Kung Fu Books

Why 5 star? Well, this is the only book on Pak-Mei (Pak-mei tiger fork excluded). Having trained and taught Pak-mei for over 26 years the book offers the following BENEFITS to the reader. 1. Student of Pak-mei: History, Kou Boo Teaw form & a few strikes A must buy!

2. Interested reader: An interest only

For students wanting to learn the form in the book it I recommend you seek the help of your instructor to assist you with the text that accompanies the photos. The pictures are old and seem unclear, but only to the untrained eye......

The one who have just given 5 stars for this book must also be the one who has the used book for sale. He want to get rid of the book and get some money back. This book is totally no good for either Pak Mei students or the others.

This is the only book in the world on this subject, I asume that there are training manuals in china however because of the nature of the art and the chinese reluctance for westerners to learn it there are no other books to compete against it. Therefore this book has no comparison.This book has minimal informative content,and has been bulked out using photographs. I would advise prospective buyers to look on the internet as there is a wealth of information to be found there.

The Pak Mei student may wish to purchase for the historical value of the pictures,but anyone else will most likely be disappointed.Very little written info. Poor quality photos. 1 star for the kung-fu student,2 stars for a Pak mei student,0 stars for everyone else

Out of all the previous 5 reviews, I only agree with ablau@mindspring.com. 99% of kung fu books will not teach you all the forms (especially the secret techniques). I did not expect this one to either. However, I did expect it to list at least the first form - Jit Bo.

As a Pak Mei practioner, I learned about some of the origin and lineage of Pak Mei from my Master, but not everything. This book does give me some of it's history (and picture of Cheung Lai Chun!) that I didn't know before, so that alone is worth the price of the book (to me).

I did wish at the minimum it would list the names of all the forms, and maybe a small description of each. As I know it, there are variations of Pak Mei. (Don't believe those Pak Mei school when they tell you what you are learning is the original. Unless you are their beloved student, you will NOT learn the original forms) . My Master had already told me that some of the forms that I had learn were created from his Master - a pupil of Cheung Lai Chun.

My recommendation:

If you want to learn Pak Mei, don't bother buying this book. Find an instructor and learn from them, but beward of con-artists.

If you've practiced Pak Mei, but don't care much about it's history, don't bother with this book.

If you are a Kung Fu fanatic and would just like to know about the many different styles within the Martial Arts world, $17.95 is not much.

If you've learned Pak Mei, and would like to collect anything that is related to it. GET THIS BOOK!

To the previous viewer, how can you give it 5 stars if you haven't even read the book yet? I don't think it deserve 1 star or 5 stars. I gave it zero star for kung fu content, but I will give it 2 stars for it's coverage on it's history and rare photos. Oh, I added the 3rd star is because I love Pak Mei.

I would recomend this book for someone who wants to learn "cool kicks", and basically look like Jean Claude Van Dam. The book has very little text. It's devided into two sections: the first half is on stretches, and the second half is on kicking (big supprise, huh?). The stretches deal mostly with the legs and torso/back, which is OK, given that this is a book on kicks, and not punches. The section on kicks deals with a variety of kicks, from the basic to advanced, but most of it is high, flashy stuff that looks good in competitions. I'd say that the greatest benifit is that of health, or good form. Some of the kicks might be useful in point fighting. I know from experience that the stretches work, at least for me, so I wouldn't consider it a bad buy.

Now I realize that this book was first written in 1982, but that is still not a valid reason to forgive the author, or perhaps the publisher, for the tremendous lack of descriptive text that should have been in this book. The author demonstrates twenty (20) different stretches in the beginning of this book, yet only provides two to three sentences to describe each stretch that he is demonstrating. This is unforgiveable and it the primary reason why I have rated this book so low. Had there been more detailed text to accompany each technique described in this book, I would have given it another two stars.

The few photographs and the accompanying couple of paragraphs to describe the proper foot positioning for the various kicks was also a travesty. I don't know the author personally, but I do know of his credentials and he is a very talented martial artist and I know that he knows how to properly teach the techniques described in this book, it's just a shame that he didn't, or wasn't allowed to do so.

The kicking techniques section of this book had great potential, but the use of all black uniforms and small photographs accompanied by a dismal amount of descriptive text really destroyed what could have been a very good book.

