Body Mechanics of Tai Chi Chuan

Great book for those wishing to learn Tai Chi, but you should definitely have some background knowlege of Cheng Ma'n Ching's short form before delving into this text,as it is basically an extension of his Yang short form. It expands Ma'n Ching's 37 movements into 60, thus making the form almost twice as long. The reverse breathing is covered very well, and the body weight/posture is specified as expected of a great book. Being a long time practitioner of Ma'n Ching's short form, I found this book to be a wonderful means to expand my form, without having to learn a completely new one.

Grand Master Chen provides his method of incorporating natural breathing (as opposed to reverse breathing) into each movement of a medium length Yang style form ("wake up"--breathe in by expanding the lower abdomen during yang movements; "fall asleep" -- breathe out by contracting lower abdominal muscles during yin movements). Chen's method is not customarily used; but then those who advocate reverse breathing seldom show how to do it (they usually dismiss breathing as reserved for advanced students.) (Reverse breathing is very "taoistic" and also very difficult to sustain during a longer form). Reverse breathing seems awfully "unnatural" to me. Few books give detailed breathing instructions for each movement. I'd recommend using his new DVD/CD along with this book.

This book delivers what the many slickly produced Tai Chi books claim to, it simply explains the mechanical aspect of Tai Chi. The author provides a clear explanation of his short form, his theories and his own life experiences. A must for anyone interested in learning the perspective of a martial arts master.