Our new Fight Lab series is generating enthusiasm.   Many of you are probing deeper, beyond the obvious techniques, especially the idea of hardness and softness in Fight Lab #2. In this week’s Fight Lab we examine the double tiger claw thrust and focus on precision targeting.  As a defense against a two-hand grab to the throat or shoulders, we increase effectiveness by hitting the attacker’s collarbone instead of chest.  Simple and obvious.  But there is another variation.

Did you know that you would increase the effectiveness of a kick with this same technique? Our video depicts a fighting combination that ends with a double tiger claw thrust to the opponent’s chest followed by a kick. Can you find another lesson underlying this push – kick combination? There is an advanced kung fu tactic reflected in this technique that can be applied to other situations. Look beyond the obvious.

Our intention is for the TanDao Fight Lab videos to be repeatedly watched and studied.  Aware of the tradition of hidden knowledge, Evolving Martial Artists learn critical thinking to see techniques with new eyes.

Take a good look at the video – what is the main principle behind this technique?

Lawrence Tan
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Actually, this salutation uses body language to communicate primal actions. The open hand represents no weapon and peace, in contrast to the clenched fist that communicates potential aggression. Next to each other, it shows the capacity to express our energy either as the peaceful monk or as a prepared warrior.

Yet for traditionalists initiated into the secrets of form and postures, such a gesture has layers of meaning with practical significance for combat, provided one knows the keys to the hidden language of forms. We are introducing the notion of hard and soft, a major theoretical principle for understanding fighting techniques and tactics.

Do not dismiss it so readily. A different mindset is required to understand these hand symbols, but they can enhance our appreciation of the intellectual depths of the martial way. And, of course, increase our power. Evolving Martial Artists use the principle of hard and soft to understanding the true nature of power. We’ll explore further in the future.
Lawrence Tan

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After this week’s Deadliest Warrior, D’Artagnan and his three buddies Athos, Porthos and Aramis, are safe to continue their dueling, carousing and skirt chasing. The defeat of the Ming infantry by the French musketeers was not surprising, since, as time and again the program bears out, superior technology reigns supreme. Despite the variety of ingenious Chinese weaponry, they simply could not penetrate the French armor.

These computer duels provide perspective on imaginary encounter between history’s warriors from the point of view of battlefield heroics. From a historical perspective, however, it is interesting that the mightiest warrior empires – Sparta, Rome, Mongolia and Aztecs – have not survived. Think about it.

China, though conquered by the Mongolians and Manchus, were able to overcome their conquerors by absorbing them culturally. The Mongols were quickly overthrown, but the Manchurians – who ruled three centuries – adapted the Chinese culture. That is why the importance of culture, the arts, sciences and learning – not just technological weaponry –are vital for the preservation of a civilization.

For the Evolving Martial Artist the fist guided by higher principles is true power.

For more on the show, read our friend and Deadliest Warrior host Geoff Desmoulin’s post on Spike: http://www.spike.com/blog/blood-on-sand/97453

Thanks for your favorable responses to our first Fight Lab video. One of our online students studying the TanDao tiger, posed a question: why are these palm strikes considered advanced? His answer is insightful. Check it out in our TanDao Forum.

Lawrence Tan

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It’s here! We have been busy and are happy to announce our TanDao Fight Lab Video series. Many web warriors browse the sea of martial arts videos, ranging from laughable “what were they thinking,” to dazzling, or mediocre wannabe experts, to the occasional genuine expressions of mastery. Thumbs up or thumbs down. Next. Rarely do we stay to analyze the movements and study deeper meaning underlying the throw, punch or locking technique. Sometimes we are unaware of vital knowledge simply because we are not looking beyond the obvious. Or ask questions.

