This is the book Ken Gullette wishes he had been able to read when he first began studying Tai Chi, Bagua and Xingyi in 1987. It gets to the point, stripping the mystical mumbo jumbo away, leaving detailed, real-world explanations of the six fundamental body mechanics that everyone should know when they study Tai Chi (Taiji), Bagua and Xingyi. For the first time, these body mechanics are organized and discussed clearly, with more than 250 images and highly-detailed but simple language. If you are a student or even a teacher of these arts, you should be able to learn something here that will deepen your own insight into the arts. Ken has studied with some top internal arts masters, and during the first ten years he was teaching, he boiled down the body mechanics he learned into six key concepts. In this book, he explains them in the same step-by-step detail that he uses in teaching his students, building on each of the concepts until you have a clear roadmap of what you need to practice for high-quality internal structure and movement. As Ken explains it, "The true intent of the internal arts is self-defense. The body mechanics in this book are the starting point you need to develop the structure and internal strength that is required for the relaxed power, the iron wrapped in cotton, that the internal arts are known for. This is the starting point upon which all other skill is built." Ken has studied these arts since 1987, is a tournament champion, winning in empty-hand and weapons forms, no-contact, light-contact and full-contact matches, and he has students worldwide who have studied his DVDs and his website, www.internalfightingarts.com. Concepts covered in these pages include: the ground path, peng jin, whole-body movement, silk-reeling energy, Dantien rotation, and opening/closing the kua. From the explosiveness of Xingyi to the relaxed power of Tai Chi and Bagua, the road to internal skill is long and difficult, but very satisfying. There is nothing "soft" about these arts. They are powerful arts of self-defense. And it all starts here.

Bagua Swimming Body Palms is the second book written by Wang Shujin, one of the world’s foremost exponents of Chinese internal martial arts and a renowned expert of Bagua Zhang. This volume continues the process of bringing Master Wang’s important art to Western readers. More intricate than the Linked Palms form, Swimming Body Palms helps practitioners achieve fluent body mechanics and the ability to connect and flow from one movement to the next with power. Master Wang, who taught Swimming Palms to only a few advanced students, described it as “swim-walking,” or swimming around the body. Bagua Swimming Body Palms offers a thorough grounding in the basics of Bagua principles and practice, and illuminates the connection between the cultural meanings of the I Ching and the physical movements of Bagua Zhang. The photographs from the Chinese book are reprinted, along with hundreds of new photographs of translator Kent Howard demonstrating the exercises in greater detail. Sifu Howard provides extensive commentary on Master Wang’s writings, and Daoist master Huang Jinsheng contributes a thoughtful essay on Master Wang’s spiritual practice with the esoteric Daoist sect Yi Guan Dao. The book’s engaging style, fidelity to the Chinese text, and comprehensiveness make it a welcome addition to any martial arts library.

A no-nonsense and entertaining guide to harnessing the power of jin in your t'ai chi or internal martial arts training Developing Jin provides a complete and progressive training regimen for increasing and refining chansi-jin, also known as silk-reeling power or coiling power—the true power of the internal martial arts. With step-by-step instructions and photographs, experienced teacher Philip Starr walks readers through a variety of techniques designed to help practitioners feel and use jin in their martial arts training. While much of the existing writing on jin relies on cryptic and mystical descriptions of internal power, Starr takes a direct, no-nonsense approach that addresses commonly held myths and identifies the real body mechanics behind this unusual power. Useful for novices and advanced practitioners alike, Developing Jin is a crucial addition to any serious martial artist's library. Table of Contents 1. Got Jin? 2. How To Use This Book 3. Basic Conditioning Exercises 4. In The Beginning 5. Structure and Alignment 6. Training the Breath 7. The Nature Of Qi 8. Let's Get Engaged! 9. Beginning With Stillness 10. The Breath Coiling Form 11. The Secret Of Tendon Power 12. Internal Coiling 13. Applying The Coiling Power 14. Putting It All Together 15. Training Routines For Coiling Power 16. Three Become One 17. Combative Applications Conclusion

In Martial Maneuvers, Phillip Starr demonstrates that while the internal martial arts—Taijiquan, Bagua Zhang, and Xingyi Quan—might be considered ineffective for practical self-defense, they in fact have a long history of combat use. Starr argues that most teachers and practitioners of the internal arts have forgotten their rich martial heritage, focusing instead on their applicability for health or spiritual practices. Starr returns to the roots of the three major internal arts, demonstrating the combative principles upon which they were originally based. Martial Maneuvers often takes a lighthearted and humorous approach to what can often be challenging material, and provides training routines in easy-to-understand language. Numerous photos demonstrate the step-by-step implementation of fighting techniques, teaching readers how to apply them to their own chosen martial disciplines. While designed primarily for the internal martial artist, the techniques demonstrated in Martial Maneuvers can also benefit and enrich the training of a student of any discipline, including karate and kung fu.

