Tustin Shaolin Martial Arts

06/03/2026

I think pictures from this era are interesting because we know we are looking at masters with great reputations. However, they are often in a finished position that is different from what many people consider to be ideal in the current day "state of the art" Tai Chi practice. For example, the back leg being locked out straight at the knee, and the front knee being forward of the toes are both considered serious faults in most Tai Chi practice today. These details are closer to Shaolin wushu, and point back to the long fist origins of Tai Chi practice, but even most Shaolin practitioners today don't have the front knee exceeding the toes. The front hand is also a little different from the most common position I have seen in Part The Wild Horse's Mane, which is more of a "palm up" position - but I recognize that many people still do express the movement with the hands as shown here. I don't consider that hand position a fault; just a difference in variation or preference. THAT'S something I find very interesting: the existence of so many differing variations of movements that appear to be at odds with each other, but still land within Tai Chi principles, making them correct but different in small ways. Sometimes, these small differences may reflect technique applications a teacher or lineage may have favored, or might even be adaptations due to injury or discomfort for an influential practitioner somewhere earlier in the lineage. Always very interesting to see these. Great reminder to keep an open mind and look for principles rather than dogmatic adherence to details.
Li Yulin, 1888-1965, well known master of Yang and Sun styles of Tai Chi Chuan, as well as other Martial Arts and various weapons:

02/17/2026

Happy Chinese Lunar New Year! May everyone be blessed with health, happiness, and abundance in the Year of the Fire Horse!

12/26/2025

Merry Christmas to our friends & family, and the entire community around Tustin Shaolin Martial Arts!🎄 May the season be filled with joy and good training.

07/11/2025

This is an interesting story to me. It highlights the potential differences in self defense between the law, the ethics, and the policies one might fall under in any given situation. Most would see what the defender did in this situation as being ethically warranted (not all would agree). The police were uninterested in charging him for defending himself against a drunk bully. But he may face repercussions with his employer (a youth hockey league). Know what's at stake in all cases.

Police Drop Bombshell Verdict on Viral Brawl After Ex-NHL Star Nick Tarnasky Schooled Drunk Golfer in Wild Showdown

Full story via 🔗 in comments. 👇

06/02/2025

An occasional topic that comes up is the question of whether a child should be allowed to pause their self defense training to go do "other things for a while," or not. I've heard parents say, "well, I can't force em to train." Really? How many kids wake up occasionally and say, "I don't wanna go to school!" And what do we do as parents? We send them to school. How many kids eventually declare that they hate a topic in school, like math or history, etc, and want to stop doing it? Practically all of them hit that place on something at some point, don't they?

The question to me is whether you, as the parent, believe self defense should be part of their curriculum as a young person, or not. Would you let them skip math if they wanted time off from it, or to stop doing it all together? I think no reasonable parent would do that.

How important is it for humans of all ages to be able to defend their own bodies? It's a basic human need that goes unmet for a wild percentage of people. The result is that they either walk around with a false sense of security, thinking they're equipped to be able to handle whatever comes their way in life, or they walk around feeling inadequate to the task. If they're not trained, they're the target. It's that simple.

Would you let a kid drop math because they want to do other things or really don't like math? I bet you wouldn't. I would argue that their ability to defend themselves, and maybe even defend someone else, is at least on par with math, and probably even more important.

Keep em training.

06/01/2025

In a conversation with a lifelong friend I've known since elementary school, he mentioned that he wanted to rebuild his lungs. The conversation started in the context of breathing technique during running. The first thought a lot of people have when it comes to rebuilding their fitness is that they need to start cardio, and they think of running, cycling, or swimming. There's a place for those if you have time, but they're not actually the top priority. Here's what I said to him. Try it on for size:

You could start with just walking fast. Running in the sense of distance jogging is probably overrated, especially if you have joint problems now. But if you can walk, you can still challenge your heart and lungs.

I think the most important things to do involve challenging the muscles. Pick up some dumbbells or kettlebells or a resistance band set. Stick with simple moves. Push, Pull, Squat, Dead Lift, Kettlebell Swing, Carry (one- handed like a suitcase, or two- handed like a Farmer's Carry).

There are lots of variations of movements in those ranges of motion. They'll all challenge the heart and lungs, as well as all the major muscles of the body. Worth doing, even if you have to start light in a difficult range due to old injuries. The body is amazing in its ability to rebuild.

05/20/2025

An article from Sports Illustrated on the connection between strength and longevity.

Maybe it’s my age, or maybe it’s the fact that anti-aging and life extension have exploded into a multi-billion-dollar industry over the past two decades, but e

05/17/2025