The following products are available for purchase. Please make a donation in the specified amount at the donation button in the upper right-hand corner of the blog.
The Martial Artist’s Guide to Taipei
The Martial Artist’s Guide to Taipei is a guidebook with detailed descriptions of styles taught and contact information for a wide variety of teachers in Taipei, Taiwan. This guide will get you up-and running martial arts-wise as soon as you get to Taipei. It contains all the info you need to find the instructors you’ll want to study from while you stay in Taipei.
A wide cross-section of styles are represented in the guidebook. Each entry has the teacher’s name, phone number, address, e-mail address, website, and class times. Maps are given for some teachers.
No more worrying about finding a teacher. No more searching around for information that turns out to be in Chinese. No more hoping that you can find the teacher’s location.
The Martial Artist’s Guide to Taipei is available in e-book format for a donation of US$10 to Formosa Neijia. Please send me an email (chessman71 “at” gmail.com) saying you wish to buy the guide and make your US$10 Paypal donation at the link on the right at the top of the column (see “Make a Donation!” at the right).
Thank you and welcome to Taipei!
Here is a preview:
Annotations on Taijiquan’s Nine Songs by Wu Meng-xia
This is a classic written by Wu, who was a student in Yang Ban-hou’s lineage. He also learned baguazhang under Gao Yi-sheng. Wu’s book goes into detail about how to actually use the taiji in a fighting situation. Not just another form book, this translation takes the form photos and discusses applications of those moves rather than simply describing the form. The songs that describe the postures and usage are also given PLUS you get Wu’s valuable commentary on what the songs and poems mean.
Many people have translated the classics, but there are very few good commentaries out there that explain them in detail. Fewer commentators still have Wu’s impeccable credentials in the arts of taiji, bagua, and xingyi. Wu didn’t just skim the surface of the classics, he actually made a great effort to explain what they mean to someone that is serious about using their taijiquan as a martial art. In fact, when Zhang Zhun-feng saw this book, he was reportedly furious because Wu had disclosed many of the secrets of baguazhang fighting, as well.
In this case, the translator also makes a difference. Marcus knows how to fight with his taijiquan. He does the Chen Pan-ling form, the push hands, and the sanshou that goes along with that practice. In his capable hands, Wu’s points about how to manifest the contrasts of yin and yang and other things in your taijiquan become clear. Those of you who are frustrated with the vagueness of other translations of the taiji classics will greatly benefit from reading this version.
The book is 118 pages long. The format is large — 8.5 inches by 11 inches. The price is US$15 and the book is in e-book format (PDF). Those of you wanting to order should send an email to chessman71 “at” gmail.com and make your donation at the PayPal link in the upper right corner of this blog.
Here are some preview pages. Please click them to enlarge them:
The Science of Internal Strength Boxing by Zhang Nai-qi.
Of all the works from Marcus that I’m offering, this one caught me the most off-guard. Zhang says an awful lot of things that clear up misconceptions about internal arts training and issues related to neigong. Consider the following questions:
What is the real meaning of “fire and water” in internal martial arts?
Why are Western-type exercises sometimes at odds with internal arts training?
What are preparation and ending postures in forms for and why are they so important?
Does xingyiquan’s five element theory really have anything to do with the organs?
Why is relaxation so important?
How does working with abdominal pressure increase your martial power?
What are the real health and psychological benefits of IMA practice and how do you get them?
Zhang covers all these topics and many more. I’ve rarely seen a work that so concisely addressed the many topics that confuse people. After years of study, I still have problem areas that I don’t fully understand. Zhang cleared many of them up for me.
The book was written as a Shanghai newspaper column back in the 1930’s. Zhang had about 15 years experience in the internal arts at that time. He specifically mentions xingyiquan and taijiquan, but seems familiar with baguazhang and other arts, as well. You can sense the ghost of yiquan hovering over his shoulder as he writes. Haha. I say that because yiquan seems to have had an influence on the work.
The translation is over 90 pages long and the book is rich in information. The price is US$12 and it’s in PDF format. To purchase the book, please make a donation in that amount at the PayPal donation link in the upper right-hand corner of this blog. Then send an email to chessman71 “at” gmail.com to let me know that you’re ordering it.
A preview of the book is below. Please note: these are just JPEGs of the book as a sample, therefore they may be of lower quality than the PDF file.
