Search - Taiji Chin Na (YMAA Tai Chi) 2 DVD set on DVD

AN EXCEPTIONAL MARTIAL ARTS CLASSROOM ON YOUR TV!

Keith V. Caswell | Glen Burnie, Md United States | 06/27/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Exceptional!!!

Brilliant Instruction!!!

Dr. Yang is a Master Martial Artist and a Master Instructor! His instruction is wonderfully concise. His demonstration: clear and accurate. He conveys to you the perfected motion(the goal you want to achieve), while at the same time he is cognizant that there are students of various levels of experience watching this video.

After several demonstrations of the same technique (from different angles, when necessary) Dr. Yang allows his students to, then, demonstrate the very same technique. Bringing their level of experience to the situation. Bringing their level of mistakes to the techniques being taught. -Probably a mistake you, yourself, are making- This allows Dr. Yang to correct the mistake, thereby deeply anchoring the movement into your skill set.

This is not a polished studio production with fancy lighting and special effects (nor, any of that damnable Chinese guitar twanging away consistently in the back ground). This is a real time classroom atmosphere, and you are drawn in. Your attention captured, your mind focused on the lesson at hand.

After viewing this video, I look forward to purchasing Dr. Yang's Taijiquan DVD.
"

Clear, Plain, Awesome

Tom B. | Albany, New York | 05/31/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD set is one of the best martial arts instruction videos I've ever seen. I've had Dr. Yang's book on the topic of Chin Na since I was in high school, and now nearly 20 years later, I've finally seen the sifu in action, and it was well worth the wait.

Each technique is explained in depth with a verbal description of what each joint is doing as you watch the action taking place. Dr. Yang starts with the fundamentals of wrist movements and how they are used to defend yourself while incapactitating an attacker. Every chapter that follows in the DVD set builds on what was taught in the previous chapter until in the end, the student is using a complex wrist/elbow lock accompanied by a choke hold.

There are literally hundreds of locks and grappling moves explained, described, and demonstrated on this 2-disc set. That is more than enough to get a would-be attacker on his knees and in submission through any number of combinations.

I particularly enjoyed the sequences in the bonus video where Dr. Yang demonstrates several sequences of hand-to-hand combat giving all the previous training a definite air of practicality.

This video has made a wonderful addition to my martial arts training."

The amount of information and instruction contained in this

Alain B. Burrese | Missoula, MT | 12/08/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After watching "Taiji Chin Na In Depth: The Seizing Art of Taijiquan" with Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming, the first thing that comes to mind is "WOW!" The amount of information and instruction contained in this two-disc set is phenomenal. Originally the information was presented on five videos, now you can have all five on two discs with over six hours of instruction. With the menu system on the DVD, it is very easy to select the portion of the program you wish to study, making these even better resources than video tape.

The format of the instruction is very good. First, Dr. Yang teaches the technique, and he does so with more detail than you find in some programs, which I really like. I've always liked video programs where the instructor teaches to the camera rather than just demonstrating. Dr. Yang teaches in this program. He then brings in two students and allows them to do the technique and he corrects them when they don't perform it just right. Dr. Yang explains that the problems his students have might be the same as the viewer, and by helping them, he'll help the viewer too. I believe it is a very good way to present the material on DVD. As an added feature, there are subtitles across the bottom of the screen. However, they do not match what Dr. Yang is saying exactly. They convey the meaning, but are not exact. The person who really wants to learn will spend many hours watching portions of this program at a time with a training partner and practicing the techniques Dr. Yang presents.

Disc One contains three programs or courses. The first course focuses on 19 techniques from the same beginning clockwise coiling move. The techniques are initiated from a crossed pushing hands position and consist of techniques that attack various joints, including the elbow, wrist, fingers, and shoulder. The second course on this disc is presented the same, initiating techniques from the crossed pushing hands position, but the neutralizing portion is different. Dr. Yang shows what he calls neutralizing that goes into some finger locks, and then the counterclockwise coiling moves that go into various locks. There are 16 techniques taught in the course two portion of the DVD. Course three on this disc focuses on the parallel hands position in pushing hands. Dr. Yang teaches 21 techniques from this position. The first disc also contains the YMAA extras that include About YMAA, the Catalog, Video Previews, and DVD Credits.

