What do you guys think of this book? Worthwile reading, or no?

I thumbed thru it at Borders, but it was 35 bucks... Im wondering if thats justfied.

I think it is,

I picked it up and bought it, its got a lot of photo's in but the info in there is still pretty good, worth buying i think although it is a bit pricy!

I don't think there's anything in there you don't already know one way or another.

I picked up a pre-release copy of the first printing in Japan, and found that a lot of technique photos and descriptions didn't match up.

It didn't really bother me, as those aren't what the book is "about" anyway. I think it's probably the most deeply philosophical and mulilayered of Sensei's works in English to date, and I feel it's well worth the money. I understand it's also been revised (the photos) and reprinted.

I think it's probably the most deeply philosophical and mulilayered of Sensei's works in English to date, and I feel it's well worth the money.
Is this to say, a lowly Kyu rank like myself wont "get it"?

I find that more often than not, watching the videos, Its like "wow look at that" while having no idea what he is doing at least 50% of the time, probably more...

Would it be the same with this book?

Of course, your perspective of all Bujinkan books change as your training progresses. But personally, since my dojo was taken over by a new group of extremely skilled shidoshi in autumn 2003, I've felt that literature doesn't impart even a fraction of the knowledge that's up for grabs every training session. Pretty much the only exception, IMHO, is Sanmyaku and "Understand? Good. Play!".

You don't employ a university professor to teach math to seven-year-olds, if you take my meaning...:asian:

Is this to say, a lowly Kyu rank like myself wont "get it"?

I find that more often than not, watching the videos, Its like "wow look at that" while having no idea what he is doing at least 50% of the time, probably more...

Would it be the same with this book?

Nimravus is right; but I do think you'd "get" a lot of it. And over time, as you keep training, when you revisit it it will be like going back and looking at a video again and thinking to yourself, "Wow, I had no idea that was going on in there!!"

Nimravus is right; but I do think you'd "get" a lot of it. And over time, as you keep training, when you revisit it it will be like going back and looking at a video again and thinking to yourself, "Wow, I had no idea that was going on in there!!"
Ah, Ahah, I see.

I dunno...in the aforementioned book by Ben Cole, Soke states that he thinks that no one who was at the Taikai 2000 in Holland except for the Japanese residents attending understood anything about what he was trying to put across. At the same time, I'm sitting at home watching the video in question going all "ahaaaaaa, so THAT's what he means!!"

:idunno:

A lot of the time with this budo, something you're shown only comes clear in retrospect, much later, like the punch-line of a really subtle joke. . .

And I wasn't even there, mind you...

Is this to say, a lowly Kyu rank like myself wont "get it"?

Hatsumi was quoted saying about this system "If you think you have it, you don't. If you think you do not have it, you have".

Lake Dale said, by reading the book, looking at videos, you are realizing that what you have been doing all along is what we have all been doing for years. It is just more subtle than the eye can see. Even I have confused a friend of mine when I did a technique in front of her. She never saw what I really did. But she got the idea after explaining to her how.

If this book helps you, then it is a reference. Just do not fall into the trap of having Hatsumi being a sort of demi god figure that some people in our style like to see him as. Yes Hatsumi can talk about the system and knows mostly all, but even he is still looking for the answers to the questions.

ah so many books on the same subject just a different tittle to them.maybe I should write one and call it how people waste their time as ninja wannabes that would sell.

And I wasn't even there, mind you...

I was...And I remember being in a confused haze much of the time.
But maybe that was because we were so close to Amsterdam. :bangahead:

ah so many books on the same subject just a different tittle to them.maybe I should write one and call it how people waste their time as ninja wannabes that would sell.


Blodd Shadow can you even start your own topic even if its bad? Or are you just so bored you decided to click back into history to get a bunch of posts?

ah so many books on the same subject just a different tittle to them.maybe I should write one and call it how people waste their time as ninja wannabes that would sell.:rolleyes:
:troll: