Cheng Man-ch'ing, the famed master of t'ai chi, is regarded as an enormously influential figure in codifying the most widely practiced form of the ancient martial art. This volume, developed by the martial arts master and scholar, details the way that students arrive at a posture -- from beginning movements to the end pose. Master Cheng provides practitioners with a complete and concise guide to the Short Form, enabling them to make rapid progress.

Millions of people worldwide practice t'ai chi, the most popular form of which was codified beginning in the 1960s by Cheng Man Ch'ing. In this scholarly yet practical book, Professor Cheng shows precisely how the postures and moves of t'ai chi work, with examples from anatomy and physics, both internally as energetic principles and externally on opponents. He clarifies the spheres, triangles, and centripetal and centrifugal forces within physical exchanges such as push-hands. Contrasting Western and Chinese techniques of healing, he also explores the relationships of organs to one another in...