Rating: 
Summary: Too much talk
Review: Personally as a student of an internal-external martial art, I am surprised at the lack of attention given to body mechanics in this book. Most masters have stressed, posture, alignment and center in very great detail which this book lacks. The certificates at the end of the book do not amount to much, if one knows chinese masters and his reference to yoga and it's neurophysiological effects is plain wrong.
Rating:
Summary: A Long Advertisement!
Review: Regretfully, from cover to cover, this book seems to be nothing more than a big ad. Those seeking useful information about the Chinese internal and martial arts should look elsewhere. I recommend looking toward some of the material written by any number of experts specializing in the Chinese arts (Yang Jwing-Ming, etc.). This book is nonsense!
Rating: 
Summary: Valuable Contribution of missing or misunderstood segments
Review: The fact Bruce Kumar Frantzis share so many insights about the Tai Chi, Ba Gua, and Hsing-I Chuan was very rewarding. This book reflects a life time of dedication, exploration, and relationships - the author has gained from the study of internal style martial arts. Some of the concepts the author shared, I related to very well. However, many of the concepts were new and provided an encouragement for my continual improvement and striving to understand these concepts. Three topics particular interested me, besides the numerous biographical stories of interaction with Chinese masters, these were pushing hands, standing meditation, and circle walking. I was aware of two types of pushing hands: single and double hand as practiced stationary or in motion; but Frantzis shares two more types of pushing hands. The book is a valued portion of knowledge helping dedicated martial artist learn the guide lines and directions to achieving real mastery over the internal styles. The author talks of his experiences standing for six hours to gain the chi for discharge. My favorite story was Frantzis's recounting his first experience with his Ba Gua teacher, his departure, and return - realizing there's always more to learn, as his master lodge an energy ball within his body that took a month to remove. The fact Frantzis has mastered three internal arts speaks for itself. Its true the author has experienced and studied numerous other arts: Judo, Shotokan, Jujitsu, Akido, Praying Mantis, and more; but the heart of the author's focus was explanations about the internal styles. Frantzis's capable as a martial artist receives no dispute from me. He is absolutely amazing and capable. He talks about Fa Jin, the ability to project the opponent without harm or injury by uprooting him through discharge; he talks of drilling power and magnetic hand; he talks about soft and hard power; he distinquish the philosophies between Tai Chi, Ba Gua, and Hsing-I; he talks about the 16 concepts of mastery of the internal style; he explains Ba Gua stress movement, reappearance and disappearance; He describes Hsing-I as militant, linear, delivered with the fists, utilizes small circles, yet using internal power, an internal karate, and feared by the Praying Mantis style and the analysis for this claim; He describes the why the Praying Mantis style is effective against linear attacks. He describes Tai Chi as soft, yielding, capable of absorbing the opponent's energy and redirecting it back; He explains the internal style kicks are below the heart; He explains the emptiness and lack of anger or animal impulses in the internal style. Just as the "Tai Chi" classics teach by story, so does the author. I learned just as much from his personal stories as I did from his analytical discussion of the concepts of internal energy. I found he analysis consistent with the teachings of the "Tai Chi Classics". However, the author add more analysis which exceeded anything I've read to this point. This book is a valuable contribution and fills in many missing segments not understood by those studying the internal martial arts.
Rating:
Summary: All my advanced students "will" read this book...
Review: The Great Bagua Grandmaster Lu Hung-Ping clearly believed that a good student, with a good teacher, could learn everything about internal arts in five years. However, it may take another twenty to understand what you learned:-)This book is a personal odessey of Mr. Frantis's exploration into the internal arts of China. Mr. Frantis openly discusses his evolution and foibles, in learning from some of the best masters in the world. He uses his experiences to teach the reader what he learned. The honesty and vulnerabilty that Mr. Frantis shows clearly reveals his mastery of the real "internal arts". I would imagine that people with less training and adventure in their lives would find the presentation as "self-promotional" Mr. Frantis clearly defines his opinion from his historical research. The layout of the book enhances this distinction. This is not a book about technique. However, it does discuss many stylistic and technique differences between the various arts. He truely reveals the secrets of internal power. Mr. Frantis shows all the standing drills and nei kung that produce internal power. All you have to do is practice them for many hours a day and you'll have it. Mr. Frantis knowledge and understanding has grown tremendously since the eighties. I think his book is a classic work done by a normal imperfect human being. There is no single book that presents as much material on the internal arts as this one does. That alone means it should be in every internal martial artists library.
