The Tiger Crane Blog
Kung Fu and the Art of Living
In September 2016 I started a one-year academic post. After months of feverish searching, applications, and obligatory self-doubt, this was the first academic job I secured after the completion of my PhD. The stakes were high: there might be a permanent post on the...
Why I Train Kung Fu – a Teenager’s Perspective
We asked Alexander (15 years old) to write about what he has gained from his Kung Fu training - why Kung Fu training might be important for teenagers - and this is what he wrote: The 4 lifechanging attributes Kung Fu has given me: Discipline, Perseverance,...
The Benefits of Training Tai Chi
Many of the benefits of tai chi training are well known — others less so. Tai chi is often recommended by doctors to their patients, to help with a number of different conditions, most especially back and joint pain, but it also has benefits in other areas, perhaps...
The Benefits of Training Kung Fu
The benefits of kung fu training are numerous and varied. It is easy to assume kung fu teaches you how to attack and defend, and of course it does both, but learning how to defend yourself is by no means all kung fu teaches. We’re going to discuss some of the benefits...
Back to China (2016)
This summer my main focus has been my preparation for the 2016 International South Shaolin Wu Chu Chuan and Traditional Martial Arts Competition in China. I attended the same competition three years ago in Quanzhou, and I won a Gold Medal for my...
Life Imitates Art
Time for a moment of self-reflection. When was the last time you did something new? Came out of your comfort zone? If you think about it, are you doing the same old thing, day in, day out? Has it come to the point of just comfortably killing time until you die? You...
A Sheet of Paper Every Day
You finish your first ever day of training, and a sheet of paper magically appears from thin air. It floats gently down to lie on the floor and remains there. Your second day the same thing happens. A second sheet of paper appears and floats gently down and lands...
Empty Your Cup
Ever felt like you’re not making any progress? You’re turning up to class, but instead of racing ahead learning new moves, it feels like you’re doing the same thing over and over. You want to improve, but you don’t know where to start. Your instructor seems to be...
I Can’t
One of the most frustrating things I can hear from a student in class is “I can’t…” I hear it again and again, from the youngest children to the most mature adults, and often in a situation when they really, actually, can. It puts an immediate stop to the mental...
Twisting Punches
Why twist your punch? The majority of traditional Eastern martial arts use the straight punch which starts at the side of the body, palm up, and finishes with the arm extended, palm down. This requires a corkscrew-like twisting of the fist, which is the hallmark of...
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