Biographies of Outstanding Old Time Strong Men.York, PA: Strength
and Health Publishing.
Internet sites:- Evan Ginzburg: http://www.walkertown.com/wtnow
- Great Hisa’s Puroresu Dôjô: http://www.puroresu.com
- J Michael Kenyon: http://www.phocian.com
- Scott Teal: http://www.1wrestlinglegends.com
- Gary Will: http://www.garywill.com
Written Texts: China
The martial arts, like other traditional Chinese skills, are based on certain
theory and principles. As living arts, their theory and principles were pri-
marily transmitted orally and through actual practice. Since they were
life–and-death skills, extra care was taken to protect their secrets, especially
any unique tactics or techniques. For example, the Daoist (Taoist) scholar,
Ge Hong (A.D. 290–370), who studied martial arts himself and served a
stint as a military commander, notes in his autobiography that the martial
arts all have certain closely held techniques, described in an abstruse man-
ner, that allow one to gain the advantage against an unwary opponent.
This aura of secrecy surrounding martial arts techniques has resulted in
a dearth of written material on the subject. Also, martial arts did not have a
high priority in Confucian society. Literate practitioners generally kept their
notes to themselves, while many practitioners were illiterate. Techniques were
passed down through demonstration or gained through individual insight.
Key principles and techniques were encapsulated in easy-to-memorize “secret
formulas” or rhymes, which, in themselves, were not normally transparent to
the uninitiated, nor always clear even to other experienced practitioners.
These secretive conditions were prevalent in the Chinese clan-oriented
society. However, scholars are still fortunate enough to be able to piece to-
gether a reasonably clear understanding of martial arts theory and princi-
ples through the scattered literature that exists, especially Ming-period mil-
itary writings, and Qing-period manuals and other writings.
An interesting characteristic of Chinese military writings is that a
common theoretical thread runs from the strategic level down to the level
of individual hand-to-hand combat. These written works contain advice on
the marshalling of armies that is equally applicable to the martial arts. One
author, Jie Xuan (late sixteenth to early seventeenth centuries), even uses
the earliest term for boxing, or hand-to-hand struggle (bo), to describe mil-
itary maneuvers.
Yin-yang theory, which is an essential element of the traditional Chi-
nese worldview, is also the foundation for military thought, including the
martial arts. This theory of the interplay of opposite attributes and contin-
Written Texts: China 745