Martial arts Books

Book SynopsisSoul of the Samurai contains modern translations of three classic works of Zen & Bushido.In Soul of the Samurai, bestselling author and respected translator Thomas Cleary reveals the true essence of the Bushido code or Zen warrior teachings according to 17th-century Japanese samurai master Yagyu Munenori and his Zen teacher Takuan Soho.The three works of Zen & Bushido translated in Soul of the Samurai are: The Book of the Sword by Yagyu Munenori The Inscrutable Subtlety of Immovable Wisdom by Takuan Soho The Peerless Sword by Takuan Soho Yagyu was a renowned swordsman and chief of the Shogun's secret police, while Takuan was the Zen spiritual mentor to the Emperor. This samurai philosophy book contains the first English translations of their seminal writings on Bushido. Cleary not only provides clear and readable translations but comprehensive notes introducing the social, political, and organizational principles that defined samurai culture—their loyalty to family, their sense of service and duty, and their political strategies for dealing with allies and enemies.These writings introduce the reader to the authentic world of Zen culture and the secrets behind the samurai's success—being "in the moment" and freeing the mind from all distractions, allowing you to react instantaneously and instinctively without thinking. In these classic works, we learn that Zen mental control and meditational training were as important to the Samurai as swordsmanship and fighting skills.Trade Review"These books provide a fascinating glimpse into the psyche of Edo period samurai and their struggles to retain the skills of war while remaining relevant in a time of peace, and they're also very affordable." --TheShogunsHouse.com blog"…includes translations of The Book of the Sword, The Inscrutable Subtlety of Immovable Wisdom and The Peerless Sword." --Black Belt magazine

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Book SynopsisLearn to master ninjutsu techniques and the Budo warrior ethos with this informative and entertaining martial arts guide.Welcome to the secret world of the ninja master! The Illustrated Ninja Handbook is your ultimate guide to the esoteric knowledge and teachings of the ancient Japanese shinobi. It provides ninjitsu devotees with the first detailed understanding of this shadowy and mysterious martial art form.This handbook contains step-by-step instructions that allow you to master the 40 most devastating ninja fighting techniques. It was created with the blessing of legendary ninjutsu master Soke Masaaki Hatsumi, who taught for many generations in the Bujinkan School—recognized by many to be the leading ninjutsu school in the world.The Bujinkan Dojo encompasses nine separate ryu-ha or martial arts schools that are based in Japan and headed by Hatsumi. Bujinkan ninjas use both armed and unarmed fighting techniques, with weapons such as swords, bamboo shinai, and staffs. They also learn to defend themselves unarmed against weapons attacks. Author Remigiusz Borda studied and taught Bujinkan ninjutsu for many decades, and in this book presents the unique system created by Masaaki Hatsumi—the 34th Grandmaster and head of the Togakure-ryu Ninjutsu lineage.The Illustrated Ninja Handbook is based on hundreds of years of actual ninja combat experience and contains the traditional knowledge of the legendary Shinobi warrior clan who were instrumental in helping found the Tokugawa Shogunate.Trade Review"Beautifully and thoroughly illustrated, Remigiusz Borda's work is a delightful compendium of history, terminology, and concepts associated with our ninja tradition. His passion for both the martial arts and visual arts is demonstrated through the care and detail he has invested in this work. It will serve as a reference point for both beginners and experts in ninja lineages worldwide." --Kevin Keitoshi Casey, author of The Ninja Mind"Illustrated Ninja Handbook is a masterfully produced book, with its beautiful full-color artwork and captivating layout. The book re-visits in fresh format a lot of the ground that has fascinated fans of the ninja arts for the decades since my original ninja book The Ninja and Their Secret Fighting Art brought the once-secret lore to the West." --Stephen K. Hayes, Black Belt Hall of Fame, author of The Ninja Defense and The Ninja and Their Secret Fighting Art"Much like the newer Tuttle books, this instructional is filled with hundreds of full-color photos arranged in dynamic presentations to show every little nuance of the technique being demonstrated. […] It is definitely a good read on ninjitsu for a number of reasons, and I think it is a very solid entry point into the world of ninjitsu, easily better than other books on the market that do not give you this much hands-on info." --TheFightNerd.com blog

