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Author Archives: Ted Mancuso
Q & A: Kung Fu Returns to the Academy
Q: Tell me about the new Kung Fu class that you’ve started. A: It’s nice to be doing this again. We took a hiatus from teaching Kung Fu for a few years and now we’ve started an entirely new class … Continue reading
Posted in Articles, Classes, Interviews
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The Mirror of Movement
If you try to stay in stillness for any length of time, an eruption of hidden energies will make itself obvious to you. Continue reading
Posted in Articles, Library
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Testing: A Zen Story
As you watch your students test you look for something about the arts that is hard to explain… Continue reading
30? 40? 50? plus…
Can you really get anything from the martial arts after the age of 30 or 40 or higher? Continue reading
Humility
There’s a time when looking less competent than you really are can be an advantage. Continue reading
Posted in Articles, Library, Philosophy
Tagged Chuck Norris, Naginata, Sun Tzu, tournaments
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10 Reasons You Don't Want to Study Kung Fu
They call it the mother of martial arts, Kung Fu. Considering its age and the powerful influence it has had on all other martial arts on the planet, this is probably true. On the other hand, as we all know, … Continue reading
Posted in Articles, Philosophy, Principles, Training
Tagged Kung Fu, tournaments, Training, transcendence
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The Shamanic Fist
Occasionally people take up martial arts as part of their “shamanic” quest. Continue reading
Now Rain
Now Rain. In this season, the rains come, cleaning the air as though the world were taking a fresh yearly breath and clearing its lungs. The air, the winds, the climate, the atmosphere, were to the ancients, all forms of … Continue reading
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The Armor
If he has to go out in his shadow-windowed vehicle he listens to music or talks into his mouthpiece. Continue reading
Posted in Articles, Library
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Why Shaolin?
I have a scroll in my studio, hand-drawn in Taiwan just for my student body. It says, in essence, “One Hundred styles all come from Shaolin Kung Fu”. This may be an exaggeration but there is some truth here. Many … Continue reading
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The Brick
There it sets like a stubborn rhino. And in about half a nano-second I’m going to take my right hand and smash down on that unfeeling lump of concrete to crush it. I’ve done this before. I’ve also hurt my … Continue reading
Posted in Articles, Training
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The Spine
The night sky spins. The sun revolves. Standing on a cliff in the middle of the desert you can believe two seemingly opposite ideas. You seem the center of the universe with all this cosmic play staged for your benefit: … Continue reading
Generalship
To be historically accurate most “martial arts” currently taught are not martial arts at all. Continue reading
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A True New Age
People like the martial arts. In general they see the beauty, admire the athleticism, get excited by the speed and power… Continue reading
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Wu Tao, Wen Tao
Here’s an expression you may have run across in Kung Fu texts: Wu Tao, Wen Tao (The way of martial arts, the way of literature). Continue reading
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