Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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!

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."

Mr. Jess O'Brien has done the internal martial arts community a wonderful favor by putting together this book. Detailed interviews with 12 diverse internal martial arts masters provide unique insights into qi, training (including a few pearls), technique, understanding/perspective, and various "secrets".

Most entertaining to me was the diversity of perspective that these 12 masters brought to the table. It's like interviewing different witnesses of the same crime-- they all see things a little differently, and express it thusly. Being able to glimpse so many different viewpoints in the span of 300-ish easy-to-read pages is a luxury that few until now could ever have experienced.

What was the most satisfying to me was that the majority of masters were able to express themselves clearly, using modern terminology and clear language. Vague references from medieval China were limited to only a few interviews-- and interestingly, some of the most clear masters were from the most traditional, Chinese cultural upbringing, whereas the master that seemed most immersed in tradition-laden terminology was a Caucasian female of Western upbringing, trained by an instructor that was himself of similar upbringing!

I very much enjoyed this book, felt "better" about my own developing personal philosophy and understanding of internal martial arts, and gained several training "pearls" from reading this book.

Obviously, this is not a techniques book. It really isn't a true understanding book. It's like getting into the minds of a dozen masters and rummaging about a bit. A fairly quick read, despite the length. And worth every penny.

My only real criticism, which might not be something that can be overcome, is the predominance of younger, Western-derived instructors interviewed. It would be fascinating, if possible (acknowledging barriers of culture, politics, language, etc.) to find a dozen elder, traditionally-trained masters, and see what could be had from them.

Read this book!

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!

Here are contemporary teachers talking clearly about things that are often shrouded in needless mystery and myth. Yet the truly mystical aspects of these arts becomes even more convincing when discussed concretely, and the practical aspects are clarified. Though not intended as a training manual, the book offers a great deal of profound and useful guidance and inspiration. If you're a devotee of any of these arts or qi gong, the book is really fun and helpful. I read it in two days and look forward to rereading it. It's definitely worthwhile. I hope for a second volume with other teachers.

I just received this book and have really found it interesting. I really like that it features so many different folks. Some of them are famous some not but they all have something to offer and their differences help make the book accessible to more people.

It isn't how to, but most how to martial arts books are useful only as an occasional reference piece. This books is more vital because it's more fun to read and because the various opinions presented challenged me to rethink what I've been taught or what I'd been thinking.

Additionally the book is pretty entertaining which sadly cannot be said of all Martial Arts books.

In summation it's much more T'ai Chi magazine than Inside Kung-Fu and that's a really, really good thing.

A great book. All accounts by the various martial artists are honest and interesting. Some opinions conflict, yet others seem to be universal. I think this book lends a fresh and honest look at the state of the internal martial arts by clearing up common misconceptions that run rampant through the nei jia, yet at the same time it reaffirms the practitioner's belief in the great potential that can be manifested through sincere practice.

Enter the real world of martial arts. Along with those dealing with the subjects of nutrition and physical fitness the vast majority of books/material associated/relating to martial arts are absolutely deplorable as respects content and value. This work is the rare exception.Some of the characters studied include participants who may not be practitioners of the ultimate caliber but the overall picture this book paints of the whole subculture is about as close to the truth as you are ever going to get.

This is a really fascinating read which presents the views of various contemporary practitioners and teachers of the Chinese neijia (internal schools). Each chapter provides valuable insight into the true nature of these unique arts and gives you plenty of food for thought.
If you practice an internal form of Chinese martial arts, you need this book-