Power of Internal Martial Arts: Combat Secrets of Ba Gua, Tai Chi, and Hsing-I [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

"B.K. Frantzis has a depth and breadth of knowledge of the nei jia (internal arts) that few Westerners possess."
- Don Ethan Miller

"This work by B.K. Frantzis on the practical structures and essence of the internal systems is definitive. It will become a classic, and will serve as a catalyst for kindred spirits. A must for all serious students of the martial arts."
- Stan Israel

"B.K. Frantzis is one of the few Westerners to comprehend the Taoist internal martial art system. For those seeking to understand energy principles in their own art, Frantzis has now opened The Way."
- Robert Nadeau

This book's primary focus is on the detailed descriptions of the three main internal boxing methods (Hsing I, Ba Gua, and Tai Chi), as well as many substyles. In-depth comparisons and analyses of the different arts in regard to their methods of movement, principles and philosophies, use of force and energy, body mechanics, and some practical applications, are also described. Frantzis also includes "Personal Odyssey" sections where he recounts many of his interesting encounters with famous martial arts masters. This feature recalls Robert W. Smith's Chinese Boxing: Masters and Methods, from a previous generation of martial arts books. To make this book as accessible to beginners as possible, there are five appendices covering the different styles of tai chi (such as Yang, Chen, Wu, Tung, Hou, and Sun), a history of Ba Gua, energy anatomy of the human body, a summary of Mr. Frantzis's training and lineage, a chapter on Chinese terminology and transliteration, and an extensive glossary.

Bruce Kumar Frantzis has written this book as an introduction for martial arts practitioners to the internal arts of Tai Chi, Hsing-I and Ba Gua, which are not usually seen as fighting arts. The book is organized around chapter-by-chapter profiles of Oriental masters who taught Frantzis - including Cheng Man-ch'ing ad Morihei Ueshiba. Frantzis describes the progressive stages of animal to human to spiritual embedded within each martial art, and the bridges practitioners need to cross in order to reach the next level.

B.K. Frantzis began martial arts in 1961. After advanced blackbelt training in judo, karate, and aikido in Japan, he went deeper into martial arts and healing techniques full-time for ten years in China. He teaches in North American and Europe.