This is an excellent translation and of Hunag
Bo Nian’s Xingyi Fist and Weapon
instruction by Dennis Rovere and Chow Hon Huen. Mr. Rovere has also filled
in some of the gaps about basic application, five elements theory and history.
As always, I would like to explain how I evaluate martial arts books in general
and Chinese Internal Martial Arts books specifically.
This book should be viewed as a
translation of an important historical document, not as a book to teach Xingyi.
It documents the re-adaptation of Xingyi back into a battlefield art. The
manual doesn’t contain the forms and other training pieces that most full
Xingyi systems do. It focuses on the five elements, linking forms and two
weapons. Many people complain of the lack of clarity in the pictures or lack of
applications. Mr. Rovere states in the beginning of the book that it was to be
used by instructors as a training reference,
the intention of the book was not to teach students Xingyi Quan. You cannot learn Xingyi Quan from a book; you
cannot learn Chinese Internal Martial Arts from You Tube. You have to spent time with a real
practitioner of the art. You can learn forms, you can even learn applications,
but you will never achieve real understanding.
The first section of this book is a
high level overview of:
·
five element theory
·
the five fists
·
the linking form
·
the Xingyi classics
Section two covers Xingyi training
in the Chinese Army, the Xingyi five elements and linking forms. Mr. Rovere
does a good job of augmenting the pictures from the original manual with
pictures of himself, explanations of postures and simple applications.
The most interesting part of the
book is the in-depth coverage of the two weapons, the bayonet and the cavalry
sword. The reason these are important is they are the application of Xingyi
principles for modern weapons. I believe anytime the principles are applied by
an expert in a modern context it helps to expose the roots and viability of the
art. Can the principles serve in another context and work well?
I believe the value of these
manuals, besides preservation for historic value, is to give the modern
Xingyi practitioner greater understanding of their style by adding depth and perspective.
Books on internal martial arts are generally survey in style - covering the
forms, history and general practices of that style. This book is interesting
and unique because it takes the principles of an ancient martial art and shows
its relevance in a battlefield context.
Owen Schilling is a 20 year
practitioner and teacher of Xingyi Quan, Bagua Zhang and Tai Chi Quan, a
lineage holder in the Yi Zong School and the lead instructor at Boulder Internal Arts in Boulder,
CO.
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