The Fantasy and BS Epidemic in Tai Chi -- The Internal Fighting Arts Podcast Interview with Stuart Shaw
August 22, 2015
YouTube is an amazing tool for presenting good information in a visual way. But it has also become a tool for the scum of the martial arts world to present fantasy and pretend it is truth.
The BS that is an epidemic in Tai Chi is not restricted just to the internal arts, however. You see martial artists of all styles, in nations around the world, pretending to have supernatural powers, including:
** The ability to knock someone down without touching them.
** The ability to make push hands partners hop and jump away at the slightest touch.
** The ability to set paper on fire.
** The ability to heal people with their chi.
And much more.
In the latest Internal Fighting Arts podcast, I interview Stuart Shaw, an instructor of Tai Chi and Sanda in the town of Toowoomba in Queensland, Australia. He began studying in the Chen Man Ching lineage, but turned his back on the system after seeing instructors push the fantasy elements. Stuart has created The Fajin Project, a Facebook page that calls out instructors who promote BS.
Listen to the podcast online or download the mp3 file by following this link: http://internalfightingarts.audello.com/internal-fighting-arts-17-stuart-shaw/
You can also find the podcast and subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/internal-fighting-arts/
How do you develop critical thinking skills? What questions should you ask when a martial arts teacher performs a supernatural feat?
The next blog post will arm you with some key questions.
Your "Hung Lo" character - serious disrespect (racist) to a tradition you owe so much to. Not at all funny - stupid.
Posted by: Kevin Bryant | August 23, 2015 at 04:39 AM
Your comment caused me to pose this question on my Internal Fighting Arts Facebook page. The responses have been very educational. The character was intended as a humorous tribute to the cheesy old Hong Kong kung fu movies. He gives me a hard time in each episode, a takeoff of the attitudes you see displayed in the old kung fu films. Throughout the podcast, we treat the arts and Chinese masters with great respect. I'm disappointed that anyone would think the Hung Lo character is racist, because it was not intended that way, but as we all know, white Americans are not always the best judge of these things.
Thanks for your input. My initial reaction was defensive, but with more input, I am reflecting a bit deeper, and Hung Lo might be gone.
Posted by: Ken | August 23, 2015 at 05:33 AM