Combat Techniques of Taiji, Xingyi, and Bagua: Principles and Practices of Internal Martial Arts

by Lu Shengli, Zhang Yun (Translator)

The combat techniques of Tai Ji, Ba Gua, and Xing Yi were forbidden during China's Cultural Revolution, but the teachings of grandmaster Wang Pei Shing have survived. This comprehensive guide, written by one of his students, selects core movements from each practice and gives the student powerful tools to recognize the unique strategies and skills, and to develop a deeper understanding, of each style. It contains complete instructions for a 16-posture form to gain mastery of combat techniques. The book helps practitioners achieve a new level of practice, where deeply ingrained skills are brought forth in a more fluid, intuitive, and fast-paced fashion.

Genres: Martial Arts

400 pages, Paperback

First published February 9, 2006

Reviews

[Erick Adams]

This provides a decent historical overview of the three main internal martial arts -- Taiji (Tai Chi), Xingyi (Hsing-I), and Bagua (Pa-Kua). Included are timelines, historical context, and a fair amount of the folk legend that has become a part of how Chinese martial arts are packaged. Conspicuously absent were esoteric mentions of "Chi" generation. This book is intended to be historical and practical, and it gets a big thumbs-up from me on that. There is also a fair amount of general kung-fu technical information -- especially surrounding how each art trains their fundamentals.

Then we get to the forms and applications section of the book, and it pretty much falls apart. There are a lot of pictures and instructions, but I'd like to meet the guy who can get all of this correctly from a book. If you're very interested in doing something that combines these three styles, I'd suggest finding someone who trained in the Sun Lutang lines, and try to learn their Taiji instead.

[Timothy Nichols]

This work's detailed and careful handling of fundamentals sets a standard in martial arts books. For displaying motion, video is a better medium, and live instruction is essential in any case. This book does what books are good at: detailed explanation of fine points that are easy to miss even when you're watching closely.

[Alan]

Well put together book with history as well as photos and instruction. Good coverage of the three main internal arts in Chinese martial arts.