John R. Little (2)

Practiced by millions of people around the world, the ancient and gentle Chinese martial art of tai chi offers the perfect balance of mind and body, strength and flexibility, grace and agility. Its smooth, fluid movements demand precision and control while offering exercisers of all ages improved fitness, stress reduction, and self-defense skills.

Whether you are a curious novice, and intermediate student seeking deeper understanding, or a tai chi expert, Inside Kung-Fu's Ultimate Guide to Tai Chi offers you a wealth of insightful, realiable, hard-to-find information from world-renowned experts in every aspect of tai chi. Inside, you'll find chapters that inform and inspire, addressing such topics as:

The hsitory and traditions of tai chi chuan.
How to find and evaluate schools and teachers.
Creating a strong foundation of basic techniques.
Mastering advanced techniques, incuding the cultivation of chi, breath control, and the use of weapons.
The founders of tai chi and the variety of tai chi styles.
The self-defense applications of tai chi.

In this volume, you'll find everything you need to know to enhance your practice, increase your understanding, and reap the proven health and fitness benefits of the powerful internal martial art of tai chi.

About the editors
John R. Little is the author of The Warrior Within and Bruce Lee: Words From a Master as well as other books on Bruce Lee. He is also the author of many published articles on martial arts philosophy and practice.

Curtis F. Wong is the publisher of Inside Kung-Fu and other highly respected martial arts magazines.

Contents

Preface Philosophy as martial art
A brief introduction to tai chi chuan and selecting a tai chi school
Part I: Histories and traditions
1 A history of tai chi chuan: The oral tradition by Kenneth S. Cohen
2 The Emperor's long fist: Was it tai chi's predecessor? by Dr. David E. Kash
3 Yang family tai chi chuan by Scot M. Rodell
4 Tai chi's secret weapon: Tranquility by Bob Mendel
5 The quest for chi by Lawrence Tan
6 A contrast between wushu and traditional tai chi by Jane Hallander
7 A comparison of yang and chen styles by Kenneth Cohen
Part II: Basic techniques
8 The yang family tai ci form by Doc-Fai Wong and Jane Hallander
9 Yang style traditional training by Daniel Y Wang
10 Tai chi martial stances by Doc-Fai Wong and Jane hallander
11 'Grasp the bird's tail': Yang tai chi's signature technique
12 Tai chi push-hand by Doc-Fai Wong and Jane Hallander
13 Tai chi's Cheng Hsin rollback by Jef Edwards
14 San Shou: Tai chi's dispersing hands set by Stuart Alve Olson
15 C.K. Chen's vertical axis tai chi by Sam Edwards
16 Learn to take nothing for granted by Lou Crockett
17 How to tell the good from the bad in tai chi form featuring Bow Sim Mark
Part III: Advanced techniques
18 Meditation and breathing exercises by Doc-Fai Wong and Jane Hallander
19 The four skills of tai chi chuan by Howard Choy
20 Master Chen Xiaowang's five levels of skill in tai chi training by Howard Choy and Ahtee Chia
21 The five stages of chen tai chi combat training by Stephan Jacob Berwick
22 Tai chi's internal secrets by Doc-Fai Wong and Jane Hallander
23 Tai chi free-fighting by J.Justin Meehan
24 Push-hands power: How to tell if our opponent has it by Nan Lu
25 The tai chi sword: Ancient China's ultimate weapon by Doc-Fai Wong and Jane Hallander
26 The tai chi whip: Whirling internal fury by Robert Dreeben
27 The four emotions of tai chi chuan by Eliot Z. Cohen
28 The twelve keys to tai chi standardization by Jean Lukitsh
29 Correct practice of the tai chi form by Doc-Fai Wong and Jane Hallander
Part IV: Profiles and personalities
30 Tai chi catches on with the NFL by Jane Hallander
31 A tale of two Chengs by Craig Vorhees
32 William C.C. Chen: Tai chi's fighting force by Scott M. Rodell
33 A visit with chen Xiaowang: Nineteenth-generation heir of Chen style tai chi by J. Mackenzie Stewart
34 Chen Xiaowang: Keeper of the tai chi secrets by Howard Choiy
35 Daniel Lee: The harmonious synthesis of jeet kune do and tai chi by Richard Imamura
36 Dan Lee today by Steve Smoke
37 Pan Wing Chow Original Chen style: A generation from extinction? by Dave Carter
38 Master Ni Ua-Ching: True taoist master by Skuzanne Soehner
39 Lien Ying Kuo: The living legend of San Francisco's Chinatown by Rick Shively
Appendix: Practical applications of form techniques… (plus d'informations)

Are you new to the martial arts? Or are you a veteran student who is looking for that extra edge or curious about other styles and new techniques? No matter where you train, at what level or in which style, the Ultimate Martial Arts Encyclopedia offers in-depth insight into the most critical aspects of our martial arts experience.

