Formosa Neijia

This is a video look at the book I reviewed here.
Chen Xin does talk about applying the taijiquan martially. It isn’t all alchemy in the book, despite how it might look. The problem for most people is that his context is alchemy-based, meaning that his examples are couched in that language. But he does have […]

[Read more →]

In brief, this DVD is one of the most impressive displays of skill I’ve seen. Ralston’s blend of taiji, bagua, and aikido is great. If you’ve been a bit confused over his books, watching him in action will reveal the concepts he talks about. This DVD is over an hour of him and his students […]

[Read more →]

Below is the review I wrote for Amazon.com. I plan a much longer discussion here on the blog, but this will get you started. The book is available here and a 90-page preview is available there, as well.
Written by a member of the Chen family, Chen Xin, this is the first comprehensive look at Chen […]

[Read more →]

I’m not usually impressed by the many VCDs that come out of China. I have bought about a hundred of these things, and I’ve seen so few that really impress me. At least until yesterday.
Wudang stylist Wang Ping (王平) has an older series out that just blew my mind. I’m so glad I picked his […]

[Read more →]

This was my Christmas gift. I love this movie. It’s even better on DVD than it was in the theater.
The film hasn’t been changed in any way that I can see from the original release. This is not an updated version or director’s cut, and that’s really too bad. If any movie ever deserved it, […]

[Read more →]

Some of the styles available in the Martial Artist’s Guide to Taipei include:
baguazhang
xingyiquan
taijiquan in the Yang, Chen and Chen Pan-ling varieties
tongbeiquan
piguazhang
mantis
long fist
bajiquan
SunBinquan
aikijujitsu
Brazilian jiujitsu
MMA
and many more!
The pics above are from the guide and show the sparring classes offered by some of the […]

[Read more →]

This is a continuation of the discussion I started with my review of Tim Cartmell’s Xing Yi Neigong. First off, I want to sing the praises of this book even more than I did yesterday. I thoroughly reviewed it today, and I think it’s the best book on xingyi out there. Of course, the reason […]

[Read more →]

Here are some quotes from this excellent book:
“The body connection, whole body power, qi development, and mind/body harmony that are forged during long standing sessions are vital in the development of xingyi internal power.” p. 24
“To ’sink the waist,’ the coccyx must be relaxed and slightly lifted, the yang qi will ascend toward heaven, this […]

[Read more →]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb7F20BZYU0
This is Mike’s video overview of the camp. It provides the longest, most detailed look yet at what was obviously a wildly successful camp. So this looks to be THE training to do in Beijing now.
In the sidebar for the clip, Mike is announcing next year’s camp from July 1-28, with one month or […]

[Read more →]

There’s a new online video service that I’ve been checking out and I think you should, too. It’s called Video Waza and it’s a subscription service (US$15.00 per month) that allows you download and view as many martial arts videos as you want for each month of your membership. The selection is decently varied, with […]

[Read more →]