Kung Fu by Osmosis: The Usefulness of Martial Arts Books and Videos

became smoother and less taxing on the body. Sun Lutang was an accomplished master in two other arts, and his Taiji footwork and body movements were influenced by those other styles. And practitioners of the Chen style, the original Taiji style, were mostly caravan bodyguards and thus adapted their art to maim, injure and kill quickly so that they could defeat hordes of bandits on the dangerous roads of ancient China.

But I digress. Viewing videos or reading books by other masters of your style can thus give you a different perspective on a given technique and its uses, even if the underlying principles are the same. This can give you a fuller understanding of the principles themselves.

Reference. Of course, books and videos can serve as a reference for advanced students who have inadvertently neglected or forgotten one class of techniques in their efforts to perfect their specialties. A periodic review of a good book or DVD can do wonders to refresh your memory and inspire you to get back to basics.

In an ideal world, everyone who wanted it would have access to a skilled teacher and receive live instruction. Unfortunately, this is often not possible, and many believe that books and DVDs can be an adequate substitute. They are not, and in fact can do more harm than good if they are used as a means of primary instruction. However, they can be useful in supplemental ways.

The copyright of the article Kung Fu by Osmosis: The Usefulness of Martial Arts Books and Videos in Martial Arts is owned by Kent Fung. Permission to republish Kung Fu by Osmosis: The Usefulness of Martial Arts Books and Videos in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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