Customer Reviews
Not what it says on the tin! - By: Barnaby Chesterman, 28 Oct 2008 
Be very careful before buying this product. If you are an absolute beginner to the martial arts (indeed maybe even to any sort of physical exercise), Buddhism, positive thinking, meditation etc, then this could well be for you. But if you have any prior martial arts experience, this (despite being cheap) would be a waste of money.
It is not a daily workout for anyone other than a sloth until you're into the final week, & even then it's not much of a workout. The first nine days are basic stretches that most people who've ever done any form of sport will have been doing since junior school. And these are done one stretch at a time, so day one, all you do is warm up your wrists & ankles! Each day you're supposed to repeat the previous stuff you've learnt so it builds up every day. And that's finein weeks three & four butin one & two, you're not doing a whole lot. After the stretches, the punches & kicks are all very basic. There are a few interesting moves near the end but there are far better products out there for example the Shaolin Workout DVDs by Shifu Yan Lei.
This is only for absolute beginners, & even then, it's a matter of taste. There's also a meditation section at the end of each day, only it's not a meditation, it's just some of Sifu Shi Yan Ming's ramblings about how to be positive & improve your life. Quite frankly, the 28 days of supposed meditations could be summed upin a few lines. And you'd be better off simply reading a few inspiring quotes from the Dalai Llama, more concise & more wisdom. There's also a bizarre 'whooping' element to the book. It's VERY American! Every so often it congratulates you, which is bizarre because maybe you haven't actually done what you're reading (I personally only tried a few things near the back of the boook). The writer has this American 'rock on', 'way to go' 'yeah'! style of writing, which I personally find very strangein a book that I was hoping would teach me some King Fu. It's an attractive book with lots of pictures & some of the introduction is interesting but unless you're really at ground zero when it comes to physical aptitude, this book is not for you.
very unahppy with this purchase - By: Mr. Zahid Karim, 21 Oct 2008 
I bought this book a couple of months ago, hoping for a traditional martial arts style fitness regime, (with added meditations). What I got was a lot of stretches & strikes, with no excercises at all. If you want "the flexibility of a mutant" read Pavel Tsatsouline's book on stretching (do a google search I forget the name). It is more scientific & more thought out, I have no suggestions for the fitness side, but this book does not have the answers.
Before buying this, please read some of the book online (I forget where I found it- but do a google).
I didn't write this out of spite for the author, but because the book is that bad, I don't want others to waste decent money on this.
Not quite what the title says... - By: bookworm, 21 Sep 2008 This book describes a set of solo exercises that is best described as warm up exercises to a normal martial arts training session. About half of the book describes warm up & streching techniques. One quarter of the book is about how to get into & out of some basic kung fu stances while the last quarter is about some basic kicks & punches. All exercises are showin a stand alone format more as aerobic exercises than martial art techniques. The explanationsin the book describe how to perform the exercises but not what they are for or how to use themin a martial arts setting.
If you are already practicing a martial art superficially like kung fu then there is nothing new or life changingin this book. If you have not practiced martial arts or just want some variation to your normal aerobics class then this book may be for you.
By the way, some of the streching techniques describedin the book are actually very bad streching techniques. If you do buy this book, whatever you do, DON'T BOUNCE while streching! Bouncing, or any fast movement, while streching triggers a protective reflexin the body that contracts the muscles you are trying to strech. If you bounce while streching you significantly increase the risk of tearing a muscle or tendon as well as causing the muscle to become slightly shorter. Slowly & decisively is the way to strech.
Simpley superb! - By: Danny Boy, 13 Aug 2008 
I wasnt expecting much from this book but I have to admit I was very wrong. Put togetherin a very simple to follow plan without consuming all of your day. I have now completed 14 of the 28 days & I am feeling very chilled & have a much greater range of flexibility. I am thoroughly enjoying doing the workout & would honestly recommend this book to everyone.
The best 30 minutes of your day - By: Mr. A. Gifford, 21 May 2008 To complete all of the exercisesin this book takes @30-35 minutes a day.The sifu calls them active meditations, as while you are training your body, you are training the mind.They are best done (in my opinion)first thingin the morning, leaving you nice & loose to face the day.There are also daily meditationsin the book to help you focus mentally. One of my favourites is translated as "Stay loosein everything I do", which is meant to help you focus on not letting external factors influence your feelings, moods etc.Good, detailed instructions & quality photographs, mean that you can see exactly how to do each movement.I judge books by the quality of informationin them, & how much enjoyment I get out of them.This book scores top marksin both those catagories
