Michael P. Staples

Wu Shu is a sport for people, People of all ages and physical abilities-young, old, strong, or weak. There is a style of Wu Shu to suit the needs of everyone.

Wu Shu of China explains what Wu Shu is, how it evolved from one of China's most ancient art-forms, and why an understanding of its unique development is important to anyone interested in sports, China or the martial arts.

Other books by Michael P. Staples are:

Hop Gar Kung Fu: The Tibetan martial art used by the Ching dynasty Emperors and their guards presented for the first time in the English language. Pulished by CFW Enterprises, 7011 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA.

Tibetan Lama: Tibetan and Chinese philosophy of Kung Fu, footwork, medicine, etc. published by CFW Enterprises, 7011 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA.

White Crane Kung Fu: The unique Tibetan Kung Fu presented for the first time in the English language. Published by Ohara Publications Inc., 5650 West Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, California.

Contents

Introduction: Chinese Wu Shu
The emergence of a national sport
The Wu Shu styles
An interview with members of the All China Sports Federation
Chang chuan, Men's set, level 'A'… (mere)

This legendary Southern system, cloaked in secrecy for centuries, is comprehensively revealed for the first time in English. Actually a fusion of both short and long-hand Chinese boxing, the author traces White Crane's Taoist origins as well as its ancient traditions and profound philosophy. More than 225 in-depth photographs clearly illustrate the unusual White Crane techniques in both form and functional appications. Contents Foreword An introduction to gung-fu The myth of the white crane A general treatise of gung-fu The white crane system Spontaneity Functioning as a single unit Basic weaponry On-guard and beginning movements The basic technqiues Acupuncture Combinations of technques Street tactics Defense against club attacks Defense against knife attacks Defense against grabbing attacks… (mere)

Interesting, but feels incomplete...almost as if it hadn't been finished when it went to press. You get an entire chapter on footwork in fighting, for example, but since the book lacks any self-defense applications, there's really no reason for the explanation of footwork to be here. It bears little direct relation to the overview of weapons, healing herbs and folklore which is the focus of Tibetan Kung-Fu: The Way of the Monk. (Three photos of the author facing an opponent suggest that he intended to publish a section on fighting applications. The book just misses the 80-page mark, another indication that it's not quite complete.)

There's a short form called the horse set (as the author describes it, "a series of static postures" intended primarily to strengthen the legs), but that's as close as the reader gets to an authentic taste of the Lama Pai style. Presumably there was more information on the actual fighting components of Tibetan martial arts in Staples's other books, White Crane Gung-Fu and Hop Gar Kung Fu (the latter co-written with Grandmaster David Chin). Both are scarce and expensive, so I've never been able to find out.… (mere)