Douglas Wile, Author " Tai Chi's Ancestors"
"A real contribution to the field."


Donald J. LaRocca, Curator, Arms & Armor, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
"Scott Rodell's mastery of his subject and his great devotion to it are apparent on every page."


J. Christoph Amberger, author, “Secret History of the Sword”
"Overall, it is a fascinating book."


Book Description
Chinese Swordsmanship in the Yang Family Taiji Jian Tradition: Scott M. Rodell's well-crafted book traces the history and development of the Chinese Way of the Sword from the Bronze Era through the Warring States Period up to modern times. Rodell covers all aspects of his subject from the etiquette of handling bladed weapons to basic cuts and classic forms as well as swordplay. The book is profusely illustrated with historical photographs and woodblock prints as well as photographs of contemporary swordplay. The Author brings to this book his many years of expertise as a student and teacher of Taiji Jian and as a recognized authority on the nearly lost art of Chinese swordsmanship.


About the Author
Scott M. Rodell has studied martial arts since the age of nine. The last two decades he has devoted exclusively to study of Yang Family Taijiquan. Rodell spent many years traveling to find and study with the best teachers in this lineage to full fill a person goal - renovating Yang Family Taijiquan. He sought out teachers known for certain specialties, pulling together elements of the system that have become separated and fragmented. Rodell has been privileged to receive instruction in Push Hands and Free Fighting from William C. C. Chen, Sword and Push Hands from T.T. Liang and the Yang Family Michuan Taijiquan, form, applications, push hands, sword (jian), fan and spear, from Wang Yen-nien. Rodell is the Director of the Great River Taoist Center. The Center was founded in 1984 and now is headquatered in Washington, DC and has branch across Norhern Europe. For more than 1o years, Rodell has been teaching across western Russia and Estonia. He began teaching in the Soviet Union at the request of the Soviet Wushu Federation in 1991. For more information about the Great River Taoist Center, please call 703/846-8222.