BOOKS ON WEAPONS Page One Kung Fu weapons, including those of Tai Chi, offer a varied world of possibilities. They also can be of tremendous aid in perfecting one's style. Weapons are the martial heritage of the art. Many, many movements were developed in weapons training BEFORE they were incorporated into the hand sets. In addition weapons add an esthetic and historical interest which, from the anthropological sense, gives deep insight into cultural and social conditions regarding the art and the land from which it came. Click the picture in frame to see if there is one available. NOTE: For more detailed view, click each picture. |
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Tian Shan Pai, at present, has an equivocal status as a traditional style but there is no doubt that it is at least a compendium of traditional styles. For example the saber technique shown in this book is said not to derive from Yang Chen Fu but from his father and his elder brothers through the teacher, Xiang Yang He who passed it directly onto the author. (Xiang also taught T. T. Liang, and it should be noted was not a TSP practitioner). Overall a nice book with a somewhat different take on the Yang saber along with numerous notes on the TSP tradition most of which are neutral and some which should at least be taken with a grain of rice. |
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Rick Wing, student of the famous Wong Jack Man and main instructor of the San Francisco Jing Mo, returns with another text on Northern Kung Fu. This time we have a neat exposition of the Three-Sectional Staff vs. the Spear. Wing Sifu's light and breezy narration highlights a book with background information, lineage, notes about the weapon and more. What we particularly enjoyed was the explanation, during the set breakdown, of the strategy between the two weapons. Wing says this is one of his favorite demonstration sets and we can see why. Remember to wear gloves and a helmet when learning. Oh, and much bigger and more beautifully posed photos than Wing's previous Northern Shaolin book. |
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This was one of the first older Chinese Kung Fu books translated into English. According to the well-known teacher and the book's translator, Leung Ting, he bought it when he was a teenage for less than a US dollar. When he decided to republished it he rearranged the illustrations from the forms sections to demonstrate what in the original was only description of the applications. According to his sources, the orginal writer was a monk named Yuan Wan. In addition to everything else this is a quite learnable form definitely in the Shaolin manner. |
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#EWP75 Rope Dart: The Kung Fu Weapon Also, click on right picture and you can see the companion DVD for this book. | |||
#EWP98 Tornado Broadswords of Wah Lum Kung Fu Demonstrated by the flamboyant and extremely limber Chan Pui. English and Chinese text. The entire set plus a valuable explanation of the key actions of the sword, and a "limbering up" exercise with a rod. One intriguing aspect is that many of the faces in the pictures of students in the back of the book have been obliterated in all copies. Probably a school schism of some kind. A good book with an authentic and do-able double saber set. Chan Pui is a well-known Shihfu and tireless promoter of Chinese Martial Arts. His people have not only competed and won in America but performed and impressed audiences in Shaolin's homeland itself. | |||
#EWP97 Kwan-Dao
Play There are darn few books in English on the Kung Fu weapon known as the "Big Knife." An important weapon for developing "heavy power." Besides giving a clear explanation of the basic movements of the Kwan this book also demonstrates a Southern style Kwan Solo set. But that's not all. There's a partner set with Kwan Dao against Staff, another with Kwan vs. Double Sabers, and yet another with Kwan Dao against Three-Sectional Staff. These last three are short sets but all in one book, what can you lose? Fun, interesting and learnable. | |||
#EWP96 Soft
Kung Fu Weapons: Rope Dart & Steel Whip One of the very rare texts on the use and practice of Kung Fu's fascinating soft weapons such as the Steel Whip and the Rope Dart. More than 200 pictures show the basic rolls, tosses and loops of these definitely "advanced" weapons. Sections on history and background fill out this very informative text. | |||
#EWP95 Ancient
Chinese Hidden Weapons This English language text uses old time drawings from Chinese books to illustrate its contents. Published in 1986 it catalogs all sorts of "hidden" weapons and throwing instruments. We can read about the dagger, Mei Hua Needles, Whip chain Dart, Slingshot, Iron Mandarin Duck, Universal Bangle, Javelin, Iron Lotus, Steel Toad, Flying Claw, Steel Olive and other defensive defenestratum. Much fun and, believe it or not, much historical information on the subject. | |||
#EWP94 Kwan Dao
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#EWP78 Tai
Chi DRAGON FAN by Bow Sim-Mark
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#EWP82 T'ai
Chi Mantis Killing
Fan Play | |||
#EWP83 Waddy
Play of Tsai
Lee Fo (Choy
Lay Fut) | |||
#EQS13 Yan
Qing Dao (Saber) | |||
#EWP88 Wing
Chun WEAPONS A good overall book on the basics of Wing Chun's main weapons: the Butterfly Knives and the 6 1/2 Pole. Introductory sections on Wing Chun teachers such as Yip Man and Leung Ting. Applications of the weapons according to Wing Chun theory. Basics and some correlations to open hand work. Sets for both weapons are profiled. | |||
Special Editions Here is a beautiful series of books in a special edition. Each one is oversized ( 8 X 11 inches). They are short (32 pages) but with extraordinarily clear photographs about six per page. Names of moves are in Chinese and English. Some features are outstanding. Though there is little explanation the layout of the book makes totally clear the sequence of actions. The pictures are set next to one another for easy scanning and a real feeling of the flow of the form: sort of movies on paper. Just do what you see. And then they are also in full Color - that right the entire book is color photographed. Demonstrator: Lee Koon-Hung has a number of credits to his name. He is a fifth generation inheritor of CLF and Kung Fu instructor at the new Asia Chinese Kung Fu Club at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is also an instructor at the Confucius Hall Middle School. He is also the Vice-Chairman and Competition Supervisor - Hong Kong Kung Fu Association. His moves are very clean and his actions flexible. |
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#EWP84 DRAGON
FAN of Choy Lay Fut Acutally two forms. Included is the CLF Fundamental Fist Set. This is followed by the Dragon Fan, a short and easily learned set. The fan here is used in a more martial manner with less emphasis on flicking it open and closed and more on using it needle-style as a weapon. Of course the opening and closing can be modified as one chooses. A nice, direct set. | |||
#EWP76 SPINNING
SPEAR of Choy Lay Fut A nice Color presentation of a Choy Lai Fut set. Good solid movements with very clear actions typical of the style. Names given for each movement and a sequential approach that makes the transitions from move to move pretty easy to follow. This is also known as the Left Handed Spear. One of the most elegant of Southern Styles and one of the most complete. | |||
#EWP77 WHIRLING
STAFF of Choy Lay Fut A nicely presented Choy Lai Fut set in Color. CLF has a number of excellent staff sets. This one is relatively short and learnable. It is also known as the Dragon Staff. Sifu Lee's motions are easy to understand especially in this format. Comes with an additional four pages on applications of the staff. | |||
#EWP67 
#EWP68 
#EWP69 The Ferocious Enchantment
#EWP99
