This is the first in a series of product reviews which I originally posted only to Amazon.com. I'm reposting them here so it is easier to reference and link to them in the future. Some small changes to make their meanings clear are included, but nothing that changes the message of the review.

Baguazhang: Theory and Applications, by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming and Master Liang, Shou-Yu, is an excellent book. As a practitioner of Baguazhang for the past several years (Yin Style Baguazhang, vs the Emei Style presented in the text), I found this book extremely informative and insightful.

Of the most worth to me were the collected translations of Chinese texts on the Bagua and Baguazhang, but the practical applications and exercises were laid out in a very informative manner.

I feel like if I were a complete novice to Baguazhang, I could use this book to learn some of the basics. That said, there are some very basic, foundational exercises, which I am surprised to NOT find in this book. For example, I didn't feel that the circle-walking techniques were emphasized enough, given the fact that they are the very foundation upon which the rest of the techniques in Baguazhang are built. Again, though, I study a different style of Baguazhang, and so these might just be stylistic differences.

The individual techniques and partner exercises are laid out in an easy to use format, though some pictures felt a tad out of order just in terms of their layouts on the page. While my own style's techniques vary in differing degrees from the ones presented in this book, this clearly looks and feels like Baguazhang, if perhaps a little foreign, but this, again, probably comes down to stylistic differences.

I simply can't emphasize enough how valuable I consider this book. The translated Chinese texts and modern-day rewordings are an absolute treasure to any Baguazhang practitioner who wants to gain a deeper understanding of his or her art.

I recommend this book wholeheartedly to everyone with even a passing interest in Baguazhang, and also to other internal stylists who would like access to some fascinating commentary on Bagua QiGong. You'd be hard-pressed to find a 500+ page work on ANY martial art that is as information-heavy as this one. Buy and enjoy.