Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
In the tradition of "Chinese Boxing: Masters And Methods"..., June 2, 2001
This text is a true classic!! ...A must read for Hsing-I Ch'uan (Xingyi Quan) stylists and internal martial arts enthusiasts everywhere. The author, Robert W. Smith, was the first person to really convey the depth and tradition of internal kung fu in this country. Many of his experiences studying in Taiwan in the sixties and early seventies have been written about in his books. He personally met many famous masters that many only read about. Amoung them are: Sun, Lu-Tang; Wang, Shu-Chin; Hung, I-Hsiang; Ch'ang, Shih-Jung; Cheng,Man-Ch'ing and many more! It's truely a shame that this fine book is out of print. I read it several times in high school (a copy of the book was owned by my sifu) but always wanted to have a copy of it for myself. I've tried and tried to find a copy to buy but haven't had any luck with it. :( There is also a problem with people misassociated this book with the recently published Hsing- I book written by Robert W. Smith and Allen Pittman. For all Smith fans out there; this is NOT the same book! No offense to his more recent work though. This book offers much more in the way of sharing the personal experiences of highly developed masters of the art. Of particular interest to me was the experiences of Sun, Lu-Tang's alchemical transmutations while practicing the more refined and esoteric aspects of Hsing-I. The stories about the lives of these masters were also fascinating. It is inspiring to read about the authentic experiences of individuals who reached extremely high levels of attainment in their Kung Fu. Another point in the books favor are the many decent black and white photographs of true masters practicing their art! They are holding various postures and displaying the proper bodily alignment for many of the movements in Hsing -I. The pictures alone are worth the price of the book! This book was,obviously, very influential to me. It would be a joy to read again and I sincerely hope that it gets republished or that I may find a copy of it somewhere.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
5 fists & advice from the masters, January 27, 2005
This review is from: Hsing-I: Chinese Mind-Body Boxing (Paperback)
For one not familiar with the direct simplicity of hsing-i (pinyin: xingyiquan) as a martial art, it is paradoxically simple yet complex. The five fists, a set of forms linked with the chinese concepts of the five elements, provide a base template of techniques that the hsing-i practitioner turns into an effective combat meditation. Through mindful repetitiveness, one *becomes*, attaining a state of unforced being through which martial techniques flow.
I like this book. Early in my martial career, personages, lineages and other such nonsense were antithetical. I thought: "why should those things be in a book about kicking butt?" I'm older now and greatly value what my teachers and my teachers teachers pass on to me. This book is steeped in that same sense of reverence. The author provides a thoughtful balance of basic techniques with quotes from famous hsing-i masters and a look at his own hsing-i lineage, which are very interesting and well done.
This is mainly a reference material, as Books and DVDs do not make good primary instructional material for martial arts, so plan on attending a seminar or finding a good local school to get the most from this book.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is a Keeper, March 28, 2007
This review is from: Hsing-I: Chinese Mind-Body Boxing (Paperback)
This book was one of the earlier books on martial arts that I purchased. Not knowing a thing about martial arts at the time, I couldn't get my mind around much of what was presented. On the other hand, I loved the stories within and the "advice of the masters" segment right away. I remember staring intently at the pictures of Yuan Dao, Paul Guo and especially the little section featuring the five elements done by Wang Shu Jin. Taken in an unposed mid-action way, they really convey Wang's dynamic actions. Having since studied both Xingyiquan and Baguazhang for more than a decade, I have come to realize what a goldmine was presented here. This book still lays, beaten and tattered, littered with highlighting and notes, on my bookshelf. This is because the book presented Xingyi postures by highly skilled practitioners along with excellent guides to its meaning and practice. Newer books may show more material, or translate large tracts of key points, but this book still has the goods: first rate practitioners showing their art. Recently when giving a gift to a person I wanted to get interested in Xingyi, I still chose this book.
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