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Book SynopsisUltimate Fighting Championship and the present and future of women's sports Mixed martial arts stars like Amanda Nunes, Zhang Weili, and Ronda Rousey have made female athletes top draws in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Jennifer McClearen charts how the promotion incorporates women into its far-flung media ventures and investigates the complexities surrounding female inclusion. On the one hand, the undeniable popularity of cards headlined by women add much-needed diversity to the sporting landscape. On the other, the UFC leverages an illusion of promoting differencewhether gender, racial, ethnic, or sexualto grow its empire with an inexpensive and expendable pool of female fighters. McClearen illuminates how the UFC's half-hearted efforts at representation generate profit and cultural cachet while covering up the fact it exploits women of color, lesbians, gender non-conforming women, and others. Thought provoking and timely, Fighting Visibility tells the story of how a spoTrade Review"Fighting Visibility demonstrates that female fighters are encouraged to imagine opportunities for professional success through UFC despite several significant ways in which these athletes are exploited. UFC positions the success of Ronda Rousey as something for both athletes and fans to emulate, following the notion that 'if you can see her, you can be her.' Yet McClearen's research shows that Rousey's success is exceptional and only portrayed as typical, rendering opportunity a likely facade." --Journal of Sport History"McClearen urges scholars to move beyond dichotomous notions of visibility and to consider the cultural and material consequences of being seen. . . . Centering the well-being and lived experienced of female athletes, McClearen's Fighting Visibility provides a strong foundation on which to build a sustained critique of the relationship between media visibility and exploitation." --Media Industries"The book is a fascinating read. . . . McClearen has written a compelling history of women in the UFC, along with the trials they have faced." --Sport in American History"A scathing critique of the exploitation that defines the relationship of UFC to its women fighters, Fighting Visibility fills a hole in the study of sports. Never has this subject been explored with the depth and clarity that we have here. A necessary and groundbreaking read. It makes the point with crystal clarity: visibility and equity are not the same thing."--Dave Zirin, Sports Editor, The Nation"With an extensive bibliography, this well-researched account sheds insight into the various issues that women in sport face, and the costs of their high visibility. . . . Highly recommended." --Library Journal​"A must read for anyone interested in women, sport, and the media. Written by a quickly rising star in feminist media and communication studies, this book is a highly engaging account of the politics of women's participation and visibilities in UFC. It artfully identifies and explains important new trends in social media, branding, feminism, sport, and popular culture. Highly recommended reading!"--Holly Thorpe, author of Transnational Mobilities in Action Sport Cultures

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Book SynopsisOffers historical, cultural, and political account in English of the Japanese martial art of swordsmanship. This book shows how this martial art evolved through a recurring process of inventing tradition, which served the changing ideologies and needs of Japanese warriors and governments over the course of history.Trade Review"You'll be fascinated by this quintessential Japanese sport." -- Rashaad Jorden JQ Magazine "In this detailed study of kendo, Alexander Bennett, a highly accomplished (and foreign) practitioner himself, picks apart and analyses the roots and evolution of the martial art." TLS "Kendo: Culture of the Sword is to date the most comprehensive and accessible history of Japanese swordsmanship in any language." -- Wolfram Manzenreiter Social Science Japan Journal "A thorough, engaging, and well-written survey that will remain a classic for decades to come." Journal of Japanese StudiesTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Conventions Prologue Introduction 1 * The Art of Killing: Swordsmanship in Medieval Japan 2 * The Art of Living: Early Modern Kenjutsu 3 * The Fall and Rise of Samurai Culture: Kenjutsu's Nationalization 4 * Sharpening the Empire's Claws 5 * Kendo and Sports: Path of Reason or Cultural Treason? 6 * Crossing Swords and Borders: The Global Diffusion of Kendo Epilogue Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisWestern scholars are generally far less familiar with the samurai in his original role as warrior and master of arms than in his other functions as landowner, feudal lord, litterateur, or philosopher. Karl Friday examines samurai martial culture from a historical and worldview in this study.Trade ReviewThis study is refreshingly free of jargon and inscrutable or pretentious philosophizing. Instead, Friday presents this history of the samurai in cool, clear terms that will appeal to more than a select band of academics.... An excellent book." —Daily Yomiuri

