Martial

-- By Steven Crook Translated By Ann Lee

Moviegoers throughout the world are familiar with Jackie Chan's slapstick and Jet Li's superfast chops. Among Westerners living in Taiwan, some of the oldest old-timers were inspired to move to Asia after seeing the classic 1970s TV series "Kung Fu", which starred David Carradine as Caine, a renegade Shaolin monk wandering the Wild West. And many of those who weren't even born when Bruce Lee died got a taste of martial arts action in "The Matrix" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

You might think martial arts are hard to describe in words, but Louis Cha -- the best-selling Chinese-language author alive -- made his name and fortune doing just that. His novels have been read by hundreds of millions of people.

Asian martial arts are a staple of popular culture, but what exactly are they? They are, of course, systemized fighting techniques which can help defeat an opponent without the use of a gun or a knife. But unlike "Queensberry rules" boxing and Greco-Roman wrestling, many Chinese and Japanese fighting disciplines have a moral or spiritual aspect.

"In the beginning what attracted me to martial arts was the Bruce Lee-Caine dichotomy. Chinese martial arts could, seemingly, make you both the baddest butt-kicker in town [like Lee] -- and make you the most profound guy in town too [like Caine]. The mix of the physical and the philosophical was very interesting to me," says Brian L. Kennedy, an American resident of Taipei County who often writes about martial arts.

Taiwan has a healthy and diverse martial arts scene. Parks are good places to find martial arts teachers and practitioners, and there are several web discussion forums (in Chinese and English) devoted to the subject. Even for foreigners who don't speak any Chinese, there are plenty of choices. In addition to a number of local instructors who can speak English, there are a handful of foreigners teaching both traditionally Chinese martial arts, such as kung fu, and newer, imported forms, such as Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.

Kennedy, who has been studying martial arts since 1976, when he moved to San Diego for college, says: “Over the years I have studied a range of Chinese martial arts including hung gar, xingyi, and tai chi chuan. A few years ago, here in Taiwan, I studied Western boxing and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. It's a weird flip flop; I learned most of my Chinese martial arts in California, and then I learned Western martial arts in Taiwan!”

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu has an interesting history. The original techniques are said to have come from India, where Buddhist monks developed a way of self-defense that emphasized balance and leverage, and reduced the need for brute strength. It arrived in Japan via China, and in the early 20th century, a jiu-jitsu expert from Japan visited Brazil. Among his students was a man called Carlos Gracie, who refined the form and helped popularize it throughout the world.

In recent years Brazilian Jiu-jitsu has gotten a lot of attention because its specialists have done extremely well in Mixed Martial Arts events (where they take on fighters from other disciplines). Also, the US Army has found Brazilian Jiu-jitsu to be so effective that three of the nine chapters of the Army's current unarmed combat field manual are devoted to the form.

If you'd like to find out more about Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, contact the Taiwan Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy at www.taiwanbjj.org or e-mail taiwanmd@gmail.com

Kendo which involves the use of bamboo staves and body armor, can also be considered an imported form, as it derived from Japanese swordfighting methods, If you ever wanted to fight like one of the Jedi Knights in the “Star Wars” movies, this might be your best option. A few months ago, Taipei hosted the 13th World Kendo Championships. The organizing body for the sport here is the Taiwan Kendo Association www.kendo.com.tw)

If you're older, less flexible maybe, or simply looking for something less violent, tai chi chuan (tai ji) maybe just the ticket. It's perhaps Taiwan's most popular martial art; slow-motion practitioners can be seen in city parks throughout the island each day at dawn. Tai chi chuan is often described as "a martial arts therapy for the purposes of health and longevity" -- a claim that some doctors endorse. To a large extent, it emphasizes muscle relaxation, in contrast to karate and other forms that depend on the tensing of one's muscles. Taiwan's National Tai Chi Chuan Association can be reached at www.cttaichi.org.

Just as it's worth shopping around for an instructor who suits you, it's worth looking into and trying out different disciplines. There are few martial arts enthusiasts who've confined themselves to one form. Among the lesser-known arts are Ba Gua Quan, a kind of boxing; much of the training relates to improving footwork.

Taekwondo has long been practiced in Taiwan, and since winning two gold medals at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, the sport has grown in popularity. Taekwondo gyms can be found in almost every neighborhood; in many of them, however, elementary schoolers dominate the student body. Taiwan's national Taekwondo organization can be contacted at www.taekwondo.com.tw.

The martial arts road is a long one; for many people, it becomes a lifelong hobby, even a lifestyle.

"As the years went by I continued my interest in martial arts because I came to see that martial arts was a great way, a great portal, to many other things,” says Kennedy. “For example my study of martial arts lead me to study human anatomy; how do the bones, muscles, neurons and brain generate movement. And in another area my study of martial arts was a portal into Chinese culture; what is the connection of martial arts to Daoism, Buddhism, and the Chinese military.”

With his wife, Elizabeth Guo, Kennedy has written one book on martial arts (“Chinese Martial Arts Training Manuals: A Historical Survey”); they are now working on a second.

"As I have grown older -- I'll be 49 this year -- I have come to appreciate that there are always new things to learn in martial arts and that martial arts can be practiced and enjoyed,” he concludes. "So martial arts has been quite the 30 year adventure for me.”

Taichung Karate Stadium
Located at B1 gymnasium of Taichung
Guang Fu Elementary School
(04) 2222-4394

Jeet Kune Do
49, 5F ChongDe Rd. Sec. 2
(04) 2236-7356
jesjkd@anet.net.tw

Capoeira Grupo Lei Aurea
Colin Pau
0936-269-440
Colinpau@yahoo.com

Silat Mubai: Islamic Military Arts
Ustas Hussein
0911-143-554
www.silatmubai.com