Disc Two contains two programs. The first is course four of the original four-course program. This course contains 10 techniques specifically for countering an opponent who is controlling your elbow in pushing hands. Dr. Yang continues his detailed instruction and then assisting his students performing the techniques. The remainder of disc one is a bonus program that consists of a catalog of over 80 taiji chin na techniques. There is no instruction in this portion, just the demonstration of techniques in slow motion and regular speed. This was a video made to compliment the book "Taiji Chin Na" and would be more useful with that written volume. While a beginner would not be able to learn the techniques by just watching Dr. Yang perform them, an experienced student of joint locks will recognize techniques and could add to his or her arsenal. The second disc also contains the YMAA extras.

For anyone who does pushing hands, this DVD set is a must. It is an excellent resource aimed directly at Taiji Pushing Hands practice. For those interested in improving their Chin Na or joint locking expertise, this is also a fantastic resource. YMAA rates this DVD at a skill level III. I agree that these are not simple techniques to learn, but I do believe if a person has a good training partner and follows Dr. Yang's instruction, they could learn a lot. Obviously, if you have mastered the basics of movement and joint locks, this resource will be easier to follow and you can then "feel" the techniques. I primarily train in and teach Hapkido, another art known for joint locks, so I found much of the information in these discs to be complementary to my own style.

Regardless of your style, if you want to gain a better understanding of locking techniques, Dr. Yang's instructional DVDs on Chin Na are great. I highly recommend this set and his others.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks and the dvds: Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, the Lock On Joint Locking Essentials series and articles including a regular column on negotiation for The Montana Lawyer. Alain Also wrote a series of articles called Lessons From The Apprentice."

Not for beginners

S. Schmidt | Kansas City, MO USA | 08/03/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD includes over 6 HOURS of advanced tai chi applications, many if not all of which have never been published outside of Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming and the YMAA organization. Clearly Dr. Yang has invested an immense amount of time into identifying, understanding, and perfecting the techniques presented. Techniques are presented from Eight Moving Patterns, Clockwise and Counterclockwise Coiling, Crossed Pushing Hands, Parallel Pushing Hands and more. It only makes sense therefore that viewers should be familiar with these concepts to gain full advantage of the techniques presented.

Interested viewers should also be familiar with Chin Na techniques such as locking joints, splitting muscle/tendons, and pressure point manipulation. All of these techniques are required in order for the applications to be effective, however these concepts are not discussed in this video. I also noticed Dr. Yang manipulating pressure points in some techniques without drawing the viewer's attention to these fine details.

As a practicing martial artist of over a decade and instructor familiar with several tai chi chuan styles and applications, I found this video to be a phenomenal resource and one that is truly amazing in content and knowledge. This DVD provides almost an inexhaustible supply of applications, most of which are not typical. I say "not typical" in that these are not the punching, kicking, or throwing responses which are more common tai chi chuan applications, but instead Dr. Yang is solely focused on presenting joint locks and controlling your opponent. Many techniques require a full understanding of tai chi movements and common postures. Many of the applications may require the practitioner to deviate from more stationary footwork. For example, posture applications such as one from the Yang style 24-form posture "strike both ears/doubly box the ears/box the ears" are not performed in the familiar footwork that is found in the kata, rather requires stepping that deviates from the form. Some martial arts practitioners will be used to this concept from extracting and applying techniques from kata, however I know many students which may be confused by the "atypical" footwork. And who would have thought that "box the ears" can turn into a opponent-controlling hold?

Certainly not for beginners, YMAA gives this DVD a Recommended Skill Level of III. I would almost offer an even higher possible skill level of IV. However, for the serious tai chi practitioner or instructor who has a firm grasp on both chin na and Yang-style tai chi chuan fundamentals, this DVD is well worth the cost."