Nei Jia Quan: Internal Martial Arts : Teachers of Tai Ji Quan, Xing Yi Quan, and Ba Gua Zhang

Rating:
Summary: the "heart and soul" of internal martial arts
Review: Having owned and read literally hundreds of books on martial arts in the course of my martial arts career, which started in 1976, this book clearly stands out from the crowd.

What makes the book so outstanding:
First the author interviews a wide range of Chinese internal martial arts teachers. This range covers the full spectrum from hard nosed realist to the more esoteric teachers.
Secondly, the interviewees are a great mix of different backgrounds; Asian and American, male and female, well known and lesser known.
Thirdly, the author was able to get the interviewees to discuss the core, the heart and soul of their practice and their arts. The interview approach allows the voice of the teachers to really come through. Each teacher has a clearly unique approach to internal martial arts and this makes for very interesting reading.

The book features interviews with: Tim Cartmell, Gabriel Chin, Gail Derin-Kellog, Bruce Frantizis, Paul Gale, Fong Ha, William Lewis, Luo De Xiu, Allen Pittman, James Wing Woo, Tony Yang, Zhao DaYuan and Albert Liu.

If someone is looking for a single volume that discusses the "heart and soul" of Chinese internal martial arts I would recommend starting with this book.



Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book. Highly Recommended!
Review: If you are training in the internal martial arts (Tai Chi, Hsing-I or BaGua)this is a "must have" for your book collection.

It is not a "how to" book. It is a collection of interviews with various Internal Martial Arts teachers. You'll find histories, stories and opinions on what is key in the internal martial arts. Some of the comments you may disagree with, some you may agree with, but all will make you think.

Also I like how the book was laid out, in terms of each chapter is like having a conversation with each of the subjects. You'll get a taste of their personalities, which I enjoyed. No boring question/short answers here. Thoughtful responses is what you get.

This book is bound to become a classic so pick it up now!

Rating:
Summary: Essential Martial Arts Reading
Review: The internal arts have a growing following in the West, and this book offers the most comprehensive compilation of the insights and experiences of contemporary masters to date. Drawing heavily (but not exclusively) from the Hong family lineages of Taiwan, the breadth of perspectives presented is inspiring. For internal martial arts practitioners, this book is simply a must-have. For folks into more external forms like karate and tae kwon do, this book is an excellent intro to Tai Chi, Xing Yi, and Ba Gua. The interviewees go a long way towards demystifying the internal fighting arts, and offer observations about martial arts, the roots of aggression, meditation, and spirituality, without sounding overly esoteric.
Chock full of great pictures, solid training advice, and amusing anecdotes about prominent martial artists, this book is bound to become a cult classic in the line of Smith's "Chinese Boxing: Masters and Methods."

Rating:
Summary: This book marks the "Post Martial Arts" era! A MUST READ!
Review: We are living in a sort of "post-martial arts" era, where the once-almighty mysticism and magic of the martial arts is fading away at an increasing clip. No longer can an instructor (no matter what style) get by on a vague premise of exotic Asian traditions or some secret teachings that may or may not have ever existed; instead, the perception of martial arts as a more pragmatic activity has become the norm.

The expectations from students have changed as well, as the mask has been taken off of the invincibility of Asian martial arts due to renewed interest in competitive fighting sports such as boxing and wrestling. No longer can instructors waive their hands around and have subservient students unquestionably cower in awe. As more martial arts students are aware of the multitude of options out there, and as the number of experienced martial arts students has greatly increased, instructors will need to relate to their students in a more straightforward, and ideally, honest way.

The book is the first one written that begins with such a premise, and accepts that Chinese-based martial instructors are humans, and as such are free to have widely different views. Readers aren't asked to play the "style" card, and discount teachers' ideas because they aren't okay with another martial arts system's dogma. Instead, a down-to-earth dialogue is presented, where instructors freely give what they feel comfortable giving.

A lot of the potential value in this book lies in the differences between interviewees. While reading, I found myself inspired by the words of one teacher, but then equally inspired by the ideas of another, even though the statements of the two were diametrically opposed.

Instead of rigid adherence to the geocentricism of a "Master", this book demonstrates the benefits of having an open mind. We can only hope this approach continues to gain momentum (especially in the ultra-xenophobic world of CMA).

This is a very necessary book!