Clik here to view.
Bartitsu and Suffragette Jujitsu of the Early 20th Century
Source: Wikimedia Introduction Greetings! I am traveling for a conference and workshop where I will attempt to convince a group of political scientists that they should pay attention to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dissemination of Japanese Martial Arts to Korea
Introduction Greetings! I am currently on the road for a conference and workshop. As such, I will be sharing some papers that were presented at the Martial Arts Studies Research Network’s recent...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Orientalizing the Orient: Searching for Karate’s Budo Roots in Contemporary...
Introduction Greetings! I am currently on the road for a conference and workshop. As such, I will be sharing some papers that were presented at the Martial Arts Studies Research Network’s recent...
View ArticleClik here to view.
An Opportunity to Document the Indian Martial Arts
Introduction Prof. Phillip Zarrilli’s name will already be familiar to many. His book, When the Body Becomes All Eyes: Paradigms, Discourses and Practices of Power in Kalarippayattu, a South...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Through a Lens Darkly (45): Creative Collages and Dueling Mythologies of the...
A collage-type postcard made in China between 1901-1907. Source: Authors personal collection. Romanticizing the Chinese Martial Arts Vintage postcards or other ephemera may be interesting to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Research Notes: Kung Fu at the American School in Shanghai, 1936
A young TY Wong, right, at the 1928 Central Goushu Institute’s national martial arts demonstration in Nanjing, China. Source: From the Collection of Charles Russo. Martial Arts Exhibitions, Old...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Anime and the Education of a Martial Artist
Introduction Occasionally life takes a turn and one’s personal martial arts training gets moved to the back burner. The last couple of weeks have been like that as my wife and I have been...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lives of Chinese Martial Artists (20): General Li Jinglin, the “Sword Saint”...
General Li Jinglin sporting both sunglasses and a jian. Who was China’s “Number One Sword?” Few individuals come to be known as both a warlord and a “sword saint.” Even by the standards of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chinese Martial Arts in the News: June 12th, 2017: London Attacks, Kung Fu in...
Sam Lau with what might win the award for the most used dummy still in active service. Source: SCMP. Introduction Welcome to “Chinese Martial Arts in the News!” This is a semi-regular feature here...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Violence and the Martial Arts: Contagion or Cure?
A Chinese guerrilla team armed with rifles and dadaos near Guangzhou in 1941. Source: Vintage War photograph, Everett Collection. An Old Metaphor Violence has many faces. It may appear in an...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Through a Lens Darkly (46): Two Scenes of Early 20th Century Muay Thai/Muay...
Thai Boxing. Vintage postcard, circa 1910s. Source: Author’s Personal Collection. As a researcher who focuses on the martial arts in modern China and North America, I do not claim any special...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Venezuelan Stick Fighting: What can we learn from the modernization of a...
Introduction The release of the Summer 2017 issue of Martial Arts Studies is fast approaching. Paul and I have been quite busy over the last few weeks preparing the various articles and reviews...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Facing Down a Wooden Dummy, and the Myth of “Perfect Practice”
Mr Bean Wins the Wing Chun Dummy, courtesy Snickers and Youtube. “Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” – Vince Lombardi The Bane of my Existence I have spent a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Bubishi Gets its Due: Returning the ‘Bible of Karate’ to its Chinese Roots
David S. Nisan and Liu Kangyi. 2016. The General Tian Wubeizhi: the Bubishi in Chinese Martial Arts History. Taipei: Lionbook Martial Arts Company. 136 pages of text, plus 128 pages of facsimile...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Li Pei Xian and the Evolution of Modern Chinese “Martial Arts”
Chinese Sword Dance. A refined and middle-class vision of the Chinese Martial Arts. Vintage postcard. Source: Author’s personal collection. ***Greetings! I am currently preparing for the upcoming...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Soldier, the Marketplace Boxer and the Recluse: Mapping the Social...
***As I mentioned earlier this week, I am currently preparing for the upcoming Martial Arts Studies conference in Cardiff. As such I have decided to revisit one of the earlier major essays that I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Imagining Ip Man: Globalization and the Growth of Wing Chun Kung Fu
***I am current on the road for the annual Martial Arts Studies conference at Cardiff University in the UK. As soon as I return home I will be posting a full report of the event and sharing the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
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. ***I am current on the road for the annual Martial Arts Studies conference at Cardiff University in the UK. As...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Read it Now: Summer 2017 Issue of Martial Arts Studies!
Martial Arts Studies. Issue 4 (Summer) 2017. Get the Issue Now! The last week has been a whirlwind of travel, fieldwork and conferences. I am now back and cannot wait to tell you more about it. But...
View ArticleClik here to view.
On the 44th Anniversary of Bruce Lee’s Death: Cult (Film) Icon
Bruce Lee with his favorite onscreen weapon. Introduction My original plan for the day included writing a conference report on the recent Martial Arts Studies gathering at Cardiff University...
View Article