Can you tell how people parried from edge damage?
The idea has often been advanced that that almost no one ever parried with their edge in combat in Chinese swordplay. One type of evidence presented for this is that there is, supposedly, no evidence of edge damage from parries on historical examples of Jian that exist today. Which leads us to these questions: Why…
USA Fencing Summer Nationals 2024: Photo dump #1
Greetings all! we have been working round the clock this year to bring Lightfencing to more and more people! We just returned from our second appearance at USA Fencing Nationals this year in Columbus, Ohio. another great year was had. Here is the first group of photos from the event. Enjoy!
The ever growing playlist of Lightfencing bouts!
If you want to check out some of our latest fights and combat, check this playlist for updates!
Report: Tiger Claw Elite Championships
I am back from San Jose California, where I attended, the 2024 Tiger Claw elite Championship. And what a Weekend it was! I was there to officiate and run the first May The Fourth LED Saber Tournament that Tiger Claw had added to this years event. But outside of the official business I was there…
May the Fourth: Big news from the world of lightfencing
Happy May the Fourth to all those who celebrate! We here at TPLA are having. big year and it is not stopping. First an announcement: TPLA is announcing the launch of USA Lightfencing which will act as the national governing body for the rules and sport of Lightfencing here in the US. We work together…
TPLA at Capitol Clash: Tournament, Classes, and more!
Its finally here! Our schedule for classes and the tournament we are having at this years Capitol Clash in Washington D.C. This will be the first competition we are having here in the US for the rule set adopted by the FFE in 2018/19. We are very excited. SO if you are planning to attend or…
TPLA Brings Lightfencing to the Capitol Clash 2024!
Greetings all! I am pleased to announce that TPLA will be bringing Lightfencing to the Capitol Clash in Washington DC this January with our first competitive outing! We will have not only combat with the USL rules for lightfencing, but dulon/forms, and possibly some choreography! Our competitors are lined up and ready to hit the…
KJZZ News Story about TPLA in Phoenix for Nationals.
As we posted, we were in Phoenix Az for USA Fencing Nationals. NPR was on the scene and did a little piece on us. Check it out! Thanks to Jill Ryan for a great piece! USA Fencing brought a new blade to Phoenix: The ‘Star Wars’ lightsaber By Jill Ryan https://kjzz.org/content/1851984/usa-fencing-brought-new-blade-phoenix-star-wars-lightsaber?fbclid=IwAR2IDtE3NEGX9fiGWgIWQi03XxunGhtznByc-YAy5tk5Nk8yV42wMstkEio
Recreating the Han Ji pole arm 漢卜字鋼戟
When LK Chen released his reproduction of an T shaped Han Ji (漢卜字鋼戟) blade and it’s hardware, my friend Ben Judkins was very happy. He had been reading about the weapons rediscovery and was keen to get a set of blades. I was not familiar with this style of Ji. My idea of the Ji…
A Festivus airing of grievances: 3 popular sword fights in Western media that I hate
Hapy holidays everyone! Today is Festivus, and as such I decided to take one portion of the event and make it a post. The Airing of Grievances! For my part, I will take on some very popular and well loved sword fights from movies and talk about how I think they are awful. No doubt…
Frauds, Fools, and Fighting-the dark side of Qi in martial arts.
No touch knockouts. Pressure points fighting and Dim Mak. Sending a foe flying several feet back in the air with not so much as a flinch. In the peeling back of he mysteries of Qi, let’s start with the low hanging fruit. The extraordinary claims of Qigong. Qigong (also spelled Chi Kung pronounced “Chee gong”)…
European and Asian Martial Culture: Free Download!
Greetings all! It’s the holiday season here in the USA and this Thursday is Thanksgiving. Our national day of thanks and getting together with friends and family. This year, we martial artists have something to be very thankful for! The text of “Martial Culture and Historical Martial Arts in Europe and Asia” is a new…
Zombie killer #1: the Han Ji
Happy Halloween everyone! It was asked of me a while ago, what my go to weapons for a zombie apocalypse. I thought it would be a nice piece for the Halloween season. So here we go. First off, this wile about cold weapons, not fire arms or other weapons like projectiles, bombs, and flame throwers.…
Do you believe in Qi?
