Kung Fu Blogs

One of the things I have noticed is that there are few blogs on kung fu that are actually worth following. I have seen some that posted a few excellent articles spread over months but not consistent. There are a few reasons that I believe this happens.

1. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I have even seen a blog from an instructor that I know followed my blog and then started their own. I guess it is kind of funny that they felt that it was important to specifically say that they were urged by friends to students....not that they were reading my writing and thought they could duplicate...duplicate the idea as well as duplicating some of my blog topics, always a few months after I write it. Same duplication as starting a Facebook group for their school a couple months after asking for permission to join my school's Facebook group. I guess some people need to imitate in their ongoing struggle to look like they are innovative. OK enough ranting on that....since that is a totally different topic.
2. Writing is difficult when you need to come up with regular content. There are some brilliant instructors out there that could provide unlimited bits of wisdom but many cannot communicate in written form. I also believe that there are instructors in more commercial organizations that may have been able to learn enough to become instructors but have not had the opportunity to take their knowledge to the deeper levels which would cause a blog to start strong but slowly run out of content.
3. Secrecy for their style. Kung fu has a history of being carefully protected over the years and it is possible that some of the older instructors are wary of giving out too much information about their styles.
4. Time is required. Writing takes time and I know from experience that it is not always easy to find time to put down your thoughts. Many instructors not only teach martial arts but also have full time jobs which leaves little time to write.

I have seen some interesting vlogs out there that I hope can keep going. As for blogs, Is it really a blog if you can't write an entry on anything for months?

James' First Tournament

Just a quick note on the CCKSF tournament from this past weekend. We had one competitor from our school this time around but it was a great experience. James went into his first tournament and won a Bronze in Hand Forms and a Silver in Sparring. Congratulations James. Good showing for your first time out.

CCKSF Tournament Reminder

This is just a reminder of the CCKSF Kung Fu tournament coming up on the 31st. Details at http://www.wushu.ca/ for those that are looking for info on it. I will be there as usual and would be happy to see anybody that wants to compete or just check it out.

Karate Kid: Where are they now?

We all remember the Karate Kid movies. NYDailynews.com recently posted a where are they now that shows where they all went. Here is the link. It was interesting to read through the list and get an update.

Van Damme to Fight a Muay Thai Fighter?

OK, stumbling around the internet I saw this article. If it is correct, Jean Claude Van Damme is going to fight a Muay Thai figher, Somrak Kamsing in a K1 Muay Thai match. It looks like it is actually going to happen because a quick search will turn up quite a few little stories about it. I'm not sure what Van Damme's motivation might be but the dude's got guts if he actually goes through with it. I know I will be looking forward to seeing what happens in the match...

Chinese Story About Filming on Leung Tin Chiu

Thanks to Denny from Michigan who passed this along. Denny has dropped into the school a few times to visit in the last couple of years while in Toronto for other celebrations and holds a great deal of enthusiasm towards Fut Gar Kung Fu.

This link speaks about the filming of a 26 part TV series on Leung Tin Chiu...unfortunately it is only written in Chinese right now but you can certainly get the idea by plugging it into something like Babel Fish. For those that are not familiar with the name, Leung Tin Chiu is the founder of Fut Gar Kung Fu as taught at my school.

Looking for Details

Our school is still awaiting further details on the filiming of a 26 part series on the founder of the Fut Gar Kung Fu Style, Leung Tin Chiu, to be filmed in China. It sounds like it is confirmed to go and Master Chen will connect with them in China when he returns there in late October. The background on this is from last year's visit to the grave of Leung Tin Chiu by a group of Fut Gar students including Master Chen who is a direct disciple of Leung Tin Chiu. It seems that this sparked some interest as people realized that there are living disciples of Leung Tin Chiu who are still practicing the Fut Gar style. The details are not completely clear to me from there but it seems like a great time for our style as Master Chen is excited that his Sifu is finally getting some recognition. This was a person that was very well known as possibly the best martial artist of his time from his performance at a national tournament of over 2000 competitors that were rated on overall skills. There was one person that mentioned that he saw something posted on the future release of this series but I have been unable to find anything. Anybody that sees a link, please do share with us.