Kung Fu Is Inside The Body

In 1978 the films Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow and Drunken Master, both starring a young Jackie Chan, caused a stir in the Hong Kong cinema industry and changed the landscape of martial arts cinema. Mixing virtuoso displays of acrobatic kung fu with knockabout humor to huge box office success, they broke the mold of the tragic and heroic martial arts film and sparked not only a wave of imitations, but also a much longer trend for kung fu comedies that continues to the present day. Legacies of the Drunken Master—the first book-length analysis of kung fu comedy—interrogates the politics of the films and their representations of the performing body. It draws on an interdisciplinary engagement with popular culture and an interrogation of the critical literature on Hong Kong and martial arts cinema to offer original readings of key films. These readings pursue the genre in terms of its carnival aesthetic, the utopias of the body it envisions, its highly stylized depictions of violence, its images of masculinity, and the registers of its “hysterical” laughter. The book’s analyses are carried out amidst kung fu comedy’s shifting historical contexts, including the aftermath of the 1960s radical youth movements, the rapidly globalizing colonial enclave of Hong Kong and the emerging consciousness of its 1997 handover to China, and the transnationalization of cinema audiences. It argues that through kung fu comedy’s images of the body, the genre articulated in complex and often contradictory ways political realities relevant to late twentieth-century Hong Kong and the wider conditions of globalized capitalism. The kung fu comedy entwines us in a popular cultural history that stretches into the folk past and forward into utopian and dystopian possibilities. Theoretically rich and critical, Legacies of the Drunken Master aims to be at the forefront of scholarship on martial arts cinema. It also addresses readers with a broader interest in Hong Kong culture and politics during the 1970s and 1980s, postcolonialism in East Asia, and action and comedy films in a global context—as well as those fascinated with the performing body in the martial arts.

In 1895, the newly formed Greater Japan Martial Virtue Association (Dainippon Butokukai) held its first annual Martial Virtue Festival (butokusai) in the ancient capital of Kyoto. The Festival marked the arrival of a new iteration of modern Japan, as the Butokukai’s efforts to define and popularise Japanese martial arts became an important medium through which the bodies of millions of Japanese citizens would experience, draw on, and even shape the Japanese nation and state. This book shows how the notion and practice of Japanese martial arts in the late Meiji period brought Japanese bodies, Japanese nationalisms, and the Japanese state into sustained contact and dynamic engagement with one another. Using a range of disciplinary approaches, Denis Gainty shows how the metaphor of a national body and the cultural and historical meanings of martial arts were celebrated and appropriated by modern Japanese at all levels of society, allowing them to participate powerfully in shaping the modern Japanese nation and state. While recent works have cast modern Japanese and their bodies as subject to state domination and elite control, this book argues that having a body – being a body, and through that body experiencing and shaping social, political, and even cosmic realities – is an important and underexamined aspect of the late Meiji period. Martial Arts and the Body Politic in Meiji Japan is an important contribution to debates in Japanese and Asian social sciences, theories of the body and its role in modern historiography, and related questions of power and agency by suggesting a new and dramatic role for human bodies in the shaping of modern states and societies. As such, it will be valuable to students and scholars of Japanese studies, Japanese history, modern nations and nationalisms, and sport and leisure studies, as well as those interested in the body more broadly.

Kung Fu has evolved from a traditional means of defence to become a system of attacking and defending oneself, with or without weapons, exercising the body and maintaining good physical and mental health. As such, these practices have found an international following. Yet what has remained a largely unexplored area is the scientific principles behind these martial arts. This book not only covers the brief history of Chinese martial arts, but also brings together the wisdom of a Kung Fu grand master with a scientist and teacher to explain the scientific reasons why Kung Fu is the powerful practice that it is. Using the principles of physics, biomechanics and biology, with a number of drawings showing some basic postures of Kung Fu, the authors present a deep understanding of how the styles, the specific movements and methods of attack and defence operate.

Guide details muscles used during common martial arts moves and how to more effectively prevent injury and gain strength. Features more than 100 comprehensive illustrations. Includes examples of stretches to protect specific muscles in each move.

