Wednesday, March 6, 2013

The Journal of Asian Martial Arts: a Golden Resource




I haven’t written for this blog for a while. I have an excuse: I took some time off to finish my first novel (!) All The Way By Water is now available at Amazon.com as a paperback and on Kindle, so please check it out!

My mentor, Michael DeMarco, who introduced me to the Yang Long Form 11 years ago (has it been that long?) is the publisher and inspiration behind the Journal Of Asian Martial Arts. He conceived this as a scholarly journal to attract expert and informative writing on the subject of the martial arts. Recently, and sadly, the Journal has ceased publication, but, like the phoenix, it has been reborn.



The first event was a new book entitled Asian Martial Arts, for which 36 authors contributed original articles reflecting the depth and diversity of the subject and mirroring the tradition of scholarship of the Journal.. The scope of the book is enormous, covering history, techniques, philosophy, anecdotes, specific demonstrations by masters in each discipline. Tai Chi is well represented, as well as Judo, Wei Kuen Do, Bajiquan, Wing Chun, Baguazhang, Sambo, Goju-rye Karate, Mantis Boxing, and on and on. Sorry, the pre-publication discount has expired, but the book sells for $24.95 and is well worth it.

The second event was the redesign and repurposing of the Journal’s web site: http://journalofasianmartialarts.com/ . The web site is now an archive for over two decades of in-depth discussions of Asian Martial Arts traditions. The various articles are organized under major subjects such as Asia, China, Japan,  Korea and South East Asia and Other Styles, and each of these areas are subdivided into special interests such as Taijiquan Chen Style or Weaponry, Sword Arts, etc. Articles can be printed for your own use for 15 cents per page. I call that a bargain.

In this day and age when the internet has become the major source of research for everyone from grade school children writing their first term paper to semi-retired adults testing the waters of a new hobby by watching youtube, it must be noted that we live in what will someday come to be called “the MISinformation age.”  I’ve probably contributed to that phenomenon myself with opinionated spiels on subjects I haven’t researched properly, or by quoting some authority whose half-knowledge is based on supposition or modern myth. So it is important to support and utilize projects of genuine thinking and experience that are, essentially, juried with an attitude toward excellence in scholarship.

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