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“Glory Days” and the Twilight of the Guoshu Movement
Wang Zi Ping with Jian. ***My last update hinted at a couple of sources that I will be addressing in my upcoming keynote for this years (quickly approaching) martial arts studies conference. But...
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A Visual Study of a Set of Transitional Hudiedao
Introduction Some apologies are in order. My professional writing and research has taken me away from the blog for longer than I intended. In the last month I finished an one article draft, wrote...
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2019 MAS Conference Report: Martial Arts Studies Comes to America
The campus of Chapman University, host of the 2019 Martial Arts Studies conference. By the look of those palm trees I conclude that we aren’t in Cardiff any more! Source: Martial Arts Studies Facebook...
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The Creation of Wing Tsun – A German Case Study
Masters Kernspecht and Leung Ting. Source: Texas Wing Tsun Kung Fu. Greetings. After a brief layover in New York I am now back in the air and headed for my second conference of the summer (this one...
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Book Review: The Martial Arts Studies Reader, by Qays Stetkevych
Greetings! I am still traveling for a conference on Chinese History. Unsurprisingly my paper is an attempt to introduce a new group of scholars to the joys of Martial Arts Studies. Speaking of...
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Martial Arts Studies at Tel Aviv University
The Cymbalista Synagogue and Jewish Heritage Center at Aviv University. Photo by author. I recently had the opportunity to visit Israel for the first time. It was quite an experience and I would...
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Chinese Martial Arts in the News: June 14, 2019: Xu, Soft Power and Women in...
Introduction Its been months (and multiple conference trips) since our last news update, which means that there is no better time to get caught up on recent events! For new readers, this is a...
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Through a Lens Darkly (60): The Weapons Rack
Vintage Chinese postcard. Weapons in front of the Chongzheng Hall in the Mukden Palace Complex. Source: Author’s personal collection. A Recent Find Chinese martial arts themed (or simply adjacent)...
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Contesting Kung Fu’s Soft Power: What Modern Chinese History Can Teach Us...
Title slide for Judkins’ 2019 MAS Keynote, delivered on May 24 at Chapman University. Introduction On May 24th I was asked to deliver the closing keynote address for the 2019 Martial Arts Studies...
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Revisiting Marginality in the Martial Arts
A vintage tourist photo captioned “Acrobatic School, Hong Kong” in pencil. Note the simple matching shirts. Source: Author’s personal collection. There are a number of popular topics within Martial...
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Stickman doh ‘fraid no damom: Stick and machete fighting in the New world –...
What follows is the first part of a short series on New World stick and knife fighting traditions by my friend Dr. Michael J. Ryan (SUNY Oneonta). I first became aware of this vast and fascinating...
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Columbia and Venezuela: The Political Economy of Stick and Machete Fighting...
Stick fighting in Venezuela. Source: CNN.com Introduction Greetings, and welcome to the second part of Michael J. Ryan’s guest series on stick and knife fighting in the Caribbean region. If you missed...
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Pilgrimage and Travel in Martial Arts Training
Bujutsu joran 武術上覧 (The Shogun Views a Demonstration of Martial Arts) / Chiyoda no on-omote 千代田之御表 (The Central Office at Chiyoda). Right side panel. Source: britishmuseum.org Bear up under days of...
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Chinese Martial Arts in the News: July 8, 2019: Summer Fun, and Bruce Lee...
Bruce Lee Graffiti. Source: Wikimedia. Introduction It is so hot outside that it is almost impossible to think about training, which means that there is no better time to get caught up on news –...
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History and Myth in Lightsaber Combat
Students in a lightsaber training exercise. Source: Author’s personal collection. Introduction In the coming months I expect that readers will be seeing a few new blog posts discussing my ongoing...
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Book Review: Deconstructing Martial Arts
Breaking Ceramic Figurines by Martin Klimas. Paul Bowman. 2019. Deconstructing the Martial Arts. Cardiff: Cardiff University Press. 165 pages. Free to Download. Introduction Summer is typically...
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The Problem of Presentism in the Chinese “Martial Arts”
Cross Big Knives, early 1930s. By Thomas Handforth. Source: Oregon State University Digital Collections. ***Greetings. I am currently hard at work on a few different research projects. One of these...
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Salvage as Method in Martial Arts Studies
***What follows is the text of my keynote address delivered at the 2019 Exploring Imperial China Workshop held on June 5-6 at Tel Aviv University. I would like to thank both the Department of East...
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Through a Lens Darkly (14): Archery Practice in Late Imperial China
A group photograph of an archery class or society. Note that one individual leads a horse while another carries a large wall mounted gun. Ogden Cigarette Card, circa 1901. ***Kung Fu Tea is having...
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New Issue of Martial Arts Studies: Bruce Lee’s Martial Legacies
Ip Man and his best known student, Bruce Lee. We are thrilled to announce the release of the Summer 2019 issue of Martial Arts Studies (Number 8). This special issue has been guest edited by Kyle...
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