Martial arts Books

Book SynopsisPart Samurai history, part martial arts guide, this is THE book for anyone interested in Japan's fabled Samurai culture.Author Alexander Bennett is the ultimate insider—holding multiple black belts in Kendo and Naginata, as well as a Ph.D. in Japanese literature and history. In this book he shares his vast personal experience and knowledge with readers seeking to undertake their own personal quest in the Japanese martial arts. Bennett outlines the Japanese history of Bushido and the Samurai—from early times up until the present. Then, as only someone steeped in this world can, he surveys the contemporary martial arts scene and provides the essential knowledge young foreigners need to find a teacher and learn successfully. Unlike any other book on this subject, Japan The Ultimate Samurai Guide is written by a Japanese speaker who has studied and taught martial arts in Japan for many decades. Chapters include: The Real Samurai The Concept of Bushido Development of the Japanese Martial Arts Martial Arts Masters You Should Know About Budo in Japan Today Key Martial Arts Concepts Life in a Japanese Dojo A Japan Survival Guide Written in a down-to-earth and easy-to-read style, this book will captivate anyone interested in Japan, as well as martial arts teachers and practitioners around the world. With both history and humor, this vividly illustrated book has a more personal touch than many (for example, read up on "Fifteen Famous Japanese Cultural Indiosyncrasies" and Bennett's favorite martial arts movies). As Bennett says, "This book is supposed to be genuinely from the heart. Without the pretense…misconceptions or romantization that often accompanies martial arts."Trade Review"Profusely illustrated throughout, impressively informative, exceptionally well written, organized and presented, Japan: The Ultimate Samurai Guide will be of special and particular interest to anyone intrigued by Japanese martial arts in general, and samurai traditions and legacies in particular. While especially and unreservedly recommended for dojo, community and academic library Martial Arts collections and supplemental studies reading lists." -- Midwest Book Review"…a very informative and interesting book about Budo, samurais, weapons and the Japanese culture. The book is full of colorful pictures, works or art, diagrams, and illustrations…Besides the interest in history and martial arts, this book's strength is for the visitor to this beautiful land. The pictures themselves make me want to go and buy a ticket immediately." --Man of La Book blog"Each chapter proves informative in its own way, and the pages are filled with humor, as well as anecdotes and lists of things such as Bennett's favorite martial arts films that give the book a more personal touch. It is also fantastically illustrated, with hundreds of pictures depicting the evolution of martial arts to the present day. 'This book is supposed to be genuinely from the heart.' says Bennett. 'Without the pretense, bulls--, misconceptions or romanticization that often accompanies martial arts.' And that's the impression you get reading it; it's a work of passion, but one that is both honest and to the point." --The Japan Times

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Book SynopsisThis seminal work by historian Alexander Bennett presents a broad overview of the Japanese "Way of the Warrior" as it is expressed in scores of classical Japanese texts written by famous Samurai themselves.Bennett's analysis of these writings shows that the essential meaning of Bushido, the Samurai's code of conduct and ethics, evolved significantly over time—from the 12th century when the warrior class was elevated to become an elite group, to the 19th century when the Samurai class was suddenly disbanded.Bushido Explained takes a visual approach to presenting important concepts and terminology, helping readers easily navigate the complex world of the Samurai. The text is written in a highly accessible style, with sidebars presenting interesting concepts, facts and important Samurai figures who were central to Bushido's evolution. The different types of Bushido—which vary by region, time period and Samurai rank—are presented with over 300 informative diagrams and illustrations.No other book offers such a wide-ranging, yet clear analysis of Bushido—debunking myths and misconceptions about who the Samurai truly were. Bushido Explained presents a precise overview of Samurai ideals and culture in a logical, chronological order.Author Alexander Bennett—a professor of Japanese history, martial arts and Budo theory at Kansai university in Japan—uses this information and teaching methods in his Japanese Studies: Introduction to Bushido class. Now, readers all over the world can sit in on the unique lesson.Trade Review"Dr. Bennett possesses a profound knowledge of, and deep insight into, the world of Japanese bushido. This expertise has been enhanced by his extensive practical experience of the traditional martial arts of Japan, and his proficiency in this domain is highly acclaimed." -- Tetsuo Yamaori, former Director of the International Research Center for Japanese Studies"Alex Bennett is a stalwart of martial arts and Bushido in Japan. He is one of the very few who can convey the wisdom of the samurai to the rest of the world." --Yasuko Kimura, headmaster of Tendo-ryu (a 400-year-old classical martial arts school)"No other study of Japanese history and culture offers such a wide-ranging, yet clear analysis of Bushido…Exceptionally 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, [it] is an extraordinarily informative and unreservedly recommended introduction to the Japanese warrior code known as Bushido…" -- Midwest Book Review

