Company: Eureka Productions
Tape Name: Modern Masters of the Chinese Martial Arts - 1991 U.S. National Competition, Houston , Texas
Tape Cost: $ 25.95 + $ 5 shipping
Length of Tape/Time: 2 Hours
Number of Moves/Techniques: Approx. 50 demonstrations plus teaching segments
Return Policy:
Experiences in dealing with this company: Excellent
The Instructor: Various demonstrators plus teaching segments with Kumar Frantzis, Shouyu Liang, Qing Fu Pan etc.
Company's Address: P.O. Box 660 ,Point Reyes , CA 94956
Company's Phone Number: 530-582-0342 or 800-937-3142
Web Page: http://eurekaproductions.tv/
E-Mail: eureka@nbn.com

Primary Grading Criteria:

1. Production/Tape Quality: 9
2. Instructors demonstrated skill level: 9 (some 8, some 9, some 10 )
3. Comprehension Score/Immediate Understanding: 9
4. Degree to which this will make someone a better Martial Artist: 8
5. Score on delivery vs. hype: 9
6. Degree to which we'd recommend this product: 10
7. Wasted Time (The higher the number, the less "fluff"/repetition): 10
8. Playback Score/Watching it over-and-over again: 9
9. Would I purchase more of this company's products: 10
10. Overall grade based on cost vs. value: 10

Grand Total: 93

1. 80%-100% = 93%
2. Poor, Fair, Good, Excellent = Good
3. 0-5 stars = 3.25

Secondary Grading Criteria:

1. Beginners benefit: Good
2. Intermediate benefit: Good
3. Advanced benefit: Excellent
4. Time to benefit: Conceptually immediately, physically , who could say ?
5. The need to buy additional tapes to understand this one: none

Written Summary:

At M.A.V.R. we usually prefer to review straight instructional videos, however there is enough instructional content on this video to justify a review. Also, this reviewer thought that this video was of such value to anyone interested in the Chinese Martial Arts that it deserved inclusion on a merit basis, even if it had not had any instructional segments. Finally, Eureka was one of the first companies to submit videos to M.A.V.R. and the only reason that there had been no previous reviews was that no one felt sufficiently qualified in the Chinese arts to attempt one.

Essentially this two hour tape shows one Chinese Martial Artist after the other demonstrating their skills in their particular style. What makes the tape special is that most of the demonstrators are top - level masters in their arts and that most of the demos were the traditional arts, i.e. not some flashy martial dance routine put together so as to wow the judges and get a trophy. Not once did anyone do continuous head high roundhouse kicks whilst hopping around a full 360 degree circle , like a dog looking for it's favourite fire hydrant .

A partial list of what is shown includes the following ( I must stress that these were the demos I liked, this does not mean that these were the "good " demonstrators, whilst the others were incompetent or in any way low-level, just a matter of personal taste ):

1. Al Waalee Muhammed Hsing I free fighting
2.Vinnie Thomas Wing Chun staff
3.Andrew Chung Bok Mei / White Eyebrow
4. Nick Gracenin Northern Mantis
5.Brendan Lai Mantis sparring techniques
6.Wei Lun Huang Yang Tai Chi with Lo Ho Pa Fa body dynamics ( the reviewer's Tai Chi "Uncle")
7.Yang Jwing Ming & Sam Masich Sword sparring
8.George X. Xu Chen style straight sword
9.Jiang Hao Quan Wudang style
10.Shouyu Liang & He Wei Qi White Sword two person set
11. Park Bok Nam Pa Kua chi gung
12.Henry Poo Yee Southern Preying Mantis
13.Wen Ching Wu Little Tiger Swallow style
14. Kumar Frantzis Wu style Tai Chi
15. Augustine Fong Wing Chun chi sao
16. Hawkins Cheung Fighting Applications
17. Wai Lun Choi Hsing I chuan
18. Shouyu Liang & Sam Masich Tai Chi / Hsing I / Pa Kua applications
19. Yu Wong Yang Tai Chi broadsword
20.Bomani Magharibi Chen tai chi form

The only two demos I did not find to be in any way impressive , was John Painter doing a Pa Kua Applications demo - he looks like someone desperately trying to pass his Aikido brown belt test- and a Shuai Chiao demo by Hsing Ping Jeng and Lin Chih Young involving a lot of stumbling about and loss of balance. Maybe they should have invited Matt Furey to demonstrate.

As far as the teaching segments are concerned, these are slices of seminars that were given , but they still give some information. Others are interviews with specific instructors.

What makes this tape worth wile for beginners as well as more advanced students of the arts , is that such a broad spectrum of styles are shown and by such advanced practitioners at that. From internal arts applications to weapons to sparring theory to such relatively rarely seen styles such as Bok Mei and Southern Mantis, this video has it all.

The other thing , off course, is the price. $ 25 for two packed hours makes this a very affordable addition to one's video library , and, as with other Eureka videos which will be reviewed in the near future, one really gets the impression that Eureka's primary concern is to educate their fellow martial artists, rather than to make a fast buck off them.

E.P.

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