While I did enjoy Mr. Gallante's book to an extent, I must say that some of the martial applications he demonstrates are sketchy, and dubious. However, being one of the first few to attempt to explain martial applications of Taijiquan in a book (considering the time it was written,) he gets major bonus points. That aside, he does present the form quite clearly, with text explanation to accompany the photographs.
It should also be noted that Mr. Gallante follows Cheng M'an Ching's form rather than traditional family Yang style. Any student of Cheng M'an Ching will find this text very useful as a source of reference, despite the fact that the author slightly modifies the form to make it more martial (the modifications being very minimal, pertaining only to a few motions.)
The foot placement and weight distribution diagrams are a big plus, and the reverse breathing directions are a welcome addition. I found the section on Zen and occult systems to be out of place (again, probably due to the time period when it was written.) Thankfully, they did not last beyond 3-4 pages per section.
Overall, a nice addition to anyone interested in exploring the martial side of Taiji Quan, or someone interested in learning the Cheng M'an Ching form.
For anyone interested in furthering their knowledge of the CMC form, or something written by yet another student of Professor Cheng, William C. Chen's "Body Mechanics of Tai Chi Chuan" is a must read.
Back To Top |
Not Bad, February 1, 2009