The purpose of this phenomenological inquiry was to explore the meaning-making and cultivation of Kung Fu within a martial arts club. The inquiry focused specifically on the teachings of Grandmaster Qing Fu Pan, and how these teachings are cultivated and embodied by his students on their path toward transformation of being. Phenomenology was used as both a philosophical orientation and methodology, and Taoist teachings were integrated throughout to add a layer of interpretive understanding. In this dissertation, an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to guide data collection and analysis, involving an abductive process through which analysis of semi-structured interviews and field observations informed the meaning construction process. Participants included Grandmaster Pan and his students. Two core essences describe the depth of the path of the Iron and Silk martial arts of Grandmaster Pan. The first essence-Layers of Knowing: Metaphors for Cultivating and Embodying Iron and Silk-speaks to the cultivation of Iron and Silk as the student engages in the practice of Chinese martial arts training. Within this essence, participants describe their understanding of the Fluid Movement Between Iron and Silk in both martial arts in life, while emphasizing the importance of situating or Embedding Meaning in a Science of Self-Defence. Understanding Iron and Silk as Cultivating a Path of Transformation presents a series of metaphors that describes the path of practice and “Change to in your Body”: Embodying The Way of the Iron and Silk speaks to the internalization of this martial arts practice as Grandmaster Pan uses his own embodied knowledge to strategically cultivate the potential of his students. The second essence-Relationship Cultivates Kung Fu, Kung Fu Cultivates Relationship-describes the importance of relationship in cultivating Iron and Silk. The depth of Grandmaster Pan's roots in the martial arts added a rich narrative of lineage, history, and uses of the practices that was central to the training, making it significantly different from other forms of sport and exercise. The essence begins with an exploration of Cultivating a Kung Fu Lineage and the importance of participants' experiences of their Relationship to a Sifu. Then, Finding a Home: Continuation of Relationship in Physical and Social Space describes the intersubjective space created by Grandmaster Pan and his students. The intimacy of relationship within the club is explored further in “Doing business is easy, having a relationship is hard”: Relationships of Iron and Silk, which describes the respect, cooperation, and humility that manifested in relationships among students and created a united family of practitioners. Consequently, Openness of Learning in the Cultivation of Iron & Silk describes the importance of engaging with openess when immersed in the martial arts. As Taoism focuses on the relationship between individual and the universal, and phenomenology focuses on attempts to make sense of experience and subjective consciousness within an intersubjective world, this study evolved into an exploration of the relationship between intersubjective human experience and the movement toward living in alignment with the totality of universal reality as martial arts practices become abjectively embodied. The martial arts are presented as a cultivated-embodied-relational and intersubjective practice as the martial artist engages in the cauldron in approximation of the universal Tao. A conversation about embodiment, and specifically abjective embodiment, weaves together the interplay between the interdependent essences of cultivation, transformation, and relationship. The discussion is furthered as intersubjectivity and the Taoist concept of Te-moral power or virtue of a person who follows a correct course of conduct, connecting the individual with the cosmos-highlight interdependence on the path of transformation through the embodied practice of cultivating Iron and Silk Kung Fu. Theoretical contributions of this study arise through the engagement of phenomenology and Taoism to develop a holistic understanding of the practice of the traditional martial art of Iron and Silk Kung Fu. As leisure studies expands and grows in its diversity and depth of cultural exploration, it will be essential to develop an broader theoretical and philosophical approach to understanding experience. Insights and reflections presented in this dissertation can be practically applied in three key ways. First, challenging notions of transactional exchange in understanding interpersonal connections, and presenting a relational understanding of intersubjective interaction. Second, the holistic understanding of leadership presented here might inform future generations of teachers and coaches in sport, training, education, and personal development. Third, this dissertation provides on fusion of phenomenology and Taoism that might guide future leisure studies scholars.

