibility, it’s about improving strength and performance, preventing injuries, reducing post-workout soreness, and getting better at whatever physical discipline you’re practicing. Odds are good that there’s something in here that will help you improve your art.
April 30, 2009
Your Shit Is Fake
(via Cook Ding’s Kitchen)
Graham over at Wu Source has an excellent article on the continual arguments over which martial arts styles are “real” and which ones are fake. He quotes (or paraphrases) Tim Cartmell:
“People are just about ready to kill each other over styles. It’s ridiculous. There’s no such thing as styles, there are only practitioners.”
A student at my kwoon brought this subject up just a couple of days ago, after seeing a television show where MMA fighters were ripping on traditional arts. I think it’s fascinating that this sort of divisiveness is near-universal among martial arts practitioners, but almost non-existent among cooks. Aside from Tony Bourdain.
Be sure to follow up with the second part, Style Wars, where Graham talks about the purposes and origins behind these arts. Would you study boxing if you didn’t want to learn to spar? Taiji if you didn’t want to learn to relax?
April 29, 2009
Martial Arts Tuition Survey Results
How much are you paying for your classes? This survey suggests that the median price in the US for training works out to about $80 per month for about 16 hours of training ($5/hour). Most (70%) respondants aren’t under contract, but those who are tend to sign up for 12 months at a time.
Bagua Sneakers Inspired By Traditional Kicks
These look pretty cool, but I haven’t seen anything about how well they perform as a martial-arts shoe. It seems like these guys are designers rather than students, so I don’t have high hopes for them. I also can’t find anything about how much these cost or how to buy them outside of France.
I think for now I’ll stick with good old Feiyues.
Vanderbilt Hosting International Taiji Symposium
Vanderbilt University will be hosting a week-long taiji event in Nashville in early July. Grandmasters representing the five major styles of taiji will be teaching and working with the event staff to “bring together the wisdom of Chinese culture with the precision of modern science through evidence-based academic sessions, Master’s workshops and other special events designed to foster an exchange of knowledge and cultures.”
I’m not quite sure what that means, but it sounds like a good event. I just hate that it happens to fall so close to the big Chin Woo tournament and that it’s so expensive.
Legends Of Kung Fu Seminars Posted
Chin Woo has posted the listings of instructors and seminars for this year’s Legends Of Kung Fu tournament (formerly Taiji Legacy). Still no word on the timetable.