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Book SynopsisIn the spring and summer of 1973, a wave of martial arts movies from Hong Kong – epitomized by Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon – smashed box-office records for foreign-language films in America, and ignited a ‘kung fu craze’ that swept the world. Fighting without Fighting explores this dramatic phenomenon, and argues that, more than just a cinematic fad, the West’s sudden fascination with – and moral panic about – the Asian fighting arts has left lasting legacies into the present. The book traces the background of the craze in the longer development of Hong Kong’s martial arts cinema. It discusses the key films in detail, as well as their popular reception and the debates they ignited, where kung fu challenged Western identities and raised anxieties about violence, both on and off screen. And it examines the proliferation of ideas and images from these films in fields as diverse as popular music, superhero franchises, children’s cartoons and contemporary art. Illuminating and accessible, Fighting without Fighting draws a vivid bridge between East and West.

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Book SynopsisKnown in the West primarily through poorly subtitled films, Chinese martial arts fiction is one of the most iconic and yet the most understudied form of modern sinophone creativity. Current scholarship on the subject is characterized by three central assumptions against which this book argues: first, that martial arts fiction is the representation of a bodily spectacle that historically originated in Hong Kong cinema; second, that the genre came into being as an escapist fantasy that provided psychological comfort to people during the height of imperialism; and third, that martial arts fiction reflects a patriotic attitude that celebrates the greatness of Chinese culture, which in turn is variously described as the China-complex, colonial modernity, essentialized identity, diasporic consciousness, anxieties about globalization, or other psychological and ideological difficulties experienced by the Chinese people.Trade ReviewStateless Subjects, by Petrus Liu, is a well-researched book that offers innovative perspectives on the compelling subject of Chinese martial arts literature of the twentieth-century. Through excellent summaries of individual texts—both film and fiction—as well as contemplative consideration of selected historical events in the socio-political milieu during which they were produced, the author's research aims to challenge both early May Fourth (negative) views of martial arts fiction and to transcend canonical analysis of the genre 'as the ideological instrument of Chinese nationalism' (2-3). Liu provides excellent background analysis of the tensions between pop fiction and May Fourth literature, and in the process brings postmodern comparative literature perspectives to bear in his 'intervention' into the dominant May Fourth literary discourse. Readers interested in interconnections between diverse sociopolitical issues such as intellectual history, feminism in martial arts film, the Cultural Revolution, the Cold War in Asia, and tensions in Taiwan/Hong Kong martial arts literary discourse will find many points of departure for further research. Especially notable are the unorthodox subjects from the martial arts literary canon addressed in the five chapters that comprise this book, including Islam, gender issues, and homosexuality. Liu should be applauded for addressing such seemingly taboo subjects in early twentieth-century literary discourse and supplying interesting readings that demonstrate a creative comparative literature approach. * MCLC Resource Center August 2013 *