We will address those questions. You might ask: What is the difference between a boxer’s right cross, a wing chun straight or a karate reverse punch? Is the defense against a tae kwon do round kick or muay thai round kick the same? Why should we fight differently at different ages? Is this sparring technique practical for real combat? Our TanDao Fight Lab video series for Evolving Martial Artists explores three themes:

1. 1. Comparative Combat to discover universal principles behind different styles and systems.
2. 2. Secret Knowledge to refine your techniques with tips from masters I’ve encountered in Asia and the States.
3. 3. Traditional Form and Modern Fighting to enhance your power and efficiency by analyzing realistic function hidden in stylized techniques.

Join us! Explore techniques, tactics and strategies from a deeper perspective to enhance our power and skills. We’d love to hear from you. What would you like to see?

A special note of thanks to John Duval for appearing in the videos. John – thank you for your time, effort, patience and talent!

Happy Birthday Sophia!

Lawrence & Toni

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Many of us who watch Spike’s Deadliest Warrior suspected the outcome of this week’s epsiode: Vlad the Impaler vs. Sun Tzu. After regular viewing, we are familiar with the show’s computer program, designed to compare the weapon technology of famous and infamous warriors of all time, rather than the personalities and strategies behind the duels. After a climatic duel, Vlad – one of histories cruelest and most feared warriors (who forced parents to feed on their roasted children) defeats the Chinese general and author of The Art of War.

An ignoble defeat. History’s most brilliant military strategist, Sun Tzu, is skewered on a stake by Vlad the Impaler. But a warrior vs. a martial philosopher/general? Come on. Yeah, in a mano a mano duel, put your money on the barbarian with superior technology. However, pit them in warfare and the outcome would be different. Savage force over the power of the mind? Bullshit!

Do tigers rule the world? Look at history. Cro-Magnon man, weaker but more intelligent, overcame the strong but dumb Neanderthal. If this were real life war with armies and the mental – not just the physical – components were factored into the computer, I would put my money on the grand daddy of all military philosophers. After all, he wrote the book (no pun intended).

So, for fun, let’s change the duel to armies at war. The encounter has Vlad, the model for Dracula, sneaking up on an unsuspecting Sun Tzu. Not realistic. Sun would be forewarned by the use of spies and would have prevented Vlad from advancing so close. And if Vlad managed to do so, it would probably be into an ambush planned by the wily Sun. Sun Tzu’s Art of War, has so many martial gems of insight and wisdom, that if he followed his own advice, as history indicates, he would not likely have been defeated by Vlad. Sun’s most famous adage “Know your self and your opponent and you will survive a hundred encounters” would certainly have kept him from encountering Vlad face to face. In fact it is more than likely, he would have given the feared warrior a gift of fair maidens, trained to poison the unsuspecting conqueror.

Of course, this is all fun conjecture, just as the premise of the show is entertainment and not to be taken too seriously. For Evolving Martial Artists, intelligent strategy guides the skilled warrior to victory over terror and brute force.

Lawrence Tan

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Today martial artists acknowledge Bruce Lee as the force for popularizing the art of kicking ass rooted in China’s Shaolin Temple, source of Far East fighting arts. Yet the original force behind the Shaolin legacy is Bodhidharma. The blue eyed, bearded monk from India founded Shaolin kung fu. He was a monk, not a warrior. More importantly, Bodhidharma is the founder of Zen (Chan in Chinese) – a way of awakening based on sitting meditation.

Meditation improves our martial skills. The focused mind, emotionally calm,  and mentally clear liberates our fighting responses; they become natural, spontaneous and efficient. This is especially important during a fearful situation. True power is rooted in the mind not the body. The old masters teach meditation as a potent way to help control our body’s reactions. We learn to recover from panic. Breathe. We become more intuitive. If we think of the mind as a muscle, then meditation is push ups for the mind. After consistent practice, the mind gets stronger, flexible and concentrated. And we discover secrets of the body, subtleties in executing technique that we once thought we knew.

Beyond Bruce Lee and kicking ass, the true value of regularly sitting cross legged will enhance our daily lives by reducing stress and finding a discipline of stillness. There are further benefits for those who delve deeper into Bodhidharma’s teachings to become inner warriors who seek awakening.

The Evolving Martial Artist works to get the edge. You want it? Meditate.

Lawrence Tan

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