http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6KYGn8VnLI
Wow! I’m all giggly inside. 
This is Peter Ralston, the creator of Cheng Hsin. So let’s just throw this out there: his books changed the way I thought about martial arts and most everything. I will review all of his books later.
Finally, some clips of him have made it to youtube. It’s good to see him trying to appeal to a wider audience. What he says in this clip hardly even begins to describe Cheng Hsin. It’s an eclectic blend of taiji, aikido, baguazhang, and zen (ala EST). He certainly seems to be “on” in this clip, doesn’t he? Some real intensity in his eyes there.
13 responses so far ↓
1 Dojo Rat // Sep 8, 2007 at 12:11 am
Hey, thanks for the tip. I’m suprised I have never heard of Ralston. I checked out his website, and the reviews on Amazon were very good. I ordered two of his books, I’ve been looking for some new “concept” material lately.
D.R.
2 chessman71 // Sep 8, 2007 at 12:46 am
Haha. You’ll get it with Ralston, and in spades.
But seriously, I think he’s one of the few Westerners that can discuss real IMA in Western concepts, although it is very deep philosophically. Let me know what you think.
3 Tim // Sep 8, 2007 at 7:16 am
I really dislike EST and it’s offshoot, Landmark Education. Talk about an abusive, moneymaking scam. I also think it suffers from the problems you have when you un-tether Zen from an 8 fold path.
I lived in the Berkeley/Oakland area for almost 6 years and I saw more than enough of this kind of thing.
Ralston does have some skills though.
4 wujimon // Sep 9, 2007 at 12:56 am
I’m currently reading his zen body being book and do find it very interesting. Don’t have much to say right now as I’m still early in the book and trying to digest the material.
It was good to see a video of him. He does have this charisma about him
5 Jose de Freitas // Sep 11, 2007 at 4:41 am
He has a pretty amazing book, his first I think, where he shows the results of his mix of Taji Push hands, aikido, rou shou and Bagua training and what not. It’s pretty good. Jerry Alan Johnson and Joe Crandall (two well known Bagua players in the US) started out as students of his.
But when I came across his second book it was like a bad dream about the revenge of the son of third year existential german philosophy (and guys, I did teach german 19th century philosophy at the University here for awhile). My brain curdled or something. I must give it a go one of these days.
DR, you should love his first book, it’s pretty much a must for practical grapplers like you.
6 Jose de Freitas // Sep 11, 2007 at 4:51 am
Sorry, it’s actually his second I think: Cheng Hsin T’ui Shou: The Art of Effortless Power.
7 chessman71 // Sep 11, 2007 at 8:31 am
Jose,
I agree. That book is incredible. It’s a favorite of mine lately. it’s the only book that has really made my push hands better.
8 Joseph Crandall // Sep 11, 2007 at 11:35 am
I studied with Ralston for a long time, but Jerry Johnson didn’t. They only met one time at my instigation.
9 Jose de Freitas // Sep 11, 2007 at 10:50 pm
Oh! Sorry about that. I sort of thought or misremembered that, seeing as you had a book together.
What style of Bagua did Ralston’s come out of? Cheng?
10 Joseph Crandall // Sep 12, 2007 at 6:35 am
Ralston picked up some stuff from, BP Chan, Wayne Welch, and Wong Jackman, so it is mainly Jiang’s Bagua.
11 Jose de Freitas // Sep 12, 2007 at 5:11 pm
Thanks for that info. Was Wayne Welsh teaching Bagua that far back?
12 Joseph Crandall // Sep 12, 2007 at 9:44 pm
I don’t think it was formal instruction, more of a rooftop exchange.
13 neijia // Jun 30, 2008 at 9:50 am
wow the 60s hippie-ness vibe turns me off. why doesn’t his site talk about his primarily training IMA with William CC Chen and Wong Jak Man (if wikipedia is accurate)? throw out the 60s style marketing and talk of ontology and the actual material is sounding good. I don’t think I’d check it out if not for Dave’s glowing review.
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