Hello guys,
I just got my copy of Dennis Rovere translation of Huang Bonian's The Xingyi Quan of the Chinese Army book that was used as training manual for the officers at the Nanjing Military Academy. In this translation Dennis not only included the original photos, but he repose them in order to clarify details that the original photos don’t show.

The book includes the five fists, linking form, rifle bayonet and saber forms. At the end of each fist there are fighting applications and the same approach follows rifle-bayonet and saber forms. There is even a short section that shows how to apply the fists using a dagger. In Huang’s original there were no applications for any technique. Dennis’ examples are not made up, but are the ones his teacher Colonel Chang Hsiang Wu taught at the Military Academy in the 1930’s to Chinese officers.

One of the many interesting things that this book reveals is the progression of the five fists for empty hand to weapons fighting since they can be apply without modifying the techniques learnt in the forms or in Dennis words "the uniform theory" that allows for the direct transference of basic technique from one weapon (including empty hand) to another (Military Hsing-i And Its Uniform Theory of Training by D. Rovere).

The quality of the pictures and the layout of the book are of very good quality and the price is a steal; the explanation of the movements is based on Huang’s original. The book includes further comments from Dennis on those sections that need clarification. From a historical as well as technical point of view this book is a must have, let’s hope enough interest from the readership will encourage the author of this superb work to follow it up with a DVD!

Cheers

You think it was worth the money William? This is the first one or the second one?
Thanks,
Jake

Jake this is the new book, which does include applications for all the forms shown. Do not confuse this new edition with the first two books that Dennis published which did not include the orginal pictures nor applications. I am sure you will be pleasently surprised with the new material that has been included. I was.

Cheers

I read it in Barnes and Noble. A lot of technical material with the fists, bayonet and the sabre and the explanations are well worded, I thought. The photos were OK. The positions were all fine, but I thought the heavy vests and the camo against the background of a field made some stuff needlessly hard to see. But that's a nitpick.

Well worth it, to me. And even available at Target!

Great job, Steven Ott. Barnes and Noble is going out of business because of literary loiterers like you.

"Well worth it to me"
IT WAS FREE FOR YOU!

Do you also go to the grocery store and stuff yourself without paying?

Bob#2
(You ott ta know better)

Hate to think what he does at Home Depot

You should see me at Dim Sum.

I just read this. It was a pretty interesting read. I have a hard time getting behind the cammo look though, haha.

It has some pretty good stuff in there one or two techniques i still remember. Found it in the library a few years back. Worth perusing.