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Book SynopsisNinja Fighting Techniques explains how to defend yourself against real-world threats using techniques perfected centuries ago by the great Ninja masters.Author Stephen K. Hayes is the world's leading expert on Ninjutsu techniques. In this book, he presents the Ninja "Five Elements" system to explain fundamental aspects of self-defense. According to Japanese Buddhist belief, human nature is connected to the natural world and the five elements. By understanding that connection, essential responses to any threat become clear: Earth—Remain grounded in your thinking and footing to repel attempts to distract or deceive you Water—Shift, angle and move fluidly to confuse attackers and put them off balance Fire—See where a situation is going as it develops and intercept it at the critical moment Wind—Stay light on your feet and move nimbly to evade attempts to pin you down Void—Control a fight's direction by changing dynamics to confuse your attacker Ninja Fighting Techniques explains how the five elements can become automatic, unconscious responses for fighters who train the Ninja way. Through study and practice they become instinctive, effectively employed precisely when you need them without thinking.The advantage of Ninja teachings over other martial disciplines is that, in addition to providing physical combat methods, they teach you to develop a better understanding of human behavior and psychology as well as "real-time" awareness of your surroundings—invaluable in any combat and street fighting situation.With over 300 full-color photographs and detailed step-by-step instructions, this book shows you how the ancient self-defense techniques developed by the Ninja are still unsurpassed today!Trade Review"Regardless of your martial art background or stylistic preference, you will likely be able to connect to the themes presented…numerous images aid in communicating the proper movements…In this modern age where conflict and violence has evolved, may Stephen K. Hayes' Ninja Fighting Techniques become the ninja guide to a better life. 5 out of 5 Ninja Stars!" -- Martial Journal

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisThis open access book is the first publication to provide a comparative framework for the study of martial culture and historical martial arts in Europe and Asia, in particular in Italy and China. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of martial studies, contributors to this volume include historians, archeologists, art historians, scholars of fencing literature, metallurgists, as well as contemporary master swordsmiths and masters-of-arms in historical martial arts. Assembling researchers from these diverse fields, this book offers a multi-perspectival and dynamic view of martial culture across time and space. The cross-cultural and interdisciplinary significance of this book cannot be overemphasized. Whereas a number of contributors are internationally recognized and, indeed, leading authorities in their respective fields; for example, Jeffrey Shaw has been a world-leading new media artist and scholar since the 1970s, while Ma Mingda is a well-known historian and the contemporary founder of Chinese martial studies; and while there are significant overlaps in their research interests, this book brings their research within a single volume for the first time. Equally significant, the book is structured in such a way to reflect the various core aspects of martial studies, particularly in relation to the study of historic sword culture, including history, culture, philosophy, literature and knowledge transmission, material culture, as well as the technical aspects of historical fencing. As one of the first titles on martial studies, this book becomes a reference not only for scholars taking an interest in this subject, but also for historians; scholars with interest in Chinese and/or Italian history (particularly of the Medieval or early modern periods), the history of international relations in Asia / Far East; anthropologists; scholars of martial (arts) studies and researchers in sword-making and/or historic metallurgy.Table of ContentsI. Sword Culture from Socio-historic Perspectives 1. Roberto Gotti & Enrico Valseriati, Stratification in Italian Martial Culture2. Gong Jian, Development of the Yanlingdao from the Yuan to Qing dynasty3. Daniel Jaquet, The Rise of the Two-Handed Sword in the Age of Staff-Weapons4. Ma Lianzhen, The Origin of the Two-Handed Sword in ChinaII. Fight Books: the Transmission and Interpretation of Knowledge5. Omar Ma, Ming Dynasty Chinese Fencing Treatises6. Miriam Vogelaar, Fabris’s 1606 Fencing Manual: an Analytical Bibliographical Study7. Manuel Valle Ortiz, The Ferrara Manuscript: Destreza and VulgarIII. Material Culture: Weapons, Technology, & Aesthetics8. Hu Xiaojun, Rediscovering Swordmaking Techniques of Ancient China: Insights from Reconstructing a Han-Dynasty Ring-Pommel Dao9. Gabriele Tonelli, Historical Sword-making Techniques in Northern Italy in the XVI and XVII CenturiesIV. Classical Martial Art Traditions 10. Ma Lianzhen, Duanbing and the History of Fencing in China11. Jacopo Penso, Interpreting Achille Marozzo’s System of Sword-fighting: A Contemporary Case Study 12. Axel Pettersson, Applying Pedagogic Methods in Historic European Martial Arts

