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47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great reference for those unable to read Chinese, December 7, 1998
By A Customer
As usual, when writing on styles which he doesn't have extensive training in, Dr. Yang has provided the reader with an ample amount of translated documents. Included in this book are sections of Sun Lu Tang's *The Study of Baguazhang* and *The Real Meaning of Boxing,* neither of which have been released for general publication in English yet. The basic 8 palms Master Liang presents comprises the basic Baguazhang set that seems to have been taught at the Central Kuoshu Institute at Nanking. The lineage is Fu Chen-Sung's, and the form is also known by the name of "Old Eight Palms." A good standard form with a decent presentation. As usual, Master Liang concentrates heavily on the Shuaijiao elements of the form (as he did in his book on simplified Taijiquan). The "Swimming Dragon" form presented seems to have come from Sun Lu Tang's lineage. I have no clue as to where the Deer Horn Swords form comes from. While Dr. Yang and Master Liang do a pretty decent job of delineating general Baguazhang principles, as usual, when presenting form and application, the level isn't as high as most would like. The form, while more than compentantly demonstrated, doesn't give a good presentation of the precision footwork that is one of the trademarks of Baguazhang. The applications shown within are done at the lowest level; it would have been nice to see greater variations on technique based on simple things, such has a different positioning of the forward palm or smaller stepping, although I realize that due to the sophistication of the art and philosophy behind it, doing so would have been difficult. All in all, it's a good book to have if one is interested in pursuing Baguazhang. As a reference book, it's great. However, if one wishes to get a more in-depth look to the art via training methods, I would recommend Sifu Park Bok Nam and Dan Miller's *Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang.*
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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful, poetic, and historically complete introduction., November 26, 1998
By A Customer
This book provides the most complete history of Baguazhang to be found in print in the English language. It also uniquely contains the poetry of Bagua, which holds its fighting principles. This book, like pretty much everything from Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming, provides almost more high-quality theoretical detail than we as readers ought to be able to expect. As usual, Dr. Yang and Master Liang take great care in illustrating the artistic aspects of the art through copious photographs. Another Yang trademark contained herein is the complete mismatch of photographs with textual explanation. Almost invariably, one can expect to find the text corresponding to a given photo on a completely different page than the photo itself. He constantly uses the "see Figure 18-3" approach to technique illustration. This makes Yang's books very inconvenient to use for reference, and this one is certainly no exception. Disappointingly, and also as per usual, very little technical focus is given to the actual combat application of the techniques contained in the art. What little is provided, is mixed in rather haphazardly with the solo practice form photos, rendering it out-of-context at best. There is no systematized categorical structure to the organization of the combat techniques, which might allow a student to evaluate how Baguazhang would respond to standard forms of attack. Were this provided, it might also allow the reader to make easier contrasts and comparisons of Baguazhang to other styles with which they might be more familiar. Overall, one can come away from this book knowing much about the theoretical, philosophical, aesthetic, and historical nuances of Baguazhang, but still not have learned a darn thing about how to actually fight. And where the rubber hits the road, that's still eventually what it's all about. And it's especially unfortunate given Baguazhang's extremely effective fighting methods; it's often referred to as a style designed to defeat martial artists. Bottom Line: a must have book for martial arts historians. In that respect, it establishes a new and higher standard. For those looking for real self-defense skills, a nearly complete waste of time and a disappointing let-down, considering Master Liang's skill at Bagua.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Comprehensive Overview, July 2, 2003
I have this book. I also own two of the tapes that go along with it. I'd agree with other reviews-- as comprehensive a history and lineage tree as you're likely to find (still incomplete, however, and some errors in lineage, too, but it's an impossible task). The forms as demonstrated in the video have a WuShu flavor to them, and the Eight Palms depicted seems to bear considerable resemblance to WuDang Ba Gua technique-wise and energy-wise, although the sequence appears out of order. Sequence and technique-wise, they strongly resemble Original Palms from Fu Family, but the energy of them in the video is WuShu.I'd also agree with the opinons about applications-- too simple, pictures scattered about. Nice fundamental descriptions of movements in the form, but not a lot about internal work or energy mechanics-- the more advanced concepts inherent in the forms. The translations of classic Chinese texts are invaluable-- but I'd like to point out to San Angelo, TX that a translation of "Sun Lu Tang's Study of Bu Gua Zhang" is available from Joseph Crandell's Smiling Tiger Publications, sold online at many internal martial arts websites. Nice overview of Ba Gua, with a beginning, intermediate, and weapons form to demonstrate flavor. Short on applications
or advanced body structure/energy work.
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