Customer Reviews

The Xingyi Boxing Manual: Hebei Style's Five Principles and Seven Words

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

 

 

John Groschwitz has done a great service to the Xing Yi community with his translation of Jin Yun Ting's work. Presented here are the classics of Hebei Xing Yi that define and characterize the style.

In the old days these poems would be memorized by each student and used as their guide for practice. Here in the west many Xing Yi systems were passed on to students who weren't fluent in Chinese, and were unable to recieve the oral tradition along with the physical. With this book we are able to start to fill in those gaps.

Students of Xing Yi will find a lot to ponder within this book. Although it is short, like Xing Yi itself, it is also sweet. Each poem will have information to mull over, test and practice. It's also good to be able to use the material in this book as a basis to talk to Chinese teachers and get a more detailed, personal explanation.

This diving board into the internal workings of Xing Yi Quan will help all Xing Yi players to dig deeper into their tradition and in their personal practice.

-Jess O'Brien

I know John's translation skills first hand. He has picked an excellent book to work on. He has done a great job once again. He shows the Chinese in each section. This is great if you want to check the translation or practice your Chinese.

Sincerely
Martin D. Werner Green Mantis Kung Fu

This thin book in itself contains enough information for more than a few years' worth of study. Even Xing Yi stylists practicing a non-Hebei branch can benefit from it. However, a beginner will be quite lost as to the meaning of some of the poems and words, so first hand explanation by a qualified teacher is needed.

A book that must be in every Xing Yi stylist's library.

An excellent and facinating document that gives us the chance to see Xing Yi in an authentic form.
The poems and writings are great and beautifully translated.
The drawings, although not photographic quality show clearly the correct stance positions.
We do not get the book in the UK, so I ordered it from the USA, and after showing it to my Xing Yi Sifu I now have to order another copy for myself!

Clear accurate translation and sharp illustrations make this a quality edition of a classic pre- WW II Hsing-I training manual. Very useful for beginners and an interesting & helpful reference for advanced students and instructors. I always enjoy seeing these old classics brought out in English translations!

This type of book is perfect for someone really studying the art of Xing Yi Quan. If you know the base material well, you probably also know some version of the key concepts covered here. There are not enough works like this in English. This book, which is not intended as an introduction to the art in the instructional sense fulfills the needs of practitioners who need to commit to memory the art's key principles. Mr. Groschwitz included the Chinese text as well, which is a big plus for those who can read Chinese a bit. Though I don't always agree with his translation exactly, I still think this book should be on Xing Yi practitioner's bookshelves without exception.

The Xingyi Boxing Manual: Hebei Style's Five Principles and Seven Words

As someone interested in learning xingyiquan - this is a great book for info on the five elements fists/forms. The classics in the book give helpful info on body alignment, posture, breathing and movement. Nothing can replace the guidance of a good teacher, but this book contains the best on the basics of the five elements of xingyiquan that I have read yet. The book contains no info on training for combat using xingyiquan, or the like. It very briefly mentions possible healing and/or health benefits of practicing xingyiquan. Xingyiquan is a combat art. I withheld a rating star for the book's lack of coverage on the martial part of this martial art. However, this book is an easy read an may be useful for those currently training or just interested in info on xingyiquan. This is excellent find for my Chinese Internal Martial Arts library.

China doesn't have these type of manuals anymore.
Taiwan might have a few.
The translator and publisher
did an important contribution to Chinese martial arts
manual preservation.

Difficult Chinese writing, these are truly the old old school writings.
You need a college level course in Hong Kong to understand this.
Or hopefully the yahoo hk dictionary would be enough.

So, be glad the translation is here.

At first glance this poetry is straightforward and even boring -- but the details so methodically spelled out here are often those nuances most often forgotten during the early stages of hsing i practice -- this book will bring you back to the basics and move you forward.