Great River Taoist Center San Diego

02/11/2026

Most sparring matches are a medley of pi cuts from both jianke, so we ought to be doing it correctly!

02/09/2026

Always good to see the jian facing off against other weapons.

12/23/2025

A worthy examination of how each weapon in the arsenal of Chinese swordsmanship confers certain benefits and fosters martial growth.

🗡️How Chinese Weapons Rewired My Swordplay

After years of study with Rodell Laoshi, Gavin reflects on how each Chinese weapon changed the way he moves, thinks, and fights.

👉 Link to the full article in the comments.

12/09/2025

11/27/2025

The "Jianfa vs. the World" series continues!

The full video is coming out soon, but Laoshi Scott M. Rodell gave us a present for Thanksgiving by giving us a preview of what his duel against the rifle with bayonet will look like. Kudos to Gavin King for taking those hits!

A first look at the full-power, unscripted Jian vs. Brown Bess Bayonet duel we filmed in England. This teaser shows a glimpse of the pressure, speed, and rea...

11/27/2025

I think Laoshi is sending us a sign that we need to start throwing daggers at our cutting parties, too.

Thanksgiving day off, trying out the Zheliu Daggers from Tactical Edge (https://tedojo.com/collections/now-in-usa/products/%E6%8A%98%E6%9F%B3-zheliu-traditional-chinese-throwing-knife).

Quite enjoying the weight of them, the traditional Chinese style… watch for the unboxing coming up on Great River Taoist Center's YouTube channel...

11/25/2025

In this short series of exchanges you can see what happens when you begin to focus too much on just getting in on your duifang rather than being patient and calm. In this match, John was trying to put a little pressure on Sam so that an opening would present itself, but in most of these exchanges you can see Sam simply counter-cutting his way out and (repeatedly) smacking John across the thumb.

11/20/2025

For those of you enjoying this Imjin War duel series, the finale has finally dropped! You can finally see Laoshi Scott M. Rodell mix it up with Ian Alexander and show what a duel between these two systems might have looked like!

Jian vs Katana – The Final Duel | The Dragon Meets the Tiger Series Finale劍對刀——最終對決｜《龍遇虎－壬辰戰爭對決》系列完結篇The final episode of The Dragon Meets the Tiger – Imjin ...

11/20/2025

Footwork is often treated as a separate skill set, but once the body is unified, the steps emerge naturally as the waist is turned to cut, thrust, and deflect. The difficulty many of us have is that we treat the legs like separate entities apart from the waist, but once this hurdle is overcome, the art opens up in a whole new way.

11/18/2025

GRTC San Diego members John Partika and Yat-Long Sam P**n getting in some solid free play with their jian from this weekend's practice.

11/08/2025

This painting of a Qing bannerman drawing his jian is a gentle reminder that having a weapon on your hip necessitates the ability to access it quickly when under duress. The Japanese arts are best known for this practice (called "iaijutsu" or "battojutsu"), and this art reached its zenith in Japan, but these fast-draw methods have existed in China for centuries, with famous historical figures like Liu Bang and Ma Chao known for their use of the sword from the draw.

For those interested in my reconstruction of the Chinese fast-draw method, click here: https://youtu.be/6AVk8PQjh2o?si=SeLDZ6nruZrqnWp1

And if you're interested in how this method might perform against Japanese iai, this video will give you an idea of how they compare and contrast: https://youtu.be/S3RhHk4vYus?si=oXYVBhmrPFo7kUUh

11/06/2025

Test cutting is essential to the practice of practical, historical Chinese swordsmanship. While it is true that a blade will cut when striking its target at speed, proper edge alignment and body mechanics will determine the difference between a duifang that has been wounded and can continue fighting, or one that is properly disabled and no longer a threat. These skills must be honed in test cutting to ensure that when sparring we are using the sword like a blade rather than swinging it like a stick.