Kung Fu for Teens

Gr 9 Up—Longfist kung fu instructor Ben Warner has designed a program specifically for teens. With a pace that is more intense than the less advanced "Kung Fu for Kids" DVDs, Warner guides four students through an hour-long cardio, strength, and speed building workout. The more important segments follow the workout section. In the other parts, Warner provides detailed instruction on how to properly perform kung fu stances, blocks, kicks, and strikes, and then describes how they should be integrated into an exercise program. This arrangement makes the initial workout problematic for beginners. It would have been ideal to have featured the how-to section at the beginning, rather than placed it in the chapter selection, so that new students would realize that they don't have to do all the exercises or keep up with the pace of the workout on their first try. While Warner stresses safety and pacing, students who watch only the workout rather than the detailed description of each technique could perform moves incorrectly and unsafely. But despite the organizational problem, the content is well taught, and the intense workout is excellent for moderately fit high school students looking to learn a little bit of kung fu. A DVD is no replacement for personal instruction, but in areas where martial arts schools are not accessible, this program could be useful—provided viewers take Warner's advice about safety seriously.—Alana Joli Abbott, formerly James Blackstone Memorial Library, Branford, CT