If you really want to learn how to improve your flexibility and kicking skills, don't purchase this particular book. Instead, I would recommend the following books for stretching:

Stretching: 20th Anniversary (Stretching)
Ultimate Flexibility: A Complete Guide to Stretching for Martial Arts
Stretching Scientifically: A Guide to Flexibility Training (4th Revision ed)

And these books for kicking:

Back Kick (Achieving Kicking Excellence, Vol. 1)
Wheel Kick (Achieving Kicking Excellence, Vol. 2)
Axe Kick (Achieving Kicking Excellence, Vol. 3)
Front Kick (Achieving Kicking Excellence, Vol. 6)
Hook Kick (Achieving Kicking Excellence, Vol. 7)
Roundhouse Kick (Achieving Kicking Excellence, Vol. 9)
Side Kick (Achieving Kicking Excellence, Vol. 10)

Often times I wonder if I am being to critical of other books on the subject of kicking since I am the author of several on the very same subject. In this case I don't think so.

Shawn Kovacich
Martial Artist/Author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence series.

I think I read this book a year or two after it came out when I was about eleven or twelve. I was already pretty flexible, and the stretches in the book supplemented a successful training regimen.

The kicks and techniques, though, were wonderful additions to my knowledge. I think some reviewers forget that this book is 22 years old; most of what is digested and processed back to current readers of Black Belt magazine or any later kicking/ stretching manuals was found here first.

You have to acknowledge a debt to James Lew's effort to bring these techniques to the general public. 22 years ago, this information wasn't easy to find in one place. It still holds up today, respectfully but strongly in disagreement with the negative reviews.

This is a good supplementary book for advanced martial artists and athletes. It includes good stretches and kicks, but not very descriptive and detailed. If you are planning on taking a martial art, it's a good book to use to increase kicking height, speed and accuracy, I know because it has worked for me. Anyone interested in increasing there flexibility can benefit from this book though. It has many interesting stretches that are beneficial for anyone. I recommend this book.

After reading this book I must admit that it is not designed for the beginner, so if you are an expert at stretching then you may want to purchase this book. AS for beginners it does not give detailed explanations as to the different types of exercises or the benefits. It simply shows some pictures and tells you "stretch" or "relax into the positions". I am therefore forced to conclude that the art of stretching and kicking was produced for martial arts experts.....but.....if you are an expert already then you would not need a book to help you. This raises another question, what is the real purpose of this book?

shame about the text. The book covers a handful of the major styles (that are commonly taught in the USA)and very briefly touches on the history and some characteristics of these styles but says little else. The photos take up probably more space than they should but they are interesting nonetheless. Despite the title, there is nothing complete about this book.

This book promises to be the complete guide to kung fu styles, in some ways this is true, in other not at all. If we are comparing this book with most of the other variants knocking about then this probably is the complete guide! If we look into kung fu styles then this is not. At over 1000 in china no book can document all of them, and most of the family styles would not allow themselves to appear in such a book. This book should have been called 'The Complete Guide to Western Known Kung Fu Styles', as it gives pretty good if not broad information on most of the styles we know. I was very dispointed to find that some major animal styles were missing though.

Overall I would say an interesting read, and at around £10 you cant really complain about some styles missing,

A few readers have criticized this book for not being more comprehensive and for perhaps dealing more with kung-fu styles outside of China, but it's still a good introduction for the non-specialist in kung-fu. Some important styles have been left out, or are mentioned only in passing, such as some of the main animal styles such as snake, dragon, black tiger style, and so on, but they still get some attention in the discussions of some of the styles that incorporate their movements, such as Hung Gar and praying mantis. And the author does do a fine job discussing not just praying mantis, but at least five different praying mantis styles (northern praying mantis, 7-star praying mantis, 6-harmony praying mantis, tai mantis, and tai chi praying mantis (also known as the mayflower mantis style), and five monkey kung-fu styles.

I would have also liked some mention about which styles were important for later developments in karate. For example, a fusion of several styles from Fukien province, dragon, white crane, and tiger, became the basis of such famous Okinawan karate styles as Uechi-ryu. Others, such as Shorin-ryu, incorporate white crane influences and forms. But again, this is not a big deal and is perhaps not appropriate for an intro book.

Anyway, despite a few oversights, the book's strengths by far outweigh its shortcomings. Hollander writes with a nice style and also does a good job with much of the history. So overall, still a fine book on the subject.

