Customer Reviews

The Sword Polisher's Record: The Way of Kung-Fu (Tuttle Martial Arts)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An excellent collection of articles from start to finish.

After reading this book, I got a sinking feeling in my stomach that I might just be "playing around". I've been to different schools and practiced on my own, never thinking quite as deeply as I needed to about Kung Fu. Mind you, I thought pretty deeply about it, but after reading Polishing the Sword, I think maybe I need to spend MORE time training and less time "playing" Kung Fu.

His articles are dead-on, he politely skewers myths, delusions, phoney Kung Fu and detrimental Kung Fu practices. Not many books on Kung Fu take the time to analyze what the Kung Fu student must BECOME in order to achieve Kung Fu.

Not many books focus on finding the right school, choosing the right style and developing the proper attitude and respect for the art.

This should be required reading for any Kung Fu student. It teaches no forms, tells no fairy tales, it is for the modern, Western Kung Fu student to study and re-study in his/her quest for authentic Kung Fu.

Also, it approaches the MUCH needed subject of Martial Arts vs. Fighting Ability. That alone was worth the price of the book.

Are you Wu Shu or are you a Poseur?

Graydon Webster Northern Shaolin Student

Hsu's book dispells many myths, including the story of the Shaolin Temple being the ancient home of Chinese martial arts. He discusses many topics including teacher student relationships, the difference between "Northern" and "Southern" style kung fu, forms, two man fighting sets, and more. The great pity is that there are not more serious books of this caliber on Chinese (or other!) martial arts.

This is NOT a how-to book, there are no sequences of techniques or instructions on forms. It is however, an invaluable aid to those seeking helpful factual information on Chinese martial arts, written in a straightforward and non-self-promoting way. I have bought copies of this to send to friends who are studying kung-fu in remote areas, away from the constant supervision of a teacher. It serves as a good textbook for beginning and advanced alike, doing away with superstitious information and offering a well thought, gracious and full view of the depth of Chinese martial arts. I hope Adam Hsu offers his other Chinese-language books up for translation in the near future, he is truely someone worth listening to.

except for the lack of an index,I could find little to fault in this book. some may find Mr. Hsu's attitude toward martial art students and instructors a little negative at times,but he's been at it much longer than I have, and is prob. correct. This was the book that began my search for an internal style, that ultimately led to my current study of Chen tai-chi.

I understood when I bought the book that it was a compilation of Sifu Hsu's articles but I thought that the breadth of his articles would be more substantial. Like the other reviewer said, it stated a lot about what isn't Kung Fu, and not so much on what is. I wish he went deeper into principles instead of alluding to them. There were a few choice chapters, but it was funny that everything he refereced was to Chen Style Taiji/Tai Chi. I would have thought he'd reference some of his other styles he knew such as Mantis, Baji or even piqua. Some times he touched on Changquan or Long fist but that was it. I thought it would have been more beneficial if he referenced his other styles or just stuck to body mechanics.

GREAT overview of Kung Fu principles. The best MARTIAL ARTS books I've bought. You won't find new techniques or demonstrations of forms, but you will find overall principles used in Martial arts (e.g finding a good Kung Fu school, proper breathing, differences in traditional Wushu vs Contemporary Wushu, usage, training). And no I'm not affiliated with the publishing company or Sifu Hsu's school(Kenpo, Shotokan, Tae Kwon Do for 14years). Just my humble opinion of a overrall great read.

Master Adam Hsu has proven himself to be a master not only of the Chinese martial arts but of clearly projecting their essence through his writings. Sifu Hsu's unique prospective of these high-level arts is long over due. He seems to get right to the heart of the matter, to the very core /foundation of these high-level disciplines. But his prospective reflects his command of his subject. My meaning is " just because the art is complexed doesn't mean it has to be presented in a mystical fashion". If understanding is key to truth, education, and awareness, then sifu Hsu has made a contribution that we will only appreciate, fully in years to come.

I enjoyed reading this collection of short essays on various aspects of kung-fu teaching, practice and history. I think students of any level would also find it interesting and worthwhile. However, I often had the feeling that after all the pretty images presented, I was left empty. Usually the author spends the entire essay talking about what is NOT true and NOT real kung-fu, but then fails to even mention what IS true and real.

hsu laoshi's book the sword polisher's record give's the reader and excellant overview of tradition wu-shu,it dispell's many of the myths and fantasies that we in the west associate with wu-shu(i.e.northen-southern styles,and the shao-lin story).i would recommend that any serious student of wu-shu(or martial art's in general)read this text and re-evaluate what you've been taught to believe as truth.


yours in wu-shu omar king

If you love kung-fu and wish to learn what it is all about, this book is a must. It's not an instructional book, but rather a collection of essays on different aspects that range from training to principles, and a bit of kung-fu history. So it is "theory", but what you are going to learn concerning principles for proper kung-fu training, attitude, fighting, distinguishing between what kung-fu is actually is - and what is not - is damn important!

Let me clarify several things from this book.

A) The book is absolutely fantastic. Definitely in my top 5 favorite martial arts books (Along with Zen in the Martial arts, Meditations on Violence, & others).

Adam Hsu is a longtime practitioner of traditional martial arts, is skilled, and knows his stuff.

Now that that's clarified..

B) Adam Hsu is VERY Gung ho about what is "real" kung fu. He is most certainly a purist, and seems to be disgusted by all these other false forms of Kung fu. That's alright, but it seems to echo throughout the book very strongly.

This book NEEDS to be added to any martial artist's library, especially if you study kungfu.