"Explains how awareness and development of chi gives internal martial arts their power and strength, contains full instructions on the Taoist system Nei Gung, describes how specific martial arts use chi, includes stories about masters. The new edition adds a new foreword, new introduction by author, practical explanations on spiritual traditions of the internal martial arts, index"--Provided by publisher.

From the author of "Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body" comes a book that introduces martial arts practitioners to three "internal" arts and their subtle powers. Inner martial arts rely on internal energy for power rather than on muscles or tension. 15 photos.

Ellis Amdur's writing on martial arts has been groundbreaking. In Dueling with O-sensei, he challenged practitioners that the moral dimension of martial arts is expressed in acts of integrity, not spiritual platitudes and the deification of fantasized warrior-sages. In Old School, he applied both academic rigor and keen observation towards some of the classical martial arts of Japan, leavening his writing with vivid descriptions of many of the actual practitioners of these wonderful traditions. His first edition of Hidden in Plain Sight was a discussion of esoteric training methods once common, but now all but lost within Japanese martial arts. These methodologies encompassed mental imagery, breath-work, and a variety of physical techniques, offering the potential to develop skills and power sometimes viewed as nearly superhuman. Usually believed to be the provenance of Chinese martial arts, Amdur asserted that elements of such training still remain within a few martial traditions: literally, 'hidden in plain sight.' Two-thirds larger, this second edition is so much more. Amdur digs deep into the past, showing the complexity of human strength, its adaptation to varying lifestyles, and the nature of physical culture pursued for martial ends. Amdur goes into detail concerning varieties of esoteric power training within martial arts, culminating in a specific methodology known as 'six connections' or 'internal strength.' With this discussion as a baseline, he then discusses the transfer of esoteric power training from China to various Japanese jujutsu systems as well as Japanese swordsman-ship emanating from the Kurama traditions. Finally, he delves into the innovative martial tradition of Daito-ryu and its most important offshoot, aikido, showing how the mercurial, complicated figures of Takeda Sokaku and Morihei Ueshiba were less the embodiment of something new, than a re-imagining of their past.

In many old martial arts films you often see a master capable of extraordinary supernormal feats such as being able to move with the speed of wind, throw incredibly heavy objects, destroy them with a strike, stride over water, or even fly through the air. Are such things possible? The Chinese Taoists say "yes" if the master practiced special exercises to cultivate their inner energy, or yang chi (qi). These practices to cultivate inner power are called nei-gong, or the internal martial arts, and are related to the mastery of the kundalini energies cited in Indian yogic and Buddhist literature, which also explains the various superpowers that become possible with its cultivation. Many people today want to be able to attain such supernormal skills, or they simply want to understand why and how these skills were cultivated so they might be duplicated as best possible. Some practitioners of Tai Chi Chuan, Hsing-Yi, Ba Gua Zhang, Five Animals, Aikido, Karate, Judo, Northern Shaolin, and other Kung Fu Wushu traditions have alternatively damaged their bodies from their practice, or have reached a training plateau, and want some sure methods to break their current limits and bring their martial arts skills to the next level. This book explains the major practices on how to properly cultivate nei-gong safely to achieve all these objectives. The information provided, because of its advance nature, was usually considered the high "secrets" of martial arts lineages made available only to the top students who also practiced breathing methods and meditation. It explains how to cultivate the mythical martial arts through the initial practice of qi-gong, and then inner nei-gong exercises involving anapana, pranayama, one-pointed visualization, kasina meditations, and sexual cultivation. It provides training information applicable to Iron Palm, Iron Shirt or Dim Mak techniques, which though incredible in themselves still fall far short of the special supernormal achievements possible after a martial arts student successfully opens up their chakras and chi channels, in particular their sushumna central channel and the macrocosmic chi circulation within the body. This is the only book in English offering detailed instructions on how to cultivate the Taoist concept of shen, which is the stage of awareness attained after cultivating your chi to a high level. For purposes of attaining inner gong-fu (kung fu), it also teaches how to cultivate the Six Yogas of Naropa and the Tibetan tantric mantras for opening up the body's central chi channel. In terms of specific long term nei-gong methods, it stresses visualization and anapana practices which are explained in conjunction with more advanced techniques for dissolving inner energy blockages. Rather than just focusing on internal martial arts kung fu, the authors go even a step further also bring forth many rarely discussed modern training principles for peak athletic performance that can be applied to martial arts, and provide practical information on various vitamin-mineral supplements, detoxification routines, and bodywork therapies that can help heal martial arts injuries and lead to improved skills even if the nei-gong route of internal martial arts energies and gong-fu is not mastered. This is a truly unique book, quite different than what's normally available for the martial arts tradition, because it provides full materials on topics raely covered elsewehre, and reveals not one, two or three but a plethora of inner training practices, even for qi-gong, along with what are normally considered their secret training details.

Developing Jin provides a complete and progressive training regimen for increasing and refining chansi-jin, also known as silk-reeling power or coiling power--the true power of the internal martial arts. With step-by-step instructions and photographs, experienced teacher Philip Starr walks readers through a variety of techniques designed to help practitioners feel and use jin in their martial arts training. While much of the existing writing on jin relies on cryptic and mystical descriptions of internal power, Starr takes a direct, no-nonsense approach that addresses commonly held myths and identifies the real body mechanics behind this unusual power. Useful for novices and advanced practitioners alike, Developing Jin is a crucial addition to any serious martial artist's library. Table of Contents 1.Got Jin? 2. How To Use This Book 3.Basic Conditioning Exercises 4.In The Beginning 5.Structure and Alignment 6.Training the Breath 7.The Nature Of Qi 8.Let's Get Engaged! 9.Beginning With Stillness 10.The Breath Coiling Form 11.The Secret Of Tendon Power 12.Internal Coiling 13.Applying The Coiling Power 14.Putting It All Together 15.Training Routines For Coiling Power 16. Three Become One 17. Combative Applications Conclusion