Tai chi, like any martial art, when done properly, can appear fake or magical. In fact, all martial arts involve trickery and deception, even thought they are rooted in physics and have good scientific explanations. Some of these scientific explanations are simple, some are complex, and some involve such subtle mechanical advantages that they look . . . read more
A student arrived for his lesson today with apologies for not practising enough. “I only did a minute or two of practice here and there since our last lesson,” he said. My instant reply was “Congratulations! That’s wonderful!” “What?” says he. “You did some practice,” say I. “Hardly any.” he insists. “Now now. What do . . . read more
We all have blind spots in our thinking. Martial arts exploit these all the time. Marketers are getting better at it doing it. Social media has mastered it. It is also turning us into bullies… and making us stupid. Check out the video at the end of this post if you want to get smarter. . . . read more
“Everyone talks about peace but no one educates for peace.We educate for competition, and competition marks the beginning of all wars.When we educate for cooperation and to offer each other solidarity, that day we will educate for peace.” «Tout le monde parle de paix mais personne n’éduque à la paix.On éduque pour la compétition, et . . . read more
Traditional martial artists will often seek out martial sport in order to compensate for missing elements in traditional training. But it is important to understand that martial art and martial sport are not the same thing. In martial sport, the fight has a beginning and an end, and the goal is to win. In a . . . read more
When someone claims that a computer has passed the Turing test, we should consider that it might be due to the fact that people have so little experience interacting with real people that they can’t tell the difference anymore. The so-called Artificial Intelligence, which so many venture capitalists are buying into, does not exist. The . . . read more
A video starring “The Three Asians” “Taiji” or “Tai chi” refers to the dualistic nature of the phenomenal universe. Yin and Yang, up and down, this and that, past and present, me and not me, existing and “not existing.” “Wuji” refers to non-duality, the infinite void from which all things emerge, wherein Yin and Yang . . . read more
“Every fight involves multiple opponents. There is your enemy, their weapon, footwork, mind, skill, technique, rhythm, timing, distance, and strength. You also have to contend with your weapon, your footwork, your mind, your skill, your technique, your timing and rhythm, your strength, and your weakness. “If you face twenty opponents and your mind is captured by . . . read more
If you are attending classes this weekend at Sinclair Martial Arts, please be aware that the late Gordon Lightfoot will rest at St. Paul’s United Church this weekend. Visitation will be on Sunday from 1 p.m until 8 p.m. That is right around the corner from my studio. So, don’t expect to be able to . . . read more
Stillness allows for faster changes.