The problem with most of the people who are writing "histories" of Chinese martial arts is that they know so very little about Chinese martial arts. I would suggest that people go back historically and start with the time of the Daoyin exercises (all the CMAs still use some of those exercises) and also ask themselves why all the CMAs use the ☯symbol. If you don't understand the different system of body movement in CMAs, you don't understand CMAs well enough to opine about them.
You influenced my thinking a lot through this video. First this deconstruction was very sad for me. But with time it helped to mature my viewpoints on martial-arts.
Great dialogue! Made me think of my days in capoeira. I found my way into it because I was interested in an afro-latin form of combat that was literally a way of survival for many poor people in Brazil. I love that despite capoeira's festive, florid, and friendly persona, it also has a street smart "malandron" side that will kick your ass when necessary.
I'm a PhD candidate from Indonesia and I'm a huge fan of Prof. Bowman. I think that martial artists and scholars will benefit greatly from the Martial Art Studies journal and it's my dream to publish one of my articles there.
Good grief, this guy really takes the cake when it comes to whitesplaining. He is just talking out his ass about things he picked up at first instance once he moved to Korea. There is nothing wrong with discussing these historical issues but he draws cheap, hard conclusions based on arm chair conjectures without any academic evidence or knowledgeable nuance because he doesn't have any. Claims like Taekkyeon was a just 'folk game', Korean don't have a martial tradition, are stupid and is basically as true as TKD is a 4,000 year old ancient martial art. And "folk game" the way this guy uses it is a misnomer. Taekkyeon was a combative tournament with winner's prize and wide spread betting that was hugely popular and practiced by all different classes in Korea. Ssireum is "folk" culture. What do you think will happen when you have a country of people kicking each other down, or grappling from a standup position, in serious competition with money involved for at least a few centuries as a widely practiced "folk" activity? Ssireum is a serious skilled martial art. It's probably the most practical Korean combat sport IMHO directly applicable to Judo, or any self defense situation. Taekkyeon was also widely practiced into late 19th century with both the Chosun court and the Japanese occupiers specifically banning Taekkyeon although for different motivations. It's literally documented with historical documents bridging 19th and 20th centuries. Governments wouldn't be banning things that don't exist. All of this is a discussion worth having and it would be fascinating to have a real academic actually look into this and produce real academic work but this guy is literally just a passing expat with passing interest in Korean history and culture. It's hard to believe this whitesplaining garbage is still being produced this day and age.
JESUS ‘HOLY’ CHRIST TOLD THIS MAN TO KILL WOMEN! Peter William Sutcliffe (2 June 1946 - 13 November 2020), also known as Peter William Coonan, and “The Yorkshire Ripper.” IN JESUS ‘HOLY’ CHRIST NAME. AMEN. SO BE IT.
I mean, I like to use those old Scandinavian weapons, and finding interesting and innovative ways to use them, but that's because I'm a hema practitioner as well... why are they using them in glima?
The comment about Shaolin martial arts being invented in the 1980s is a prevalent, but unfortunately mistaken impression. The idea of "Shaolin martial arts" really ought to be categorized together with the martial arts of the surrounding Dengfeng County, where people have been both entering the temple for either monasticism or martial arts as well as leaving for their homes to toil land when times were hard, only to come back at a later time or not etc. So the martial arts of Shaolin had always been trained side by side by both the locals of Dengfeng and the wuseng of the Temple, therefore the act of "returning" the martial arts back to the Temple in the 1980s was more akin to introducing a species back to an ecological location where it had previously become extinct rather than creating something anew a new "style" altogether. Otherwise the keynote speech was very good and accurate!
amazing stuff. can't belive I watched the entire thing with that audio quality LOL. guys get a cheap directional mic on ur camera it will do u wonders.
Bruce didn't fight for the same reason Elvis, who was decent, not great, in karate didn't fight. They both had a job where they couldn't take physical damage or they would not be able to perform as an actor or singer. I believe Elvis had that in his contract.
Thank you for this interesting discussion! I have to have a look at this journal. Just a comment on the possible French sailor connection in capoeira - I remember seeing a book about savate that had a picture of a French sailor, fighting on the deck of a ship, doing what looked very much like a martelo no chão (or chibata, we call it in my school). Together with Mestre Pastinha's story of going to the Philippines and maybe doing some escrima, and the stories of both him being taught by an African sailor... it makes me wonder about the influence of sailors in general on capoeira and in the dissemination of martial arts. Also, about the African connection - a lot of sailors in French navy and merchant ships would have been from various African and African diaspora backgrounds. Fascinating!
Some of the ideas expressed in this really thought-provoking discussion remind me of Gurdjieff and his system of achieving self-awareness through repetitive physical activity.
You skipped all the best Count Dante stuff! No mention of his pet lion, the great chicago dojo brawl (one eye, one arm, and one life lost, weapons were involved ), or his eventual mafia linked murder? All of this stuff is well documented.
