Old Tai Chi Sign
New Tai Chi Sign
I may be a martial artist, but I'm no graphic artist.
On Monday and Wednesday nights the Dojo Rats at Shima Dojo practice our fusion of Kenpo, Small-Circle Jujitsu, Boxing, Aikido and-- more than ever, the Chinese internal arts. There is a great deal of farting, sweating, swearing and of course beer drinking towards the end. Therefore, it is a closed program, invitation only.
On Thursday nights, the general public is invited for Yang-style Tai Chi Chuan and push-hands. Things are a little more civil.
But back to the sign; I hand painted a semi-crappy sign for the Tai Chi Chuan class that has been up for quite a while now. For our wedding anniversary, my wife and a couple of friends made this really nice sign, machine engraved, hand painted and very custom.
One year for our anniversary, I gave my wife a woven-willow trapper's backpack. We called that "The Wicker Year". Then she gave me a nice tree-pruning ladder. That was "The Aluminum Year". So I guess this is "The Cedar-Plank Sign Year".
-- On another note, I'm off to the mean streets of Seattle for a Seminar with Internal Arts expert Mike Martello, and I'm very excited. The seminar will be hosted by Jake Burroughs and Mike will be teaching "The 12 Soft Principles of Mantis" Kung Fu. A full report will follow when I return.
7 comments:
I'm very exited to hear your review of mantis! Chin na is definitely on the list. Not so sure about Mantis because I spent so much time learning tko I'll probably keep practicing at home if the tko school folds.
Not sure if I can transition to an art that's so dissimilar to a hard style.
You must post from a hard perspective!
~BCP
There are many styles of Mantis, and I presume (DR will confirm) that Mike is stressing the soft parts of it because so many people only look at the hard parts of northern Mantis. So, except if you're seeing Six Harmonies Mantis, you should generally assume that any other Mantis styles is at least semi-hard.
My friends generally joke, on a similar vein, that many Goju Ryu stylists should actually refer to their art as Go-go Ryu Karate (hard-hard, instead of Hard-Soft school), because they don't really look at the softer parts of it. Situation is a little bit similar to Mantis (with the caveat that most chinese stylists will at least learn one style of Taiji and temper their art with it.
Bst
Your sign is very nice.
Mike told me that although the seminar will use Mantis shapes, it will focus on universal principles.
New sign? Geez, what next? Matching uniforms?! Dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!
This is a clear sign (no pun intended) that Jesus is coming back.
Count Dante Fact: The Count never had to use signs. He simply smeared the blood of his fallen adversaries on the wall. To find the class one first had to learn to read "splatter".
(just kidding, but he probably told people something similar)
Count Dante Fact: All Chuck Norris facts are the intellectual property and copywriter by the Black Dragon Fighting Society.
In exchange for using them Chuck Norris must wear a dress and sing "I'm a little teapot". Failure do so will result in Asida Kim performing "The Dance of Death"
(Funny if you follow Floyd's work)
You guys crack me up!!
I am sore and tired and my brain is crammed full of mike martello techniques!
More to follow!
And, C.C.P. (ha, ha)
I have a dog and a cat that live together (barely) , and yes, my life IS Mass hysteria!
Count Martello fact: That little guy kicks ass!
No Fuc**ng uniforms unless wh have to for photos (ha,ha)
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