The Power of Internal Martial Arts and Chi: Combat and Energy Secrets of Ba Gua, Tai Chi and Hsing-I [Paperback]

Bruce Frantzis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 7, 2007

Originally published in 1998, this book has become a martial arts classic. It provides detailed descriptions of the three main internal martial arts—tai chi (taiji), hsing-i (xingyi) and ba gua (pakua)—and their sub-styles, as well as how they differ from each other and from such external arts as karate, tae kwon do and judo. Each internal martial art is analyzed in terms of its fighting strategies and applications. This revised edition includes 50 pages of additional material including a new chapter on martial arts and spirituality.This was the first book to provide in-depth information to Westerners about nei gung (neijiaquan), the sophisticated Taoist system developed in ancient China for working with chi in the body, mind and spirit. Chi helps build relaxed speed and power without the use of muscular tension or adrenaline surges. This gives many internal martial artists a powerful edge over counterparts trained in external martial arts.

The book provides vivid details about Frantzis’ personal training odyssey in the martial arts, including fascinating profiles of such renowned martial artists as Morehei Ueshiba, founder of Aikido; ba gua master Wang Shu Jin, who emanated chi so powerfully that on cold days his students could warm their hands by standing near him; and Liu Hung Chieh, the legendary master of the internal martial arts and Taoist meditation who also had a complete knowledge of traditional Chinese medical theory.

The new edition demystifies the technique known as fa jin, the storage and sudden discharge of energy without the use of muscular force, one aspect of which is demonstrated on the front cover. The new edition also adds a lengthy chapter on the spiritual development of a martial artist, and describes how the internal martial arts are linked to Taoist meditation.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Bruce Frantzis has a depth and breadth of knowledge of the nei jia (internal arts) that few Westerners possess."
—Don Ethan Miller, Four-time national USA tai chi Push Hands champion

"This work by Bruce Frantzis on the practical structures and essence of the internal systems is definitive. It will become a classic, and will serve as a catalyst for kindred spirits. A must for all serious students of the martial arts."
—Stan Israel, senior student of renowned tai chi master, Chen Man-ching.

"Bruce Frantzis is one of the few Westerners to comprehend the Taoist internal martial art system. For those seeking to understand energy principles in their own art, Frantzis has now opened The Way."
—Robert Nadeau, Aikido Sixth-Degree Black Belt, Director of City Aikido, San Francisco, CA

About the Author

Chi master Bruce Frantzis is reputed to be the first Westerner to hold authentic lineages in tai chi, hsing-i and ba gua. He began his martial arts training in 1961 and studied healing, martial arts and meditation with renowned teachers in the United States and Asia—including training for three years in Japan and more than a decade in China.

Since 1987, Frantzis has taught tai chi, chi gung, hsing-i, ba gua, TAO yoga, TAO meditation, and energetic-healing therapies to over 15,000 students in the United States and Europe. His teaching methods are spread by a growing number of certified instructors that he has trained.

Frantzis is the author of several widely praised books about the power of chi including: Tai Chi: Health for Life; the chi gung books, Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body and the Dragon and Tiger Medical Chi Gung Instruction Manual; and two volumes on the water method of TAO meditation, Relaxing Into Your Being and The Great Stillness. Two CDs, The Tao of Letting Go and Ancient Songs of the Tao, shed valuable insights into the power of TAO Meditation in helping people let go of their deepest emotional blockages and move closer to becoming truly alive, balanced and joyful.

“Bruce Frantzis is a true Taoist Master.” —Michael E. Gerber, author of The E-Myth Revisited

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Blue Snake Books; Revised edition (August 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583941908
• ISBN-13: 978-1583941904
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 1 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #316,928 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Full of interesting background and anecdotes, November 26, 2007

By 

Korpo (Bayern) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Power of Internal Martial Arts and Chi: Combat and Energy Secrets of Ba Gua, Tai Chi and Hsing-I (Paperback)

I really liked reading "The Power of Internal Martial Arts". While I am surely no martial artist, I meditate and practise Qigong/Neigong according to what Bruce Frantzis teaches.

I found this book to be full of entertaining background about this exceptional teacher, about the people he encountered in China, Japan and Taiwan that taught him. About what really makes a master - be it in fighting, self control or Qi development. The accounts about the masters Bruce was able to observe or to learn from were fascinating. Also the descriptions about the different martial arts he learned, practised and whose practitioners he encountered.

Also interesting was material about his own learning, how he cultivated himself through standing and so on.

I found the accounts about Taiji as a fighting martial art interesting, even while practising Taiji only for relaxation purposes myself.

This book is both a good overview (not an instruction manual) of many martial arts out there, provides detail about the three major internal martial arts of China (Hsing-I Quan, Bagua Chang, Taiji Quan) and is also worth a read by anyone who has an interest in Bruce Frantzis from his other teachings.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Big Picture, November 27, 2007

By 

Paul D. Pallante - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Power of Internal Martial Arts and Chi: Combat and Energy Secrets of Ba Gua, Tai Chi and Hsing-I (Paperback)

This book was very inspirational when I first read it about 7 years ago. The added chapter and info in the new edition makes it just that much better. Frantzis has one of the deepest wells of knowledge of any practitioner I've ever come across. More importantly, he can communicate what he knows clearly. This book is not a how to manual, but is an eye opening big picture view of the internal martial arts, what they are capable of, and how they get there. Perhaps most importantly, the sections on animal, human, and spiritual martial arts give relevance beyond just physically crushing an opponent, and adds a since of WHY these arts can be such a powerful tool to the refinement of the entire individual.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an Amazing Book!!!, January 17, 2008

By 

Mr. Brian Neeson (Northern Ireland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Power of Internal Martial Arts and Chi: Combat and Energy Secrets of Ba Gua, Tai Chi and Hsing-I (Paperback)

This is an amazing book in my opinion and it goes into great detail about every aspect of the 3 main Internal Martial Arts of China.
Everyone with an interest in studying Tai Chi should read this book!
My review is based on an earlier version of the book which I purchased a few years ago.

I have been studying Yang Style Tai Chi for 6 years now in Northern Ireland and more recently, Wu Style Broadsword and I have found that good teachers are few and far between.
I have very been lucky to find 2 good teachers!

I have 5 of Bruce's books now, a video and some DVD's ~ I refer to them on a regular basis for tips, but mainly for inspiration, when the circumstances of life prevent me from practicing as regularly as I would like.
The book that this review is concerning is excellent in that respect ~ it demonstrates the immense possibilities of what one can achieve by training their own body and mind & this process ultimately gives one access to their spirit and to their higher spiritual qualities.

All of Bruce's work is so multi-faceted ~ you will get what you need depending on your level of experience and understanding ~ this is something that you feel after a lot of practice, rather than a mere intellectual understanding ~ next time you read, you will pick up something new and so on and so forth.

Just like regular practice of a form ~ if you are really focusing on what you are doing, you pick up on very subtle qualities each time you practice and that information can be used to improve your form & help you reach higher levels of perfection.

This book has developed in me, an interest in studying Ba Gua Chang, which I hope to get into in a few years time, after I perfect my current Tai Chi and Broadsword forms.

When I read Bruce's books, I feel myself "like a small baby" (in the words of the immortal T.T.Laing)
The amount of knowledge contained in this and his other books is phenomenal!!!

My advice? ... BUY IT ... it will become one of your best friends on your life-long journey of discovering your true potential.