Customer Reviews

T'ai Chi: The "Supreme Ultimate" Exercise for Health, Sport, and Self-Defense

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This might have been the first work in English on tai chi, and Smith was Cheng Man Ching's first western or American student. It's still one of the best introductory tai chi books out there. The photos of Cheng's form are worth the price of the book by themselves, his form being impeccable as usual and a high benchmark we should all strive to attain.

One caution, which is that the photos of Cheng are from two other previous books and some are reversed from what they are in the actual form; for example, single whip is shown on the left side when it is actually done on the right side. You can tell they're from different books since some photos show Cheng in a white jacket, and others show him in a dark jacket.

Smith includes the best brief, several-page summary of tai chi history and its origins I've seen, giving you essential details and facts without getting into an overly meticulous recounting of its origins, the lineage, and other controversial issues, which are still unresolved, anyway. But if you become more of an advanced student you'll want to learn all about that later. For an introductory text this is enough information for now.

A nice chapter on the martial arts applications is also included, something neglected too often in present day tai chi texts. Also, some good information and instruction on pushing hands techniques. By the way, pushing hands was a skill added to tai chi much later, it being originally a dim mak or point striking art, which most practitioners aren't aware of.

One minor quip. The pictures for the photo sequences of Cheng's form are a little small and sometimes a bit dark by present reproduction standards, but one has to remember these plates are now almost 40 years old. However, they're still good enough so you can see the postures and techniques okay. Overall still a fine book and at this point a true classic and landmark in the history of martial arts books about the more obscure Chinese arts. Smith's books on hsing i and ba gua were also important early efforts and excellent books also, and if you are interested in further information on the two other Wu Dang internal arts those are working getting too.

As a student at Cheng-Man-ch'ing's school, starting the year before his death, I've never found this book particularly representative of Professor Cheng, though many people are fond of it. There are several other books that are much more helpful, including Professor's own "Master Cheng's New Method of Taichi Ch'uan Self-Cultivation" and "Cheng Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan." In response to one other comment, I was never under the impression that he held anything back. Like any other good teacher, he was aware of what his students were prepared to absorb, and imparted information accordingly. Remember that he departed this world in 1975, a time when T'ai Chi was still relatively unknown in the West, and much of what he said and wrote went right over the heads of most of his students at that time. The thing that most of us tried to do was emulate his example of what could be attained through dedication, perseverance, and a joyful attitude.

This book, like Zheng's 37 posture form itself, is accurate, concise, and filled with qi (ch'i).

It was one of the first good English language books on taijiquan (t'ai chi ch'uan) and contains history, philosophy, the form, and sensing hands applications. It also has an interesting 'mirror image' format to the pictures, and a diagram of the locations of each posture in the form.

It is well known that anything Robert W. Smith writes on martial arts is gold. When combined with Zheng's taijiquan, that gold turns to diamond!

My instructor recommended this, and other resource material, for our beginning T'ai Chi Chuan course.
This book, and Master Chen Man-ch'ing images on U-tube, helped me visualize movement and style
during our learning exercises. This lesson book is very well formatted for a beginner's use.

I have more then 20 Tai Chi books and I think this is one of the best I have.

Old book, but still one of the best references on Cheng's short form variation of Yang style.

If you're studying Yang style T'ai Chi with an instructor in the Cheng Man-Ch'ing tradition, this is the first book to get. Everything is well illustrated and clearly laid out. The text is good but not great, and T'ai Chi is a discipline that pretty much requires a competent instructor in order to avoid bad habits in the early stages, and the instructor should be able to fill in the conceptual gaps in the text.

T'ai Chi is an outstanding physical discipline and combative art, suitable for anyone who is capable of walking without assistance, and with some modification, for almost anyone with any degree of mobility. No impact, concerned with range of motion and control rather than speed, it can be practiced for a wide range of benefits at any time of life.

It is, however, a combative art, and anyone who tries to learn it or teach it without addressing this side of T'ai Chi will never understand the dynamics of the movements. Some of the movements have multiple combative applications, and some are not obvious. The most extreme example is a technique for breaking a neck concealled within the "ward-off" movements. Punches should be aimed at an imaginary opponent, not flapped through the air, etc in order to gain full benefit of the discipline.

This is a great book for someone starting in a great art!

E.M. Van Court

The advanced T'ai Chi will be able to perfect their forms with this guide. The pictures display perfect models of the forms for students to strive toward.

If you really want to learn Tai Chi, don't have a instructor and can learn on your own this is the book.

This book has always been a classic favorite of mine. It was in hard cover for many years and now having it in soft cover makes it more affordable for my tai chi students at Peaceful Dragon School in Ann Arbor. The Professor's explanations add great intellectual insight and the step-by-step photos help students to learn more about the transition movements. Wasentha Young