Secrets of Shaolin Temple Boxing


Book Description

Learn the secrets of Shaolin Temple boxing also known as Shaolin Kung Fu with this illustrated matrtial arts guide. Shaolin Temple boxing is the father of all boxing forms in China and is a close ancestor of Japanese karate. Despite the widespread study of Shaolin kung fu, however, the true origins and history of this exciting martial art have been obscured by wildly fanciful myths and legends that have arisen over the centuries, leading martial-arts authority Robert W. Smith to remark, "There are no good books on Shaolin Temple boxing. There are only varying degrees of poor." In Taiwan, however, Smith had the good fortune to discover a short, anonymous work in Chinese that he believed revealed the essence of Shaolin. This kung fu book is the English version of that text. Abundantly and attractively illustrated, it is a fascinating account of the history of an ancient martial art, as well as a concise martial arts manual explaining the fundamental philosophy and techniques of Shaolin Temple boxing.




Authentic Shaolin Heritage


Book Description

Devoted to the most enigmatic and little-known aspect of training of Shaolin monks. Training methods allow supernatural abilites to develop, far beyond abilities of an ordinary man. The book was writen with the blessing and direct participation of the Head of the Shaolin Monastery Reverend Miao Xing, nicknamed "The Golden Arhat," one of the best Shaolin fighters of all times. These secret practices traditionally called "72 arts of Shaolin" or the essence of the Shaolin Combat Training.




The Shaolin Monastery


Book Description

This meticulously researched and eminently readable study considers the economic, political, and religious factors that led Shaolin monks to disregard the Buddhist prohibition against violence and instead create fighting techniques that by the 21st century have spread throughout the world.




Watching Your Back


Book Description

The term “martial art,” like the title, The Art of War, has a dissonant ring. To associate art, that sublime expression of the human spirit, with the enterprise of maiming and killing seems almost profane. Similarly, the martial arts have long been associated with traditional medicine. But, how can the art of healing ally itself with the art of killing? Watching Your Back applies Daoist notions of wellness and survival to reconcile these apparent paradoxes and unveil the origins and rationale of the unexplored symbiosis of Chinese medicine and the martial arts. It discusses the applications of Daoist philosophy and its practitioners, explains how creative arts are simultaneously conserved and advanced within a traditional Chinese lineage, and clarifies the differences between the separate, but parallel, martial and military disciplines. Drawing from history, philosophy, medicine, linguistics, and the realities of combat, Dr. Schmieg convincingly describes how early proponents of Daoism responded to sociopolitical events in China to shape a unique martial arts tradition and how this ancient system evolved into modern combat forms. Throughout he makes ample use of entertaining anecdotes taken from his years of study under a Daoist physician scholar and “old school” boxer. Written with both the layperson and scholar in mind, Watching Your Back examines the full spectrum of the martial arts while demystifying its philosophy and debunking its myths, and thus brilliantly reveals the true majesty of the ancient Chinese art of self-defense.




Secrets of Drunken Boxing


Book Description

The Ba Xian or Eight Immortals are famous throughout Taoist legend and Chinese mythology. Each of the immortals is important in the Ma style of Drunken fist as archetypal templates for the practitioner. In this book, each of the eight are revealed not as legendary figures but as useful tools for the Drunken practitioner to improve their understanding of the style and reach its highest level. Not only learning the movements of the art but the internal change represented by each.




Chinese Martial Arts Training Manuals


Book Description

Secret training manuals, magic swords, and flying kung fu masters—these are staples of Chinese martial arts movies and novels, but only secret manuals have a basis in reality. Chinese martial arts masters of the past did indeed write such works, along with manuals for the general public. This collection introduces Western readers to the rich and diverse tradition of these influential texts, rarely available to the English-speaking reader. Authors Brian Kennedy and Elizabeth Guo, who coauthor a regular column for Classical Fighting Arts magazine, showcase illustrated manuals from the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty, and the Republican period. Aimed at fans, students, and practitioners, the book explains the principles, techniques, and forms of each system while also placing them in the wider cultural context of Chinese martial arts. Individual chapters cover the history of the manuals, Taiwanese martial arts, the lives and livelihoods of the masters, the Imperial military exams, the significance of the Shaolin Temple, and more. Featuring a wealth of rare photographs of great masters as well as original drawings depicting the intended forms of each discipline, this book offers a multifaceted portrait of Chinese martial arts and their place in Chinese culture.




Theorizing Bruce Lee


Book Description

"Bruce Lee is a complex and contradictory figure, and it's a formidable task to take on the multiple facets of his legacyûfighter, film star, philosopher, nationalist, multiculturalist, innovator. With an approach as multidisciplinary and iconoclastic as Lee's approach to martial arts, Bowman provides an original and exhilarating account of Lee as 'cultural event'. No one has done a better job of explaining why the martial arts 'legend' remains such an important and provocative figure."ûLeon Hunt (Brunel University), author of Kung Fu Cult Masters: From Bruce Lee to Crouching Tiger. --




Black Belt


Book Description

The oldest and most respected martial arts title in the industry, this popular monthly magazine addresses the needs of martial artists of all levels by providing them with information about every style of self-defense in the world - including techniques and strategies. In addition, Black Belt produces and markets over 75 martial arts-oriented books and videos including many about the works of Bruce Lee, the best-known marital arts figure in the world.




Martial Musings: A Portrayal of Martial Arts in the 20th Century


Book Description

In every century there are unique individuals whose fate makes them standing symbols of unique merit and accomplishment. Robert W. Smith's Martial Musings stands out as the sole literary work which offers readers a special perspective of martial arts as they evolved during the 20th century. Smith personally escorts the reader on a martial arts tour. He starts with his own initial involvement in the arts, then launches outward, across the nation, over to Asia, and eventually home again. Some of the topics covered in the book include martial arts theory and practice, portrayals of leading Asian instructors, profiles of Westerners who studied the arts and brought them back to their respective countries and an historical record of the evolution of fighting arts in the West. Martial Musings represents the fourteenth book Smith has written on the subject and is a broader, somewhat historical, semi-autobiographical commentary on martial arts in the 20th century. But, what makes this book such a joy to devour is the literary relish Smith stir-fries in with the books basic ingredients. He astutely couples combatives with literary panache, and a ready wit. In short, Martial Musings introduces the reader to the individuals who shaped martial arts in the 20th century. The hardbound book has 398 pages and over 300 illustrations with a full-color cover and two-color text pages.




Lessons With Master Liang: T'ai-Chi, Philosophy, and Life


Book Description

A compilation of Master T.T. Liang's teachings on T'ai-Chi, plus articles and stories about Master Liang.