Jane Hollander follows the tradition of Draeger and Leung Ting. She writes about every art she can get her hands on, detailing it better than most of the instructors of the style can. Here, she gives a simple guide designed simply to introduce us to the myriad ways that kung fu can be applied. It is not a book for learning exact techniques, but for becoming familiar with basic principles and showing the relationship of various arts which share certain princples. This book gives us the means to see the difference and the similarity, based solely on the basic premises of the styles. To learn more about each art, one would have to get videos & books specifically dedicated to that one art, which would still provide less by way of separate perspectives. This is the type of book that Americans need to help them wade through the confusion of which Chinese art is best for them.

this book tells you everything about all the kung fu fighting styles and is good for people in kung fu and just interested. it says everything about all the kung fu styles and seperates them into long fist and close range arts. it tells you about everything in the kung fu fighting styles it mentions and at the end it says a couple of really rare arts. a very good book

Me, myself being a practicioner of both JKD and Wing Chun Kung Fu found this book to be interesting. It shows you how Bruce Lee used his Wing Chun knowledge and skill to be the basis of Jeet Kune Do. This book also shows how both Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Do would handle the same situations.

In my personal opinion Jeet Kune Do is much more simpler, direct and practical in terms of hand-to-hand combat, but where Jeet Kune Do is rooted from should not be overlooked.

This book makes a decent reference guide, or a hypothetical fight comparison, but there isn't much that can be personally gained from it. It is divided into five chapters: stances, hands, kicks, tactics, and self defense. There is a woefully inadequate into paragraph for each chapter, then the rest is filled with "what-if?" situation counters. This book does a poor job of explaining the REASONS Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Do are different and simply shows you what ted wong and william cheung would do in an assortment of fighting situations. Also, it is important to note that Ted Wong practices JUN FAN, not JKD. Some of his counters are hopelessly outdated. For example, an attacker stabs with knife [angle 7] and he does an INSIDE CRESCENT KICK to deflect it. Is he the Flash? The material in this book might be okay to play around with a friend, but I'd rather apply the money towards paying an instructor: you cannot learn JKD (even Jun Fan) or Wing Chun from a book.

DO you really think that this stuff is going to work? especially the trapping? so many people love trapping but when then try it in sparring it doesnt work.the lin lop sau,the bong lop sau,the same hand tan to lop sau-cmon now none of that works against anyone who doesnt leave their hand out there after they throw a punch! this may have been how people fought hundreds if not a thousand years ago but it certainly isnt practical now! if you want to spend lots of your precious time learning an art that most of it you cant use in sparring or in the street then so be it.but like bruce said "man {or for that matter any person man or woman} is MORE IMPORTANT than any art or system" even applies to jkd and wing chun-not the other way around!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There isn't anything new to be found in this text that hasn't been covered more thoroughly in other texts. The topics covered seemed glossed over without any meat or substance. Skip this one for more up to date books.

This book was very disapointing, and misleading. Like for example wing chun has no high kicks but you will see one in this book. enough said

A good book in series. Same open mindedness of the others.
Well written easy to read and understand. I will probably buy more of his works.

If your interested in finding out what all the hype is about, or just wanting some interesting techniques to try out, buy this book. it covers dar mak, chin na, and many combination hand and feet techniques. A very good compliment to a wing chun student's martial arts library

I don't know why I keep on buying this kind of manual and after having read this book I've got a good reason to stop. 70 pages of chatting that 'any master' can do. The pictures don't show what the written should want to explain. They don't have a dynamical sequence and it's difficult to realize the words' author. 1 star is enough.

I agree with the other 1 star reviewer in that this book very poorly illustrates proper technique and is very, very basic. Fortunately, I read it at the book store and therefore did not waste any money.

When I found the book on Amazon while searching for other Wing Chun books, I was very surprised to see such good reviews for it. Of course, it could just be the author or friends of the author ;)

Especially watch out for anybody who tries to tell you you can learn the martial arts from a book - you can not. You can learn about it, but without qualified instruction, you can't learn how to do it.

Smith follows up volume one in this Wing Chun trilogy with another fine effort, this time detailing the techniques and tactics of the style. The material in this book can be used creatively as a guide to the applications of the forms described in volume one. This edition also contains an introduction to Chi Sau exercises, a vital component to Wing Chun training. What I like most about Smith is his open-minded perspective; in this book, he sights some of the strengths and weaknesses of the style, and he's not afraid to suggest solutions for oversights such as fighting outside trapping range and the lack of power strikes (readers might also consider a Wing Chun practitioner's vulnerability to a skilled wrestler's attack, an issue not addressed here). Another excellent analysis of this practical and highly efficient martial art.

Having trained in the martial arts for over 12 years now, as well as being familiar with Steve DeMasco, I should have known better than to waste money on one of his products. I have been suckered before by him and this will be the last time. I gained nothing out of the nonsense in this book.

