Articles | YMAA

Meet the Author: Munawar Ali Karim chats about Wing Chun with Gene Ching (video)
February 28, 2024
British author Munawar Ali Karim chats about his new book Wing Chun In-Depth
From Warm Hand to Warm Hand
February 26, 2024
With the abundance of martial arts resources and the power of today’s communication technology, YMAA staff writer Gene Ching ponders what effect it might have on the traditional arts for the next generation. 5 Min. Read
Meet the Author: Hermann Bayer discusses Karate origins and misconceptions with Gene Ching (video)
February 7, 2024
YMAA Staff Writer Gene Ching chats with Dr. Hermann Bayer, author of two books: Analysis of Genuine Karate: Misconceptions, Origins, Development, and True Purpose and Analysis of Genuine Karate 2: Sociocultural Development, Commercialization, and Loss of Essential Knowledge
2024 The Year of the Dragon
January 29, 2024
Twenty-twenty-four marks the Year of the Wood Dragon in the Chinese zodiac. YMAA Staff Writer Gene Ching, who was born under the sign of the Dragon and bears the Buddhist Shaolin name ‘dragon,’ shares some insights on the mythology behind Chinese dragons and the element of wood. Reading Time 8 minutes.
The Shaolin Temple and the Shaolin Diaspora
November 27, 2023
With the Abbot of Shaolin Temple visit to California in November 2023, Staff Writer Gene Ching ruminates over the distinctions between some Shaolin styles of Kung Fu practiced around the world and the curriculum propounded at the original Shaolin Temple of China today
Meet the Author: Christopher Bates talks with Gene Ching (YMAA) about Taiwan history and martial arts (video) - November 27, 2023
Translator and martial artist Christopher Bates talks with Gene Ching about Taiwan history, and the oppression and poverty experienced there post-World War Two. This is also where YMAA founder Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming was born and lived until college. They discuss various Taiwanese martial arts styles and their overlap, including Shaolin White Crane (Bai He), Xingyiquan, Baguazhang and others.
Meet the Author: Augustus John Roe chats with Gene Ching (YMAA) about mythical martial artists (video) - November 18, 2023
Augustus John Roe is an author, linguist and instructor of traditional Vietnamese martial arts of the Bửu Sơn Phật Môn Quyền lineage. Since the mid-2000s, he has lived and trained in Asia. During this time, Augustus has worked on numerous television shows, books, magazines and academic projects documenting local cultures and martial arts practices.
Qi Demons and Kung Fu Exorcists - October 30, 2023
On the day before Halloween 2023, YMAA Staff Writer Gene Ching ruminates about demonic possession in Kung Fu and Qigong practice.
Meet the Author: Gene Ching talks with John Donohue, YMAA martial arts fiction author (video) - October 13, 2023
YMAA author John Donohue is a nationally-known expert on the culture and practice of the martial arts, and has been banging around dojo for more than 30 years. Gene Ching discusses the latest book in the Connor Burke series, Keppan, now available in hardcover and paperback, and delves into John's personal experience and writing process.
This is the Way…of the Dao - September 25, 2023
If you practice Chinese martial arts or qigong, how important is it to understand Daoism? YMAA Staff Writer Gene Ching ruminates on this by reflecting upon his own personal history as a practitioner who is not Daoist.
Meet the Author: Rory Miller author of "Meditations on Violence" chats with Gene Ching (video) - September 21, 2023
YMAA staff writer Gene Ching interviews Rory Miller, a writer and teacher living peacefully in the Pacific Northwest. Rory Miller is the author of a dozen books and videos about real-world violence as it pertains to traditional martial artists. Highly recommended reading and viewing for anyone interested in real-world safety and situational awareness. Rory has served for seventeen years in corrections as an officer and sergeant working maximum security, booking and mental health; leading a tactical team; and teaching subjects ranging from Defensive Tactics and Use of Force to First Aid and Crisis Communications with the Mentally Ill.
Preserving the Legacy of Two-Person Forms in the Chinese Martial Arts - July 31, 2023
In the wake of Michelle Lin & Quentin Lopes chat with Gene Ching about their new "Barehand vs Staff Sequence", Staff Writer Gene Ching explores the legacy of two-person training sequences in the Chinese martial arts.
