Product Description

Cheng Man-ch'ing, the famed master of t'ai chi, is regarded as an enormously influential figure in codifying the most widely practiced form of the ancient martial art. This volume, developed by the martial arts master and scholar, details the way that students arrive at a posture -- from beginning movements to the end pose. Master Cheng provides practitioners with a complete and concise guide to the Short Form, enabling them to make rapid progress.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #86969 in Books
• Published on: 1999-06-01
• Released on: 1999-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 100 pages

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Chinese

About the Author
Mark Hennessy spent eleven years in China studying philosophy, classical language, and taichi ch'uan. He has lectured at the National College of Political Science in Taiwan and Tonsei University in Seoul. His previous translations of Cheng's writings are: Cheng Man-ch'ing: Master of Five Excellences and Cheng Man ch'ing: Essays on Man and Culture.

Customer Reviews

Learning Tai Chi From A Book
This was my second attempt to get instruction on tai chi moves/exercises form a book, noting the difficulty of following a live instructor when the moves necessitate your turning around, away from the instructor. This book has some valuable text on the philosophy of tai chi and general tips on performing the moves. But the ability of the author, or his translator, to put the instructions into words, even when accompanied by picture, is limited from the point of view of the reader in the same way as is the case with trying to follow the live instructor's moves. One almost has to hold the book in your hand while making the motions, which is pretty hard since the arm movements necessarily take the book away from your eyes. The only solution that I've thought of, but not succeeded in, is getting someone to read the instructions allowed to you while you do them. Even this will be tricky, as some of the instructions are to repeat the previous move in exactly the opposite way. A good memory for detailed instructions would be very helpful.

standard book
This is one of the most important books about yang style Taijiquan. You find it in a lineage with the books "The Essence and Applications of Taijiquan by Yang Chengfu", followed by "Mastering Yang Style Taijiquan by Fu Zhongwen", and it is succeeded by "Body mechanics of Tai chi chuan by William C. C Chen". To get better insides and a close understanding of Master Cheng's New Method it is strongly recommended to read his book "Cheng-Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan" first. The New Method often cites the Thirteen Treatises.

This book is not for absolute beginers. You still should have some basics in theory and practice. The form is understandable, the foot diagrams are strange in some cases. The hints by the translator are helpfull and theory becomes clear when read the third time.

Hennessey Translation
I practiced this method of T'ai Chi for 2 years, until my teacher became ill. Then I found the Hennessey translation, which I find to be excellent. The best I have found for Master Cheng's method. I have no reputable teacher in my area, but can continue to practice with this book. Even if you don't practice, Master Cheng is enjoyable reading.