Customer Reviews

The Tai Chi Handbook

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

When I first started learning Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan), this was one of the few books available. As such, it has some historical interest and some sentimental value for me.

However, as a Taijiquan teacher, I am strongly opposed to this book as a learning text. Quite simply, the body structure demonstrated in the postures in this book is potentially damaging to your body, especially your knees.

There are numerous examples, but an extreme example is the photo of Squatting Single Whip. Compare this photo to any photo of Cheng Man-ching, the author's teacher, available in numerous books performing the same movement. You will see that the author has misaligned his knee and collapsed his ankle, as well as arching his back, into an unnatural and potentially dangerous position.

If you are interested in the style of Taiji shown in this book, you are much better off with one of the books by this author's teacher, such as _Master Cheng's New Method of T'ai Chi Self-Cultivation_.

Ideal text for the beginner. Easy to read. Extensive pictoral presentations in the book with dialog instructions and again at the end of the text to demonstrate the flow of the exercise from beginning to end. Students can check their positions before a 90 degree move and then after the move. If you want to get a feel for Tai Chi, this is a good, quick starter book.

I teach the Yang style Tai chi and use this book as the foundation to my class. It is exactly the form we teach and people really like it to suppliment our form. I would highly recommend it. We have been using it for 5 years now.

I am a tai chi teacher for over 22 years and use Herman Kauz's book exclusively to supplement my teaching. It is extremely lucid and easy to follow (with pictures) to help a student along in their studies. It's best used as a step-by-step reference point. Anyone interested in studying the Cheng Man-Ching form will find this book extremely helpful.

This book is a great reference book, however, to really learn and do Tai Chi correctly, the only and best way is to get a qualified instructor to guide and teach you.

I have been teaching Tai Chi for many years and practice Yang, Wu, and Cheng styles intensely. However, I always start my students with this book and Master Kauz's form because it is a precise, small, tightly controlled form which gives the beginner a firm, stable stance while introducing the finer nuances of synchronizing the timing of hips, body, and hands and of using minimal tension.

I met Master Kauz about 15 years ago and I am fortunate to meet with him for about one week every spring. He is a gentle, creative and generous teacher. His mastery of push hands, in particular, far exceeds anything I have witnessed in over 35 years of martial arts training. He completely dominates his opponent without strength or tension. His movement is so small and exact and effective it must be experienced to be believed.

His whole approach to life is the embodiment of the Tai Chi principles that he discusses in this and his other books. For this reason alone I would recommend his books -- you know you are getting Tai Chi from a Master who not only knows his subject, but lives it every moment of every day.

This book is definetly a valuable tool. Take a look at what you're doing and if it looks anything like the stuff in this book you need to stop. Form like this has no structure and can damage joints. You may acually hurt yourself more than help. There is a correct way to do Tai Chi and this isn't it.

Traditional form. The figures in this text match my style of Tia Chi and are helpful for students to check stances and hand positions, before & after movements. If you want simple explanations but very little Chinese history or culture, this text will do very well.

This book is ideal for new students learning Yang Tai Family Chi. Each posture is clearly laid out and explained. Pictures have multiple angles to help show both hands and feet positions. It's no subsitute for a teacher, but a great reference tool for when you are practicing outside of the class. Highly recommended for form review, but not higher cultivation methods. Experienced Tai Chi people might want to pass on this book, but they were never the author's intended audience.

Those who are looking for moving meditation, and seek only to relax and quiet the mind for a few minutes a day may find this book just the ticket, as the form is extremely easy to master and requires nothing more than memorizing the choreography.

On the other hand, as a book on Tai Chi, this is a very disapointing book. Given the shallow, spiritless, postures displayed it's no wonder Kauz is not really sure if Tai Chi is a martial art or not in his introduction.

You need only look at the cover of this book and compare it to The Complete Book of Tai Chi Chuan by Wong Kiew Kit (good general overview and historical reference) to understand the vastly different levels of understanding. While the styles are different (Yang vs. Chen or Wu) Wong's model on the cover is alive, vibrant, filled with intention and awareness while on the cover of Kauz's book he demonstrates an empty, limp wristed (literally) shadow of a posture from an art form Kauz did not know at the publishing of this book.

Students of Tai Chi are better off with books from Wong Kiew Kit or Jwing-Ming Yang (most books are very subject specific) and others who are able to share the full scope of Tai Chi with their readers.