Life Is Too Short For Bad Kung Fu

by Adam Hsu

Over 5000 years, Kung Fu has met adversity. 250 years ago it exited the battlefield due to the introduction of “hot” weapons, retreating from its core purpose. Its shift into civilian life meant that brilliant strategies scaled for war morphed into self-defense techniques for individuals; the renowned stamina of soldiers which required daily regimens for strength training, became individual concerns of health and longevity. Its examination became the work of scholars instead of generals. Even so, Kung Fu thrived. Teachers taught—great, and otherwise; students trained—both frivolously and seriously; styles developed; Kung Fu’s legends expanded. Expertise travelled outside of China—mostly through the hands of laborers and cooks who scattered to every country—but also to foreigners who visited and took up with teachers practicing in their own dusty courtyards. Information was both shared and withheld. Knowledge was gained, and also lost. Today, Kung Fu suffers another existential challenge—this one potentially fatal. Technology threatens to supplant the traditional power that comes from touching hands; as daily existence grows easier, the ability to sustain authentic practice becomes harder. In this book, renowned martial arts teacher Adam Hsu proclaims his expert reckonings on the state of Kung Fu. For over 60 years, he's acted as one of Kung Fu’s greatest proponents as well as one of its greatest critics. Hsu employs aphorisms, honestly evaluating Wushu's perilous path toward its questionable future. He focuses on current-day training, teaching and practice, offering harsh criticism as well as genuine solutions. He never swerves from the foundational idea of basics as Kung Fu’s true power. He is not shy about reiterating their importance, nor about the ways they are disappearing from the traditional curriculum. Like a doctor watching a patient slip away, he is neither calm nor sentimental in his many attempts to keep Kung Fu alive.

332 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2019