Author Archives: Shifu Read
Focus
“Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” The words of a desperate father seeking the help of Jesus to heal his son. (Mark 9:24) I find myself thinking of this statement and rewording it slightly. “Lord, I am focused; help … Continue reading
new white sashes
So this last weekend my wife and I went to Arthur, IL, Amish capital of the state and home of my parents and one of my school locations. I started this school when I was living there and I taught out … Continue reading
nice article on “internal” vs “external”
http://www.shenwu.com/Internal_VS_External.htm Basically, application determines classification not the label it wears.
Principle vs Technique
This will only be a quick thought. I was just thinking about the difference between having an understanding of a subject, and simply having a rote memorized knowledge base. In martial arts it is like the difference between “principle in … Continue reading
Self Control
The following is a repost from my personal blog. I thought it also appropriate here. I wrote it originally on 9-23-07. ________________________________________________ I just wanted to put down in writing some thoughts on self-control that have been on my … Continue reading
Traditional vs Non Traditional Martial Arts
There is a long standing debate between different factions as to which is superior, traditional styles or non-traditional styles, in martial effectiveness. Honestly, I think it is a silly debate. There is no such thing as a traditional “style”. Traditional … Continue reading
Where do you punch from?
“Boxing punches from the head and shaolin punches from the hip and karate punches from the solar plexus, where does xing yi punch from?” I was asked this question once, and my answer was that xing yi punches from wherever … Continue reading
neutrality in posture, pt 1
As I learn more about the human body and what it means to have good posture in both health and martial arts, I have discovered this general theme. It’s a good theme I think, and I think it has many … Continue reading
is your kung fu real “kung fu”?
The word “kung fu” means a skill attained through hard work and time. This means that a pianist has kung fu as well as a martial artist, even though this isn’t the way we normally think of it. I just … Continue reading
are you stacking skills, or just spreading yourself too thin?
Just a brief word on how to most effectively improve your skills. When I was younger I thought that the best way was to work on everything every day. I have since learned that while working on everything a little … Continue reading