Wudang Sword

Pleased with the presentation... good quality video....

This is not a video for martial arts beginners; then again, I'm of the opinion that there's probably no such thing as a good video for beginners.I've done tai chi chuan for about 20-some-odd years (and tai chi dao for about a year or so), and if there's a way for someone to get good at anything from a video without having had an formal instruction face-to-face with a teacher, I've never heard of it. The fundamentals of any Eastern martial art simply must be taught face-to-face. Most physically-oriented skills are like this.That said, my foundation in tai chi leads me to a fuller understanding of what the instructor is presenting. If you know and are reasonably competent in the foundations of Chinese martial arts, you can in fact perform the moves and not merely imitate them.As videos go, this one is very good for someone with a foundation in Chinese martial arts. A beginner would be better served with some instruction.

For beginners:It will be tough for beginners. Warm up with jogging in place, push ups, ab/core work, and lots of streching every single workout. Watch the position, orientation and direction of head, waste, feet and hands. Pay special attention to movement transitions. Take it very slow. Don't expect to match the low stances, lower squats (seated positions) and the high kicks. Don't try to go too low. Stay up much higher. Modify the high kicks to lower kicks. For example, change a head kick to a kick to the knee. Strength and flexibility will come with time. Buy some tennis racket grip to go on your wood sword handle. It keeps the sweat off and improves grip.For experienced people:The video is worth the purchase if you want to learn this form. It's a little harder to learn from video, but it can be done. This one has all the angles you'll need. And it has both slow and full speed. I'm about half way through learning the form at the time this is being written.I trained in at traditional kung fu and contemporary wushu. My career took me to a city that doesn't offer any Chinese martial arts. I wanted to keep learning and have found this one to be a good choice.

A perfectly made and produced instructional dvd. It has an in depth overview introduction, and then continues to explain and show (in great detail) one wudang sword form (named - tai yi xuan men jian). The instructor shows this form in slow motion, in fast motion, also while teaching students the form through each individual move (slow and with correctional instruction), and the practical applications of the moves in the form. It also comes with a list of the names of each of the moves (included in the dvd box). It is one of the best instructional martial arts dvd's I have seen. If you can't find a teacher and you want to learn wudang sword basics, this is the best dvd to purchase. It will get you started, and if you are fortunate some day to find a teacher - then you can advance your knowledge.

Caveat... unless you are the type of person who can effectively learn by watching a video tape, save your money and take privates at your local Kung Fu school. On the other hand... the way the teaching part of this CD is laid out, it makes it EASY to learn the "broad strokes" of this form! The explanations are VERY clear and the visuals give great detail. As and accopmilshed martial artist, this DVD is just as effective to learn from as it would be to learn from one-on-one instruction. Once the moves are mastered and memorized, I'll take a private or two with a master to fine-tune the nuances.The application section was fantastic... showing how the moves could be used against an armed attacker... which just helps your mind to remember the moves and sequencing.GREAT INSTRUCTIONAL DVD!!! I will absolutely by more from this company!

If your used to this instructor you'll do great with this instructional Dvd. Level is definitly around Intermediate, but not because its hard to do...but because it helps a lot if you are familiar with martial arts. But these dvd's from this group are amazing. even if you are a beginner its a great product... will just take you longer to pick up but like this teacher says..."Only thing needed to become a great martial artist is sweat... and time"Great back ground on the sword and also has applications to show you why your drilling the way you do.

Not much applications for the form.

I havent practice the video yet but I decided to watch it to see how it looks. I watched and never finished watching the whole video. I was 8/10 done. (Full time college student and full time employee) so I never finished watching the video. I like the video. I so far got 3 moves done out of the 60-70 moves. Haha better 3 moves than nothing. I always wanted to learn the wudang sword and practicing 3 moves from my first time seeing the video. Hopefully in the summer time when im off college I can practice more.