Shaolin Fighting: Theories, Concepts

Rating:
Summary: Very dissapointing
Review: 1. Very poor quality edition: the book has a lot of pictures. The quality of pictures is unacceptable. You can hardly see the details. 2. Content: They do not give the whole theory or complete description of principles, just a lot of pictures with brief comments. Summary: about 5% of the book you may consider useful.

Rating:
Summary: Just enough to get us killed.
Review: Douglas Wong is one of those writers who simply rehashes what others have already said in far fewer words and maybe more pictures. He gives little tib-bits about each area, but never any scientific or practical rationalization to justify what he says. He is one those kung fu stylists that claims to have experience in d--n near style and thereby proposes that he can teach you any style.---He is one those people that makes the martial arts look bad by never being the solid example of what one should be, truthful and honorable.

Rating:
Summary: Can't learn martial arts by reading
Review: If you don't already know, you can't really learn martial arts by reading. I've bought books on taekwondo, ninjitsu, and kung-fu and it finally hit me when I got this third book that I'm wasting my money. If you really want to learn the art, take classes. I have gotten my black belt in taekwondo this way (another point: can't get your black belt through reading) and even after accomplishing this feat, I still have to continue taking the classes or else I forget everything. Unlike learning to ride a bike, this stuff goes strictly on the maxim, "Lose it, if you don't use it". The pictures are not as bad as other reviewers say. I can follow them. Whether the fighting sequences actually work, I'm somewhat doubtful but some of them are hilariously funny. The other part that was funny was about the ESP power some instructors possess but very few are willing to teach it for fear of misuse. And then the part on "dim muk" that you can freeze a person with a touch of the hand. That sounds like a load of you-know-what. I lose some credibility of the author when he mentioned these things. I'm sure he can probably break concrete or rocks or whatever. This is no magic. Through repetition this can be trained just like I can train my pecs to be bigger through weight-training. The only interesting part in this book is on the history of kung-fu, but then you can get that off the web.

Rating:
Summary: Can't learn martial arts by reading
Review: If you don't already know, you can't really learn martial arts by reading. I've bought books on taekwondo, ninjitsu, and kung-fu and it finally hit me when I got this third book that I'm wasting my money. If you really want to learn the art, take classes. I have gotten my black belt in taekwondo this way (another point: can't get your black belt through reading) and even after accomplishing this feat, I still have to continue taking the classes or else I forget everything. Unlike learning to ride a bike, this stuff goes strictly on the maxim, "Lose it, if you don't use it". The pictures are not as bad as other reviewers say. I can follow them. Whether the fighting sequences actually work, I'm somewhat doubtful but some of them are hilariously funny. The other part that was funny was about the ESP power some instructors possess but very few are willing to teach it for fear of misuse. And then the part on "dim muk" that you can freeze a person with a touch of the hand. That sounds like a load of you-know-what. I lose some credibility of the author when he mentioned these things. I'm sure he can probably break concrete or rocks or whatever. This is no magic. Through repetition this can be trained just like I can train my pecs to be bigger through weight-training. The only interesting part in this book is on the history of kung-fu, but then you can get that off the web.

Rating:
Summary: Shaolin Theories Review
Review: This book by Douglas Wong is very informative and useful as it illustrates the practical uses of Shaolin Kung Fu. He has very good introductory sections on the ranking system in the temple, salutations as well as the various types of punches and hand techniques used. There are also sections on the philosophy behind Kung Fu and the internal system. For $6.00 this book is a steal!

Rating:
Summary: Typical Unique Publications Presentation
Review: Unfortunately, this book suffers from the general malaise of most Unique Publications books- many poor quality pictures and not enough in depth information to make it truly useful. It is all the more disappointing in that, contrary to what tengu151 says in the previous review, Douglas Wong is the real deal. Having had the opportunity to train with him, I can tell you that he is both truthful and honorable, as well as one of the few traditional stylists who has a strong practical background in streetfighting. If you're looking for something with useful training principals, you're better off checking out his Kung Fu: Way of Life, or Kung Fu: An Endless Journey. Or better yet, leave the how to manuals to the wannabees and find a reliable instructor in your town that will teach you how to apply the principles in a meaningful way, or like tengu151 says, you will get yourself killed. Another thought on buying ANY martial arts books: no self respecting (Chinese) sifu is going to give you the good stuff in a book. That is reserved for dedicated students behind closed doors.