New Book Review: The Essence of Lien Bu Chuan written by Artie Aviles, James Man Chin and Nelson Tsou
The very first thing you will note about the cover of this book is that none of the authors have listed their names with titles or honors. They have, however respectfully dedicated the book to their teacher, Grandmaster Li- Mao-Ching. They follow the Grandmasters teaching, in that they are skilled, yet humble, they endured many decades of tough training so that they could conserve and preserve the traditional arts. Each one teaches with politeness and professionalism, with an eye toward precise, exacting correctness.
Lien Bu Chuan (Continuous Steps Form) was chosen by the Central martial Arts Academy in Nanjing in the late 1920’s as one of the simple, basic, required forms to learn. Stance, Hand Work and Foot Work are the skeleton of the form and movement, flow and applications make it an art form.
This book is a gem and a treasure because of the way it is logically and practically laid out. The form is listed by it’s Verses in both English and Chinese. The drawings and descriptions are some of the finest I have seen in martial arts manuals. Each movement is numbered with a flow chart across the top of the page. You can immediately see where the particular movement is in the sequence of the form. Simple line drawings show the full body and the direction in which the hands and the feet move. To help make it even clear, a top view is shown. Key points for each movement are given, as well as applications.
The entire from is drawn out both in elevation and overhead view so that it becomes easy to see what direction and which angle you are facing while performing each movement.
This is a must have book for anyone looking to learn Northern Shaolin Styles. The only thing better than using this as a guide would be seeking out these teachers and learning directly from the source. I urge my friends in the tri state area of New York, New Jersey and CT, to enroll with Master James Jett Man Chin and be a part of this great lineage.
For more information, please visit Master Chin’s website: https://swaijiao.com.
