Last summer, I was looking through my martial arts library and I ran across a couple of old Hsing-I books written by Tim Tackett in the '70s and '80s.

I thought, I wonder if he is still alive. In all these decades, I never made the connection between this Tim Tackett and the one who co-authored a couple of great books on Jeet Kune Do.

So I did some Google research and realized it was the same guy as the Jeet Kune Do instructor. I sent him an email and he agreed to an interview for the Internal Fighting Arts podcast.

I've always had a lot of respect for JKD. I studied "The Tao of Jeet Kune Do" cover-to-cover back when it first came out in the original hardbound version in 1975 and tried to adapt some of the techniques and philosophies. 

As I got older, attacking on recovery and between my opponent's punches (I believe in JKD that is on the "half beat") became essential to winning tournament sparring matches.

Tim Tackett began studying kung-fu while living in Taiwan in the early '60s. He was an early pioneer when most Americans had no clue what kung-fu was about. He received his senior instructor certification from Dan Inosanto in 1973.

He co-authored a couple of great JKD books and he has written a couple on his own. At age 75, he still teaches a Wednesday night class in his garage in Redlands, California.

It is my honor to present this edition of the Internal Fighting Arts podcast, featuring an interview with Tim. Follow this link to listen online or download the file -- Tim Tackett interview on Audello.

Use this link for the Tim Tackett interview on iTunes.

My newly revised and expanded Chen 19 DVD is available starting today. It replaces the original, which was produced in 2008 in the older 4:3 TV screen format. The new DVD is longer, at 2 1/2 hours, with much more detail on each movement, and in widescreen format with better camera angles and overall better production.

The Chen 19 was the first Chen Taiji form I learned in 1998 from Jim and Angela Criscimagna. Through them, I also met Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang and studied the form with him. He designed the form in the mid-90s in response to popular demand for a shorter Chen style form that would fit into busy modern Western lives. I suspect it was also the Chen family's answer to the Yang 24, which is probably the most popular form in the world.

The new DVD includes:

** A complete demonstration of the form from front and rear views.

** Detailed instruction on each movement with an emphasis on internal body mechanics.

** You'll also see a student being coached through the movements, so you can learn to avoid beginner mistakes.

There are a few self-defense applications sprinkled throughout, but I decided to focus this DVD on the form. If you are interested in the fighting applications, I would recommend the DVD set on Laojia Yilu Fighting Applications, which explores over 400 applications from the longer form.

Here is a short clip from the DVD, part of the instruction on movement #3, "Lazy About Tying the Coat." The DVD costs only $19.99 and there is free shipping worldwide (International orders are shipped without the plastic cases). As usual, there is a no-hassle, iron-clad money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied for any reason. Follow this link to order the Chen 19 DVD. All of the video is also available for streaming for members of my website - www.internalfightingarts.com. 

 Sample Clip from Chen 19 DVD

Follow this link for more information and to order.