I bought this book because I had read a bad opinion on amazon.com. I had read a previous article about Steve Demasco and his certification from the Abbott of the Shaolin temple. I was skeptical and I wanted to see for myself just how bad the book was.

The book lived up to my low expectations when I first saw it. It's a typical Ohara cookie-cutter book. The pictures are full body shots that are taken from a distance, which prevents you from seeing details, especially in the self-defense techniques, and the layout is unimaginative and predictable. I also found it hard to follow the "Iron Wire" form, which played such a pivotal role in his success at the temple.

But then I actually read the text. I was impressed with Mr. Demasco's sincerity. The little things that made him seem more real; like on the back cover where he lists his titles, there is a quote "These are titles I continue to earn." I particularly appreciated his retelling of his initial meeting with the Abbott of the Shaolin temple in ch.8. I was also struck by his honesty when he was reluctant to tell anyone about his certification. He was "certain that if this (certification) got out to martial artists, somehow they would find a way to discredit it."

I'm an experienced martial artist (I am not affiliated in any way with Mr. Demasco's system) with more than 15 years in the arts as well as a school owner. I have seen many fads in the arts and was skeptical of Mr. Demascos. But I found the book worth reading and even entertaining on a very human level. It's a story of his journey, successes, and mistakes. One that I think is easily relatable.

Although I would have appreciated some better technical pictures of his techniques, I feel it's a good addition to a martial artist's library. For it's human value, I gave it 4 stars.

Extremely fascinating to read.

I am mainly a karate, kali/escrima, and chin na (which is also part of kung fu, especially styles like eagle claw, tiger claw, and praying mantis styles) student and teacher, but I really enjoyed this book, as I also study Hung Gar kung fu and tai chi and have been exposed to several other styles of kung fu in the past, such as 7-star praying mantis, wing chun, white crane, northern ching kung, and southern black tiger.

I'm no master of kung fu, just an enthusiastic and interested student who appreciates the historical as well as martial and technical importance of the Chinese arts and whose karate reflects their influence, as my karate is quite a bit more fluid and flowing than your typical karateist (although without sacrificing speed and power and focus, which is what I specialize in training advanced students and black belts on). Although I claim no great skill at kung fu, my kung fu teachers have said the way I'm applying the principles to my karate is very valid and the modifications I've made have their full approval and blessing (and, before anyone says anything, my fellow karate teachers usually like my karate too, and some of them are my students).

Before getting into my own comments about the book, I noted the previous very negative review, saying DeMasco doesn't do the stances properly and uses the wrong names, but I was already aware of most of those points, but the reviewer is technically correct although I must point out that since DeMasco is a direct student of Tak Wah Eng, who certainly knows what he's doing, I'm inclined to give DeMasco the benefit of the doubt in regard to his overall level of knowledge and skill. For example, when he was training at the school and the students were asked anyone knew and could demonstrate the iron wire form, only DeMasco stepped forward and was able to perform it.

My only concern is whether the monks are practicing real kung fu these days or wu su. Although wu su has become the national sport of China, it's not the same as kung fu. I understand that some styles, such as eagle claw, have basically died out on the mainland, and that the only instructors are either in Taiwan, or in the U.S., such as Lily Lau or Dr. Yang Jwing Ming. I have three video tapes of monks at the southern Songshan Shaolin monastery doing their forms, which confirmed this suspicion, as they are wu su, not kung fu. I don't recall which monastery DeMasco visited on his trip to China, perhaps it was the northern monastery, and things are better there.

But getting back to the book, part travelogue, part autobiography, and part martial arts manual, in this book master Stephen DeMasco gives the student some of the essence of his 30 years of experience and training in the martial arts and kung fu. DeMasco first regales the reader with stories of how he first became involved with kung fu (he was turned away at the door of the studio or kwoon for 5 years, but persisted and was finally allowed to train). The story of how he came to be invited to the shaolin temple to perform for the abbot is truly inspiring and a great tribute to the author. As a result, he is the only westerner ever to be fully certified as a master by the Shaolin temple.

Most the book is devoted to photos presenting the exercises, techniques, and forms from several kung fu styles, including some weapons work. These include praying mantis, black tiger, five animals, and Hung Gar. In addition there is a presentation of a single saber, double saber, and staff techniques, although the text doesn't say what style they're from.

Finally, DeMasco shows the very rare Hung Gar iron wire or iron thread form, which is hardly ever seen, and which represents the highest level of the internal training of the style, and is still not widely traught or known. Overall, an enjoyable book covering Demasco's distinguished and inspiring career along with a very nice presentatin of many techniques drawn from the favorite styles of master DeMasco.