Inside, you'll find dozens of chapters covering an impressive array of topics, from histories and traditions to techniques and more. Every chapter is written by an expert, and photographs thoughout the book ensure that you'll learn the techniques properly and be able to integrate them into your practice. Topics include:

An introduction to all the major martial arts styles, from aikido to wing chun
Advice and instruction on getting the most out of every block, strike, and kick you execute
Clear, illustrated explanations of highly effective techques from lesser-known arts
Insight into developing a fighting stategy, conquering fear and pain, and improving our mental game for strong practice in the classroom and in competition

Weighing in at more than 250 pages, with 46 chapters full of hard-hitting advice, the Ultimate Martial arts Encyclopedia is required reading for all martial arts students, from beginners to black blets.

About the editors:

John R. Little is the author of The Warrior Within, Bruce Lee: Words from a Master, and other books on Bruce Lee. He is also the author of numerous published articles on martial arts philosophy and practice.

Curtis F. Wong is the publisher of Inside Kung-Fu and other highy respected martial arts magazines.

Contents

Part One: Histories and traditions
1 Dan Insosanto remembers the history of jeet kune do by Alan Sutton
2 The five major styles of tai chi chuan by Dr. Paul Lam
3 Aikido: The way of harmony by John Stevens
4 The other aikido by Dr. William Durbin
5 Kempo: The source by Dr. William Durbin
6 Classical jujitsu and its modern forms by Dr. Tom Corizzi
7 Pankaration: The ancient Greek martial art of 'All-powers' combat by Norm Leff
8 The grapplers of ancient Rome by Norm Leff
9 Savate: Forerunner of modern French martial arts by William Durbin
10 Boxe Francaise Savate in the feminine by Salemn Assli
11 Capoeria: The forbidden sport by Debora Martins
12 The fighting animals of Korean martial arts by Jane Hallander
13 Imperial palace Paqua: China's royal martial art comes to America by Jane Hallander
14 Original Hung Gar: The tangled roots of a powerful kung fu by Gene Ching
15 Da Mo's secret Shaolin temple Chi kung by Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming
16 Baguazhang: The art of the Chinese bodyguard by Jerry Payne
Part II: Techniques
17 How to develop a fighting strategy: A lesson plan for becoming a world champion by Roger Haines
18 Transmutation: A lock is a block is a blow is a throw by Tony Annesi
19 Winning wing chun fighting stances by Alan Lamb
20 Combat wing chun techniques: A direct approach to close-range fighting by Gavin Blackburn
21 Shotokan's fancy footwork by Keith Boggess
22 Finally! Pressure-point techniques for women by Chris Thomas
23 Trankadas: The key to the hand-trapping and hand-locking techniques of lapunti arnis de abanico by Dr. Jopet R. Laraya
24 Creating the complete full-contact fighter by Ralph Mitchell
25 The jeet kune do lead punch by Ted Wong
26 Backfist blitz by Mike Soohey
27 The power of the palm by Jane Hallander
28 Buddha hand: Wing chun's guiding light by Santo Barbalace
29 Read the future i your pigua palms by Adam Hsu
30 The many faces of shaolin crane by Jane Hallander
31 Kicking form anoher angle: Tang soo do's arsenal of angular kicks by Hector Vega and Jim Stroud
32 Kicking okinawan style by Dr. William Durbin
33 The ax kick's crushing power by Art Michaels
34 Fantastic flips and kicks: The double-barreled approach to winning wushu by Bruce Fontaine
35 Kata: The soul of karate by John Van Weenen
36 The dos and don'ts of forms! by Chris Casamassa
Part Three: Beyond the fist
37 Exploring the myths and misconceptions of the martial arts by John Maberry
38 Conquering fear and pain through the martial arts by Dr. Tom Corizzi
39 You can win the game of life by Robert Dreeben
40 Signposts on the road to mastery by Tony Annesi
41 The Tao of yin and yang in taijiquan by Dr. John P. Painter
42 The tao of yin and yang in taijiquan: Part 2 by Dr. John P. Painter
43 The secret to middle-aged martial arts by Lloyd Firdenburg
44 Train the external, ask for trouble! by Adam Wallace
45 The art of breating correctly by Dr. John P. Painger, Ph.D., wth Dave Cater
46 Martial arts and African dance: The hidden connection by Earl White… (plus d'informations)