a reading list.

So many books, so little time… I complained in an earlier post about the lack of quality books non-Taiji, non-training guide books on Chinese Martial Arts. That being said I’ve burned plenty of hours scouring for interesting material. Here are a few I would love to get around to reading sometime soon…

where do you use your arts?

Nowadays, at least in New York there is a relatively low need for self-defense in public spaces. Street crime is the lowest it’s been in generations and if you are victimized, chances are good that the perpetrator will have a gun, negating the sensible use of fighting arts. Ruled out as a practical application in everyday life you are left with a few choices of application: competition, artistic expression, athleticism and personal development. But when do you make use of actual fighting capabilities? What considerations govern the path of their pursuit?

review: spring and autumn of chinese martial arts.

From the publisher: The first! A complete historical reference for Chinese Martial Arts. This book is written by one of the world's leading experts on Wushu. Professor Kang Gewu of the Wushu Research Institute in Beijing has personally traveled throughout China gathering archeological data and oral histories on this valuable cultural treasure that is Martial Arts. This book is a vital text for anyone interested in the origins of such diverse styles as T'ai Ch'i, Shaolin, ancient wrestling and Qi Gong. It offers a time-line that covers thousands of years of significant developments in the long history of Martial Arts. Styles and masters are included by the dozen. The product of years of research and study. Not to be missed!

All that may be true but, there are also some glaring deficiencies.....

Second is the use of selective translation. While the book is completely in English the author only selectively translates Chinese terminology, identifying some styles/forms/terms for the reader while leaving others in mysterious Chinese for us to guess at their meaning.
Third and by far most troubling for me is the exclusive use of the term wushu. I realize that literally wushu means simply martial arts however it is laden with connotations as it doubles as the official term for the mainland Chinese government sponsored codified sport version of Chinese Martial Arts. In writing a concise history of "diverse styles" it would behoove the author to choose a more neutral term. As well this bias becomes clear as history in the post-war period and specifically after the establishment of wushu becomes more and more detailed, receiving unbalanced space.

final thoughts
While it is obvious that I was disappointed by this book it is valuable in a few ways. Most specifically it will be of interest to completists and those looking for a reference source from which to further investigate Chinese Martial Arts history. This objective would of course be greatly served if the author and publisher included a foreword and notation throughout regarding sources, methodology and credentials of the research team. As this was supposedly the product of years of research, some attempt to validate it would be useful.

On a more asthetic note, some photographs would greatly improve the book's accesibility. The text is interspersed with modern line drawings, all seemigly from the same uncredited hand, but as this is a historical volume it would be suitable to have some historical imagery. Vintage photographs, drawings, writings, paintings, modern photographs of historical locations, statues... something to "bring the past alive."

In the end, The Spring and Autumn of Chinese Martial Arts promises a lot more then it delivers. The final product is an uninspired timeline that reads more like the draft outline to a history of modern sport wushu then a definitive history. Still, this volume could be highly useful to an aspiring martial arts historian. If there are any those out there reading, here's my advise: get in touch with the author, make a offer to write the second edition and give this the professional touch it deserves!

a season for all things.

One of the most popular literary archetypes* begins To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. While it may seem cliché at this point I think it offers an important insight to the ever changing needs we have as people. The ability to appropriately address the omnipresent need for situational analysis is part of what being a mature person is about, but I believe there are many cues that can be taken from our environment.

kung-fu college?

What martial arts enthusiast hasn’t dreamed of studying their art full time? It is a popular fantasy and one that many indulge for limited periods with intensive studies in Asia. I am now living in Cambodia and recently spoke with a Texan who is living in a Bokator school, practicing 8-10 hours a day. When he goes home in a couple weeks he will have been here for 8 months and received the equivalent of a black belt. Well, for those of you uninterested in racking up skymiles, there’s a new option, I present to you the University of Bridgeport’s BA in Martial Arts Studies.

new breaking record.

Reuters recently reported on a Malaysian Kung-Fu practitioner setting a new record for coconuts broken with his index finger. The report and video are here. Mr. Ho's breaking 4 coconuts in 30 seconds has set a new record which he hopes will be entered into the Guiness Book.

why shaolin doesn't impress me.

Anyone who’s practiced martial arts, or watched more then one Kung-Fu flick has heard of the Shaolin Temple. Most believe it to be the “birthplace of martial arts,” and revere it as some sort of holy site for all practitioners. While it is certainly a significant site of development, and I would love to join the throngs of tourists who flock to it, I remain thoroughly unimpressed by its current incarnation.

r.i.p. david carradine.

If you had not already heard, David "Kwai Chang Kaine" Carradine passed away in Bangkok on Wednesday. Here is an early report from the AP. The rumor mill is claiming it was a case of auto-erotic asphyxiation.

a yoga retreat

I just went on a weekend yoga retreat that was quite interesting. There are a number of online resources out there on yoga retreats- reviews, how to pick the right one, what to expect, etc. so this entry will instead be a little something about my personal experience.

ehsan shafiq is rediculous.

thoughts on ba duan jin.

Ba Duan Jin, variously translated as Eight Silk Weaving, Eight Piece Brocade and Eight Silk Brocade among other names is one of the most well known Chinese exercises for internal development. Due to this popularity there exist many variations of the exercises and disparate teachings on their benefits. Most practitioners utilizing these exercises perform them by rote without care or consideration for what or how they are doing them, or what the exercises are doing in return. As such, this article is an exploration of some of my questions on the “how.”