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Book Synopsis"Ippon Canalla" se ha convertido en el libro de Artes Marciales más polémico y transgresor que se ha escrito hasta ahora en España. Es una obra que rompe con el típico libro de Artes Marciales, no hay verdades absolutas sino diferentes verdades, tantas como lectores tenga el libro, no hay imposiciones sino que pretende entablar un diálogo entre el autor y el lector, es un libro donde el pasado de las Artes Marciales está presente pero no es el presente, el texto te arrancara más de una sonrisa pero no por ello te apartara de la senda del autoconocimiento. Cuando termines de leerlo lo menos importante serán las opiniones del autor, porque tú ya tendrás las tuyas, en algunas coincidiréis en otras estaréis muy lejos pero tampoco eso será importante porque de ese cuestionarte sus planteamientos tú ya habrás crecido, además a pesar de que tu punto de vista y el suyo no coincidan en nada, siempre tendrán algo en común... los dos elegisteis el mismo camino. Quizás algunos lo consideren un libro transgresor, molesto, pero la verdad es que está escrito desde el más absoluto respeto por las Artes Marciales y sus practicantes, además es uno de esos libros interactivos donde el final cambia según quién lo lee.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisIn the global world of the twenty-first century, martial arts are practised for self-defense and sporting purposes only. However, for thousands of years, they were a central feature of military practice in China. This book charts the history of combat in China from the Bronze Age to the present.Trade Review'… [T]he author has succeeded in contributing an erudite, generous, and engaging text, one that critiques and engages in the best spirit of faithful scholarship and invites the same … A reader comes away from reading Ralston having earned a great deal not only about Christianity and Islam and the challenge of law and politics in the two traditions, but also about the need and potential for dialogical growth in the face of serious challenges confronting both religions.' Ovamir Anjum, Islamochristiana'Looking for scholarly content that explores the historical background of Chinese martial arts and their rooted connections to the military? [This book] is an excellent resource that provides in-depth analysis and compelling arguments. Whether you are an academic or a martial arts enthusiast, you will find this content both informative and engaging.' Lafayette Harris, Wing Chun Illustrated MagazineTable of Contents1. From the Stone Age to the end of the Spring and Autumn Period; 2. The Warring States period; 3. The Qin and Han dynasties; 4. The six dynasties; 5. The Sui and Tang dynasties; 6. The five dynasties and ten kingdoms and the Song dynasty; 7. The Yuan dynasty; 8. The Ming dynasty (1368–1644); 9. The Qing dynasty (1644–1911); 10. Post-imperial China.

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Book SynopsisSuitable for fighters, this book is also helpful for athletes or coaches. With full colour photos and explanations, it reveals the secrets of warming up, weight training, endurance training, mental training, nutrition, weight cutting, and strategy development that the top combat athletes in the world use to win IFL, Pride Fighting, UFC and UCC.Trade Review"If you want what other warriors don't have, you need to do what other warriors don't do. I want victories and that"s why I follow this program." -- Ricardo Almeida, UFC, Pride FC veteran and Middleweight King of Pancrase "This training is intense-and it gives me the strength, speed, and endurance I need to take on and defeat the world." -- Roger Gracie, 2005 ADCC Absolute and 2007 BJJ World Absolute Champion "If you're tired of being the nail, let Martin Rooney turn you into the hammer!" -- Renzo Gracie, ADCC and Pride Fighting Champion "Rooney gets the most out of MMA fighters. He doesn't stop at physical conditioning. What separates him from other top-flight trainers is his strict emphasis on being mentally prepared." -- Frank McNeil, ESPN.com "You have it all in the book. As someone who has seen the benefit of innovative, functional, and sport specific exercises, I think Martin Rooney is giving people a tremendous advantage in their MMA training with this book." -- Kenny "Kenflo" Florian, UFC Fighter and BJJ black belt "A fantastic book! The approach of associating MMA techniques with the exercises that will help improve them is something people will not have seen before." -- Kid Peligro, Acclaimed martial arts author and BJJ black belt

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Book SynopsisPain Don’t Hurt is the no-holds-barred memoir from the only professional fighter in history to return to the ring after open-heart surgery, kickboxer Mark “Fightshark” Miller—an inspiring story of family, determination, and redemption.In 2007, Mark Miller was a rising star in professional kickboxing, until a routine physical uncovered a serious condition that required open-heart surgery. The crisis helped to temporarily reunite his fractured family and made Miller more determined than ever to return to the kickboxing ring. But within a year, his parents and brother were all dead, and Miller’s fragile optimism imploded, sending him into a tailspin of drugs and alcohol.Pain Don’t Hurt is a story of incredible tenacity, dedication, and hard work—how one fierce competitor overcame repeated obstacles to realize his dreams. Miller recounts stories ranging from his childhood spent in the Steelers locker room to the s

