Omei Hung Mo Bak Mei Yum Yeung Jik Bo Kuen DVD

Review of Omei Hung Mo Bak Mei Yum Yeung Jik Bo Kuen DVD

Produced by Warrior Body Buddha Mind, this DVD covers the entry/foundation form of the Omei Bak Mei system – Yum Yeung Jik Bo Kuen. Applications of the form will be covered in a future DVD.

Overall, the content of the DVD is outstanding. Sifu Garry breaks down the set, from the beginning salute to the ending salute, with a fine attention to the body dynamics involved. His analysis of the forms movements bring the theoretical knowledge of Rise-Fall-Expand-Contract to a practical usage. This is what makes the form a beginner's basic entry level set and a foundation for all other sets in the Bak Mei lineage. In addition, he explains how to use 'spiral' type movements with the rise and fall actions. A lot of items to consider for a 'basic' set.

Sifu Garry emphasizes that the practitioner will need to get the 'feeling' of the movements, rather than merely copying the movements.

The DVD has a nice external training portion, illustrating some common Southern Chinese style exercises and equipment, with an emphasis on using them in a manner consistent with the Bak Mei principles he outlines in the set.

As a consumer of Martial Art DVD's, there are a few drawbacks to this one. The action takes place in

what appears to be a small apartment. This limits the ability to see the entire video played out in its proper manner. While good from a standpoint of concentrating on certain movements (a step-by-step sequence), it detracts from the overall flow of the form. It also makes understanding the footwork a bit difficult, unless you are already versed in Bak Mei style stepping. I have seen some of his outdoor training clips, perhaps there could have been a couple of iterations of the form added to the DVD.

One other point, is the uniform shirt he is wearing tends to take attention away from what his hands are actually doing at certain points. In my opinion, it would have been better to do certain portions of the form in a T-shirt, clarifying some of the circular actions.

Bottom line, if you are interested in seeing the mechanics and theory of Omei Hung Mo Bak Mei, buy the DVD. It will help explain theory and help you to apply the theory. I look forward to seeing more DVD's from Warrior Body Buddha Mind productions.

While the DVD gives clear instructions on the performance of the set, I believe you still would need guidance and feedback to properly perform the actions. If you have a Hakka martial arts background, you could follow along and perform the set. If you come from a Karate or other martial art background, the method/manner of movement may be quite foreign to you.

I personally have added this set to my daily practice. I feel that internalizing the movements will help me in all my other Yau Kung Mun sets.