Kung Fu Tai Chi November - December 2016

This issue hits the newsstands around the elections but due to print production time, I’m writing this Publisher’s note just after the Olympics. Back in August, our 2016 Rio Olympics thread dominated our main forum at KungFuMagazine.com (we have some Rio coverage our Web Fu section - see page 12). I love the Olympics. There are always so many inspirational stories, as well as some disheartening ones; such is the nature of sports. I enjoy watching all of the Olympic sports from the most popular to the rare ones that I don’t know anything about. I especially enjoy the martial-oriented ones: Archery, Boxing, Fencing, Judo, Modern Pentathlon, Shooting, Taekwondo and Wrestling. Honestly, it’s the only time I watch any Archery, Modern Pentathlon, Shooting, or Wrestling competitions. In Boxing, Clarissa Shields was…

My summers are usually pretty packed with travel. I typically go to at least three or four tournaments nationally and a host of tournaments locally. This year, however, with the exception of the Battle of Atlanta, I spent most of my summer at home. I was able to make it to a few local tournaments like International Traditional Kung Fu Association tournament held by Tomizaki’s Champion Kung Fu (see page 20), which was a lot of fun. But I was sad to miss out on a bunch of great events like the Capitol Classics, hosted by September+October 2010 Kung Fu Tai Chi cover master Dennis Brown, the Ohana event in Reno, Long Beach Invitationals, and several others. I love being able to connect with friends, watch up-and-coming competitors, and also…

World’s Largest Guan Yu Statue Completed Work on the world’s largest Guan Yu stature being erected in Jinzhou, Henan was reported in our July+August 2016 installment here (Note that the thread in the original report was incorrect; the correct one is below). The statue is now complete and was unveiled on June 17. The statue is over 190 feet tall and 1200 tons; it bears a Guandao that is nearly 230 feet long and 136 tons. The statue was created by Han Meilin, the designer of the mascots for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread. php?48374-Guan-Yu&p=1294842#post1294842 Michael Phelps and Cupping In other Olympic news, Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time with a record total of 28 medals, brought cupping to the world’s attention. During his five-gold, one-silver garnering final Olympic competitions…

Master Dean Chin (proper name ChinYuk Din) is remembered for the lives he touched and the legacy he left behind. Considered the Father of Jow Ga Kung Fu in America, he brought the system here from Hong Kong in 1967. From the time of his arrival until his untimely passing in 1985, no single person did more to promote and spread the system. At this year’s 2nd Annual Dean Chin Memorial Banquet, practitioners of the system gathered to pay their respects and remember the man who meant so much to so many. The event was attended by many longtime students of Master Chin such as Chris Henderson, Ricardo Ho, Marc Bretzfelder, Ivan Robinson, Gloria Grimes, and Keith Walls. Also present were many senior instructors trained by Dean Chin himself – Lemuel…

Lenox, MA – As healthy and holistic living becomes mainstream, various forms of wellness have emerged. One gaining in popularity is the ancient Chinese practice of Qigong. The first Medical Qigong and Eastern Medicine Symposium was recently held in the beautiful Eastover Estate and Retreat in Lenox, MA. The week-long symposium was the first of its kind to gather the world’s leading Qigong masters, Chinese medicine doctors, psychologists and healing practitioners. The main theme was to explore the eastern art of healing, emphasizing how our spiritual and mental health affects our physical health. The masters shared their Qigong wisdom and provided instructions and healings to the participants. Among them were Mantak Chia, Lee Holden, Roger Jahnke, Lonny Jarrett, Junfeng Li, Robert Peng, Mark Setton, Karin Sorvic and Michael Winn. The event consisted…

JetLi would be proud to see how wushu has grown in the Western Hemisphere with so many talented elite athletes in the sport---had he been there. Lubbock, Texas on the campus of Texas Tech was the venue of the 11th Biennial Pan American Wushu Championships from August 12 to August 14. The invitation-only tournament of top competitors in each category featured both Sanda (sparring 散打) and Taolu (forms 套路) competitions, hard systems and soft systems (Taiji) and weapons. Representing the United States were 71 national team athletes of various age groups and disciplines. In addition to the U.S., Brazil, Mexico and Canada also had sizeable teams among the 13 countries present. Wushu is an extremely physically and mentally taxing sport. Injuries occur and can be expected in the Sanda matches. But,…