review: ninja assassin.

I finally went to see Ninja Assassin this past weekend. Don’t expect expert film making and don’t expect any attempt at factual accuracy. As well, contrary to what I was told the Wachowski brothers did not “make” this film, they were listed with 3 other “producers,” a vague Hollywood term that can mean all sorts of things. So don’t expect crazy Martix-like camera tricks and effects either. What you can expect is a ton of blood and a hell of a good time. My suggestion, see this on a Saturday night at a neighborhood theater where there’s likely to be a large youthful crowd so you can yell and laugh and “oh shit” as the ninja stars fly and the body parts drop.

experiences with chi.

The other day I did a little over an hour of yoga practice, afterward I lied in meditation for 15 minutes and experienced something quite interesting. Starting at my groin and working down, then from my waist back up, I consciously tried moving and focusing my energy through different body parts in sequential order. I have previously done similar exercises for relaxation but this time was able to really feel my energy, to concentrate it in specific areas. A couple times while directing my energy I “looked” briefly at a different areas of my body to see if the energy was in fact everywhere and that I was simply paying attention to it only in the area of focus. I found it was not in other places but that the energy was indeed concentrating only where I was consciously directing it. This could be something else and I will confer with an instructor but it seems that I am developing the ability to direct and concentrate my chi.

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!