can you reccommend books?

If you can find it, The Way of the Warrior by Howard Reid is a good book. Another excellent book is Essential Anatomy for Healing and Martial Arts by Marc Tedeschi
 
Originally posted by rachel
Zen in the martial arts sounds good. I'll pick a copy up.

That was a favorite of mine. Have you read it yet?

Any other recommendations, anyone?
 
Strong On Defense by Sanford Strong and The Gift of Fear by Gavin DeBecker are musts for martial artists who would like to teach self-defense.

I'm also a fan of Kirik Jenness's "Fighter's Notebook". Unlike a video, you can take it with you to the mat. Unlike a DVD, you won't accidentally roll onto your laptop, destroying it.
 
Yes please read: The History of Jon Bluming: From Street Punk to 10th Dan (c. 2000) by Sensei Jon Bluming.

A very interesting look at the development of martial arts in the West just after WWII.
 
Hello,

I have two recommendations: one is a book from a particular system, and the other is a general reference book for Martial Arts (since I'm not sure which you would prefer). First, I would like to recommend Ed Parker's "Infinite Insights into Kenpo, Vol. I: Mental Stimulation." It has a little bit of everything: a brief general history of martial arts, Mr. Parker's philosophy of the Art (which you may or may not agree with), his arguments for people taking martial arts, and his explanation of some of Bruce Lee's most misunderstood quotes [since Bruce Lee stayed at Mr. Parker's house for a while and they were friends until Lee's death]. It usually costs around $20 or less, and can be purchased at most American Kenpo schools or on the Internet from Amazon.com or martialartsmart.com.

However, if you want to read a general reference book, "The Original Martial Arts Encyclopedia" by Emil Farkas and John Corcoran is a good overview of the various martial arts, their traditions/philosophy, their history, and Who's Who (pioneers, famous tournament fighters, etc.). The copy I have is dated from 1992 or 1993. I'm not sure if it's still in print or not, but you might call your local library, various bookstores, and/or search the Internet to see who might sell it.

Respectfully,
Gin-Gin :asian:
 
arnisador said:
That was a favorite of mine. Have you read it yet?

Any other recommendations, anyone?
Also a favourite of mine.

I will recomend "the unfettered mind" by Takuan soho
 
arnisador said:
I came across this book at Barnes and Noble the other day:
Fighting Science: The Laws of Physics for Martial Artists
by Martina Sprague. It intrigued me, but the more I looked at it the less impressed I was. Is anyone familiar with this book? I'd like to read a solid book on the subject, but I'm not convinced that this is one.
I've paged through this book at the bookstore-definatly not a keeper. However i did read a book called Shotokan's secret by Bruce Clayton good read, informative
 
rachel said:
So karate is mainly what I'm interested in
Try Shihan Te: The Bunkai of Karate Kata by Darrell Craig and Paul Anderson

Without going into specifics of styles it examines the commonalities found in Japanese/Okinawan Kata and teaches you how to understand the applications.
Because so much of what is known as "kenpo" in the U.S. is dreived from the Okinawan Karate that was introduced to Hawaii in the 1930's it is also relevant to what you study.
 
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