The Secrets of Eagle Claw Kung-fu: Ying Jow Pai [Paperback]

Leung Shum (Author), Jeanne Chin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 10, 2001 | Series: Secrets Of...

One of the few modern Chinese martial arts derived from actual military combat experience, Eagle Claw kung fu is a powerful system featuring advanced locking-hand moves perfected over centuries of civil conflict in China. Kung fu and tai chi master Leung Shum brings this timeless art to today's practitioners, going beneath the veneer of gymnastic athleticism for which the style is known, and revealing many of its essential secrets and insider tips. Shum explains the fundamentals of Eagle Claw kung fu, including the crucial first thirty locking-hand techniques, the punches, kicks, and the all-important signature claws of Ying Jow Pai. Hundreds of striking photographs augment Shum's masterful text, creating the ultimate guide to Eagle Claw kung fu.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing; 1 edition (November 10, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804832153
• ISBN-13: 978-0804832151
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #974,396 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Superb Traditional Chinese Martial Arts, February 8, 2002

By A Customer

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This review is from: The Secrets of Eagle Claw Kung-fu: Ying Jow Pai (Paperback)

Previous reviewers who criticize this work based on their perception of impracticality have essentially missed the author's point. Martial arts literature does not have to present itself as a 'cookbook' in order to be useful.

Anyone who has had more than a casual introduction to martial arts understands that Leung Shum is one of the most knowledgeable masters of traditional Chinese kungfu in North America. The system he has studied for most of his life--Northern Eagle Claw (Faan Tzi Ying Jow Pai) kungfu--is legendary for it's devastating effectiveness, and is respected as one of the most comprehensive fighting systems ever devised. Anyone claiming this system as ineffectual has simply misunderstood the methods and aims of traditional training.

As pointed out by other reviewers, this work is not intended to serve as a technique-by-technique how-to, or as a catalog of "quick n' easy" self defense scenarios. Instead, it provides a solid, encyclopedic reference to some of the core principles ("secrets" if you like) of the Eagle Claw system. Also, the book does not serve well as an entry-level text. The reader should have at least some background in, or strong desire to understand traditional Chinese martial arts.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reference vs Learning, January 24, 2002

By 

David Wilson "wujiart" (Albuquerque, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secrets of Eagle Claw Kung-fu: Ying Jow Pai (Paperback)

As a student of Sifu Shum for 10 years, I can verify that the contents of this book are verbatim for the lessons learned studying at Ying Jow Pai in New York City. Having said that, it should be obvious to any serious student that you will not learn a martial art by reading a book. You need to have a good teacher, and you need to practice constantly and diligently. Books such as these are for reference, to make clear and correct what you would learn from a legitimate teacher. The opponents' distance is for clarity of technique, not to demonstrate an actual attack. Comments from some other reviewers indicate they don't know the difference between learning a technique and actually using one. Eagle Claw locks are devastatingly effective, but are also difficult to learn to use effectively. In my years of training in NY, I have both used and seen used the techniques described in this book, and they certainly work. Sifu Shum is very careful about what he releases with the Ying Jow Pai name attached to it, and this book is a perfect example of the quality he demands from his students and the care he takes in disseminating the system.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book by an excellent teacher, January 23, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Secrets of Eagle Claw Kung-fu: Ying Jow Pai (Paperback)

The author of this book, Leung Shum, is a true master of Eagle Claw kung fu. He is the inheritor of the style, so the aunthenticity and quality of this book is of the highest standard.
The reviewer who keeps writing the same bad review over and over again obviously knows absolutely nothing about kung fu. He doesn't realize that the techniques in this book are the beginners training techniques of a complex kung fu system, not simple self-defense moves. This reviewer says "the locks are too complicated to use in a real fight". Some of the techniques are complicated, and they require lots of practice. But after they are mastered they can be executed in a split second by a skilled martial artist. This what separates martial arts from self defense; self defense is simple and easy to use, while martial arts are very complex and take many years to master. Marial arts can only be learnt directly from a master, people who think they can read a book and suddenly be able to use the techniques in fighting do not understand martial arts.
The reviewer also says that kung fu is only for looks. It is understandable that someone would say this because the movements in kung fu are often very unsusual, and look as though they have no value as a fighting technique. This is part of the mystery of kung fu, in reality every movement is a powerful fighting technique.

The book is well made and the pictures are of high quality. A person cannot learn kung fu from books, but this book is very good for getting familiar with authentic Eagle Claw, studying the comlicated techniques of this style, and learning the basic priciples of this style. The book also includes the 108 locking techniques of Eagle Claw, which have previously been kept secret for many years. I would recommend this book highly to anyone interested in learning about this style. It is rare that such a distinguished master such as Leung Shum writes a book, most books written on the subject of kung fu are written by unqualified masters.