Podcast Roundup
A list of my favourite podcasts covering Traditional Chinese Martial Arts and combat sports.
Most of these podcasts have been mentioned before, I just wanted to collect them in one place. They are presented in alphabetical order.
The Drunken Boxing Podcast
Image from the Drunken Boxing wesbite.
By Byron Jacobs at Mushin Martial Culture.
Byron Jacobs, born in South Africa, began practicing martial arts at the age of six starting with the Japanese arts of Judo and Karate. From his early teens he began practicing the Chinese martial arts, doing both traditional systems as well as competitive standardized Chinese martial arts. While still living in South Africa he became a national level representative athlete (Protea Athlete) for Wushu and was also one of the founders of the South African Wushu Federation and served as it's Secretary-General from its founding until his departure from South Africa in 2009.
He became a certified international judge in 2004 (A Grade) and served as an independent judge multiple times for the world governing body, eventually being appointed to the technical committee of the International Wushu Federation (IWUF) in 2011, and served in this capacity for two terms until 2019. During this period, he lectured and coached at IWUF courses and judged at numerous world level events and also compiled many teaching handbooks which are still utilized by the organization today. He was additionally appointed as the technical representative for the IWUF’s application for Wushu’s Olympic inclusion and he presented to the International Olympic Committee three times in this capacity in Lausanne, Saint Petersburg and in Tokyo.
About the podcast…
Featuring causal discussion with people who are involved in martial arts and their related culture and lifestyle practices, while we have a few adult beverages.
One of my favourites, a regular listen for me.
https://www.mushinmartialculture.com/podcast
Gongfu Crew
Image from the GongFu Crew podcast website.
By Daniel Barth in Munich.
My first exposure to martial arts was Taekwondo as a teenager. The spark didn't quite jump over, but my interest was piqued. After a short excursion into Japanese disciplines, I found my way to the Chinese traditions. Here too I was able to try out different styles until I started training Chen-style Taijiquan.
Thirteen episodes in this first season. Another season is in the making.
The Podcast about authentic, pragmatic, serious Gongfu. We explore the world of Chinese martial arts by diving into its various traditions and schools. We bring together dedicated practioners of different styles to shed light on their training methods, fighting philosophy, their take on health and spirituality, and where each tradition is going. And we highlight issues that many practitioners of Chinese martial arts face on their own journey.
A very thoughtful and insightful podcast.
https://zencastr.com/Gongfu-Crew
Heretics
Image from the Heretics podcast website.
By Woven Energy, with hosts Damon Smith and Graham Barlow.
Damon has been practicing martial arts for over 40 years, studying under native Chinese, Japanese and Mongolian teachers. He studied and researched on the ground in both China and Japan, exploring the roots of the martial arts in the esoteric and shamanistic traditions of the Far East, and in 1994 was awarded an MA in East Asian Studies by the University of Leeds. Damon is the editor of both the Western White Tiger I-Ching and the Concordance to Ofudesaki, is the author of the book Xing Yi Bear Eagle, co-hosts the Woven Energy Podcast on Shamanism with Joe Sykora.
Graham is a technology journalist working in Bath, UK. He also has a lifelong interest in martial arts including Tai Chi, Xing Yi and Brazilian Jiujitsu. Graham does his best at juggling these diverse martial arts and runs a couple of blogs called The Tai Chi Notebook and The BJJ Notebook.
About the podcast…
The Heretics podcast is part of the Woven Energy family and functions as a place for your hosts to reflect on the Miasma and its effects on the human race throughout history. Unlike the Woven Energy podcast there is no ‘call to action’ in Heretics. We’re simply taking a wander through the pages of history and looking at how human beings have come up with different solutions to the various challenges of organising society.
I am not going to kid you here, this podcast is very diverse and covers a wide range of topics some of which are outside the domain of martial arts. I tend to skip the obviously non martial arts related. The content can be very detailed, very historical and very technical, but is also rooted in practical martial arts. I am usually shocked, stunned, mystified and enthused in equal measure after listening to an episode 😄
See my article linking to a set of these podcasts covering Taijiquan - the origin story.
https://www.hereticspodcast.com/links/
Martial Arts Studies Podcast
Image from the MAS podcast website.
About the podcast…
Conversations on the academic field of Martial Arts Studies, hosted by Professor Paul Bowman of Cardiff University and featuring academics, scholars and experts from around the world. Videos of these episodes are on the Martial Arts Studies YouTube Channel.
Can be challenging as the podcasts are typically recordings of academic conference presentations (maybe I should try the YouTube versions!) but covers societal views on and the impact of martial arts in our communities.
https://martialartsstudies.podbean.com
Ramsey Dewey Podcast
Image from the Ramsey Dewey podcast website.
Sadly no longer active since June 2020 but there are more recent episodes on YouTube (up to May 2024).
Shanghai based MMA coach and Kunlun Fight ringside commentator Ramsey Dewey interviews guests about combat sports, life and the universe.
If you do want to try the podcast, go here for Spotify and here for Apple.
The Tai Chi Notebook
Image from the Tai Chi Notebook website.
Another podcast by Graham Barlow (see Heretics above).
In this podcast I interview people I know, or find interesting, in the world of Tai Chi and martial arts. It’s skewed towards Chinese martial arts, but I also interview people from BJJ and other arts.
Another one of my favourites, a regular listen for me.
