Wushu!: The Chinese Way to Family Health and Fitness

ISBN: 0671420798

Author: The People's Sports Publishing House

Condition: New

For centuries, the Chinese have been acknowledged as the masters of understanding the mind-body relationship and the fitness of the body as a whole. Wushu! has been encouraged and developed by the People's government to promote national fitness.
Wushu! (literally "martial art") is not the aggressive kung fu of the movies. Traditionally consisting of two schools - the "external," whose forms are hard and vigorous, involving leaping, kicking and somersaulting; and the "internal," emphasizing soft, graceful, fluid movements that resemble dancing rather than exercising - the wushu in this book has evolved from its ancient origings to its present form as a series of simple physical exercises practiced to promote health and fitness. In the process, it has also acquired a sense of joy. It really is fun to perform.
Profusely illustrated with over 1,000 original two-color how-to drawings, Wushu! includes the classic 24 exercises of Taijiquan - a Chinese version of isometrics; a series of exercises for babies (aided by their parents) and childre; gentle forms of shadowboxing and sword play perfect for the elderly and sedentary; and a secion of special exercises to improve health, relieve pain and prevent disease. Now available in the West for the first time, the exercises in Wushu! are fun and a rewarding fitness program for everyone in the family which will enable them to strengthen and relax their bodies as millions of Chinese do every day.