Baguazhang - Theory and Applications - A Review

"Baguazhang: Theory and Applications" by Master Liang, Shou-Yu and Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming is an incredibly informative text. With more than 900 photographs in this 500 plus page tome, one might first think it is just a photo book, since many martial art texts have primarily pictures with little written text. However, this book has a very thorough and comprehensive written section on theory, along with the applications, sequences, Qigong exercises and some weapons training to make this an indispensable resource for any student of Baguazhang or anyone who wants to increase their knowledge of Chinese martial arts.Chapter two, The Essence of Baguazhang, could actually be a book unto itself. The chapter consists of numerous old songs and poems regarding training and theory that have been passed down through the ages. There is a tremendous wealth of information in this chapter alone, and it is one that should be studied, not just read.One of my favorite sections of this book is in ch
apter one. The authors discuss martial morality. I think it is important to teach morality and character along with any knowledge of how to hurt or kill others, and the authors of this text also believe this and provide a short section on this very important topic.The sections of the book that illustrate movements and techniques are done very well for book form. The pictures are clear and laid out in a good manner. Unfortunately, if you are not familiar with Baguazhang movement, I believe it would be difficult to learn through printed medium alone. I believe this is true for any martial art, dance, or similar movement skill. This book does as good a job as can be done through pictures.With that said, there is a companion DVD to this book that I have not seen. I suspect it illustrates the movements in video format which is a better medium to teach physical movement skills. (Next best to actually being there with a qualified instructor, which everyone agrees is the best way to
learn.) So, even though I have not seen the companion DVD yet, I suspect that it would assist the Baguazhang student tremendously. The DVD would only compliment this already impressive book.For those that study Chinese, it should be pointed out that the authors include much Chinese text in this book as well. For a scholar or student of Chinese this will be an added bonus. For those that don't read Chinese, it is not distracting from studying the book in English.This in an incredibly comprehensive book on Baguazhang by two extremely knowledgeable and talented martial artists. I would strongly recommend it for anyone who studies Baguazhang or other internal Chinese arts. Additionally, I think some of the concepts found in this book will make any martial artist, regardless of style, better in their respective art. I also strongly recommend that all martial artists study and practice martial morality.

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