Foundation of Intelligent Practice
No other writer better prepares you to step into traditional practice of Tai Chi. Master Jwing-Ming gives us an insightful and detailed look that allows us to see clearly and critically from that point on. He provides us with the tools to criticize our individual practice until we have found a suitable instructor to guide us further. Beyond that, he well prepares you to continue your study into the more advanced teachings, which his own line of books clearly depict. In addition, because he draws so much from classical medicine in his basic-but- thorough style of teaching, he allows you to easily apply your studies to other styles (such as Long Fist, Hsing-i, or Crane)and to other disciplines (such as acupressure, stress relief, pain relief, or even combative dim-mak).

Elementary, helpful, clear
I get more out of this book as I learn from my instructor. Unspectacular photos. Nice two person open hand sequence. Useful for beginners who want to supplement their study.

I want my money back!
This is another unsuccessful entry in the author's ambitious, all-encompassing series on Chinese martial arts. This book does not provide sufficient detail to enable one to learn on his own, and for someone who already has a competent instructor, it offers little more beyond the obvious and the superficial. In other words, this book has no intended audience. This work, as well as many others by the author, appears to be little more than a translation of a hodge-podge of Chinese martial arts books written by "real" masters of the craft. The only redeeming quality of this work is that it is actually written in intelligible English, in contrast to some of the other translated Chinese books on the subject. Definitely not worth its exorbitant price.

Excellent book on Yang style long form Tai Chi
The book shows detailed steps in the Yang style of Tai Chi (long form), as well as some martial aspects of each move. It also has a section on chi kung, and a Tai Chi straight sword sequence. The only minus that I have about the book is that althought the photos show you the position that you will end up in, they aren't positioned in the appropriate direction. The text instructions, however, easily make up for that. I would recommend this book to anyone who want to understand the martial aspects if the Yang long form. Ron Przygodzki