The Cinematic Legacy of Ip Man on Wing Chun - June 4, 2023
In acknowledgment of YMAA’s new publication Wing Chun In-Depth: Skills for Combat, Strategies for Life by Munawar Ali Karim and Loukas Kastrounis, YMAA Staff Writer Gene Ching examines the global impact of the Ip Man films on pop culture.
Meet the Author: YMAA Instructors Michelle Lin and Quentin Lopes chat with Gene Ching about their new White Crane Staff sequence (video) - May 25, 2023
YMAA staff writer Gene Ching interviews YMAA Instructor Michelle Lin and Quentin Lopes about their new program, which is the only instructional video on the White Crane Barehand vs Staff sequence. Barehand vs Staff or Kong Shou Dui Gun (空手對棍) is an intermediate-level White Crane Kung Fu sequence from the YMAA Shaolin Training Curriculum.
Is it Chi Kung or Qigong? - April 24, 2023
Last year, in honor of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day, YMAA Staff Writer Gene Ching wrote Is it Tai Chi or Taiji? For this year, he continues in that same spirit with an exploration of Chinese translation and romanization with Qigong.
Meet The Author: YMAA Qigong Master Bill Buckley chats with Gene Ching about his new program teaching the 18 Luohan Qigong (video) - March 23, 2023
YMAA staff writer Gene Ching interviews Bill Buckley of Gateway Tai Chi and Yoga in Portsmouth, New Hampshire (a YMAA School). Mr. Buckley is one of the few people who have completed the 20-year qigong master training program under Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming. They discuss the new streaming qigong video 18 Luohan Hands Shiba Luohan Shou  (十八羅漢手), also known as 18 Hands of Buddha, or the 18 Techniques of the Enlightened Ones. This ancient qigong relates to Buddhist yoga techniques and the teaching of Bodhidharma known as "muscle/tendon changing classic" passed down while he taught at Shaolin Temple 1500 years ago.
What Can You Really Learn from Video? - March 13, 2023
YMAA Staff Writer Gene Ching reflects on an experience he had with the YMAA streaming video Sun Tai Chi by Yang Chenhan. Sun Tai Chi is connected to Gene’s Shaolin lineage (and to Dr. Yang’s Tai Chi lineage as well). Gene explores how video training relates to when he studied under Grandmaster Sun Jianyun, the daughter of the founder of Sun Tai Chi.
Watch Your Tone - February 6, 2023
YMAA Publication Center has recently published new editions of Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming’s qigong books that include pinyin tonal marks for pronunciation and modern Chinese fonts. YMAA Staff Writer Gene Ching examines why these are important.
Meet the Author: David-Dorian Ross talks with Gene Ching about his early training years and creation of his TaijiFit teaching method (video). - January 18, 2023
David-Dorian Ross chats with old friend Gene Ching about his early years training Tai Chi Chuan and Wushu in San Francisco, running his own martial arts school, and his creation of the TaijiFit teaching method. He also talks about his national program teaching Tai Chi to veterans for free, and his other video releases with YMAA Publication Center.
2023 The Year of the Rabbit - January 16, 2023
This year, 2023, marks the Year of the Rabbit in the Lunar calendar. In Chinese culture, the Rabbit is believed to be a symbol of hope and longevity. In celebration of the new year, YMAA Publication Center staff writer Gene Ching explores the meanings underlying the rabbit in Chinese thought as well as the tradition of the giving of red envelopes.
Under the YMAA Banner - October 24, 2022
In honor of the 40th Anniversary of YMAA, Staff Writer Gene Ching looks at YMAA’s iconic emblem and what it symbolizes.
Meet the Author: Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming interview with Gene Ching discussing the YMAA 40 Year Anniversary (video) - September 28, 2022
Dr. Yang, Jwìng-Mǐng (楊俊敏博士) chats from his new home in upstate California with YMAA staff writer Gene Ching about the YMAA 40-year anniversary.
Meet the Author: Roger Jahnke, OMD talks with Gene Ching about writing and teaching Qigong and Tai Chi for decades (video) - July 26, 2022
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.
Why my Lianbuquan is Different from Yours - July 25, 2022
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.
Meet The Author: Gene Ching Interviews Patrick Daly, Co-creator of "Needle Through Brick" (video) - July 6, 2022
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.