The phrase “martial arts studies” is increasingly circulating as a term to describe a new field of interest. But many academic fields including history, philosophy, anthropology, and Area studies already engage with martial arts in their own particular way. Therefore, is there really such a thing as a unique field of martial arts studies? Martial Arts Studies is the first book to engage directly with these questions. It assesses the multiplicity and heterogeneity of possible approaches to martial arts studies, exploring orientations and limitations of existing approaches. It makes a case for constructing the field of martial arts studies in terms of key coordinates from post-structuralism, cultural studies, media studies, and post-colonialism. By using these anti-disciplinary approaches to disrupt the approaches of other disciplines, Martial Arts Studies proposes a field that both emerges out of and differs from its many disciplinary locations.

Long ago in ancient China, there were old Kung fu masters who had miraculous skills. Even in their old age, their bodies were like iron. When they struck back, it only took one hit and the enemy was dead. Now many centuries later we no longer see these skills. The basic martial skills once taught are ignored and more "modern" day training is used instead. If these new methods are better, then why does the modern martial artist not exhibit the same skills of the old masters? The answer is simple, they have no chi skills. In this book, Sifu Li tells you how to build chi. What herbs to take and the importance of sexual energy. Included is a 100 day plan to increase your internal energy or "chi" and learn the basics of internal striking methods.This book also includes instructions on how to make and use Dit Da Jow liniment for striking training.

Inside Kungfu: Chinese Martial Arts Encyclopedia is intended to serve as a general reference tool for anyone interested in the martial arts, its history, or even China's history. The book takes a look "Inside" Chinese Martial Arts only, with a chart devoted to Chinese, Japanese and Korean pronunciation; A section about China's Martial History; A section about the Shaolin Temple History; Information about the Beijing Opera; Information on several martial arts from A to Z totaling around 363 styles; Information on over 110 weapons used throughout China's history, and much, much more. Including dynamic pictures and illustrations by myself and even a little information about yours truly. It is my love, respect and admiration for the martial arts that has inspired me to write this book in hopes that, you, the reader, enjoys learning the facts and history as much as I did; and maybe, inspire you to take a wonderful journey in the martial arts training of your choice if you have not already done so.

Learn the secrets to obtaining Bruce Lee's astounding physique with this insightful martial arts training book. The Art of Expressing the Human Body, a title coined by Bruce Lee himself to describe his approach to martial arts, documents the techniques he used so effectively to perfect his body for superior health and muscularity. Beyond his martial arts and acting abilities, Lee's physical appearance and strength were truly astounding. He achieved this through an intensive and ever-evolving conditioning regime that is being revealed for the first time in this book. Drawing on Lee's own notes, letters, diaries and training logs, Bruce Lee historian John Little presents the full extent of Lee's unique training methods including nutrition, aerobics, isometrics, stretching and weight training. In addition to serving as a record of Bruce Lee's own training, The Art of Expressing the Human Body, with its easy-to-understand and simple-to-follow training routines, is a valuable source book for those who seek dramatic improvement in their health, conditioning, physical fitness, and appearance. This Bruce Lee Book is part of the Bruce Lee Library which also features: Bruce Lee: Striking Thoughts Bruce Lee: The Celebrated Life of the Golden Dragon Bruce Lee: The Tao of Gung Fu Bruce Lee: Artist of Life Bruce Lee: Letters of the Dragon Bruce Lee: Jeet Kune Do

Kung Fu, or Chinese martial arts, is a school of fighting techniques that originated in China and has evolved over many centuries. Kung Fu is based on the idea that peak performance in fight and daily life can be attained via the development of physical and mental discipline and the cultivation of internal energy, or Qi. There is a wide variety of Kung Fu styles, each with its own set of principles, practices, and techniques. While some martial arts emphasize speed and power, others place a premium on agility, balance, and accuracy. Despite these distinctions, the ultimate aim of every Kung Fu style is the same: control of one's own body and mind. Kung fu's rise to global prominence in recent decades can be attributed in no small part to media representations of the martial art in various media. For those that study Kung Fu, however, it is much more than just a pastime; it is a way of life, a method of self-defense, and a means of developing one's character. The classic Chinese martial art of Kung Fu has much to offer everybody who is interested in the physical and mental difficulties it presents. Kung Fu is a powerful and ageless art that continues to inspire and challenge practitioners all around the world because of its rich history and dedication to excellence.