The Xingyi Quan of the Chinese Army: A Complete Translation of Huang Bo Nien's Xingyi Fist and Weapon Instruction with Applications and Theory

Sehr gutes Buch. Für Esoteriker nicht zu verdauen, für die, die wie ich den Stil schon sehr lange machen, eine Bereicherung. Es gibt keine Hsing-i-Adepten!!

In this translation Dennis Rovere not only included the original photos, but he repose them in order to clarify details that the original photos don't show.The book includes the five fists, linking form, rifle bayonet and saber forms. At the end of each fist there are fighting applications and the same approach follows rifle-bayonet and saber forms. There is even a short section that shows how to apply the fists using a dagger. In Huang's original there were no applications for any technique. Mr. Rovere's examples are not made up, but are the ones his teacher Colonel Chang Hsiang Wu taught at the Military Academy in the 1930's to Chinese officers.One of the many interesting things that this book reveals is the progression of the five fists from empty hand to weapons fighting since they can be apply without modifying the techniques learnt in the forms or in Mr. Rovere's words "the uniform theory" that allows for the direct transference of basic technique from one weapon (including empty hand) to another (Military Hsing-i And Its Uniform Theory of Training by D. Rovere). The book also includes some historical background of the Xingyi taught at the Military Academy.The quality of the pictures and the layout of the book are of very good quality and the price is a steal; the explanation of the movements is based on Huang's original. The book includes further comments from Mr. Rovere on those sections that need clarification. From a historical as well as technical point of view this book is a must have, let's hope enough interest from the readership will encourage the author of this superb work to follow it up with a DVD!

Paul Rovere has personal contact to former trainer in Nanjing military academy during turmoil years before Japanese aggression and civil war in China. This translation of Huang Bo Nien's drill manual has significant historical value: it is one of the first accounts of traditional martial arts applied in modern warfare. It is interesting to see how principles of body control, weight shift and balance in close combat situations today, 90 years later, are taught exactly in same fashion.BW pictures are accurate enough, and clarify the original 20's photos. Translation is good, the idea of meaning is conveyed nicely without totally passing the flavour of original (perhaps somewhat poetic) chinese.I recommend this book to anyone interested in applied martial arts. Those with background with karate, wushu and taiji will benefit most.

VERY SPECIFIC ABOUT AN HISTORICAL MARTIAL APPLICATION. INSTRUCTIONS MOSTLY VAGUE.UNLESS YOU KNOW ASPECTS OF THIS TRAINING, YOU'LL FIND THIS DRY AND EVENTUALLY SOMEWHAT BORING.

This fascinating work presents classical Chinese Kung-Fu -- as applied to pre-1950 battlefield combat. This combat kung-fu is of a Xingyi Quan [known as Hsing-I Chuan as well] vintage -- but adapted to combat survival on the pre-1950 battlefields. So -- much of the book covers weapons -- staves, knives, swords and bayonets. This may be a PLUS even for those researching mostly unarmed methods -- as these armed methods are closely parallel to the unarmed ones. The unarmed methods are presented after a GOOD SUMMARY of Classical Hsing-I Chuan -- history and metaphysics including the Five Elements and their abstract interaction -- and their concrete USAGE via the Five Fists -- which are five general self-defense methods using five fist-formations in five distinct directions with five patterns of footwork and stance-shifting. This all is DIRECTLY applied to unarmed and armed survival self-defense and PROVEN by Chinese defenders in pre-1950 combat. I most especially admire the smooth first-contact deflection-and-entry of most of the methods of this Art as shown via the book under review. The author of this fine work, Dennis Rovere, is a follower of Colonel Chang Hsiang Wu, a Xingyi Master AND know-how holder of the same combat kung-fu as presented in this work. This Colonel gives special first-hand know-how assisting Dennis Rovere and Chow Hon Huen -- who is the main transilator of the Chinese work by Huang Bo Nian -- used as the main source for "The Xingyi Quan of the Chinese Army" +++