This past November, when I saw that the Tai Chi Broadsword class was being offered at the school again, I decided to try my hand at it again. I had taken the class about 5 years prior but had not really grasped it. That first time I took the class, I had never held a [...]

There is a very intriguing holiday on the horizon for us. That holiday is Thanksgiving. It’s the time of year when we gather our family and close ones together, break bread and give thanks for what we are and what we have. It’s a holiday that requires little more than preparing a meal, eating and [...]

Ever since Chinese wushu began to be an exportable commodity, martial artists the world over have wondered about the actual fighting ability of its adherents. In the 1950s, China nationalized its long martial arts tradition, turning the practice of wushu, or “war art”  (known through a curious inversion of definitions as ‘gong fu’ to the [...]

Wisdom, Benevolence, Sincerity and Bravery   “These four words comprise the motto of Master Bok-Nam Park’s Pa Kua Kung Fu School and the Ch’iang Shan Pa Kua Chang Association. They represent four important ideals that Lu Shui-Tian believed all Pa Kua Chang (Ba Gua Zhang) practitioners must cultivate and embrace.” – from the home page [...]

“…without benevolence, a student’s pride, ego or arrogance takes control. …Benevolence is required and grows with the cultivation of wisdom.” — from the home page of Master Park’s web site (www.pa-kua.com)  Of the four virtues which are part of the Ch’iang Shan Pa Kua Chang Association’s motto, the 2nd is benevolence. The Chinese character used [...]