Basically the author of this book is more of a kempo practitioner then a Shaolin master of the arts. The Chinese arts require a life time of dedecation and hard practice.
Mr. DeMasco in this book represents very poor stances and a very shallow input on the Chinese martial arts. When he executes a horse stance his butt sinks below his knees, which should never happen. In his crane stance his leg hangs straight down when it should angle slightly inward to protect the groin area. The Chinese cross stances are too elongated, which places unneeded stress on the knee joints. The back knee of the stance should be placed in the calf of the front leg to provide strength and stability in the stance. He also doesn't use proper stance names such as Chinese cross stance, Lady's Horse stance (Lor E'ge Ma). It seems he has had some training in Wah Lum Mantis and in black tiger, but not enough to be considered a Master in these arts.
As for his Shaolin certificate presented to him by Shi Yong-xin, all I can say is that money (if you have enough) can buy a lot of things.
Even some of the self-defense techniques (from a kempo standpoint) were executed poorly and wouldn't be the most effective of techniques.

This is not a straightforward book by any means. Vijay Prashad has written a book that is by turns, illuminating, fascinating and maddening.

In many ways, reading this book is like one of those lively and entertaining conversations you have in British pubs with the local sagacious man: Prashad describes some tantalizing connections between Black and Asian liberation struggles and just as you think, "Aha, here comes the good bit", he does the authorly equivalent of popping off to the lavatory. And when he comes back, he has another bright idea to tell you about, and there's no sign at all of the first one.

In all fairness to Prashad, the tidbits he has to recount are pretty interesting. For example he notes that W.D. Fard, the inspiration behind Elijah Mohammed's bizarre origin myth for the Nation of Islam was actually a New Zealander (half South Asian and half Maori) who came across the US border with Canada as an illegal immigrant in 1913. He also talks briefly about the truly inspiring AJA leftist Yuri Kochiyama, who worked with Malcolm and cradled his head as he lay dying at the Roseland ballroom. But there's no follow through. We wonder in vain as to what the implications or lessons of these vignettes are but Prashad never tells us.

The most useful part of the book is the first half where Prashad presents a very useful theoretical analysis of the way race has been conceptualized and can be conceptualized in the future as a path to more effective and ongoing coalitions and hence to more effective social justice work.

Prashad distinguishes 4 different modes for thinking about race: colorblindness, primordialism, multiculturalism and what he calls polyculturalism.

Color blindness is the approach currently favored by mainstream conservatives (including many white liberals and elites of color) which argues that race should be ignored because the state and all our decisions as groups and individuals should be "above" race. As Prashad notes, colorblindness assumes the neutrality or benevolence of existing social and power relations. Prashad's discussion and analysis follows the standard radical critique of this way of thinking.

Primordialism for Prashad is a kind of essentialist thinking about racial identity, where biology determines cultural, moral and intellectual qualities. Proponents of primordialism include the extremist supremacist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan but Prashad also discusses groups amongst communities of color who subscribe to similarly essentialist notions such as the Nation of Islam, Afrocentrists and Dalitcentric thinkers. For Prashad, race must be viewed within the context of capitalism and the effect of capital on different groups of people in different nation-states and different historical moments. Race alone is not an accurate descriptor of all the dimensions of privilege and oppression that exist within a society.

In multiculturalism different races and ethnicities are treated as essentially equal aspects of identity and where tolerance (rather than engagement) is the requirement of the day. Here Prashad does a excellent job of deconstructing the way in which multiculturalism is in many ways simply aimed at the incorporation of communities of color into a consumer capitalist economy as consumers or producers of goods and services. In multiculturalism, diversity becomes a matter of management rather than a site at which people genuinely learn about, respect and deal with conflicts with one another.

Prashad's response to these three conservative approaches is to propose a more radical "polyculturalism": In this view, cultures are not autonomous and isolated, but are interpenetrated and influence one another in a dynamic fashion. Prashad also encourages us to pay attention to issues of class and of orientation towards "success" in a culture that emphasizes competition and hierarchical ranking.

The final chapter, on kung fu and the uses made by US revolutionary movements like the Black Panther Party of Third World liberation struggles (particularly in Vietnam and the People's Republic of China) was, at least to my mind the least satisfying chapter. While no-one would doubt the popularity of Bruce Lee, nor his significance in the personal pantheons of young men and women of all races, one wonders what if anything this symbolic affinity does. Does liking Bruce Lee or respecting his abilities allow you to respect the abilities or empathize with the life stories of real Asian Americans or Asian immigrants or even people in Asia? Once we get past the recognition of incidents of common suffering at the hands of a common oppressor, what else is there?

