Martial Development

Martial arts for personal development

Tanuki: The New Official Mascot of Tai Chi?

August 9th, 2008 · 5 Comments

Platypus swimming
Platypus: The Unofficial Mascot of MMA
Sporting a duck’s bill, otter’s feet and beaver tail, the platypus is considered by some to be the greatest combination of all animals.
Photo credit: striatic

While many Chinese martial arts take inspiration from animals—Tibetan Crane Kung Fu, Monkey’s Fist, Dragon Style, and White Ape Boxing are just a few popular examples—Tai Chi Chuan uses dreary references to binary arithmetic. Small wonder, then, that most people consider Tai Chi boring. It has a serious image problem.

To remain competitive with the thrilling spectacle of mixed martial arts, Tai Chi Chuan should adopt a provocative animal mascot. But what kind of animal best embodies Tai Chi’s unique qualities? [Read more →]

Jacky Wu Jing, The Tai Chi Master

September 16th, 2007 · 26 Comments

Wu Jing, The Tai Chi Master
The Tai Chi Master (太極宗師)

Have you ever wondered how the slow and graceful movements of Tai Chi could possibly be applied in a real fight? If so, this expertly choreographed movie will give you some ideas.

In The Tai Chi Master, Chinese action hero Wu Jing (a.k.a. Jacky Wu, Jason Wu) portrays real-life master Yang Lu-Chan, the founder of Yang Style Tai Chi. Here, Wu Jing re-enacts the famous tower sequence from Bruce Lee’s Game of Death. [Read more →]

Mimicry is Not the Path to Mastery

January 8th, 2007 · 8 Comments

Mastery is efficiency.  A master of their art simultaneously exerts less effort, and achieves greater results than others.  Wouldn’t it would be wonderful if attaining mastery was as easy as defining it? 
It is that easy, and that difficult. [Read more →]