White Crane DVD reviews?

Discuss YMAA Publishing's books, videos and DVDs. Have you read/seen an YMAA Publishing work? Share your thoughts, discuss its ideas. Please stay on topic.

Moderators: Dvivid, DavidR

Better late than never...

Postby Jashu65 » Sun Nov 06, 2005 9:21 am

I would say that a person can learn just as effectively from the DvD's or tapes as a person attending full time. However, there are pro's and cons to this.

The Pros:
- The information is passed to the student, the same way every time! There is no variation on how the technique is done the next time you practice.
- You can rewind the DvD if you are stuck! How many times can you ask an instructor to show you a technique again before he gives you dirty looks? I will bet it is less than 10.
- You can take it with you if you have to travel! Can you bring your instructor with you on a business trip or vacation? I bet you can't!
- Cost effective!

The Cons:
- Proffesional instruction not available, especially if you are trying to learn the soft Qigong techniques.
- Quality of teaching material may not be all that intuitive. Some videos neglect to mention the fundamental elements of the basics. However, Dr. Yang's material isn't guilty of this.
- Availability of media. I am still waiting for the White Crane Level 3 Gong Fu DvD to come out in the store.
- Self training isn't for everyone.

There is enough information put out by Dr. Yang that a beginner can build a strong foundation in the basics of White Crane Gong Fu. You are not going to be a ranked student, but you gain a valuable skill that will serve you for many years to come if you are willing to practice diligently. If you have a difficult time starting long-term commitments like this on your own, then find an instructor who will motivate you to come to the dojo. With the availability of training media, I don't think you should have to compromise by going to a school or system that you may not be compatable with.

As for video training, don't put it down. I've seen several blackbelts perform katas and techniques so well that you wouldn't know that they trained from a video. These folks are probably more dedicated to the arts because they had to self-initiate training. They didn't have anyone around to remind them that they had to go to class. I could go on and on, but I won't. The point is, what you put into your training is in direct relation to what you get out of it - whether your source is a live person, book, or video. So I say, buy the video and the books, and get what you can out of them.

However, I do admit that neither videos nor books are a good substitute when you progress to the Qigong training. You might be able to learn how to do Hard Qigong training without an instructor, but you deffinately need a qualified instructor learning the Soft Qigong training. When you get to that point, find someone who can help you progress - which may mean take a trip to Boston to see Dr. Yang! Hope this helps!
A journey will rarely teach you anything new if you dont have an idea where you are going.
Jashu65
Forum User
 
Posts: 12
Joined: Tue Oct 26, 2004 8:38 am
Location: Currently Japan

Maybe

Postby Damion78 » Sat Dec 24, 2005 2:11 pm

Well that is definatly a differant way of doing it, not good, not bad....just differant.
Damion78
 


Return to YMAA Publishing

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 8 guests

cron