I’ve liked fighting since I was a kid. Not real fighting, and not watching sport fighting, but wrestling with my little brother. I loved the energy of it— getting mad at each other, getting riled up, then yelling at each other, the grappling, the slapping each other, but not so hard that we’d actually hurtContinue reading “The Partner/Opponent: Paradox in Push Hands”
Category Archives: martial arts
MLK/My Dad/Work
Today is my dad’s birthday, and today is also Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. When people would point out to my dad that he shared his birthday with MLK, he would say, “Yup! Good people were born on this day!” He would smile, and this would elicit a smile from the person who broughtContinue reading “MLK/My Dad/Work”
Self-Defense at NPMAAM
Starting in December I will be leading self-defense classes for women and nonbinary folks at my friend Sifu Michael’s school, North Portland Martial Arts & Movement. We have two December dates scheduled with the intention to continue the series as a weekly class starting in January. Yay! Dates: Sunday, December 3rd & Sunday December 10thContinue reading “Self-Defense at NPMAAM”
Standing & Push Hands in Canada
Recently I returned from a weeklong training with my teacher in Canada. My friends and training mates J and N were with me, and the three of us got a lot of quality time with our teacher. When people ask me what we practice with our teacher, I tell them it’s tai chi, but itContinue reading “Standing & Push Hands in Canada”
Kids Martial Arts Classes?
This fall I’m considering teaching kids martial arts classes. A big sticking point that has kept me from teaching martial arts classes recently has been that I’m no longer part of a traditional martial arts school. This means that anything I teach kids will be sort of system-less, not part of a larger martial organization.Continue reading “Kids Martial Arts Classes?”
Michelle Folk Johnson 