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Feeling the Rhythm in Lion Dancing, the Wooden Dummy and Lightsaber Combat
Darth Nonymous (left) faces off against John Solomon (right). Solomon is using the Krayt’s Eye guard to counter a strong overhead blow. Source: TPLA, photo by RiaFrequency. A Tricky Step Darth...
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Chinese Martial Arts in the News: June 27th, 2016: The UFC, Shaolin and Your...
Master Shi Tanxu. Source: Rick Loomis/LA Times. Introduction Welcome to “Chinese Martial Arts in the News.” This is a semi-regular feature here at Kung Fu Tea in which we review media stories...
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Doing Research (7): Dale C. Spencer on Observant Participation and Becoming a...
Introduction Welcome to the seventh entry in our series of guest posts titled “Doing Research.” If you missed the first essay by D. S. Farrer (which provides a global overview of the subject),...
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Martial Mastery and Olympic Glory: A Winning Combination?
Do you feel that? Olympic fervor is once again in the air. As we prepare for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio there has been a distinct uptick of Olympic advertising on the TV. Athletes whom we have...
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Ip Man, the Death of Language and the Roots of Communication
Ip Man practices Chi Sao With Moy Yat. Introduction It goes without saying that I should not be writing this post. On Sunday I will be boarding my flight for the UK and the 2016 Martial Arts...
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Capoeira and Silat: A Comparative Study of Fight Dancing in Brazil and...
Capoeira. Photo by Turismo Bahia. Source: Wikimedia. Introduction Greetings from the road! I am currently undertaking some last minute preparations and then heading over to Cardiff University...
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The Fifty-Two Handblocks Re-framed: the Rehabilitation of a Vernacular...
Introduction Greetings from the road! If all has gone according to plan I am currently in the UK, and probably on a train somewhere between London and Cardiff, headed to the 2016 Martial Arts Studies...
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Gender, Fighters and Framing on Twitter by Allyson Quinney
Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate Introduction Greetings from the road! I am currently wrapping up my trip to the 2016 Martial Arts Studies Conference at Cardiff University and am on my way back to the...
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Ancient Wisdom Modern Warriors: The (Re)Invention of a Mesoamerican Tradition...
Introduction Greetings! If all has gone according to plan I am now back in the United States, recovering from jet lag, reviewing my notes from the conference and preparing a report on the events of...
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Martial Arts Studies 2016 Conference Report – Performance, Motivations and...
A view of downtown Cardiff from the top of the Norman Keep. Photo by Benjamin Judkins. Introduction Earlier this week I returned from a brief trip to Canada and the United Kingdom. During this...
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Chinese Martial Arts in the News: August 1, 2016: Bruce Lee, Books and...
A replica of a Ming era Dandao. Introduction Welcome to “Chinese Martial Arts in the News.” This is a semi-regular feature here at Kung Fu Tea in which we review media stories that mention or...
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Lightsaber Combat and Wing Chun: The Search for Meaning in the Modern Martial...
The title slide of my keynote address at the July 2016 Martial Arts Studies Conference. ***What follows is the text of my recent keynote address given at the 2016 Martial Arts Studies Conference. I...
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Lives of Chinese Martial Artists (18): Xiang Kairan – Imagining the...
Woodblock print of Chinese warrior holding a sword. “When the Nanjing Martial Arts Institute was opened, I was in Hankou [in eastern Hubei], where I noticed in a newspaper that they were dividing...
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Alex Gillis Talks about Tae Kwon Do, Controversy and Researching Martial Arts...
A Killing Art. PHOTO COURTESY OF ECW PRESS Introduction One of the first books that I reviewed on this blog was A Killing Art: The Untold History of Tae Kwon Do by Alex Gillis. To this day it...
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Research Notes: Xiang Kairan on China’s Republic Era Martial Arts Marketplace
Introduction In a recent post we explored the life and career of Xiang Kairan (1890-1957), a seminal figure in the creation of the modern, media driven image, of the traditional Chinese martial...
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Through a Lens Darkly (39): The Strength of Chinese Boxers
Vintage photography, circa 1860-1900. Photographer unknown. Introduction Some of the most popular posts at Kung Fu Tea have examined vintage images of traditional martial artists. These are also...
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Chinese Martial Arts in the News: August 22, 2016: Wing Chun, Nunchuks and...
Nima King, in his Hong Kong Wing Chun school. Source: South China Morning Post Introduction Welcome to “Chinese Martial Arts in the News.” This is a semi-regular feature here at Kung Fu Tea in...
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Doing Research (8): Taking Seriously the Mundane, or How I Learned that a...
Prof. Kyle Green competing in a grappling tournament. Source: Kyle Green. Introduction Welcome to the eighth entry in our series of guest posts titled “Doing Research.” If you missed the first...
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“Now With Kung Fu Grip”: Jared Miracle and the Reinvention of the Martial...
Now With Kung Fu Grip! How Bodybuilders, Soldiers and a Hairdresser Reinvented Martial Arts for America. By Jared Miracle. McFarland & Company (March 31, 2016) Jared Miracle. 2016. Now with...
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The Bubishi: Innovation, Tradition and the Southern Chinese Martial Arts
In honor of the upcoming National Bonsai Show (held in Rochester NY on September 10-11) I decided to re-post some pictures from my old Bonsai teacher’s blog. If you are anywhere in the area you won’t...
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