Tai-Chi: The Supreme Ultimate Exercise for Health, Sport & Self-Defense Book by Cheng Man Ching & Robert Smith (Preowned)

"Tai chi helps reduce stress and anxiety. And it also helps increase flexibility and balance. If you are looking for a way to reduce stress, consider tai chi. Originally developed for self-defense, tai chi has evolved into a graceful form of exercise that's now used for stress reduction and a variety of other health conditions. Often described as meditation in motion, tai chi promotes serenity through gentle, flowing movements."—Mayo Clinic

Do the Chinese have a secret for youthfulness, health, long life and peace of mind? If they do, an important part of it lies in T'ai-chi, the exercise that millions have been practicing for centuries. To young and old, male and female, weak and strong, T'ai-chi is a wonderful source of relaxation and well-being. In fact, the Chinese consider its purpose to be nothing less than rejuvenation and prolongation of life.

T'ai-chi is an effortless and rhythmical art that stresses slow breathing, balanced and relaxed postures, and absolute calmness of mind. It requires no special equipment or place to practice, and takes no more than ten minutes a day.

This book, from renowned Tai Chi master, Cheng Man-Ch'ing, introduces T'ai-chi as a means to a healthier life, as a sport and as a method of self defense. It is a complete step-by-step manual for the beginner. With conscientious practice, readers will master the sequence of thirty-seven postures that will make up the T'ai-chi solo exercise. Students will learn how to progress from exercise to sport to self defense with maximum efficiency. The instructions are clear and easy to follow, and more than 275 photographs and 122 foot-weighting diagrams guarantee an understanding of the correct form.

A history of T'ai-chi, including thumbnail sketches of famous masters, and the first English translation of the basic T'ai-chi document, known as the T'ai-chi Ch'uan Classics, are also included.

About the Authors:

Cheng Man-ching was one of the most influential figures in modern Yang-style Tai Chi Chuan. Trained in medicine, poetry, calligraphy, painting, and martial arts, he was often called the “Master of Five Excellences.” He studied closely with Yang Cheng-fu and later developed a shortened 37-posture form, intended to make Tai Chi easier to learn while preserving martial and health benefits. After moving to New York City in the 1960s, he became a major force in bringing Tai Chi to the West, teaching thousands of students and producing numerous books on form, philosophy, and internal practice.

Robert W. Smith was an American martial arts historian, author, and practitioner known for being one of the earliest English-language writers to document Chinese martial arts.
After training judo in the U.S., he was stationed in Taiwan, where he studied Tai Chi under Cheng Man-ching and learned from several other top-level Chinese masters.
He later wrote extensively on Tai Chi, push-hands, and internal martial arts—both as a practitioner and a historian—producing some of the most influential early English books in the field. Smith’s work played a central role in introducing Chinese internal martial arts, especially Cheng’s system, to Western readers.

Length: 112 pages

Publication date: 1967