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Author Archives: Ted Mancuso
The Teacher’s Teacher
Last Sunday, I got a double-treat: my teacher, Adam Hsu, is in town for a couple of weeks and I had the opportunity to not only see and spend time with him, but to make his Long Fist Kung Fu … Continue reading
Posted in Articles, Events, Kung Fu, Seminars, Training
Tagged academy of martial & internal arts, Adam Hsu, santa cruz kung fu, teaching kung fu, ted mancuso
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Fifty
Today I celebrate fifty years in the martial arts. It has been long enough now to seem natural that it became my fate or, at least, a “way of life,” as everyone calls it. People ask me what could possibly … Continue reading
Posted in Articles, Profiles
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Your Lineage or, Keep Practicing That Punch
We couldn’t resist posting this clip here for a number of reasons: Here, at the biggest Baji Quan (Baji style Kung Fu) convocation in the world, your great-grand teacher, Liu Yun Chiao, is honored with everyone in the hall doing … Continue reading
Posted in Articles, Kung Fu, Videos
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Seven Experiences of Martial Training
Nowadays, everyone seems to want a practice. But the fact that martial arts practice has a path all its own may result in some disappointment to those seeking a casual gym-style experience. Such deep practice can render unexpected results. The … Continue reading
Posted in Articles, Philosophy, Principles
Tagged combat, Forms, Kung Fu, Martial Arts, meditation, relaxation, Tai Chi
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Slow Learner
Next October, I will celebrate my 50th year in the martial arts. When I started studying, I had no idea or plan to make this a lifetime practice. I joined up for the same reason a lot of 16 year … Continue reading
Posted in Articles, Philosophy, Principles, Training
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The Passing of Rod Oka
Rod Oka, long time student here at the Academy, passed away on the third of this month. He had been fighting pancreatic cancer for about a year. During his time with us he had studied Shaolin and Tai Chi. In … Continue reading
Taiwan Tales #4
The metro that links Taipei’s diverse neighborhoods rolls and wriggles many times a day, stuffed with people. There is an old Chinese saying that, “If I don’t know you, you don’t exist.” This allows a person to maneuver through the … Continue reading
Posted in Articles
Tagged Adam Hsu, Kung Fu, Kung Fu tradition, Kung Fu training, ted mancuso
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Taiwan Tales 3
Taiwan is a country on the precipice of its future, politically and culturally. If nothing else this makes for surprise moments. Our 9th floor room has a balcony; rather than waste space, it is overgrown with plants, Daoist rocks … Continue reading
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Taiwan Tales 2
In Taipei you eat at a lot of restaurants. Rather than “fine dining” we often sit down to meals of local, humble and utterly delicious food. Where Sifu Hsu, also a confirmed foodie, escorts us you would never find otherwise. … Continue reading
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Taiwan Tales 1
We’re here, safe and sound. And already working out. For those of you who we’ve made work hard in class you are vindicated. It’s already very warm here! The first move of Baji Quan about to explode. It wouldn’t be … Continue reading
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Tai Chi Campfire Tales
The art of T’ai Chi is the art of consciousness. The slow, fluid movements of the art gradually blend with the flow of the mind and reveal things often buried in the silent forests of our minds. Most people associate … Continue reading
Posted in Articles, Qigong, Tai Chi
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Tai Chi, A Marriage of Yin and Yang
People know Tai Chi as a slow, gentle and graceful dance. It’s only natural to assume that its famous health benefits arise from its meditative nature. But history tells another story. It is a story of a marriage made by … Continue reading
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Spirit Training
Can martial arts be martial arts without a spiritual component? The answer is “probably not.” Those people who only have interest in how effective it is as self-protection or kick-ass, of course, have a right to their opinion. But I … Continue reading
Posted in Articles
Tagged chinese martial arts, Kung Fu, martial spirit, martial training, taoist martial arts
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What Do We Mean By “Martial”?
People get the wrong idea: when they hear “martial arts” they assume tournaments and grudge matches in caged environments. By the same token, they look quizzically at the ninety year old lady who proudly proclaims that she studies a martial … Continue reading
Warming Up the Martial Way
Due to the nature of Kung Fu the first thing to say about warm ups is that some people don’t believe in them. There are even some famous teachers who see no value at all in warm ups. Some of … Continue reading
