Ultimate Guide To Tai Chi : The Best of Inside Kung-Fu Paperback – October 11, 1999

I'm not really sure where to begin with this. The book is a wonderful collection of Taiji Quan wisdom. The articles on each topic present you with a wide variety of perspectives on each of the subjects discussed. In particular, the history had 3 different authors present 3 different views. There is a section on history, training, how to tell good form from bad, difference between wushu and martial aspects of Taiji Quan, spotting good teachers, and many many more.This is without a doubt, something I wish I had when I started my Taiji Quan practice, and something you will want. I highly recommend the book to every Taiji practitioner. You will benifit greatly from the diversified wisdom of long-time masters of the art.

The best of many such books.

I am new to Tai Chi and have been taking classes for about a month. A classmate recommended this book to help review the sessions and provide practice between them. The only thing better may be a dvd version, but this book is very helpful. It also has excellent articles about the history of Tai Chi and terms used.

This volume is a compilation of the various article in the aforementioned magazine. The variety of authours creates a wide viewpoint of the physical and metaphysical theories. The history is thurough and informative, the philisophical theory is highly accesible while still being vivid and accurate, and the still photos of the Yang style set are a gift to readers interested in the practice. Being a follower of the Taoist philosophy and a student of the higher martial disiplines this book remains a favorite of mine second only to Bruce Lee's legendary work "The Tao of Jeet Kune Do".

This is one of the most concise, and complete histories, and "how to do it" books on Tai Chi that I have ever read! The photos of the person performing the different moves in the Yang form of Tai Chi are excellent! Any Tai Chi student should have this one in his library!

Title: Ultimate Guide to Tai Chi.Author: John R. Little and Curtis F. Wong (eds.)Publisher: McGraw Hill New York (1999).ISBN: 0-8092-2833-5.301 pages.The book’s title sets the bar high, so does the book live up to the title? As a survey of articles written to that point (1999), the book excels in describing of this martial art’s origins and describing the scope of what it has to offer. The book’s format is unique, in consisting of Kung-Fu magazine articles that are generally eight pages or less. This approach offers readability about well-defined topics, and therefore helps the beginner stay focused despite the esoteric nature of some of the subject matter.The introduction is very good in offering scope. For example, people are often attracted by gracefulness of well-performed tai chi, but the introduction, while outlining differences between traditions (Yang and Chen) also helps provide historical context for particular schools and teachers, and also provides overview to mediation, push hands, breathing, and meditation.From there, most readers would benefit from even a selection of chapters read in the order of one’s choice. For example, Chapter 7 (A Comparison of Yang and Chen Styles) extends the comparison, with insight on the difference between vocabulary and sentence-building in self-defense applications. Later, chapter 16 (Learn to Take Nothing for Granted) is by itself worth reading, by encouraging the beginner to question one’s teacher about why moves are performed a particular way, and to not be satisfied with appearing relaxed and gracefully “drunken”. The excellent chapter 19 (Four Skills) explains different dimensions of practice: function, relaxation, dynamic force, and chi, and thus forms a short-hand for the tai chi practice experience. In the final of four major sections, several chapters describe individuals notable for their role in the tradition. For example, Daniel Lee, in chapter 35 offers his view about how tai chi and jeet kune do (the hard style fighting art associated with Bruce Lee) complement and enrich each other.While tai chi’s meditative movement aspect is apparent from watching, this book also includes sections on relaxed mental focus, physical relaxation, and martial effectiveness. The inclusive and diverse nature of the book puts it in contrast to what may be a readily available in a narrowly focused recreational class. This contrast can help the student ask probing questions to one’s teacher, even as he or she (the student) may be well short of performing a full (e.g., 24, 37, or 108 posture) form.One of the other reviewers wrote highly of the photo sequence of the 108 form, and on this point I will take exception. The photos are really only nice to have, and fall way short of helping connect the dots. There are several on line videos (probably not available at the time of writing) that help in showing the flow between postures, and the power available from good practice.For the student just starting out, the book excels as an approachable overview and will help develop questions to ask qualified instructors. The journey will lead through practice, and through dialog with one’s teachers, with the book as a record of what other experts have to say.