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

Jess O'Brien (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 26, 2004

Using an interview format, this book brings out the many different facets of the Nei Jia Quan, the umbrella name for Tai Ji Quan (Tai Chi), Xing Yi Quan, and Ba Gua Zhang. Each teacher gives a sense of the history of their art, its philosophical and spiritual underpinnings, and their training philosophy, giving students strategies for incorporating a wide range of approaches into their own studies. Included is additional commentary on these traditions, along with biographies of each of the teachers. Nei Jia Quan also features interviews with Tim Cartmell, Gabriel Chin, Gail Derin-Kellog, Bruce Kumar Frantizis, Paul Gale, Fong Ha, William Lewis, Luo De Xiu, Allen Pittman, James Wing Woo, Tony Yang, Zhao DaYuan, and Albert Liu.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In Chinese martial arts it’s always said that heaven and the human being must become one, so that everything comes together."
- Luo De Xiu

 

“I've wanted to get my hands on this book for some time now, and I've dog-eared page after page with insights and instruction for future review. O'Brien visited scores of instructors and whittled his compilation down to 16 interviews that are solid gold for students of the Chinese Martial Arts.”
—Dojo Rat

About the Author

Jess O’Brien, the editor and compiler of this anthology, is an internal martial arts enthusiast based in Oakland, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: North Atlantic Books (October 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556435061
• ISBN-13: 978-1556435065
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #414,279 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the "heart and soul" of internal martial arts, November 11, 2004

By 

Brian L. Kennedy (San Chung, Taiwan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nei Jia Quan: Internal Martial Arts Teachers of Tai Ji Quan, Xing Yi Quan, and Ba Gua Zhang (Paperback)

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.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book marks the "Post Martial Arts" era! A MUST READ!, December 3, 2004

By 

enuffodis "enuffodis" (SF) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nei Jia Quan: Internal Martial Arts Teachers of Tai Ji Quan, Xing Yi Quan, and Ba Gua Zhang (Paperback)

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!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Martial Arts Reading, October 25, 2004

By 

Joseph Anthony Davis - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nei Jia Quan: Internal Martial Arts Teachers of Tai Ji Quan, Xing Yi Quan, and Ba Gua Zhang (Paperback)

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."