Customer Rating:  
Summary: Some good stuff - a lot of wasted space
Comment: I have 2 substantive problems w/ this book
- in spite of the title, it doesn't actually "demystify" anything
If you've had any training w/ a good Taiji teacher,
there's nothing new conceptually
and little new in training exercises that you should not have
already been exposed to.
- it has a LOT of repetition
Like any book that is, for the most part, a compilation
of magazine articles, it has a LOT of repetitive material.
A good editor could have whittled this down to half the number of pages
and still made all the good points at least twice.
Having said that, there is much to be said
that is good for this book
- an emphasis on posture and whole body motion
Contrary to what the author says, this is not new -
every Taiji instructor I've worked with has made
these same points. Nonetheless, the explanations
and exercises to help improve this are worthwhile.
- an emphasis on standing exercises
Again, contrary to what the author says, this is not new either -
every Taiji instructor I've worked with has made the same claims.
NOT every Taiji book has though.
Nor have either my instructors or the books I've read
had as many interesting variations on standing exercises
as you'll find here.
This was, for me, the best part of the book.
Overall, the book was "ok" - it could have been much better,
but it did have enough useful material to have been worth reading once.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Most informative book on Chen Taiji I ever read
Comment: I was studying Chen Taiji for a few years with different teachers and most of the time just along with Chen Zhengley's DVDs and the mirror. Recently I met a new teacher Quchen Guo. His approach was totally different from others'. First hour of our practice we spend doing Zhang Zhuang (the standing practice). During the form practice we spend most of the time working on right alignment/structure. I feel like my form started to get filled. In this book I find everything I need to know to be prepared for the class. Using the plain text author describes things that many books can not do using the colorful pictures. I recommend this book to everyone who after hard work and spending a valuable time (sometimes in wrong direction) doesn't want to remain for years on the same skill level.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Helpful new book for Chen Stylists.
Comment: I got my copy of Demystifying Taijiquan today, and I have to say I'm quite pleased with it. Granted, this is in part because TuKy Lam's essays reinforce, very clearly and concisely, and with a minimum of jargon, points my own teacher emphasizes in class. This is also to be expected, as Lam's teacher and one of my teacher's long term instructors, studied with Chen Zhaokwei at roughly the same time. So some overlap is expected.
Regardless of that happy circumstance, Lam offers a lot of good practical advice that would benefit students of the lineages (Village, Beijing) within the larger big frame tradition. Topics include dantian rotation, breathing, and the cultivation internal strength through proper structural alignment. And while Tu-Ky Lam certainly doesn't shy away from controversy, his essays are also characterized by a spirit of ongoing inquiry and generosity. One gets the sense that he views himself (and addresses others) as a fellow student, as opposed to taking on the dismissive tone of someone who has invested a few more years in his or her practice and won't let you forget it.
Such an attitude is more important that people realize. It reflects and encourages an open mindedness - which helps keep one's practice alive and lively during long plateaus where the benefits of long term training aren't immediately evident. In all the time I've studied martial arts, (Chen & Yang style Taijiquan, Aikido and Tang Soo Do before that) I've observed that students who are thus subtly encouraged to retain an open point of view, almost invariably learned faster than those who were taught by rote, as though each maxim uttered by their teacher was an absolute from which no further exploration was possible, and no variations allowed.
My one complaint about the book has to do with the photographs. They are perfectly serviceable, however I do wish that he used the photos that accompanied some of these essays when they first appeared in Tai Chi Magazine. Those images were larger, better composed and clearer than the ones in this first edition of the text. (I have no idea if there was an issue getting permission to use the images published in the magazine or not.) I hope they appear in subsequent editions (assuming the present one sells well).
Regardless I'd have no hesitation recommending this for a beginner or intermediate student of the style - and especially any student studying anywhere where his or her instructors don't offer much more in the way of advice or clear explanations of the principles of internal movement. I'll be picking up a few extra copies for classmates who, I think, could benefit from the author's reinforcement of points our teacher makes in his classes.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Master Lam is a fantastic instructor!
Comment: Having had the opportunity to study with Tu-Ky Lam in the past, I am happy to attest to his skills both as a practicioner and as an instructor.
It is rare to come across someone who has not only gained a high-level of GungFu, but has also learned to communicate those skills to others. Many of us have been anxiously anticipating this book, and I am certain that it will become a classic within the ocean of TaiJi literature.
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