Mastering Yang Style Taijiquan Paperback – May 9, 2006

This is a book written by Fu Zhongwen in the 1950's, which is actually him finishing the works of his father Yang Chengfu. They are the inheritors of the Yang family name and this book is a super in depth and developed take on the 85 posture yang style taiji form. This book is honestly the best martial arts book I've ever purchased in my life. You can find a video on youtube of Fu Zhongwen's son, Fu Cheng Yuan, performing, this 85 posture form. It looks simple enough, but crack this book and you'll see just how deep each movement is.

I am a student of Tai Chi basically to learn self discipline, focus, and handle stress. My goal is to be a Master of myself - and it is important to me to understand the fundamentals and fine tuning of the art to get the best I can from it. This book is beautiful and complete in that sense. The narrative sets out exactly how it is to be done. It is easy to read and the drawings by Fu Zhongwen are self explanatory and help one develop an understanding of the subties of the movements. When you understand the "principals" and "rhythm" it all falls into place.

This book provides a rather detailed look at an earlier Yang Long Form than is often taught today - some practice points during specific postures have been discarded in more modern forms in Yang Style, and it was good to review and decide for myself which points to include. The diagrams can be a bit confusing sometimes, and the movements are not as explicit as I would prefer - but in a way, that's a good thing - figure it out for yourself based upon the fundamental principles and decide what feels right to you.I would recommend any practitioner not to use this book alone to study Taijiquan, but it is a very helpful reference (I've studied Taijiquan for 5 years.)

i found this book a little hard to read but i just had to take the introduction really slow when it describes the system it will use to describe the moves. and from then on it was a whole different experience. The philosophical concepts are great and i love the included litterature the detail of the induvidual moves is great as well.

I love this book. It's chock-full of great information about the study of Tai Chi. The price is very reasonable, too. Don't expect to learn how to perform the Yang Style form from the drawings of Yang Cheng Fu, though. Make sure you get a teacher. But as a thorough reference work this is fantastic. Just the glossary alone is worth the $12 I paid.And if you're already studying Yang Style, the drawings are a treasure and will help you understand better what it must have been like to see the great man do the form.There are also some terrific essays as well as remarkable photos of Yang Cheng Fu and his students and family, including one where he's riding in what looks like an early 1930's convertible.

Book arrived in timely fashion, in excellent condition as described. While Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan as practiced today is derived from the classical form, it is not quite its equivalent. This translation of an important work by a revered grandmaster in the latter tradition is indispensable for a complete training regimen. Dedicated to the translator's teacher, Master Kwong Gate, a living legend in his own right.

Highly recommnded. Terrific book and brilliant translation with excellent, insightful comments from the author Fu Zhongwen as well as the translator Louis Swaim. This book is an invaluable resource in learning Yang style Tai Chi for the serious student. I took up Tai Chi about 2 years ago and this book, in conjunction with attending a Yang style Tai Chi class every week, along with a video of the instructor, was immensely valuable in learning Tai Chi. There is a variety of insightful information and instruction passed on from Fu Zhongwen in his book that one would not deduce from simply watching a video, or possibly even in a class.

My tai chi instructor uses this combination of postures for his advanced class. Having learned the 24- and 48-posture forms (in another publication), I am ready to learn the 108.The only drawback of this book are the illustrations of the postural moves, and that is not really the fault of the book itself. I have seen the original photos from which this book's diagrams are taken, and they would not be much more help. You really need an instructor to teach them. All books of this sort are better as aids once the sequence of postures have been learned.The explanation of the energetics of tai chi is excellent.