Rating: Summary: Sweet personal memories from the author Review: "The kind of martial arts that I am now learning can kill one million people in a flash! But how? You expect me to tell you the secrets just because you have paid a few bucks buying my book? You idiot! Come to my class!" This is exactly the message the author wants to convey. Besides, we don't need any more fairy tales for internal martial arts. I met many of the masters mentioned in the book, but their skills is far less mysterious than as described in the book. Don't waste your money, get a book that actually tells you how to train yourself and that gives you a more healthy and less myterious understanding of internal martial arts.
Rating: Summary: Sweet personal memories from the author Review: "The kind of martial arts that I am now learning can kill one million people in a flash! But how? You expect me to tell you the secrets just because you have paid a few bucks buying my book? You idiot! Come to my class!" This is exactly the message the author wants to convey. Besides, we don't need any more fairy tales for internal martial arts. I met many of the masters mentioned in the book, but their skills is far less mysterious than as described in the book. Don't waste your money, get a book that actually tells you how to train yourself and that gives you a more healthy and less myterious understanding of internal martial arts.
Rating: Summary: overview Review: A good read if you're looking for an overview. The author gives some good stories of his stay in the orient but "combat secrets" please.Unless you're looking for something to read on a slow day, there are better books.
Rating: Summary: overview Review: A good read if you're looking for an overview. The author gives some good stories of his stay in the orient but "combat secrets" please.Unless you're looking for something to read on a slow day, there are better books.
Rating: Summary: I have met this man! Review: Although logic suggests it is not possible for an individual to know so much about the internal martial arts, after reading this book and then having the opportunity to briefly train with him in person, I am a believer. I state "believer" in the sense that I have full confidence as a result of interacting with Mr. Frantzis in person that he did, can do, and is everything he represents in this book. What is lost on the average reader of Mr. Frantzis' books is that he is not only a superb martial artist but an incredibly intelligent and driven human-being. I have heard that he passed up an opportunity to atttend Harvard to study in the Orient. Evidence of his intellect is obvious in his writing style and the fact that he speaks Japanese AND Chinese fluently. His drive was demonstrated by his pattern of working feverously at instructing Westerners in America in order to acquire enough money to study martial arts for several year spans in Asia. At some level it would seem Bruce is a workaholic, with attention for detail, demonstrated in his youth by daily martial practices of 6-8 hours, and a contemporary similar obsession of energy that he pours into his books. I challenge any non-believer to attend one of his weekly classes open to the public in Fairfax, California, and spar with him verbally or physically...or as he calls it: "play."
Rating: Summary: useful book for beginners Review: Although pretty light on training specifics, this book is an excellent introduction to the most common three internal arts of taiji, xingyi, and bagua. I particularly like his critique of the Japanese arts and their shortcomings. Kumar's books are interesting because he actually trained in Asia and his "been there, done that" approach is very inspirational.
Rating: Summary: This book is a con Review: As another reviewer noted one becomes sceptical when a single person claims to have studied and mastered so many arts, and so young! Most great masters find just one art difficult enough, and a lifetime's work. But the real complaint I have against this book is that all it is is promotional material for BKF himself, his seminars, and his videos, and contains NO training information or "combat secrets" at all. I bought the book in haste and am now repenting at leisure. A waste of time, money, and paper.
Rating: Summary: good overview, understandably short on secrets Review: B.K. Frantzis has written a comprehensive overview of the Chinese internal martial arts. It is the most complete survey I've found in a single volume but unfortunately he trades scope for depth and I doubt anyone studying a particular aspect of the internal arts with a competent instructor will find many secrets here. Frantzis obviously knows what he is talking about and I would highly recommend this book for those who are considering studying Ba Gua, Tai Chi, or Hsing-I but are not sure which particular style is best suited for their needs. After reading this book you will have a better sense which art to pursue. Personally, I chose Hsing-I. As an aside, I can recommend 'Hsing-I Chinese Internal Boxing' by Robert Smith as a great reference for someone beginning to study this style.
Rating: Summary: Answers Questions, MUCH More than a How-To... Review: Bruce Kumar Frantzis is one of the few westerners who has studies martial arts for over 10 years in Asia, and then returned to teach and discuss the arts he learned candidly. This book offers a wealth of information on Chinese lineage Internal Martial Arts. The focus is upon the combat usefulness and qualities of the three traditional internal styles, namely Tai Chi Chuan (Taiji Chuan), Hsing Yi(Xingyi), and Pa Kua (Bagwa). In this volume, Frantzis does not simply describe "what Tai Chi is", he explains the principles and characteristics of each art, and goes into intricate detail concerning points specific to each of the major internal martial arts and how they can be applied. I should add here that this book will probably best serve as an aid to students of internal (or other) martial arts who are interested in theory and combat effectiveness, and have a working knowledge of how the physical techniques of the martial arts discussed are executed. There are NO instructional sequences of pictures to describe techniques in this book. If you are not familiar with the internal arts discussed, you would be best off watching a few classes, a video or two, or picking up a decent instructional manual first to get a feeling for how movement is made physically. For those already familiar, you should have no problem at all. In one section Frantzis Describes the similarities and differences between the three main internal arts, something I have seen no other book do. This book has no sacred cows, and that I appreciate! Another feature I found attractive was the inclusion of "mini-chapters", or sidebars which included Frantzis's personal experiences, for instance, on pages 16-19 at the end of chapter 1, where he discusses travelling to Taiwan in 1968 to learn under the amazing Pa Kua master Wang Shu Jin (there are pictures of Wang). There are little sections like this throughout the book discussing certain masters of Tai Chi, Hsing Yi, Chi, Pa Kua, and others. Frantzis's style of writing is warm and personal. It is an enjoyable read, and not a chore. He is one of a few authors whose experiences remind me of Robert W. Smith and Mark Salzman, two other deserving writers on martial arts whose works I enjoy.
Rating: Summary: An exceptional commentary on the internal arts. Review: Frantzis examines and describes in great detail the combative, meditative and medical aspects of the internal arts. He also includes insightful descriptions and comparisons of the three major Taoist martial arts -- t'ai chi, ba gua and hsing i. An exceptional piece of literature for anyone interested in learning about the Chinese energy arts.
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