I am very much conscious of the probability that, as with hip-hop among Asian Americans, modern African American interest in Asia and Asian cultures generally emerges from the context of entertainment and spectacle rather than cultural critique. Whilst Bakari Kitwana encourages us to see the creation of real trans-racial solidarity based on love of an artform, the people involved almost always concieve of themselves as atomized individuals, and their journeys towards participation in the liberation struggle are seen as personal journeys of discovery and respect rather than political acts of alliance.

Prashad in fact provides a few tantalizing examples of exactly the kind of response to this question. In one chapter he proposes (following Eric B. and Rakim) "It ain't where you from, it's where you at": that a common sense of place may be one avenue that enables people to unite across differences. Unfortunately he does not really develop the argument further.

In the end, I'd say that this book has a great deal of value, particularly as a place to start asking some hard questions: What commonalities existed between various different groups? How did people create and maintain solidarity? How are people able to expand their personal politics to embrace other groups and to see their interests as being interwoven with those of others? While the book gives a sense of a large number of different cases of black and asian interaction, in the end, I would have liked to see more discussion of the specific circumstances under which these kinds of alliances became more than symbolic.

This book is conceived and written in a sloppy manner. Prashad sets up straw men and then proceeds to demolish them, which may be fine to score debating points but is unhelpful in understanding contemporary society.

vijay prashad has written another stunner of a book - sweeping in its subject matter, fresh in its analysis, and fun to read. a must for anyone interested in the thorny questions of race in the 21st century.

Vijay Prashad is untiring in his radical left analysis of Asian and African communities. But he doesn't make a sound case and the book doesn't deliver what it promises.

Strong, strong stuff--as thought-provoking and energizing as KARMA OF BROWN FOLK, and much more thoughtfully argued. But the guy needs to slow down and write a book as carefully and lovingly researched as his first (UNTOUCHABLE FREEDOM)!

As most fans know, this team produced a (justly) critically acclaimed "Master of Kung Fu" comic in the 70's. Too bad their legacy regarding Shang-Chi is tarnished by this tale.

While Gulacy's art is dependably excellent, Moench's plot and scripting are hackneyed. The fights seem forced and endless. Do these stories need action and conflict? Sure. Was this the way to do it? No. You'll want to take a pass on this one unless you're a real disciple of Gulacy.

After deciding to live in peace following a violent lifestyle, Shang-Chi must now return to action to stop evil. MI-6 has learned of a new underworld mastermind who brainwashes assassins to do his will, and Shang-Chi is the only one who can stop him if he gets his hands on a powerful weapon that can destroy the world. Chi must reunite with old team members and face old relationships before the final confrontation with his powerful adversary.

Classic Shang-Chi creators Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy return in this new action, spy thriller. The typical 'evil genius who wants to rule the world' spy theme is evident here as James Bond, espionage, and kung-fu fans should feel right at home. Moench's fairly generic spy plot isn't exactly innovative or deep, but it is a good fit for this action story and Paul Gulacy's great artwork. Gulacy's pencils and Palmiotti's inks clearly convey all of the many action scenes as well as the overall characters. Paul Mounts' dark but vibrant colors also do a good job of matching with the story.

Comic readers searching for a good, action based comic in a market filled with many dialogue heavy titles should look no further than "Shang-Chi: Master of Kung-Fu."

NOTE: This is a Marvel MAX book and is suggested for older readers due to language and violence/gore (a comic book equivalent to an R-rated movie).

When I became a certified comics fan in the late 70s, there were two comics outside of the "mainstream" superhero fare that I loved. One was Howard the Duck, a satirical comic about politics and society. The other was a comic about family, albeit one in which the father was the ultimate evil and the son had been raised to be the perfect assassin, who then rebelled against his father. Of course, Master of Kung Fu also had the big action sequences as well as secret service intrigue as well, but I suspect it was that idea of the son not exactly wanting to follow in his father's footsteps that a psychiatrist would have a field day with if I ever found myself on the couch.

Marvel's recent successes on the movie screen along with the burgeoning market for graphic novels has them looking to the past for their future. They also, obviously, believe that since the audience that grew up on these comics are older, that such audience also wants their return to be "mature" as well, and to that end Marvel has a new line of comics called "MAX" to distinguish comics with "mature" themes. I've only read two of the MAX titles--the original creators returning to my favorite books, Howard the Duck and Master of Kung Fu, and I'm starting to think ol' Tom Wolfe was right, and you can't go home again.