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Book SynopsisThe Ultimate Chinese Martial Art — The Science of the Weaving Stance Bagua 64 Forms and the Wellness Applications has three well integrated parts. Part One describes the cultural, historical and scientific background of the mysterious inner style martial art — Bagua Palm — which used to be taught in a small circle of the Royal families in China. Part Two gives a brief and yet detailed instructions on the techniques and step by step exercises of Bagua Palms with illustrations, including the example of the famous Weaving Stance Bagua 64 Forms. Part Three summarizes the wellness applications of the Bagua Palms as an inner style Chinese martial art.The aim of this book is to help all people on this planet to have a better understanding about wellness and the most effective way to achieve it. The book will thus ultimately make its way to the short list of books which truly leave their marks on the progress of human civilization. The less than sophisticated style of writing makes this book an easy and helpful reading for people from all walks of life.This book is not just about Chinese martial art. It is also about the link between Chinese culture and martial art. With practical instructions on the actual exercise, this book will benefit not just practitioners and trainers in Chinese martial art but effectively all people who read it. This book is not only going to be the martial art book of the year, but the martial art book of the 21st century.This is the first martial art book written by martial art practitioners who have thorough understanding of both physics and actual fighting, with a solid background in Chinese culture. All the three authors of the book have over 40 years of extensive experience each in Chinese martial art. In contrast to conventional Chinese martial art scripts, this book is written by three Chinese authors in plain and vivid English, which is both filled with true understanding of the unique part of Chinese culture and tuned to the cognitive habits of the westerners.Table of ContentsHistory and Philosophy of Chinese Martial Arts: Taoism and Confucianism: Two Major Pillars of Chinese Rationalism; Further Development of Chinese Martial Arts; How Would Sir Isaac Newton Interpret Chinese Martial Arts?; Taoism in Action - the 64 Forms of Bagua Palm: Basic Requirements for Practicing Bagua Palm; The Wading Steps - the Basic Forms of Bagua Movement; Bagua 64 Forms in Detail, With Illustrations; The Applications of Bagua Palms - Physically and Mentally: Basic Conflict in Our Life; Anti-fragile as a Concept and How Do We Understand "Strong"?; Outlive as a Target and the Martial Arts Renaissance;

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Book SynopsisThe Ultimate Chinese Martial Art — The Science of the Weaving Stance Bagua 64 Forms and the Wellness Applications has three well integrated parts. Part One describes the cultural, historical and scientific background of the mysterious inner style martial art — Bagua Palm — which used to be taught in a small circle of the Royal families in China. Part Two gives a brief and yet detailed instructions on the techniques and step by step exercises of Bagua Palms with illustrations, including the example of the famous Weaving Stance Bagua 64 Forms. Part Three summarizes the wellness applications of the Bagua Palms as an inner style Chinese martial art.The aim of this book is to help all people on this planet to have a better understanding about wellness and the most effective way to achieve it. The book will thus ultimately make its way to the short list of books which truly leave their marks on the progress of human civilization. The less than sophisticated style of writing makes this book an easy and helpful reading for people from all walks of life.This book is not just about Chinese martial art. It is also about the link between Chinese culture and martial art. With practical instructions on the actual exercise, this book will benefit not just practitioners and trainers in Chinese martial art but effectively all people who read it. This book is not only going to be the martial art book of the year, but the martial art book of the 21st century.This is the first martial art book written by martial art practitioners who have thorough understanding of both physics and actual fighting, with a solid background in Chinese culture. All the three authors of the book have over 40 years of extensive experience each in Chinese martial art. In contrast to conventional Chinese martial art scripts, this book is written by three Chinese authors in plain and vivid English, which is both filled with true understanding of the unique part of Chinese culture and tuned to the cognitive habits of the westerners.

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Book Synopsis

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