Reddit reviews The Power of Internal Martial Arts and Chi: Combat and Energy Secrets of Ba Gua, Tai Chi and Hsing-I
We found 3 Reddit comments about The Power of Internal Martial Arts and Chi: Combat and Energy Secrets of Ba Gua, Tai Chi and Hsing-I. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Internal-Martial-Arts-Chi/dp/1583941908/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5TR1N9HQBG5JNY4ADHWX
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Yang is very scientific. Deng is practical, some of his other books are more spiritual and one chronicles his master's life and more like a crazy novel. Frantzis is also quite practical and most informative regarding martial arts. All three have classic understanding of Chinese medicine, haven't come across any new age BS in their writing.
Each author has other books that you should look into.
Having been to Asia a few times for similar reasons, I can say that having backup plans and objectives might be good. If you can't find the guy, what else could you learn while you're over there?
The Shaolin monks accomplish feats nobody else on the planet are doing through two main factors: obsessive, ridiculous work ethic, and mastery of chi / internal energy. Standing chi gong postures build up unbelievable internal strength. If I were you, still 20 and motivated, I'd start working on "holding the ball" posture until you get up to around 45 minutes. You could try to find a Yiquan instructor in Hong Kong or XingYi instructor in Shannxi or Hubei province. They will make you stand holding one posture for hours at a time. All the best martial artists coming out of China, the legendary ones, practiced the living hell out of the standing chi gong postures to build a strong foundation before moving on to the martial techniques. If you find anyone who is the real deal over there, this is what they'll make you do. So, be prepared for that.
On the deeper level, chi gong has the ability to create "lighter body" which gives them the ability to jump super high, do incredible balances on their head or other parts of their body (like a few fingers), and so forth. This is probably what's happening with the guy who can do a two finger pushup. And this is why not everyone who's training can do it. Chi is a real energy in the body that can be cultivated for many different uses, but there is a mental component. It's why when confronted with a monk who was struggling with muscle tightness, his master asked him right away, "what are you thinking?" The mind and body are one connected unit.
Finally, there are many, many martial arts schools over there that offer immersive training, in places like Wu Dang mountain and elsewhere. A lot of them are basically tourist traps. I would spend as much time as you can looking into reviews of various places, because the most likely outcome of your trip isn't finding that wandering taoist who will take you under his wing and teach you mega secrets. Especially if you're hanging with your mom lol :) More likely is that you could find a place to enroll and go get your ass kicked for a period of months. But a lot of these places make you pay upfront, and once the money is paid, then the quality goes way down. Haggling and getting your money's worth is another kind of martial art that you'll learn when you visit China. There are forums like rumsoakedfist and thetaobums that discuss these places in detail. Basically, the amount of time you spend researching will reveal your real level of commitment. These arts are over there waiting for you, but they have some very annoying barriers to entry - racism, language barriers, obscurity, and straight up bitter, hard work. But if you really want it you can get it.
Also go read The Power of Internal Martial Arts and Chi by Bruce Frantzis. He spent 11 years over there training with some of the best masters who ever lived. He breaks down the main internal arts of China - tai chi, xingyi and bagua, discusses what you should look for in a master, the cultural revolution, and so forth.