Customer Reviews

Kung Fu: History, Philosophy, and Technique

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was originally published in 1977 as a way to introduce Westerners to the complex history and traditions of Kung Fu. This book covers the history of the Chinese martial arts quite well, given the space they had to work with. The history goes all the way back to the bronze age, and is followed throught the centuries. Bodhidharma, the legendary figure who brought the movements of Kung Fu and the philosophy of Chan (Zen) to the Shaolin temple is given an entire chapter. The Taoist influence over the Chinese arts is mentioned, specifically when talking about the internal styles of T'ai Chi, Pa Kua, and H'sing Yi. The emphasis is on T'ai Chi. Several external styles of Kung Fu are featured as well: Northern Shaolin, Dragon, Wing Chun, White Crane, Praying Mantis, Monkey, Hung Gar, and Choy Lee Fut. Each style is given a one or two page description that includes history, techniques, fight strategy, and overall philosophy. There is also a chapter on Chin Na, but those familiar with other Chin Na works will find that the techniques covered here, while effective for self-defense, don't even come close to showing the complexities of the "seizing and controlling" art. There is also a chapter on how to perform amazing feats, with much of the text taken from an ancient Chinese book. I believe that this chapter has some value, though I can't verify the various Kungs that emphasise Chi power. The last bits of the book are on Kung Fu films, the Westernization of Kung Fu, and some neat little proverbs. Overall, this book is very good for introducing people to the Chinese martial arts, whith a very broad range of subjects covered. There are some weaknesses, though, notably that the text seems a little dated, and the photos are in awful condition. Still, the self-defense moves are fairly practical, and the insight into the history of Kung Fu and the different styles makes this book worth buying.

A good guide to the history and philopsophy of kung fu, but it doesn't really get a grip of the essence of the art. Descriptions of a few more styles could have been added, as well as a section on common fighting principles. The (large) part on chin na techniques is very useful, as are the descriptions of the several feats (I don't think many of them would prove harmful, if trained, on the contrary(the "leaping kung" for example could be extremely good for leg muscle development, and I doubt that one should have to contact a physician before training the "red sand palm", which is done by rubbing a handful of sand in hope that one may someday be able to do it without the hands), but I certainly wouldn't recommend anyone to try something as "head kung"(banging the head daily against a hard wall!!)). I must admit that it somehow felt throughout the whole book that the same things were repeated over and over again on almost each page, something that made it (for me)a little(just a little) bit boring. Nevertheless, I don't regret buying it.

David Chow was the technical advisor during the first season of the old "Kung Fu" television series. Many of the people who saw those shows commented on how much the techniques resembled judo. This book will show you why. Chow's background was in the grappling arts, and it is that orientation which he brought to both the show and this book. The first part of it deals with the history and theories of some of the more famous kung fu styles. The technique section contains some fairly effective responses to grabbing attacks. The poetry section could have been left out. This book is O.K., but nothing to write home about.

I have been stuying Kung Fu for over 12 years now and learned some things from the book that I previously didn't know. The book covers Kung Fu origins/some history, philosophy, review of styles, including a section on Chin Na with pictorial. Most interesting were the different Kungs in the back of the book. The authors even told you how to practice them if you are dedicated enough to do it.

The only thing I didn't like was the large section in the middle devoted to what looked like basic Chin Na. It would have been better without that section, but the descriptions of the Kungs made up for it. I still think though that this book is a must for every martial art library.

VERY GOOD BOOK - 4 1/2 STARS.

This is a good book for someone just starting to explore martial arts. Chow gives historical information about the origins of chinese martial arts (legends included), brief overviews of the more mainstream internal and external chinese boxing styles, some chin na techniquue, chinese philosoophy and training methods and disciplines. Has a cool section on some obscure styles of martial chi kung. Also talks about the spread of martial arts into western pop culture. This book helped me get started in kung fu and provides a lot of information about chinese boxing. I only give it 3 stars because the information held within the book is limited and common place upon further study of chinese boxing.

Chow and Spangler's "Kung Fu: History, Philosophy, and Technique" broke new ground when it was first published, sharing many details about kung fu which were not available elsewhere. The foundational chapters of the book are the ones on Daoism, "external" styles, chin na (which features techniques), dynamics, kung fu and entertainment (movies), and the westernization of kung fu.

The section on Daoism is very good. The rest of the chapters are more overview-ish, but still contain good material. The dynamics chapter has a bunch of chi kung training drills which are illustrated and will evoke interest, if not hilarity. Chow's work on the television show "Kung Fu" shows in places, and even though the show was campy, Chow seems to be in tune with Shaolin philosophy - especially given his comments about training in the chin na chapter.

I highly recommend this book to those who don't know anything about Chinese martial arts, and wish to increase their exposure.

This book is split into three distinct sections, the first explains the history of Buddism and the establishment of the Shaolin temples.
This section has plenty of information, dates etc. for the historically minded researcher, although some areas are covered in more detail than others.

The second section details the evolution of the monastaries and monks into a fighting force and the eventual downfall of the temples.
This is both interesting and informative with the influence of each religion separated into chapters.

The third section details the supposed abilities of the monks themselves and the tecniques they used to develop them. The easiest of these apparently took 20 years for a student to master, and i would not recomend any martial artist to attempt any of the feats shown. However it does act as a measure of how dedicated these monks were at the height of the temples influence.

Overall this book is a god historical and philosophical referance work and anyone interested in learning the history of this amazing order would be well recomended to read it.

Chow and Spangler actually did a good job here. They gave detailed history of various arts, depicting the distinguishing characteristics without trying to claim they could teach the arts themselves. In fact, the only mistake they made was in the crude techniques they presented at the rear of the book, outlining some of the basic techniques of Chin Na. Aside from that, however, this book was a good read, especially for beginning students trying to gather more detail in their perspectives.

A well researched book that deserves more than 2 thumbs up! It seek to deepen our understanding and appreciation for eastern martial arts.

An eye opener to definitions, origins, histories and techniques! Those who think that martial arts are more than just kicking and punching will get a real kick out of this book!

A general introduction to Chinese martial arts. David Chow, the first technical advisor of the "old" 1970s "Kung Fu" TV series, and his attempt to answer all the mail he received as it became the number one TV show in the US.