Customer Reviews

Tai Chi: The Supreme Ultimate

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

 

 

For many years now I have run across second hand copies of this book and never really thought much of the content until recently. On closer inspection I found that Mr Galante has attempted (quite successfully) to cover a great deal of important elements in a comparative study, which covers Philosophy, Mysticism, Science, Spirituality, Occult including a comparative look at Zen and Yoga in relation to Taijiquan.

Mr Galante to my delight even bothers to draw the readers attention to the subject of Ceremonial Magick! for which I must wholeheartedly congratulate him as this is very much an angle at which I myself approach Taijiquan, both in the Martial sense and health and healing. There are virtually no works on Taijiquan which contain such a pleasing Renaissance approach to the subject. We look at various studies on Qi and healing within this work and are briefly introduced to its research and implications regarding health.

As if this were not enough we then get into the form itself which for my money (and this is the reason I bought this book) contains the clearest pictorial guidelines for learning the Martial applications of any Taijiquan book I have ever seen. I own other books which have pictorials showing Martial Apps of TJQ but none have been so easy on the eye as those within this book. He has done a brilliant job with this work and he leaves a weighty bibliography for those wishing to read more about this great art. Well worth the money and a solid companion to other works in my M.A library, this book see's allot of referencing from me and I recommend it to all.

This is the only book I have ever seen that teaches the whole form, all the applications, all the proper breathing in one form Section with hundreds of photos. In other sections it's the only book that explains the spiritual aspects of this wonderful art. Galante is truely a master who really understands how to bridge the Western mind with the Eastern mentality. This book is a must for any library on Tai Chi Chuan.

This is book is by far the best Tai Chi reference I have ever read. The easy to follow pictures, applications, and detailed background of Tai Chi and its history make this book a must for any Tai Chi player as a commonly used reference! DLK

This is a truly comprehensive treatment of the subject. A very useful introduction covers the history and philosophy of Tai Chi. Accompanying the many large photos are the names of each move, clear descriptions, diagrams of foot positions, breathing instructions and photos of the practical martial applications of each move.

Galante's book is one of those early taijiquan books that also happens to be great! It has foot distribution diagrams, arrows of motion, numerous martial applications, etc.

While I did enjoy Mr. Gallante's book, I must say that some of the martial applications he demonstrates are a bit far-fetched and unrealistic. However, being one of the first few American authors to attempt to explain martial applications of Taijiquan in a book, he gets major points. That aside, he does present the form quite clearly, with text explanation to accompany the photographs.

It should also be noted that Mr. Gallante follows Cheng M'an Ching's form rather than traditional family Yang style. Any student of Cheng M'an Ching will find this text very useful as a source of reference, despite the fact that the author slightly modifies the form to make it more martial (the modifications being very minimal, pertaining only to a few motions.)

The foot placement and weight distribution diagrams are a big plus, and the reverse breathing directions are a welcome addition. I found the section on Zen and occult systems to be out of place. Thankfully, they did not last beyound 3-4 pages per section.

Overall, a nice addition to anyone interested in exploring the martial side of Taiji Quan, or someone interested in learning the Cheng M'an Ching form.

For anyone interested in furthering their knowlege of the CMC form, or something written by yet another student of Professor Cheng, William C. Chen's "Body Mechanics of Tai Chi Chuan" is a must read.

My Tai Chi college teacher assigned this book to us, and I just love it, top to bottom, it's great. I especially love the text, and Martial art applications of each move.

THE BEST BOOK AVAILABLE ON TAI CHI FORM I HAVE EVER FOUND

Even though hes not so great at tai chi his book is important for historical reasons as one of the early western tai chi books, influenced by Cheng Man-ching. Serious artists will need it, but non-fanatics can just as well pass it up...