Pow. Crunch. Crack. We all love movie fight scenes.

How do we write a single post that both celebrates St. Patrick’s Day and combines TanDao fight science? Hmmm? Toni came up with a great idea that bridges that old east/west dichotomy: kung fu fighting to an Irish tune, Rocky Road To Dublin. And to add to that, her solution was to use one of the most creative fight scenes in recent film history (tip of the hat to Celtic warriors). It is a Hollywood updating of Hong Kong chop socky fights with The Dubliners singing the in the background.

This gritty encounter from Sherlock Holmes is one of our favorites, because it employs our TanDao Fight Lab format of showing a fight sequence twice: one, to see the movements and second, to analyze hidden tactics and strategies. In this underground fight club, the cerebral detective employs baritsu (a term used by for Japanese combat). But, Evolving Martial Artists will recognize the rapid fire punches and techniques of JKD and Wing Chun (Robert Downey Jr., playing Holmes, is a practitioner.)

Holme’s fight is, more importantly, an execution of TanDao’s Triad Principle, Destructive Speed Strike. TanDao strategy is based on relentless multiple strikes designed to Surprise, Stun and Subdue. These three components are part of a single motion. Holmes initiates his final encounter by throwing the handkerchief (surprise), followed by a flurry of strikes (stun) and finishes off his opponent with a front kick (subdue).

It’s a great fight. It perfectly demonstrates but one of TanDao Triad Principles. How can we take this further? It is still not the zenith of TanDao fighting. Watch again. Think about it.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all our friends celebrating.
Special shout out to Eileen In NY & Eileen in Ireland…Sample some of Eileen O’Toole’s music

Lawrence Tan
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Our recent special edition TanDao Fight Lab, titled Moon Dragon, is lyrical and reflective – different from our usual high testosterone fueled videos on the science of fighting. Instead of tips on biomechanics, strategy and techniques to enhance the martial warrior’s strikes and kicks, this piece goes further down the martial path to the mysterious realms of Zen and the Dao.

Many martial warriors, practical fighters and combat athletes focused on reality fighting may view the ephemeral side of martial arts movement as irrelevant for the street and ring. Of course, there is the problem of form and function: it is one thing to devastate imaginary opponents with techniques by gracefully waving your arms through the air. It is another, to adapt those movements against a real attacker, unpredictable, uncooperative and dangerous.

But Evolving Martial Artists, already proficient in kicking ass, are open to exploring the aesthetic and spiritual aspects. The way of movement transcends fighting. Yet our world is violent. So when push comes to shove, the martial monk’s peaceful moving meditation is transformed into the science of combat.

Let us know how you feel about this video.

Power and peace,
Lawrence Tan

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The Most Important Person In The Room

This week, I’m asking my students, “who is the most important person in the room?”  You may find the answer surprising.  I don’t know.  Let’s see.

I’m frustrated by something that I often encounter in teaching practical martial arts.   People want to learn how to fight, and to do that they study and practice a series of moves.  They work hard to get super fit.  They work hard to perfect their movement.  They can show you the best shape and the finest position, and hold it, unwavering.  They can do those moves in perfect synchronisation with their training partners.  The can break bricks.  They are strong.  Their patterns inspire spontaneous applause.  They really do look the part.

So what’s to be frustrated about?  Well, what they’re learning is to master themselves.  No small thing, that.  Some might say that’s the very essence of martial arts.  Indeed.  I would like to refine that point a little.  The essence, I would say, is to master yourself in the context of others.  There is merit in practicing movement and position, and of course that will in due course be of great benefit to your well being just on its own.  But if you want to learn to defend yourself, if you want to learn the martial in martial art, you need to learn how to move in relation to someone else.  Your moves and reactions must be not yours alone, but by way of a complex dance with the other person.  A dance in which you are leader or follower, but ultimately a dance in which, as you progress, will not need to be choreographed in advance.  To succeed, you need to think about them, not you.

For me, thinking not of yourself but of those around you is essential not just to heightening your awareness and honing your skills, it is also about overcoming ego.  We fail in martial arts when our ego takes hold, when we think of making ourselves look good instead of understanding and overcoming our opponent.  When we think that we must be most important, when we want to do things to show how good we are or how we are better than others, we are too wrapped up in ourselves to learn, and too focused on ourselves to understand how to overcome an opponent – which requires us, as I’ve said, to focus on them, not us.