It's not that Master of Kung Fu (subtitled "The Hellfire Apocalypse") isn't well done. Moench and Gulacy are a wonderful team and the intervening years have not diminished their ability to portray in flat panels the fluidity and excitement of a martial arts epic. But something is missing, and I think it's the cliffhangers and surprise of the monthly comic. Collected together in this graphic novel, the monthly wait to see just how Shang-Chi, Weiko Lu, Clive Reston and Black Jack Tarr were going to get out of this dire calamity is gone. But even then, it wasn't that cast, nor Fu Manchu, that drew me to the comic, but the ancilliary ideas, just as it isn't James Bond or Blofield that brings you back to 007, but the gadgets. "The Hellfire Apocalypse," although it tries hard, is warmed over kung fu--there's nothing in this book that we haven't seen time and time again since Moench and Gulacy took their leave of us 20 years ago.

It makes me wary to re-read any of those 1970s/1980s originals, to see if my memory has failed me and that those comics weren't as great as I remember.

This is a project that should have been a new classic, but falls well short of that mark by a misguided and ultimately failed attempt at pandering to the perceived wants of current comics readership.

This book features two superb craftsmen returning to the title where they earned their reputations 30 years ago. Think of O'Neal and Adams reuniting on Batman, or Claremont and Byrne going back to the X-Men. Anticipation warms the heart and gets the blood pumping. You know it will never be as good as you remember, but certainly it'll be much better than most of what's offered on the bookshelf today. Unfortunately, that didn't prove to be the case, and sadder still, it could easily have been otherwise.

The work starts off strong, with Moench's taut pacing and spot-on dialogue, and Gulacy's strong storytelling steering your eye, and then it veers terribly off-course. The introduction of Morgan Spetz and his Omega team of over-muscled/under-dressed WWF cast-offs jars the book from "realistic" spy thriller to virtual parody. The Spetz subplot seems completely forced and doesn't ring at all true to the rest of the piece, even as a failed attempt at comic relief. It's like Moench submitted his original script to Marvel and the editors convinced him he needed these steroid-popping oafs to attract the 12-year-olds (who shouldn't be reading this "Mature Audience" title in the first place). Their inclusion slows the pace to a crawl and dumbs-down the plot, leaving the reader with a sour aftertaste of disappointment and frustration at a glorious storytelling opportunity lost.

Unlike the original source material that still resonates in the minds of collectors 30 years later, this current offering is cranial candyfloss, empty intellectual calories that will have completely faded from your memory before your next meal.

It's a good Saturday afternoon read, but unlikely a book you'll ever pick up again.

As a Wing Chun practioner I feel that it is important to point out that what is portrayed in this book is not genuine Wing Chun but rather a guide to the Moy Yat cult. There is very little technical info of any value and the understanding of the art seems to be quite superficial. Most disturbing is the "Special Student" section in which a pyramid scheme is described that requires a student who actually hope to learn the complete system to pay a fee of $1,000 or $3,000. I hope this book is never reprinted as I would hate to see an unsuspecting Wing Chun student throw their money away.

As mentioned in another review The Voice of Ving Tsun is indeed different from the numerous visually diagramed books which dominate the subject. However it is wonderfully refreshing in that it makes no pretensions nor claims other than that the fact that the Ving Tsun system produces not only great fighters but great people as well. By free translation of Moy Yat's knowledge and wisdom the true heart of Kung Fu is transmitted to the reader. The front chapters speaks of Ving Tsun's roots and deals with Kung fu life and how the art can guide the practioner to becoming a greater human being and a contributer to society. The book then leads us to examine how a systematic approach, based on natural truths, will always produce quality results, with the only variable being the practioner himself. The book concludes with chapters dedicated more to the technical aspects of the art.

Moy Yat's artist background gives him an insight that many do not have and this book demonstrates how a true Grandmaster can comunicate volumes of infomation directly, simply, and effectively: good Ving Tsun.

I strongly urge readers to take time for reflection of the words of this book. When the student is ready the teacher will appear.

