Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #511146 in Books
• Published on: 1999-11-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 264 pages

Synopsis
A handbook on the art of tai chi chuan by Chinese linguist, historian and tai chi practitioner Louis Swaim. This text provides instructions based on Fu's 20 years of study with Yang Chengfu, the father of tai chi. Line drawings demonstrate the movements and provide a historical resource.

Customer Reviews

A must for serious Yang style Students
This is a genuine manual for students of Traditional Yang taijiquan and is a must for all students of the art. With detailed information and line drawings taken from pictures of Yang Cheng Fu, it goes beyond the usual taiji books that merely give a basic overview. This is a great handbook for reference.

The best and clearest yet book on the yang style
The author has rounded up the usual suspects and included the obligatory translations of the classics, which is always worth re-reading. However, the bulk of the book sets out detailed descriptions of the postures making up the form and is illustrated with pencil drawings of Yang Chengfu which have in the majority of cases been traced from actual photographs. Initially I was sceptical as to whether this would work, but having worked through the book I can say that the drawings offer sufficient clarity for the reader to follow the narrative.

This book is a godsend for the person who has completed the form and for whom the initial euphoria has given way to the realisation of the how much more there is still to learn. Whilst this book does not readily give up the nuances and subtleties that we see our more advances colleagues demonstrate. It does clearly explain every detail for each move and as an added bonus has a section explaining arm rotation. If we just manage to learn this point it will be a further step along the road to achieving our goals