Tai Chi Chuan Classical Yang Style: the Complete Form and Qigong

If you are not familiar with the first edition of this book, you cannot appreciate the great improvements that have been made in this one, the second edition. Now you will find more than Figure numbers under the hundreds of action photos that are found in Chapters Three and Four. Instead, you will find complete sentences, even paragraphs, with specific guidance that will allow you to better understand how to make your classical Yang style Tai Chi Chuan more effective. When it comes to the theory and history of Tai Chi Chuan, Dr. Yang never fails his readership. In addition, Dr. Yang's scientific background also comes into play. Perhaps you have never fully understood bioelectricity before, but if you read this book, you will; moreover, you will learn how the complete long form and qigong are closely tied to this phenomenon. Dr. Yang writes: "Every living blood cell has to have qi to keep living." And "Each blood cell can be thought of as a small battery, which contains the `charge' of bioelectricity," that is, the qi. Do not forget to follow along with the DVD that accompanies this new edition. Among other topics are lectures on taiji qigong and taijiquan, and demonstrations of various sets of exercises and movements that are found in the book. This is a book you will want to have handy when you practice Tai Chi Chuan Classical Yang Style.

Full disclosure. I received my copy for review from the publisher.

If you look at my other reviews for YMAA materials you'll see that I don't readily gush about Taiji books. That said, this is the book I would want to use if I was starting fresh with the Yang Long Form.

After three years of daily practice in Cheng Man-ch'ing form (a martial context) I was compelled to attend a class in the Yang long form. The one hour a week class included a competent teacher leading the form in a health context and offering very general correction, mostly adjusting my CMC habits to her version of Old Yang. Without this book I'm afraid I would have had little more to go on.

This material is everything a newcomer would need short of personal instruction. The stepping directions are offered for each image. There are very helpful arrows showing lines of movement and expressed energy. There is a section with martial applications and plenty on applicable Qigong.

The production values for the book are quite good. The cover has a very classy texture and the printing and proofreading are good enough to be invisible. I only mention them here because I've complained in the past.

I've also grumbled silently in the past about frequent references to other YMAA books. It often seemed in the past that I would need to buy another book if I was going to find the information to continue down an interesting path. Not so here. There is enough on each subject to give a full meal. Other books are referenced but only to supplement. This IS as complete a guide as one could want in a single volume.

In my Ba duan jin review I recommended choosing either the book or DVD. For this book I would actually recommend both to anybody who does not have a teacher. If you are considering the video, I have heard it repeated that Dr. Yang's Taiji is a bit different from the common classical style. You may wish to research this further if it is a concern to you.

Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review.
That said, as I read through the new edition, I compared it with the older edition I bought several years ago when I was new to Tai Chi. The new book is an improvement in every measurable aspect, from the explanations and photos to the quality of the bookbinding. Other reviewers have covered the content in-depth, so I will limit my commentary to: If you already own the old edition, you will benefit from reading the new one. If you are new to Tai Chi, I highly recommend reading this book and also viewing the companion DVD (sold separately, I bought mine from an Amazon partner for a small savings) which has additional commentary and instruction:[[ASIN:B0000CEUY8 Taijiquan, Classical Yang Style DVD (YMAA Tai Chi) Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming]]

He knows his stuff but I felt like I needed something simpler to begin with. I got Chris Pei's Qi Gong for Beginners and found it to be just the right level.

It may be classical Yang style, but the postures are different from other masters, e.g. Yang Chengfu and Yang Zhenduo. I would recommend Fu Zhongwen's Mastering Yang Style Taijiquan.

It may be classical Yang style, but the postures are different from other masters, e.g. Yang Chengfu and Yang Zhenduo. I would recommend Fu Zhongwen's Mastering Yang Style Taijiquan.

Fantastic well accomplished and very useful to me.

Dr Yang is such a competent instructor, it is easy to follow along. He also invokes the feel of movements that transcend the mechanics of the movement pattern. Much better than I expected, better than I hoped for.

If you like tai chi, then learn the truly authentic Yang Style Taichi 85 Form Fu Qingquan: [...]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cAzhoxXdDw

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Bought for a friend. he tells me he loves it. It's a book.... the letters are printed clearly on paper.