Rating:
Summary: The real deal, carefully explained
Review: The market is full of books on Chinese internal martial arts and qigong, many of them by experts of dubious skill and experience but replete with exaggerated claims. Having also seen video of Frantzis in action, I come away with very high regard for both his credentials and skill. Few foreigners have spent as much hands-on time with China's great masters, have as firm a grasp of the theory of the internal arts, posses as broad and eclectic a background from which to compare them, or the skill to present history, theory, and technique with the skill Frantzis has done in this volume. It's a must-have for all martial artists, but expecially those interested in taiji, xingyi, or bagua.
Rating:
Summary: A useful reference of interest to internal artists
Review: The material in this book is complete and well explained. While covering material used in Chinese internal martial arts, the text is useful to all stylists who wish to examine theory. Organized as a reference, there is still a lot of instruction, as well as clear and authoritative explanations.
Rating:
Summary: Promotional Materials
Review: This book clearly marks the corruption and downfall of internal martial arts coming to America. We already have had a lot of great "masters" in Asia who have written great great essays on I Ching and 'chi', but who just don't know the basics of martial arts. Anyone who has encountered Ba Gua does not need the author to tell him 'walking the circle' aims at developing chi and martial arts abilities. But the author does not give the slightest hint on how to walk the circle, even worse, he dares not show one of his own photo walking the circle! I wonder what he knows besides the circle must be walked in 16 or 8 steps! One needs not wonder how the author could know so much about different branches of internal martial arts, they are just pure translations from most of the common chinese martial arts books that just states the high-level "secrets" without telling you anything useful.
Rating:
Summary: An absolutely astounding well spring of information
Review: This book contains so much information that although I have read it cover to cover more than forty times I'm still learning new things from it.The personal history of the author and the masters he trained with alone is worth purchasing it.The technical detail of the 16 part neigung system(pages 62-63)has revolutionized my personal practice.The detail,incredible.The instructions clear and usable.Put this book alongside his 'Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body' and you have two books that will someday be classics.I have studied and read martial arts and books for over a decade and there is just no comparing his material.I have trained with Master Kumar and can honestly say I'm nearly done rebuilding my spine with his Spinal Regeneration techniques.His books are a must for any level of pratitioner be they a meditator,healer or fighter.
Rating:
Summary: A thorough discussion of the Internal Martial Arts
Review: This book is a thorough discussion of the energy skills in the Chinese Internal Arts. For the serious student of Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan), the in-depth chapter on the Eight Energies in Taiji is a must-read. Also of interest are the author's experiences in training with a number of masters, including Morihei Ueshiba (founder of Aikido), Cheng Man-ch'ing (who briefly introduced the author to Taiji), Yang Shou-zhong (eldest grandson of the Yang style creator, Yang Lu-chan), and Liu Hung Chieh (the Taoist sage who was the author's primary teacher).
Rating:
Summary: Very very good work.
Review: This book is very interesting and very well written. It approaches almost all the aspects of the three internal arts, first in general and then analyzing them one by one.
It could be said this book is full of autobiographic stories but we are what we are and what we know only because our own history. All the anecdotes are interesting and consistent, they also make the book easy to read that's very important in a so comprehensive book.
The book is also full of training tips and very inspirational, anyway it is definitively not a training book. It gives you a lot only if already as an expert at the least of one of the three internal Martial arts.
A book fascinating for beginners and highlighting for the experts.
My only point is that this book looks a little bit too bagua oriented, however due to the scarcity of good books on bagua this point is not a negative one.
In conclusion a very good book to buy and a nice inspirational book to ...
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