The Principles and Practice of Taijiquan: Volume Four - Martial Applications

In response to a recent negative review of this book, I would like to state that the martial applications presented in this book were taught to me and other students participating in specific martial applications classes by various masters whom I certainly would categorize as martial artists, including my teacher, GM Jesse Tsao, Chris Luth, and Don Miller. I also attended workshops with Chen Zhenglei, Zhu Tiancai, and Prof. Li Deyin at which various martial applications of the postures of the Chen and Yang styles were featured. The fact that I, at some seventy years of age, no longer consider myself to be a practicing martial artist in no way diminishes the validity of the martial applications presented in this book, which have been transmitted through generations of masters down to the present day.
Although there are a number of specific examples in which a particular posture from a given family style is utilized for the purpose of illustrating a certain martial application, the overriding premise of this volume is that the martial applications of taijiquan are independent of any specific family style of taijiquan. As stated in chapter seventeen, “When all is said and done, a push is a push, a punch is a punch, a kick is a kick, a knee to an opponent’s groin, or a fierce heel stomp onto an opponent’s foot transcend the superficial distinctions between different styles of taijiquan or even of other martial art forms.”
This volume commences with a review the principles of taijiquan as they apply to the martial applications. The author takes the position that practitioners who are interested in utilizing the postures of the solo form for self-defense must adhere to the principles of taijiquan as elucidated in the Taijiquan Classics as well as in the classical literature of taijiquan. From there, the material proceeds to address the fundamental martial applications inherent within the Original Thirteen Postures. These thirteen martial methods, which include the so-called Eight Hand Methods and the Five Stepping Methods, form the foundation of the martial art of taijiquan.
Once these thirteen basic martial methods have been assimilated and can be employed by the practitioner as effective methods for self-defense and counter-attacking, the reader is exposed – chapter by chapter – to increasingly more advanced martial methods, such as striking, deflecting, capturing and covering, kicking, kneeing and stomping, tripping and sweeping, grappling and throwing, applying joint locks, and grasping and seizing to control an opponent. The book concludes with two chapters on proper training, including both solo training exercises and partnered training exercises.
To assist readers in comprehending and training the numerous and varied martial applications of taijiquan, this book contains over five hundred photographs and drawings depicting a compendium of more than one hundred distinct martial applications selected from among the five major family styles of taijiquan.
It should be noted that, by itself, this book will not suffice to turn you into a skilled martial artist. In order to accomplish this goal, it is necessary to train for a number of years with like-minded individuals, preferably under the guidance of an experienced instructor who has mastered the martial applications of taijiquan. What this book does provide is a comprehensive background of the principles and practices involved in employing the martial applications of the art. As such, this book is an excellent reference for all those taijiquan practitioners who have an interest in martial applications. It also may be employed as a useful supplemental resource for those who are actively engaged in training in the martial applications of the art of taijiquan.