A Study of Taijiquan (Paperback)

~ Sun Lutang (Author), Tim Cartmell (Translator) "Wu Ji is the natural state occurring before one begins to practice martial arts..." (more)
Key Phrases: foot down toed, beng quan, distance between the two feet, Single Whip, Dan Tian, Cloud Hands (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

"Sun style" taijiquan is named after Sun Lutang, who pioneered the increasingly popular variant of the celebrated martial art. This extensively illustrated primer is the first English edition of Sun's classic 1919 book which explores both the theory and practice of the style, with emphasis on movements and postures. Tim Cartmell's translation provides both a standard by which practitioners can judge themselves and valuable information relevant to all versions of taijiquan.

About the Author

Tim Cartmell began his training with the Chinese styles, including ten years of study in Taiwan and Mainland China. Among his teachers were Sun Jian Yun and Sun Bao An, the daughter and grandson of Sun Lu Tang. Tim is the translator of Practical Chin Na, the author of Effortless Combat Throws and the co-author of Xing Yi Nei Gong: Xing Yi Health Maintenance and Internal Strength Development. Tim is an Asian Full-Contact tournament champion, and a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and submissions grappling champion. He currently runs the Shen Wu Academy of Martial Arts in Southern California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: North Atlantic Books (October 31, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556434626
• ISBN-13: 978-1556434624
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #384,542 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, March 16, 2004

By	eric burgess "Simon" (Mi) - See all my reviews

Tim Cartmell has done the American Taijiquan community a great service translating Sun Lutang's books into english. While the Sun style is one of the five orthodox styles of Taijiquan it isn't well known outside the Community but is gaining more acclaim due to the efforts of Dr. Paul Lam. The First 61 pages (not including the Introduction) gives the reader a breif biography of Grandmaster Sun illustrating and explaining some of his genius. Then page 62 to 193 gives a photo of a movement from the Sun empty-hand form followed by a short explanation paragraph. Finally page 197 to 220 gives a brief explanation of Push Hands. This book introduces the reader to the Sun style.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book , January 19, 2005

By	Krisno Pryosusilo (Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

From this English speakers perspective, Tim Cartmell's translation of a classic text by Sun Lutang is superb.
I began my Taiji training a year ago in the Yang style as it appears to be the most popular style available in Australia. However, I saw a video of competition Sun style taiji and was hooked.
This book has helped to feed my hunger for knowledge about the unique style developed by Sun Lutang.
Based upon this book (and Tim's input in Dan Millars translation of Sun Lutang's Xing Yi Quan book) I would not hesitate to recommend any book which has Tim as a participating author/translator.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Good Refresher, but poor how-to guide, January 30, 2009

By	Demitri Pevzner (depends on time of year) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While a very valuable historical record of Sun Lutang, the book in itself is not for someone trying to learn Sun Taijiquan, but rather for someone already familiar with the form, needing a refresher, or wishing to familiarize themselves with the concepts of the Sun style.

The first section contains a brief description of the art, and a detailed biography of Sun Lutang's life, from childhood to adulthood. In his introduction, Sun Lutang talks about the origin of Shaolin, the formation of Yijin Jing, and how it applies to both Xing-I, Bagua Zhang, and in turn his synthesis of Taiji Quan.

The beginning section discusses in detail the theories behind the style, the meaning and symbolism of Taiji Quan, and the various attributes and the state of Wuji before beginning the form. He briefly mentions the importance of cultivating Qi, but does not go into detail. The Thirteen Postures and their symbolism are mentioned in passing, but the author assumes the reader is already familiar with the material, and no specific detail is given.

Each movement (or rather pose,) is divided into a one page chapter. Each movement description consists of a one page (sometimes grainy) black and white photograph, with a brief description at the side or bottom. There are no movement/directional arrows, which I normally find helpful (then again, that's just me.) At some points, the description simply reads "repeat movement 3" etc. In general, the movement directions can be a lot clearer.

The book fails to mention the thirteen postures, application to any of the movements, or discuss the Taiji Classics.

Definitely worth reading if you are curious about Sun Lutang and his contributions to Taijiquan, or need to brush up what you picked up in class. If you are looking for a how-to book, you might have better luck elsewhere.