The objectives of a martial art are areas in which to acquire knowledge, skill or efficiency, while methods are all kinds of exercises or training systems designed to achieve these objectives. It is important to clearly distinguish the training goals, and to resort to the appropriate methods to achieve them.
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The Battle of Red Cliffs (Chìbì zhī zhàn 赤壁之戰) was one of the most important episodes of war in Chinese history. This battle, of epic dimensions, would mark the end of the Hàn 漢 dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms Period (Sānguó Shídài 三國時代; 220-280).
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Knee pain is, unfortunately, a common problem among Taichi practitioners. It is a sign of malpractice and is, in fact, easily avoidable, provided that you do not have a condition of previous injury.
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At the end of the eighteenth century, the China of the Qīng 清 dynasty was one of the most advanced and powerful nations on the planet. But this would change radically in the following decades, almost overnight. The decline of the Qīng began dramatically in the Opium Wars (Yāpiàn Zhànzhēng 鴉片戰爭) and precipitated even faster in the following decades.
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The study of Kungfu weapons is a very deep field, and must include a series of specific learning areas, which go beyond the techniques of each weapon, such as the characteristics and structure of weapons, their mechanics, anatomical targets, etc.
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In the seventeenth century, the Manchus (Mǎnzú 滿族), considered barbarians by the Chinese, conquered the Míng 明 empire and established a new dynasty that would last almost three hundred years and lay the foundations of modern China: the Qīng 清 dynasty.
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During the Qīng 清 dynasty (1636-1912) there were groups of martial artists who believed in obtaining, through certain esoteric rituals and practices, a protection that made them invulnerable to both physical and spiritual damage. This invulnerability was referred to as dāo qiāng bù rù 刀槍不入, literally, “sabres and spears do not penetrate”.
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Choy Li Fut 蔡李佛 is a very useful Kungfu style in self-defense and hand-to-hand combat, but it is often misunderstood by both outside observers and its own practitioners. We want to share on this occasion some of the mistakes that we believe are most common in understanding this valuable system.
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Choy Li Fut 蔡李佛 is a very powerful Southern martial arts system, known for its wide movements and circular strikes. However, the concept of centreline also plays a fundamental role in this system and it is necessary to understand it to be able to apply the system correctly.
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For most of Chinese history, archery (射藝 shèyì), whether with bow or crossbow, was the main martial discipline and the most important form of warfare. Even after the appearance of the first firearms, archery maintained its primacy on the battlefield until well into the nineteenth century.
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