I ahve read most of the Wing Chun books out there and I must say this was the worst one of them all-the only one I have returned. The price for the book,$40 ,is outrageous! Talk, talk, talk-but no action. Better books for Wing Chun are Wing Chun Kung Fu by J.Lee, Dynamic Wing Tsun by Leung Ting (no I am not associated with his organization-but a great book) and "Making your martial art street effective" by Mac Animal McYoung. Also if you want the philosphy of Wing Chun read Sunzi Speaks-the art of war or Confucius Speaks-or defeinately the psalms and 31 proverbs of the Bible. Save your money from this book which just goes on and on about how great the Moy Yat lineage is and his cult like followers. Emin Boztepe's comments are right on target below and he is a Wing Chun fighter who has earned the right to speak out as he is battle proven. I can also attest that as one who has lived and trained full time in Hong Kong-that Moy Yat is despised of by many of the true grandmasters of Wing Chun there as only being after money and teching cultural tai chi like wing chun.

I was given a copy of this book by Meng sifu over a year ago and read it that very night. Though not a member of the Moy Yat or even Yip Man Wing Chun families, it was interesting and enjoyable to learn about just some of what they have done over the decades. Beyond a simple write up on background or description of movements, the book seemed intent on trying to share with the reader the greater experience of the Moy Yat family and that, I found, made it valuable to outsiders and insiders both (especially coming from a very different - small group, small family - background myself). People will seldom agree about every little thing, and I'd suggest that's even more reason to learn about each other. In any event, it takes courage and committment to put yourself and your family out there, and for that, the author deserves our respect and thanks.

As much as I'd like to admire the people from Inside Kung-fu magazine for trying to cover a lot of ground in this book, none of it is very cohesive and what it does cover, it mostly skims over. Articles are rarely more than three or four pages and nothing is gone into in-depth.
I also take an issue with putting Chapter 18 in the book, which deals with auras, prana, and other scientifically unsound ideas that have become a large source of ridicule to kung fu.
So this book is not a guide for the "Ultimate Training for the Martial Arts" but rather a series of semi-related articles.

This is one of the Ultimate Guides that Inside Kung Fu Magazine has been publishing in recent years. There is so much ionfrmation here that it would be difficult to summarize, so I will focus on three articles in different areas that I found most helpful.

Before I do that, I want to say that the articles run the full gamut, covering almost every martial art you can think of, from external to internal training, conditioning, diet, health, exercise, technique training, practical applications, strategy, weapons, advanced theory, internal energy, martial arts energetics, and the usual articles on various styles. Often by recognized experts, the level of difficulty varies quite a bit and also in coverage and depth of detail, but that's to be expected in a book like this. Someone with an already extensive background in the martial arts might find the average level of the articles a bit too basic, but overall, there's a lot of good information here. (Besides, someone that expert should probably be writing their own articles and publishing them in this book or similar books).

The first is Tim Tackett's "Wing Chun Meets JKD." Having recently attended one of Tim's seminars, and also at age 53 having recently received my instructor certification in Kali/JKD, I read his article first. (I should mention I am a karate and kung fu instructor with some years experience, so that wasn't my first black belt).

Since much of my martial arts career has been spent training on my own, I've always liked the idea of a dummy set, although I'm never had a chance to learn it, out of the many forms I've learned. Tim discribes how Bruce developed his own version of the form (he never quite finished the actual form). Later, when Inosanto visited Hong Kong he finally had the opportunity to learn the whole form. Upon returning, he then developed a 125-move JKD form consisting of Bruce Lee's modified Wing Chun set and the boxing phase of JKD.

Tim also mentioned that JKD isn't comprised of 26 different arts, as has been claimed. it is mainly based on Wing Chun, western boxing, and western fencing. As always, Bruce was a master of assimilation and simplification, which the ability to strip everything down to the essentials, hence his famous dictum about using what works, disposing of what doesn't, and simplifying what you have learned.

The second article I wanted to mention was June Castro's on boxing ringmanship. Miss Castro does an excellent job discussing the different skills and ring strategies, which consist mainly of using the center, using the corners, and using the ropes, and how different fighters may try to take advantage of them, how to defend yourself accordingly, and then use them to your advantage.

I am also a fan of Marco Ruas, whom the redoubtable Norm Leff discusses in the third article I wanted to mention. Master Leff discusses in detail Ruas's training and diet regimen and how he trains for a fight. However, at age 53, I would be happy to accomplish 1/5 of what Marco does in a day, often training for 5-6 hours 6 days a week. Overall, a fine collection of articles on many interesting topics in the martial arts.

This book wasnt what I expected it to be or what it was told to be. It was bunch of articles of magazines and because of that subjects were short. Its has some good tips but it wont help you make a workout or something similar. It was thought really fun to read and intresting and it gave some ideas which I will maybe use later. Therefore I give it 3 stars.

Dont buy this book expecting to get a workout program or something like that or youll get disappointed. I think this more for people that are intrested in martial arts, already know alot of it and search for something fun to read about it.