T'Ai Chi Ch'uan for Health and Self-Defense

Rating:
Summary: One of the good ones
Review: A must read for the beginner to most advanced student in T'ai Chi Ch'uan. Master T.T. Liang has found a way to capture the essence of the Art of T'ai Chi Ch'uan and put it into the English language in a clear and concise manner. I have read and reread this book many times over my 17 years of study and continue to learn and understand more about the philosophy of T'ai Chi through his teachings. Thank you Master Liang!

Rating:
Summary: T'ai Chi Ch'uan for Health and Self-Defense
Review: A must read for the beginner to most advanced student in T'ai Chi Ch'uan. Master T.T. Liang has found a way to capture the essence of the Art of T'ai Chi Ch'uan and put it into the English language in a clear and concise manner. I have read and reread this book many times over my 17 years of study and continue to learn and understand more about the philosophy of T'ai Chi through his teachings. Thank you Master Liang!

Rating:
Summary: wandering way off the beaten path...
Review: Here is a true rarity: a Tai Chi book that does not have a section devoted to reproducing pictures or drawings of one of the forms. T.T. Liang, like other authors of Chinese origin on this subject, suffered from grave illness and was cured by practicing Tai Chi. This book, edited by one of his students, is a very, very different approach to writing about Tai Chi.

What is interesting about it is the blend of materials presented. This little, unassuming book contains a VERY GOOD translation of the Tai Chi Classics, with a very personal and insightful commentary from Master Liang, along with excerpts from many other Tai Chi songs and tales from China. The chapters are loosely knit, and sometimes while reading the book one gets the feeling that it is just a collection of loose essays on Tai Chi by either a long-time practitioner or a fascinated observer. The style is very personal, and Master Liang intertwines his own ruminations and analyses of the teachings from the ancients in the same text. There are a lot of insights hidden in it, but a casual reader will have trouble finding them. This author wanders off, and doesn't always remember the reader trailing behind him, so one is often left thinking, "did I miss something?"

In all, the book is not bad (it's readable, the translation of the classics is very good, and you can see that the author knows his subject), but it is not excellent either. I'd say it's an average book with highlights that would interest an intermediate to advanced student of Tai Chi.

Rating:
Summary: One of the good ones
Review: In this "For Dummies" era, the market has been saturated with New-Agey, cartoon Tai Chi books with pictures and drawings, but that have very little actual substance to them. As more and more people become curious about this art, it is imperitive that material be made available that is true to the art, and not just a vehicle for some so-called "master" to publish pictures of himself practicing a form.

To that end, inside this unassuming, little, white book is some of the best writing on the subject of Tai Chi Chuan that I have seen.

To begin with, there are no step-by-step instructions here. This book is designed to pique the interest of the layman, or to deepen the learned man's love for the art.

The history lessons alone are worth the price of the book. The commentary, anecdotes, and insight come from a place of subtlty and quiet wisdom which you may not get the first time through. Time has only made my appreciation for this book's layout widen.

But the real selling point is the translations of the Tai Chi Classics; of which most books about Tai Chi refer to but never provide.

So if you want to learn Tai Chi, find a good teacher. But if you want to learn about Tai Chi, then let me recommend this book. It's one of the good ones.

Rating:
Summary: One of the good ones
Review: In this "For Dummies" era, the market has been saturated with New-Agey, cartoon Tai Chi books with pictures and drawings, but that have very little actual substance to them. As more and more people become curious about this art, it is imperitive that material be made available that is true to the art, and not just a vehicle for some so-called "master" to publish pictures of himself practicing a form.

To that end, inside this unassuming, little, white book is some of the best writing on the subject of Tai Chi Chuan that I have seen.

To begin with, there are no step-by-step instructions here. This book is designed to pique the interest of the layman, or to deepen the learned man's love for the art.

The history lessons alone are worth the price of the book. The commentary, anecdotes, and insight come from a place of subtlty and quiet wisdom which you may not get the first time through. Time has only made my appreciation for this book's layout widen.

But the real selling point is the translations of the Tai Chi Classics; of which most books about Tai Chi refer to but never provide.

So if you want to learn Tai Chi, find a good teacher. But if you want to learn about Tai Chi, then let me recommend this book. It's one of the good ones.

Rating:
Summary: Tai Chi Philosophy and Practice
Review: This book is not intended to teach you tai chi. This book tells you more of how to approach tai chi and where your mind should be during the practice. I have been taking tai chi for about 6 months now. This book is highly recommended by my instructor. Reading it really helped me to understand some of the things my teacher was telling me and it helped me figure more than a few things out on my own.

Rating:
Summary: Tai Chi Philosophy and Practice
Review: This book is not intended to teach you tai chi. This book tells you more of how to approach tai chi and where your mind should be during the practice. I have been taking tai chi for about 6 months now. This book is highly recommended by my instructor. Reading it really helped me to understand some of the things my teacher was telling me and it helped me figure more than a few things out on my own.