Tai Chi Sword (太極劍) and Other Writings by Chén Wēimíng (陳微明)

An interesting book, one of the earliest descriptions of the Yang Style sword form (楊氏太極劍).Chén Wēimíng (陳微明) has an important place in the genealogy of the Yang style: both as a student of Yáng Chéngfǔ (楊澄甫) and as a documentarist that helped to put in paper his teacher's principles.
As a instructions manual, it is useful only to help memorization and identification of movements. As a document, it is very valuable for the serious practicioner interested in the evolution of the style. The preface by Barbara Davis is particularly informative, not least because of her own long experience on the topic.

Street Videos on Bāguàzhăng Applications (八卦掌打法)Aplicações de Bāguàzhăng(八卦掌打法)

Pakua Chang Journal

The Pakua Chang Journal is the main reference on the art. It has a somewhat mytical status for its duration and the breadth of the information it conveys. Bāguàzhăng (八卦掌) has developped through inoumerous families which makes an overview of its styles quite a complicated topic. The curiosity of its editor, Dan Miller, made that took an agnostic attitude and was able to reach for many different styles. His persistence made it run for seven years, allowing the time for a broad coverage.
The magazine stopped running in 1997, and is now sold as a CD-ROM archive with the full set of editions. This makes it almost a mini-encyclopedia of the styles that were reachable in the 90's. Beyond the editions themselves, in the set that is currently being sold there is an editor's letter included. It is quite interesting for the description of Dan Miller's own history. One point in particular drew my attention: the reasons why he stopped editing the magazine. In short it was so absorbing that it was polluting his training. At some point he stopped being a publisher, journalist and teacher; he became a student of the art.

Chapter 43 (四十三) from the Dào​dé​jīng (道德經)Capítulo 43 (四十三) do Dào​dé​jīng (道德經)

四十三

天下之至柔，
馳騁天下之至堅。
無有入無間，
吾是以知無為之有益。
不言之教，
無為之益
天下希及之。

老子

"The softest thing in the world dashes against and overcomes the hardest;
that which has no substantial existence enters where there is no crevice.
I know hereby what advantage belongs to doing nothing.
There are few in the world who attain to the teaching without words, and the advantage arising from non-action."

Unless noted otherwise, all quotations of classical texts and accompanying translations come from the Chinese Text Project

"O mais suave cavalga sobre o mais duro sob o céu
A não-existência pode penetrar no sem-espaço
Por isso conheço o benefício da não-ação
O ensinamento da não-palavra
O benefício da não-ação
Sob o céu, são poucos que os alcançam"

Tradução de Wǔ Rǔqīng (武汝清)

Ward-off Jin (掤勁) from The Secret of the Eight Methods (八法秘訣)

掤勁義何解？如水負行舟。
先貫丹田氣，次要頂頭懸，
全體彈簧力，開合一定间。
任有千斤重，飄浮亦不難。

吳公藻

"How to explain the correct meaning of Ward-off (Peng) Jin? It is like the water carrying a moving boat.
First one fills up Qi in the Dantian. Second, push up the head is as it was hanging.
The entire body generates a springing force, opening and closing in a fixed timing.
It is not hard to make even one of thousand pounds of weight float."

By Wú Gōngzǎo (吳公藻), based on the translation by by Yang Jwing Ming (楊俊敏) presented in the book Tai Chi Secrets of the Wu Style (太極拳吳氏先哲秘要).