Our emphasis in traditional martial arts on humility and helping others is, ultimately, not just good for the soul, it’s essential in allowing us to become complete martial artists.  You want to succeed?  Don’t just go through the motions of being humble, of being thoughtful.  It’s not just something we do to get a black belt.  It’s something which must be fully part of us for us.  When we focus on others, when we think of them first, only then are we on the way.

So who’s the most important person in the room?  The other person.

Neil Hall

http://www.lctkdwellbeing.com/

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Our Tiger Claw download is now available in DVD! Check out our TanDao Fight Labs and our ebooks and videos TanDao For Evolving Martial Artists is the first martial art vbook ever! Watch a book

One of the intentions of TanDao Fight Lab is comparative combat. A characteristic of Evolving Martial Artists is the ability to intelligently compare techniques from different styles. Our purpose is not to diss one technique over another, but to develop critical thinking to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a technique or system. In doing so, we seek the Way of Movement – the natural laws and patterns Daoist or modern scientist seek – rooted behind all systems even as diverse as krav maga, jujitsu, and tai ji. JKD pioneered the importance of conceptualizing martial arts. At TanDao, we strive to carry this torch forward.

TanDao’s intercepting claw was inspired by combining JKD’s straight lead punch (the intercepting fist) and the Shaolin tiger claw. By substituting a tiger claw as the weapon, we expand the variations and efficiency that go beyond JKD’s intercepting fist. As we’ve demonstrated in Fight Lab #5, the intercepting claw is a simultaneous strike to the chin and eye jab – not just a punch.

Which technique is superior? Wrong question. The “my dog is bigger than your dog” mindset is a hindrance to discovering the Way of Movement because this attitude severs the open mindedness to explore beyond the superficial conclusions, this weapon is more powerful or direct. Perhaps more insightful questions are: in what situation, strategy, tactic or way of maneuvering would each technique be more appropriate? What are the hidden weaknesses of each technique? What is the original reasoning behind the technique?

Evolving Martial Artists, realizing that there is no ultimate style or technique, learn how to scientifically compare styles and systems to discover universal principles of movement. If you want to go deeper, check out our vbook, TanDao for Evolving Martial Artists and ebook that introduce these ideas.

What do you think about comparative combat and ideas in our TanDao Fight Lab?
Let us know.

Lawrence Tan

Tiger Claw download — now available in DVD!
Check out our TanDao Fight Labs and our ebooks and videos
TanDao For Evolving Martial Artists is the first martial art vbook ever! Watch a book.

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TanDao Fight Lab: Where Art & Science Converge

Bruce Lee revolutionized martial arts by westernizing the eastern tradition. How? By creating a science of combat. Traditional kung fu and karate until the seventies were secret arts. The deliberate obfuscation of knowledge has today’s traditionalists sometimes teaching overly stylized techniques that are not practical. Or, excess emphasis on forms and ritual training impedes learning.

Modern fight science accelerates progress. Through analysis and experimentation guided by strategic, technical and tactical principles, we have tools to intelligently discern between the unexamined dogma behind styles and secret techniques best left for film fantasy – not reality.

In keeping with that spirit, our TanDao Fight Lab series aspires to revitalize the arcane aspects of classical martial arts. With a scientific attitude we can discover the biomechanics, kinesiology, anatomy, physics and psychology behind the shadowless kick, invisible power or vibrating palms.  Fight science keeps our martial arts honest.

At the same time, our TanDao System rooted in Shaolin and Wu Dang tradition, avoids “throwing out the baby with the bathwater.” Fight science penetrates to the heart of reality combat by stripping away irrelevant dogma and ritual. Unfortunately, at the same time, the health, philosophical and artistic dimensions of tradition are often diminished or eliminated.  Let’s be honest, self defense and fighting are the starting point for the martial  journey.  But these initial goals, after being achieved, should not over shadow the higher dimensions of tradition.

At TanDao, we teach the necessity of reality combat, yet we seek to preserve the lofty ideals of the martial path. As martial warriors mature, they may discover the scholar and monk side of the arts and a deeper meaning to forms beyond flowery fighting techniques.

The Evolving Martial Artist realizes that the fight science is concealed in a spiritual art.

In Fight Lab #4 we discover how to increase the effectiveness of a double palm strike by discovering a hidden technique from TanDao’s Tiger Form.  Sign up for our newsletter and find some of the science and secrets behind all martial arts.

Lawrence Tan

Don’t forget to check out our TanDao Fight Labs and our ebooks and videos
TanDao For Evolving Martial Artists is the first martial art vbook ever! Watch a book.

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