Just got the July/August issue

[SimonM]

So I just recieved my July/August issue and am now digesting it for the hour between the end of my working day and lunch.

Now, of course, the second I got the envelope I ripped it open and I promptly flipped one of the two copies open to Page 56 where my article now resides. I must say that I have to take my hat off to the design team.

Good job guys! You did a great job with the layout and with how you arranged (and edited) the photographic material I sent you. You really deserve a round of applause for that!

Thanks!

[GeneChing]

....slow boat to China and all...

I'm sure you've seen your parallel article by now too (but I'll post it here just to add to this thread): My Journey to Dragon Well Forge

[SimonM]

Yeah. I've read it and sent the URL to my parents (who have 4 copies of the magazine on reserve at Chapters so they can send it to all the people in my scattered family). I'm really impressed. Thanks for putting a pic of the spring autumn pear wood sword in; it was a nice touch.

[DarinHamel]

Did I miss something or was there very little Tai Chi in the Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine? I was very excited when I saw it and bought it so I didn't look through it first. The Black Belt/Kung Fu magazines are great so I expected great again. Sad to say I was very, very disappointed.

[SimonM]

There were a couple of articles on Taiji.

One discussing the martial roots of Taiji.

One talking about Lou Reed and Taiji.

I may be forgetting one...

[GeneChing]

The topic of this thread is 2006 July/August which contained a few tai chi articles - specifically, Is Tai Chi a Martial Art Nowadays? By Victoria Windholtz and Martial Arts as Performance Art: From Opera to the Olympics By Stephan Berwick, plus my cover story, Keeping Secrets: Grandmaster David Chin's Legacy of Hop Gar Rebels and Guang Ping Tai Chi Revolutionaries. I'm guessing that DarinHamel is referring to our last issue, the 2006 May/June, which had no Tai Chi, except for a controversial Hell's Angel bit. In fact, the only internal article was my The Traditional Art of 5 Elements Long Pole piece. That issue was our Hung Ga - Wong Fei Hung Collector's Issue, so it wasn't as balanced in terms of internal and external coverage. We do that on occassion. Sorry if that disappointed you. If you want to comment on that issue, you'll find the thread here DarinHamel.

[David Jamieson]

hey, how come simon gets his copy in freakin china and i haven't seen ours on the stands yet!

wtf??

Is there a slow boat to canada too?

[DarinHamel]

The topic of this thread is 2006 July/August which contained a few tai chi articles - specifically, Is Tai Chi a Martial Art Nowadays? By Victoria Windholtz and Martial Arts as Performance Art: From Opera to the Olympics By Stephan Berwick, plus my cover story, Keeping Secrets: Grandmaster David Chin's Legacy of Hop Gar Rebels and Guang Ping Tai Chi Revolutionaries. I'm guessing that DarinHamel is referring to our last issue, the 2006 May/June, which had no Tai Chi, except for a controversial Hell's Angel bit. In fact, the only internal article was my The Traditional Art of 5 Elements Long Pole piece. That issue was our Hung Ga - Wong Fei Hung Collector's Issue, so it wasn't as balanced in terms of internal and external coverage. We do that on occassion. Sorry if that disappointed you. If you want to comment on that issue, you'll find the thread here DarinHamel.

Nope, I am not confused. I have practiced Taijiquan for 18 years and I had the right issue. I just expected it to be full of Tai Chi since that was part of its title. It did contain a couple short articles on semi-Tai Chi subjects. The Guang Ping article had more Hop Gar than Tai Chi.

The mag was slick and pretty. But I found it empty. Dont get me wrong, I LOVE YOUR OTHER TITLES! But Taijiquan is my passion and I was really excited that you guys had a Tai Chi title but then I kept flipping pages saying "Wheres the Tai Chi" so many times that my three year old neice who was sitting with me now says "Wheres the Tai Chi" every time someone opens ANY magazine!

I get the Wayfarer Publications Tai Chi mag and if you could combine yours with theirs and come up with something in between that would be cool.

Just one mans opinion.

[GeneChing]

David Jamieson: Since Simon wrote us an article, we sent him an advanced copy. We do that for all of our freelance contributors. Our 'official' on stand date for this issue is today (June 1st) but it's always subject to the individual retailers.

DarinHamel: Sorry you felt that way about the issue. It actually had more tai chi than most for us. Perhaps you should stick with Marvin's magazine. Tai Chi magazine is another independant and they need a lot of support too.

If you're not the confused one, maybe it's me. Which other titles of ours do you love?

[DarinHamel]

David Jamieson: Since Simon wrote us an article, we sent him an advanced copy. We do that for all of our freelance contributors. Our 'official' on stand date for this issue is today (June 1st) but it's always subject to the individual retailers.

DarinHamel: Sorry you felt that way about the issue. It actually had more tai chi than most for us. Perhaps you should stick with Marvin's magazine. Tai Chi magazine is another independant and they need a lot of support too.

If you're not the confused one, maybe it's me. Which other titles of ours do you love?

I love Kung Fu Magazine and you guys do Black Belt as well right? Those two are my favorites. Marvins magazine is great but I have been reading it for years and I was hoping for some fresh air.

You guys have the money and the connections for a great Taijiquan magazine. What happened? Is there no market for a pure Taijiquan mag?

Thanks for taking the time to talk to a reader. I buy KF and BB magazines but pass them on to others when I finish. These magazines as I am sure you know are the primary reference material for many.

[GeneChing]

We only publish Kung Fu Tai Chi, but our parent company, Tiger Claw also publishes an internal industry newsletter called Claw Marks. That's what I thought you were refering to. We do not do Black Belt.

As for a pure Tai Chi magazine, that's what Marvin does with Tai Chi. I admire his work immensily because like us, Tai Chi is an independant magazine, and it's such a narrow niche market that it's got to be a struggle to stay on the newsstands for him. We are competitors in many ways, but I certainly respect Marvin's contribution to the field. Our own coverage of Tai Chi is limited I confess, but note that it's only a minor part of our masthead (the Tai Chi only takes up the bottom of the letter U in Kung Fu). I hope that someday, it will expand more, but currently that's about all the newsstand market can hold.

For more info on who owns Inside Kung-Fu and Black Belt, see this thread.

[DarinHamel]

With that in mind I will re-evaluate my opinion.

[Banjos_dad]

...The Black Belt/Kung Fu magazines are great so I expected great again. Sad to say I was very, very disappointed.

quit trying to blow my little mind man....

[DarinHamel]

quit trying to blow my little mind man....

It was my tiny, little brain that got it all wrong. This really bothered me but now that I realize what the magazine is, who puts it out and who its readers are I may be subscribing soon.

This site is a great marketing tool. It makes the magazine more personal, especially when you can tell the people putting it out really do love kung fu and aren't in it soley for the $$$.

[MasterKiller]

This site is a great marketing tool. It makes the magazine more personal, especially when you can tell the people putting it out really do love kung fu and aren't in it soley for the $$$.

The best part is when you see Gene at a tournament, he buys you lunch and dinner. If you have on a Got Qi? shirt, he also gives you lots of $1 bills for the after-tournament gentlemen's clubs.