May 20, 2024
Though the martial side of Tàijíquán is for strengthening the physical body and for defense, the scholarly side of Tàijíquán is for understanding human nature and comprehending the meaning of life. Only if (you) can cultivate these, both internally and externally, can you reach the Dào of balancing physical body and mind, and (also) the dual cultivation of human nature and physical body.
8 Min Read
May 13, 2024
Speaking Japanese is different than “speaking Judo.” But for those who want to have a better understanding and appreciation of judo, learning how to “speak Judo” opens up the whole world of judo to them.
5 Min Read
April 29, 2024
In honor of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day 2024, YMAA Staff Writer Gene Ching examines tai chi demonstrations done in large groups. 6 Min Read
April 22, 2024
No one has ever walked onto a judo mat and immediately became an elite-level athlete. Anyone who thinks otherwise will have a short and limited career in judo. 6 Min Read
April 15, 2024
When does the student become the master? The Roshi watched me carefully. He smiled sadly. “He wanted you to follow after him, Connor.” My mouth was dry with the shock of acknowledgment. “I’m not sure I can.” 8 Min Read.
Enjoy this special video excerpt from a Tai Chi Theory seminar event in which Dr. Yang, Jwìng-Mǐng (楊俊敏博士) discusses the topic of his latest book "Qigong Grand Circulation". This practice increases your whole body Qi circulation to energize your mind, body, and spirit and is the root of emitting power in martial arts. In the discussion, Dr. Yang explains how and why Grand Circulation has faded in Yang-style Tai Chi Chuan.
It has been proven that Yìjīnjīng training is one of the most effective ways to change the quality of the physical body.
If you compare the routes of the blood circulatory system, the nervous system, and the lymphatic system with the course of the Qì channels, you will see that there is a great deal of correspondence.
So, for the purposes of understanding how the triangle choke has evolved and how it will continue to develop, it’s best to say that it is an offspring with many parents come from many parts of the world.
Dr. Roger Jahnke talks with Gene Ching about his years of writing about Qigong and Tai Chi before they were widely known in the USA, studying in China, the formation of the NQA (National Qigong Association) and his new Healer Within: Medical Qigong video release with YMAA Publication Center.
There are countless kung fu forms across innumerable schools and lineages, but sometimes different schools share the same form. While reviewing the Shaolin Long Fist Kung Fu Complete Collection, YMAA Staff Writer Gene Ching discovered some overlapping forms between his Northern Shaolin tradition and YMAA’s curriculum and discusses the shared roots and divergences.
The meaning of our lives is to understand nature and untie all its mysteries. It is a long and timeless journey to reach the final goal of enlightenment. However, it is why we are here.
Using strangles and chokes is serious business and is not for the immature. It’s better to tap out than pass out.
Gene Ching has a fascinating chat with producer/director Patrick Daly about his award-winning martial arts documentary "Needle Through Brick" which explores the decline of the traditional arts in the East.
The term “ground fighting” is actually a generic one and for the sake of clarity, needs to be parsed out and examined.
"Currently, teaching is the whip that keeps me going for my health and mental balance. For searching for the truth of the Dao, I will never retire till the end of my life."
“If you don’t know how you got somewhere, you don’t know where you are.”—James Burke
Tai chi is one of the most practiced martial arts in the world today. Countless practitioners recite these time-honored movements for health, self-defense, and peace of mind all around the world. However, as tai chi continues to spread globally, how to spell it is absurdly frustrating.
Tevia Feng explains his path studying Daoism and qigong to creating White Tiger Qigong, his unique system that blends traditional qigong with modern anatomy, exercise science, and muscle / fascia research.
This is Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming's official YMAA External Arts Curriculum, which outlines his recommended order of study for Kung Fu students.
YMAA Publication Center author Joe Varady talks with Shaolin staff practitioner Gene Ching about his new video series The Art and Science of Staff Fighting, his method of cross-training many martial arts, HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts), and the reality of using long weapons (or a broom!) in real life defense situations.
Stressing Karate’s possible use for supporting Japan’s armed forces was Itosu Sensei’s pragmatic strategy to secure sufficient funds for his educational campaign by tapping into Japan’s funds for its militarization―whereas the final and underlying goal of this educational campaign was not to create the raw material for the nation’s military forces, but something different, something nobler.
In this practice, a practitioner will use his mind, with some specific physical movements, to lead the Qì to the Láogōng (P-8, 勞宮) cavity and allow the Qì to be distributed to the entire hand. This practice has also been commonly used to improve the Qì circulation in the six Qì channels, circulating to the tip of the fingers.
China has more than seven thousand years of history. The greatest contribution it can make to benefit the human race is to share the knowledge it has accumulated in the field of Qi.
The Chinese word Qi (氣) is defined as energy, as in all energy in the universe, and Gong means hard work or study. Therefore, Qigong (氣功) means "the study of natural energy." Western science has identified a bioelectric potential in the body which could be one of the primary aspects of Qi energy. This "bioelectricity" is recognized by YMAA as an important area of Qigong study and research.