This question has been the elephant in the room here for quite some time. I have not dared to address it in any real sense as talk of Qi tends to muddy the already confused waters. But, it is time to talk about the most controversial topic in Asian martial arts today; the existence of…
The Fist Verses of Qi Jiguang (Redux)
At times I go back at my previous translation work and try to update them with any new information or insight I have had since my last attempt. This was one of the first translations I published and I thought I would give it a little spruce up and tighten the edges. There are a…
Katana to Dao part 3: Men of Letters, Arts of War
The Ming Dynasty (大明 1368 to 1644) is a fascinating time period in history. So much change happening on the global stage, the effects of that change have had huge ramifications for people living in the Ming Dynasty and the events happening in China had wide ranging effects on world at large. For Chinese martial…
TPLA/ASL lightsaber rules: short tips
Greetings all! The following are a few of our recent training and rule set tips form our channel. Check them out for some quick information on the rules and tips to help you create fun and exciting bouts! While one handed combat is the norm, two handed technique can be very effective! Salvo: One of…
Ma Xianda: A Short History of Duan Bing part 2-短兵格斗简史及其特点
Here is the second section of the Introduction to Duan Bing by Ma Xianda from his book. In the first part he discussed the long history of swordplay and fencing in Chinese culture. In this next section he discusses the extremely influential Republican era of China(1912–1949) and its effect on the formation of Duan Bing…
Lightsaber Combat!
It’s been a while since I posted anything lightsaber related. So, to remedy that and to start to gear up for our 10th anniversary this August, let’s look at some sample matches in the ASL/TPLA rule set. A little disclaimer: The space used is our class room space. We are playing practice bouts to give…
Ma Xianda: A brief history of Duan Bing and its characteristics-短兵格斗简史及其特点
The following is a selection from the book “Chinese Duan Bing” by my teacher’s father, Ma Xianda. Ma Xianda is probably best known for his contributions to Modern Wushu and teaching Jet Li what would become his specialty set, Fanziquan. In fact, Ma Xianda was the inheritor of an important martial arts lineage of traditional…
Taijquan or Tai chi Chuan: code switching and martial art
I read a nice article today by Gene Ching, of Kung Taichi Magazine Fame, over on the YMAA website. He speaks about the confusion that faces westerners in the naming and language issues that are present in Chinese martial arts, highlighted by the term Taijiquan. Or Tai Chi Chuan. Or T’ai Chi Ch’uan. Or how…
Li Tianji李天骥: Wudang Sword Methods
Like it or not, the continued existence of Chinese martial arts through the later part 20th century is largely due to modern Wushu. Many deride the modern sport as being a corruption of traditional martial art, trading substance for flash. And it is true, the current level of the sport is very far removed from…
Resurrected: The Song Zhan Ma Dao宋 麻扎斬馬刀-Lk Chen Review
A legendary weapon that many were named after, the true Song Zhan Ma Dao is a mysterious and elusive beast. 6 pounds of steel, approximately 4-5 feet long, used in the wars with the Steppe Empires, and associated with the Great General Yue Fei. The name has been applied to many weapons in the past…
Gentleman’s Sword by Jin Yi-ming-君子劍-金一明
The Chinese Longsword has had a long history. But it is a sporadic one. It seems that while the jian its self has enjoyed an almost continuous place in the halls of honored weapons, the two handed sword waxes and wanes in and out of popularity through the years. The Han dynasty(202 BC – 9…
Whats in a name? The Zhan Ma Dao as a Category 斬馬刀作为一个类别
A few years back, I made response to a historical based YouTube video about the Zhan Ma Dao斬馬刀 as it related to the Japanese weapon the ZanBato (meaning the same thing). The consternation was caused by a description of the weapon’s supposed use in battle. A use, it seems to me to be wholly fantasy.…
Katana to Dao: Part 2-Qi Jiguang
(please see part one here: Saber and Coin) In 1523, two tribute fleets from two rival Japanese seafaring clans arrived at the port city of Ningbo寧波 in North Eastern China. The coastal city had been designated the port of entry for all Japanese tribute missions and was the one place the Bakufu-幕府 of Japan could…
Heavenly Horse Dao: Experiments and explorations
Until recently, for martial artists and history buffs, many of the weapons used in the Han Dynasty were out of reach. The oceans of time between their use in the military and society and today, the ravages of age and complete lack of surviving training manuals or any written material documenting their use or training…
Terra Prime Fighting Words 