Customer Rating: 
Summary: great book
Comment: it is one of the most essential books you should have , it is easy written and easely to study from.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Deal!!!
Comment: Excellent! One of the best guide books on the art of Baguazhang. Also check out the book on the subject by Mr. Liang, Dr. Yang and Mr. Wu. Mr. Wu is my teacher here in RI and is one of the nicest men I have met in the martial arts world. He also very knowledgeable on the subject and has all the proper credentials to back up his teaching skills.
In this particular book though, it takes Baguazhang from a different point of view. It is more like a dance stepping graphic look at the stepping pattern. Which becomes extremely helpful when linked with Mr. Wu's book. The two complement each other really well.
So if you want to nail down the concept of Baguazhang, get the two volumes of this book and the book on Baguazhang by Mr. Liang. Dr. Yang and Mr. Wen-Ching Wu.
Customer Rating:
Summary: real kung fu - martial arts
Comment: what a humble and truthful insight to the life and art of a real Chinese martial art master! love it.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Good intro.
Comment: Good introduction to Pa Kua. However, there is a lot missing. There is so much more to Pa Kua than what this book covers. It would also benifit greatly to have a video to supplement the illustrations.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Superb introduction into BaGua mechanics
Comment: ~I'm finally glad they got Vol. 1 on this website. I'd written a review for Vol.2 awhile ago, but had to imply that there was a Vol.1 to be read, as well. It's been a while, and others have already gotten to it, but I thought I'd plug in my 2 cents...WONDERFUL!
In retrospect, there is some mystery here. BaGua, as with many Chinese martial arts styles, is all about your instructor, your instructor's instructor, etc.. Your lineage is key. BaGua has a very complex geneaology, stemming~~ from Dong Hai Chuan (various phonetic spellings) the legendary Grandmaster. In fact, two key branches of BaGua (since Dong Hai Chuan only taught experienced martial artists-- most whom he purportedly defeated in combat) are those that seem very BaGua like, and those that seem Hsing-Yi-ified. Those are my terms. In my experience, you can take the forty or so BaGua styles, and classify them as fairly "pure" BaGua (circular, evasive, fine, intricate), and those that have integreated~~ significant Hsing-Yi principles-- linear, power, direct.
Park Bok Nam's style is more pure BaGua in terms of evasiveness, footwork, and hand-techniques. His teacher, the legendary Lu Shue-Tien, is a bit of an unknown... Even in this book, there is no real claim as to who taught Lu Shue-Tien. Other sources I have speculate...
That being said, this book is a wonderful, detailed work that describes basic techniques-- footwork, some foot-trapping, and elementary strikes down to the~~ smallest level of biomechanics. How to move your feet, knees, pelvis, abdoman, to generate power, for example. In more detail than in any other book on any other style I've ever read. Superb for anyone who is trying to understand the underlying principles of this art, or even for the advanced practitioner trying to compare this or that, or to glean insights.
This is not a forms book. Park Bok Nam gives some simple palm changes that are basically qi gong postures with circle walking. ~~ It's a mechanics book. A superb one.
Finally, the lineage is important. BaGua varies significantly from style to style. The techniques can be dramatically different, as can the mechanics at the more superficial level. But I think from a basic concepts level, the biomechanics are all pretty much the same. So this is an insight into one family, not all. But I think confining it to mechanics kept it manageable, and pure. No hullabaloo or flash. And eminently useful.
Wonderful,~~ clearly written, adequate pictures (get the videos for better illustration of Park's technique). A must for the martial artist.~
