Editorial

Continuing with our trend of analysis into the Chinese Martial Arts world, we decided to share our insight into just why is it that you don't see Chinese Martial Arts (A.K.A. Kung Fu) in modern fighting.

This is a loose continuation of our earlier article - Sanda: When Kung Fu created a solution to its problems - then threw it away, and Is Kung Fu On The Cusp of a Modern Fighting Resurgence?

But wait a minute - is what you're about to read a list of excuses on why Chinese Kung Fu "doesn't work" or be presented with the overused simplified explanation of "it's not the system but the practitioner" (even if it is partly true)?

No, we're going to try to share exactly why, with legitimate reasons, you simply don't see Chinese Kung Fu in modern fighting arenas or combat sports.

This article was generously contributed by Mason Zhong of the Chinese Martial Arts Reformation Society.

Let’s face it. Many of us first stepped into a martial arts school or gym after watching guys in cool uniforms break cement blocks with their hands, feet, and heads. You wanted to learn how to transform your body into an indestructible weapon.

Pretty bad-ass right? But does board breaking and destroying cement blocks actually help for practical self-defense and sport purposes?

Horse Stance (馬步/马步, or 騎馬立ち,  or 주춤 서기) is a pillar of many traditional martial arts (TMA) training regimens.

The concept seems simple. You step your feet out a bit more than shoulder-width apart. Then you lower yourself downward until your thighs are parallel to the ground and your knees are flexed 90 degrees. Keep your torso straight and up, looking straight in front of you. You can hold your arms statically by your sides, or you can throw alternating straight punches. All while remembering to control your breathing. You then proceed to hold this position for as long as your instructor tells you (or when you fall over in pain, whichever comes first).

So what is going on when you perform this exercise?

In recent years, the combat sports landscape has started to feel the influences of Chinese Kung Fu.

But is it just a ripple, or will it become a wave?

We take a look at some of the most prominent combat sports athletes and fighters that are doing their part in "Making Kung Fu Great Again".

We also give a refreshed outlook on Chinese Martial Arts in the combat sports landscape as it stands today in 2020.

Bruce Lee is back from the dead in TV's hottest martial arts show that finally does Asian Americans justice by telling the stories of the first Asian immigrants on-screen - with Asian actors.

Warrior, Season 1: A Review and Retrospective Analysis - including an analysis of Bruce Lee's portrayal in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood".

On June 22, 2019. Artem Lobov (30-15, MMA), an MMA journeyman managed to edge out former World Champion professional boxer Paulie Malignaggi (36-8, Boxing) in a bare-knuckle boxing match at Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 6: Malignaggi vs. Lobov.

The unexpected result sent shockwaves throughout the combat sports world and “exposed” the sport of boxing.

We take a look at the Okinawan Karate techniques utilized in a world class competitive fighting environment, (ie. the Ultimate Fighting Championship / UFC), and mainly the only man who is able to make use of such techniques in former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and UFC Middleweight contender, and current Bellator MMA contender, Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida.

We will breakdown the most important moves that the rest of the MMA world or new school fans unaccustomed to Karate will find "elusive" and "weird".

Having trained in Taekwondo, we understand that the art itself has evolved into a sport and lost many of its other techniques in favour of only focusing on kicks.

Competition Taekwondo, at the lower and middle levels, also looks tame in comparison to full contact Muay Thai kickboxing bouts.

However, high-level, Olympic-level Taekwondo in the Adult Men's Division, is definitely not without its uses.

"Orientalism" is a term derived from Edward Said’s historic book Orientalism (1978) describing not an accurate representation of Asian culture, but rather an exaggerated and often incorrect fantasy of the fictional "Orient" as seen from a Western perspective and skewed by self-serving intentions.

We are going to break down the true meaning of cultural appropriation, orientalism, Japonism, and give fans an authentic Asian perspective on why cultural misappropriation in BJJ / MMA designed products can be potentially offensive to Asians and should not be practiced.