Taijiquan: Chen Taiji 38 Form and Applications (Tuttle Martial Arts) [Paperback]

Ren Guang Yi (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing; 1 edition (October 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804835268
• ISBN-13: 978-0804835268
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #681,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful Book Answers All of Your Questions about Taiji, April 15, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Taijiquan: Chen Taiji 38 Form and Applications (Tuttle Martial Arts) (Paperback)

It's rare that a martial arts book invites such different reactions: You either love or hate this book. Yes, you can get through this rather short book quickly. Short though the book might be, it is an informative ride. Unlike many Taiji books out there, this book offers a clear depiction of the form, with clever and practical applications, performed in regular (street) clothes . . . Cool! This alone not only makes the book stand-out from the other Taiji books available but makes the book a very practical learning tool. Cool clothing aside, the content (more so than the technique presentation) was really important to me. The sections on history, training, theory--albeit brief--really shed light on many issues that (Chen) Taiji practitioners expend way too much energy trying to figure out.

Read this book if you want simple, powerful answers to your questions about Chen Taiji.

I was recently in Chen village and saw that Chen Xiaowang's curriculum--which includes the 38 Form--is taught as the standard curriculum. Certainly this is not the case all over China, but the fact that the 38 Form is now standardized at Chenjiagou--the birthplace of Taiji--meant alot to me.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book on the short form, October 9, 2004

By 

magellan (Santa Clara, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Taijiquan: Chen Taiji 38 Form and Applications (Tuttle Martial Arts) (Paperback)

Charles Tuttle has a long tradition of publishing quality martial arts books, and Nishiyama and Brown's Karate, The Open Hand and Foot Fighting, published in 1960, if I remember right, was the first large hardback book I had ever seen on the subject. This book is no different and continues the Tuttle tradition of publishing quality books in the martial arts.

I've studied both Wu and Yang style Tai Chi, but have never had a chance to study the Chen style. There has been increasing interest in the Chen style in recent years, and I wanted to at least learn a little more about it and how it compares with them. While you can't really learn Tai Chi from a book, this book was fine for helping to learn more about the style and how it differs from the two other styles that I know. And if you already know the form, a book like this is useful for reminding you about the details of the postures, or the correct sequence of moves.

Considering it's just under 100 pages, this is a surprisingly solid little book on the Chen style short form. At 38 moves, it includes key postures unique to the Chen style and eliminates the repetitions in the longer form. The author gives a brief history of the origins and history of the Chen family style, attributed to Chen Wang Ting, who reinterpreted general Qi Ji Guang's northern boxing techniques as described in his Canons of Boxing in a more Taoist way. There is also a brief account of the evolution of the Chen style from the Lao Jia or original long form to the Xin Jia or New Frame version of both Xi Lu and Er Lu, emphasizing the development of the unique twining movements characteristic of the style, and pointing out that the modern tendency to exaggerate these twining movements and make them bigger is incorrect.

In addition to the above, there is also a brief explanation of the short form, a list of individual movements broken down into four sections, and a chapter showing nine martial aplications. Finally, there is a description of yin and yang concepts and a short biography of the author (the current grandmaster), a short glossary, and bibliography with a few suggestions for further reading. Overall, another excellent book from Charles Tuttle on one aspect of the Chen style.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great resource for Chen students, September 22, 2004

By 

Robi Sen "robi" (falls church, va, usa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Taijiquan: Chen Taiji 38 Form and Applications (Tuttle Martial Arts) (Paperback)

I think that a lot of people who purchase martial arts books are hoping to find some special or secret information that will provide them with insight into what is missing from their training. The secret though to Chen Style, like almost anything else, in my opinion is continuous correct application of tai chi principles and the maintaining of correct structure. Without maintaining the principles of tai chi and your structure, no matter the number of books, or the hours of practice, you are not going to get very far. I think this is where this books stands out. This is a workbook for the serious practitioner who is like most people can not train in Chen village or with a proficient master everyday of the week. This book provides people with accurate and detailed images and descriptions of movements by one of Chen Styles premier practitioners providing an excellent reference point and guide.
While I have been very fortunate to have received instruction from Stephen Berwick (a student of Ren Guang Yi and excellent instructor in his own right) I still find that I occasionally get confused about movements/posture and I look to this book. I also use this book to refine or improve my postures that I already know.
While nothing can beat hands on corrections and teaching from a competent instructor few people have the time to train with their instructor for more than a few hours a week. This book helps fill that gap. As a reference and work book it is invaluable to the casual and serious Chen Style practitioner.