Wudang Kung Fu Fundamental Training, Basic Sequence, and Applications

A great intro to Wudang kung fu. The teacher is strong and flexible; the exercises are easy to follow, and the form is learnable if you've had some training. Unless you're already in really (*really*) good condition, start slowly to avoid injury. Remember to warm up and to breathe and relax as you practice.

Cheng Man Ching (a famous Taijiquan teacher, for those who didn't know) asked this question: "Can one learn T'ai Chi from a book?" This question can be applied to all martial arts and video(not just book) media as well. My answer is yes and no.Here are some things that will make learning from this video easier:1)prior martial arts experience, though not particularly necessary, would make learning easier, 2)have a dvd player that has a slow setting so as to see the Warm Up and Form in very slow motion, 3)do the Warm Ups, 4)have a notebook and writing utensil handy for taking notes, 5)practice the Stances, Punches, and Kicks(taught on this dvd)to get used to them, 6)as you watch the Form, note which direction Zhou Xuan Yun is heading (i.e. North, South or N.West, S.East), and 7)take it slow...many of the movements and postures are easy, but you can injure yourself (knees especially) if you progress too quickly; also going slow allows you to actually learn the posture before moving on to the next.The DVD presentation is well organized and has a very clear picture. The English narration is very clear. The overview regarding the Internal Arts, though short, was very informative. The insert that comes with the DVD is very helpful when learning the Ji Ben Tao Lu form since it gives the posture sequence and names.

Wudang Kung Fu: Fundamental Training with Zhou, Xuan-yun is an introductory program for warm-ups, basic stances, punches, and kicks from this art from Wudang Mountain. Zhou is a Daoist monk and Wudang Kung Fu is an art that the monks of Wudang Mountain developed by blending Daoist concepts with traditional Chinese fighting arts, integrating physical and spiritual practices in this internal-style of Wudang Kung Fu.The DVD is well produced, as I've come to expect from YMAA. The menus are easy to navigate. From the main menu, you can play all in English or Chinese or go to chapters. Zhou instructs in Chinese, and if you watch the English version there is an English translation voice over. Both tracts have the English translation in subtitles across the bottom. The chapters are broken down like this: About Xuan Yun, Introduction, The Meaning of Internal Arts, Warm Up, Stances, Striking Drills, Kicks, Sequence - Slow, Sequence - Fast, Martial Applications, and Conclusion.The footage of Zhou in the short section about him at the beginning demonstrates that he is an extremely accomplished martial artist, and seeing him perform in the scenic settings was a good way to start the program. I also enjoyed the beautiful scenes as the history of Wudang was explained with a voice over in the introduction.The section on the meaning of internal arts is short and provides a simple explanation and then the program goes into the warm up. The warm up section begins by showing Zhou doing a couple of warm up exercises and encourages the viewer to warm up before training. Due to time, it does not instruct on a complete warm up, but illustrates squats, various pushups, leg stretches, splits, waist turning, and wrist stretches. Most martial artists will be familiar with these. If not, you may want to consult other resources for more detailed instruction on stretching and warming up. These first four sections of the DVD take 21 minutes.Zhou instructs that stance training is beneficial in itself to establish your roots, and as a type of stretching. Side and Straight Horse Stances, Bow Stance, Crouching Stance, Empty Stance, and Side Stance are the stances illustrated.Zhou teaches the striking drills by themselves before incorporating them into longer forms. Horse Stance Punchs, Side Horse Stance Punches, Bow Stance Punches, and Elbow Strikes are performed.In the Kicks section, a brief history of Wudang kicking is explained while Zhou is shown demonstrating various kicks. Zhou opens with saying he won't teach all the kicking combinations, but will show 24 basic kicks. There is not a lot of detail in the instruction, just the basics of each of the 24 kicks and then Zhou demonstrates. He demonstrates applications with a partner holding pads for most of the kicks. I do caution anyone regarding the use of crescent type kicks, or any kicks for that matter, to kick a weapon, especially a knife, from someone's hand. I know many martial arts teach this, but to actually do so is a different story. I wish Zhou wouldn't have mentioned this. Zhou does give tips along the way, but again, there is not a lot of detail in the instruction. A novice will need more instruction on kicking, especially for some of the jumping and turning kicks included here, but for an overview of the kicks in the system this DVD is very good.The forms (Sequence) section starts with some general comments about forms while Zhou performs outside. Then the DVD moves back inside and Zhou illustrates the first form. It's also shown outside too. Even though this first form is the simplest form taught at Wudang Mountain, it's a fairly long and complicate form compared to some of the simple beginning forms of some arts. It is a very beautiful form to watch as Zhou performs, especially outside.After the demonstrations of the form, Zhou breaks down and demonstrates the various moves from the form and applications of the moves. I really liked this, because I think having an application to a move helps learn forms. There is also a written insert in the DVD that contains the 24 postures/moves of the basic form in English and Chinese.Zhou concludes by thanking his assistants and shares a couple of words regarding training and then the final scene shows him playing a Chinese flute. The entire program was 97 minutes long. The DVD also contains the standard YMAA extras with catalog and video previews.I thought this was an excellent introduction and overview of the basics of Wudang Kung Fu. To learn the style, a person will need more than this video, but that can be said of any martial art. For the person who is studying this style, this will complement their instruction nicely. If you are studying a similar style, this will also be very complementary. For those that are just interested in various styles, this is a great overview.Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author of the DVD set Hapkido Cane.

Great Product and Great way to get started in martial arts. As the Times change and schools differ in ways people like to learn, i'm a real believe know in the YMAA style of teaching and the products they provide.The instruction is different from what most are used too. i feel it maybe more traditional in they way they teach. You'll go over warm ups, principles, stretching techniques forms and applications. The video quality is awesome but if your new to martial arts make sure your player has a slow mode so you can really analyze what the posture the instructor goes into while showing the form. Still a great dvd and great company in sharing this piece of eastern culture.

Nice intro to the Wudang forms - you can grasp a lot just sitting and absorbing the sequences as demonstrated. I doubt you could learn from scratch, but if you have a practice, this will be a good addition.

Excellent introduction to Wu Dang styles for those who have no experience other than Shaolin styles. The application section is the best. If you have virtually any training in another Eastern system, you can pick this up in no time. Buy when YMAA is doing sales (3@50% off) etc. to maximize your buying power.

This is a really good instructional DVD to start with. It's very challenging, but I'm a beginner, you just have to take it slow and work your way up. You will definitely feel this after each exercise.