Journal of Asian Martial Arts

[SPJ]

What is your favorite read in MA journal, books, or mags?

IKF is good info, even though there are a lot of self promotions. Technique workshop with photo with only a few words. I usually look thru the pictures very quickly. I do read the articles but not all of them.

Kung Fu Tai Chi the sponsor of this forum. It has very good authorative source of info. It demands a lot of respects in readerships.

JAMA. I like the format, review etc. I like the philosophy of the publisher. However, it is quarterly. I have to wait a long time for the next issue.

What is your favorite read?

[David Jamieson]

kungfu/qigong magazine is the only one dedicated pretty much entirely and exclusively to Kungfu and Traditional Chinese Martial arts.

IKF is becoming just another mma rag and trying to bridge betweenstuff, almost like they are trying to find some new market but won't let go of bits of the old. I barely skim it anymore at the rag stand. Used to like it.

JAMA is a place where guys who are going for their university degrees and who do aikido can write their thesis on a nice subject that they enjoy. lol The format is really nice, it is a quarterly because you can't get thesis type articles every couple of weeks or even every month. It does tend to dwell on JMA a tad much in my opinion, but it's good quality overall.

Others I read, have read or glance through on occasion-

Black Belt- strictly a marketing tool for Chuck Norris, Bob Wall and Wally Jay

The Ring- straight up tips, rants and stats on boxing, but a good rag.

Empty Vessel- Hippy nonsense mostly, but occaisionally a gem of info.

Tai Chi - similar to Empty Vessel, but focusing more on Tai Chi.

MMA - Maniacs with spittle and flaring nostrils on the cover, seemingly level headed in their interviews, stats from the latest ufc and fan boys love letters to their heroes. I have no idea why the fan base insists on making this otherwise worthy sport come across as such a sausage fest for pent up gay urgings. lol

In short, I like Kungfu taichi mag not only because of this coolio forum they gots, but also because of the focus on Traditional Chinese Martial arts, which of course kick ass.

And the fact that some of you tools here on the forum get your articles and pics planted in there now and then so i can get to see your crappy stances and outlandish non-working techniques.

[Ray Pina]

I don't subscribe to any and used to pick up this magazine and IKF magazine regularly but have slowed the past 2 to 3 years because, honestly, I realise that there's just not a lot of good content. It's always appears to be a bunch of guys promoting themselves but you look at the photos and think, "Well, this must be their best stuff if they're submitting it for publication" ..... and it doesn't look too good. It's always the student stands there while the sifu makes 5 moves type of stuff. Or guys saying they are Shaolin monks but posing ontop of their ancestors graves at Shaolin .... I mean, to me, that says phoney right there. That aint a real monk.

The lasy MA mag I picked up was the last Journal with the painting of the pretty Chinese girl on the cover with the sword .... that was just too nice to pass up.

I'd like to see some articles on the underground Southern Mantis in NYC, the gangster styles .... how they train. Has it changed with time or do they still train traditionally, etc. Stuff like that. I want to see masters in the book that look like masters, tough men. Not some hill billy in the mountains talking about stopping cars by pointing at them and awes it all to magnets. Rediculous.

[Reggie1]

I read IKF, KFM, and JAMA regularly. I need to subscribe to KFM, so I stop paying so much at the newsstand.

I like JAMA, it presents its information in a much different light. But KFM is still my favorite

[GeneChing]

I read just about every magazine out there. My job demands it. I don't read all the articles, in fact, I only read a few. However, I do have to keep my finger on the pulse of what is being published. I respect all the magazines today, mostly because I know how hard it is to keep a magazine on the newsstands nowadays. I find there direction choices very interesting, sometimes too translucent, but I imagine the same for our own magazine. Thanks for your support of us and if you do plan to subscribe, we now offer a 50% off deal on subscribtion rates.

[FngSaiYuk]

Thanks for your support of us and if you do plan to subscribe, we now offer a 50% off deal on subscribtion rates.

How long is this offer going to last?