Kata, Tao Lu, Dulon, Forms, Patterns, Sets, Routines. Solo forms are the signature of most Asian martial arts. These 30 second to 3 minute long choreographed routines are a crowd pleasing event and one of the most enjoyable parts of many of the martial arts. They can provide quiet in a busy day, a way… Continue reading Martial Art Forms: 3 Most pervasive myths about solo training.
We return now, to the world of strange and fantastic weaponry of China. This time we are looking at the Tiger Hooks (or double hooks, hook swords, tiger head hooks etc.). These weapons are some of the most wild looking and impressive weapons to wield. The weapons themselves have a mysterious history, appearing only as… Continue reading Shuang Gou雙鉤:Double (Tiger) Hooks
The Ming dynasty of China is one of the most impactful and formational periods in later Chinese history. Many great accomplishments came from the era, spurred on by a tumultuous society in flux. Toward the later part of the period a few things came together that are of massive importance to us in the Chinese… Continue reading Jian Jing劍經: Part 1-Preface
Here is the last portion of Dan Dao Fa Xuan. These sections layout a set or routine to be practiced. As stated before, Cheng Zongyou revolutionized this text by including direct, non poetic descriptions of the movements. This continues in this section and provides one of the first clear, strep by step instructions of a… Continue reading Dan Dao Fa Xuan: Part 3
Here is the first section of the main portion of the text. This section introduces the basic maneuvers used in with the weapon and some of the strategy that goes along with it. These techniques do not all follow from each other as in the form presented in the next section. They can however be… Continue reading Dan Dao Fa Xuan: part 2
