the art of studying martial arts.

part one: choosing a school

I have had several people ask me recently to assist them with choosing a martial art to study. Sometimes they have a vague idea what they want to learn, often it just seems like a more interesting way for them to work out. “Why lift weights and run on a treadmill when I could be learning something cool and important?” Fair enough. I believe however, that if one gets invested in a particular school, or specific art without adequate research they are prone to losing interest after a short period and becoming discouraged from further participation. Unfortunately the volume of (mis)information out there can be quite daunting for the uninitiated. One solution is that those of us currently studying develop a holistic knowledge of the Arts in order to assist those who are curious about taking up their study.

shaw brothers buying guide.

Many of us love Kung-Fu movies, and if you’re like me you have a particular affinity for the infamous Shaw Brothers Studios. Unfortunately, for years the picture quality of these movies was terrible. This is because SB never released or licensed their films for home viewing- NO officially released VHS, Laserdisc or DVD ever. Until recently.

Around 2004 a film company out of Singapore named Celestial Pictures bought the entire back catalog of SB and began re-mastering the bulk of them. Not limited to the Kung-Fu and swordplay films so many of us love, but also the opera, romance, horror and drama produced by SB. Celestial painstakingly restored 760 films for DVD release with many now available. Here are some notes on finding and buying the right ones.

review: aaron bank's world of oriental self-defense.

Two weeks ago I attended Aaron Banks's 44th Annual World of Oriental Self-Defense. Mr. Banks has been producing exhibitions and later tournaments that showcase a variety Asian martial arts since 1963. This particular show has played in Madison Square Garden, been featured on ABC's Wide World of Sports and was the subject of a Sports Illustrated article. Famous martial artists have gotten started through demonstrations or tournaments held by Mr. Banks and few would doubt his influence in growing the popularity of martial arts. Unfortunately, those golden years have long since passed and while it is great to see a continuing tradition, this most recent performance makes a youngblood like myself wonder if it's not a shadow of its former self.

fights.

Fights and physical altercations have always upset me. Not watching them, I mean I love Steven Seagal movies and shit like that. Boxing is my spectator sport of choice. I’m talking about getting into fights; I find the experience highly emotionally upsetting. Now this isn’t due to a particularly bad experience or anything. I’ve been in a few, but I’ve never been hurt and I’ve never had my ass kicked.... One time a guy stirred up some shit. He was drunk and just plain wrong. He was aggressing and aggressing and eventually created a situation where I physically couldn’t walk away and then he attacked me. So I fucked him up. Then I went and got a beer from the store, had a few cigarettes and cried.

review: ying jow pai demonstration.

This Chinese New Year’s I skipped out on the Chinatown parades and instead headed to The Fighthouse on West 27th Street. Resident school Ying Jow Pai (Eagle Claw Fist) was holding it’s annual New Year’s Celebration and Kung-Fu Demonstration. Featuring primarily forms, the school demonstrated the range or their techniques as well as showing some Yang style Tai Chi, Brazilian Jiujitsu from fellow Fighthouse residents and demonstrations from the Brooklyn Chapter of the Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut school.