The ancient Taoists developed extraordinary abilities through the practice and perfection of methods that cultivated chi. They could nourish their existence and cultivate a healthy, energetic life-span, with some living to be 150 years of age. The internal aspects of martial arts is a subject discussed by everyone who practices kung-fu, but is known and actually employed by only a few.

Explanation of Chi with 149 art pieces (pictures, charts, illustrations and photos). It is 308 pages; written by Master Gaofei Yan and Jude Brady Smallwood, Tai Chi Instructor for 30+ years. The Book, and e-book soe sale soon was copywritten in 1999 and being published in 2013.

A comprehensive guide to the fundamentals, sequences, and applications of Baguazhang. Baguazhang is unquestionably one of the most esoteric disciplines in martial arts. Based on the eight trigrams (bagua) of the Yi Jing, it emphasizes the importance of maneuverability, evasion, and change to deflect an aggressor's attacks. Unlike martial arts systems that employ overt punches, kicks, and grappling techniques, most of the bodily weapons of the baguazhang arsenal are well concealed, agile, and smooth. Utilizing deceptive forms of footwork and body shifting, the principles and techniques in this book will help readers develop a firm foundation and build a critical skill set for this unique martial art. Longtime martial arts practitioner and author Phillip Starr introduces readers to the basics of baguazhang, showing how the movements of this widely misunderstood art can be practically applied in self-defense. Readers will learn: • Key baguazhang principles • Footholds • Basic stepping techniques, walking exercises, and postures • Proper alignments • "Mother palms," or basic exercises critical to the development of the "bagua body" Ideal for newcomers to baguazhang, this introduction elucidates the two foundational Single Change and Double Change Palms and offers a refresher for advanced practitioners looking to further explore applications for movements they already know.

The art of Bagua Zhang is best known for its circular forms, yet linear fighting techniques have been incorporated into Bagua practice by many renowned masters. Liu Dekuan, a student of Dong Haichuan (the founder of Bagua Zhang), was one such master, devising a set of 64 techniques performed in straight lines. These techniques were collected and preserved by Master Liu’s disciple Gao Wencheng and his family, passed down from generation to generation. In The 64 Hands of Bagua Zhang, author Gao Jiwu—the grandson of Gao Wencheng—brings these techniques to the English-speaking world. Well known for his expertise in the 64 Hands form, Master Gao explains the history of the art, his family’s place in it, and the key principles for practice. The heart of the book is the complete set of Liu Dekuan’s 64 techniques; the solo forms are each explained in detail and then elaborated on to demonstrate their practical applications. Clear photographs fully illustrate the movements of the complete form and practice drills. Translated by Nigel Sutton, who has studied with the Gao family since the early 1980s, The 64 Hands of Bagua Zhang helps readers fully understand this form of Bagua Zhang.

The Dragon Bagua Zhang system of third-generation master Fu Zhen Song was one of the most powerful martial arts styles to emerge from 1920s China. Fu Zhen Song had a reputation as a skilled fighter and uncompromising teacher, and his Dragon Bagua style was renowned for its extensive catalog of whirling body movements and fighting techniques. In 1991 Lin Chao Zhen, Fu’s formal disciple, brought this mysterious martial art to the United States, where he practiced and taught until his death in 1997. Fu Zhen Song’s Dragon Bagua Zhang presents this challenging system in a step-by-step format, including palm forms, stepping patterns, and training methods. Originally written in Chinese by Lin Chao Zhen and translated by his son, Wei Ran Lin, this edition also features an extensive introductory section on the development of the Dragon Bagua form and the history of its lineage. The text is accompanied by 150 photographs of the late master Lin Chao Zhen demonstrating the form, as well as an illustrated two-person practice set that teaches the system’s applications for self-defense and sparring.