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Book SynopsisThis ground-breaking work is the first to comprehensively document the traditions, philosophy, and techniques of one of the world's most varied, exciting, and practical martial arts—Hapkido. More than 9,000 photographs introduce over 2,000 martial techniques, including strikes, kicks, blocks, avoiding movements, holds, joint locks, chokes, throws, falls, tumbling, ground fighting, and weapons. Numerous closeups show precise grips, leverage methods, pressure points, hitting surfaces, and direction of force. In addition to self-defense techniques, chapters are included on East Asian philosophy, martial arts history, anatomy, meditation, healing, and pressure point fighting, as well as in-depth, previously unpublished interviews with the world's preeminent Hapkido Grandmasters and renowned Grandmasters of related martial arts. Because of similarities between Hapkido and many other martial arts, including Taekwondo, Jujutsu, Aikido, Judo, and Tai Chi Chuan, this book is a u

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Book SynopsisLively, detailed essays explaining the meaning behind the apparatus, traditions, and etiquette particular to the Japanese martial arts—by an American sword master   Beginning students in Japanese martial arts, such as karate, judo, aikido, iaido, kyudo, and kendo, learn that when they are in the dojo (the practice space), they must don their practice garb with ritual precision, address their teacher and senior students in a specific way, and follow certain unwritten but deeply held codes of behavior. But very soon they begin to wonder about the meaning behind the traditions, gear, and relationships in the dojo. In this collection of lively, detailed essays, Dave Lowry, one of the most well-known and respected swordsmen in the United States, illuminates the history and meaning behind the rituals, training costumes, objects, and relationships that have such profound significance in Japanese martial arts, including    • th

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Book SynopsisPresents the first 100 vintage covers from one of the longest-running and most significant martial-arts magazines - "Black Belt". This album documents martial-arts heroes, philosophies, and traditions.

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Book SynopsisA guide that explains the use of force continuum and teaches how to efficiently avoid potentially violent encounters though the use of 'pre-incident indicators.' It leads readers through effective methods of self-defence designed for use in myriad street crime scenarios.Trade Review"McCann has kept his hands dirty for the 28 years I've known him, staying in the fight and has served, as Warriors do. This book contains his direct, unflinching opinions about close combat and he ought to know." -- A.M. Gray, former commandant of the Marine Corps; former member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and a current member of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, Washington, DC"Kelly McCann's approach to combatives works because it embodies two basic principles: simplicity and proven effectiveness. --L.H. "Bucky" Burruss, lieutenant colonel (retired), U.S. Special Operations; cofounder, 1st SFOD-D "Delta Force""If you're serious about self-defense, don't settle for theory. Buy this book and get the real deal." --Michael Janich, author and founder, Martial Blade Concepts"Kelly was one of the driving forces in updating the . . . old close combat program to make it fully functional on the modern day battlefield." --Cardo V. Urso, former chief trainer of instructor trainers, Marine Corps Close Combat Program"Kelly McCann's combatives mentality is as honest and straightforward as it can get." --Pat Miletich, five-time UFC world champion with 14 years of experience training police and military forces"Kelly's understanding of close sudden violence is derived from personal experience." --Bill Bratton"Kelly McCann approaches the study of combatives from a scientifically based model of 'what and why,' but does so with an almost religious fervor to find the 'best way.'" --Jim McDonnell, chief of staff and Medal of Valor recipient, Los Angeles Police Department"Kelly McCann is probably the toughest person I know, and one of the smartest. Both qualities are on display in this terrific book, which is not only wise and useful, but a compelling read." --Tucker Carlson, host, MSNBC's Tucker ; cohost, CNN's CrossFire ; and author, Politicians, Parasites and Partisans"Kelly McCann's combatives mentality is as honest and straightforward as it can get." --Pat Miletich, five-time UFC world champion with 14 years of experience training police and military forces

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Book SynopsisLao-tzu: My Words Are Very Easy to Understand interprets the sayings of Lao-tzu, one of the earliest writers in Chinese history. His work describes the merest traces and marvels of the Tao, and promotes Non-action, concepts that are central to these unique teachings of thousands of years ago.

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Book SynopsisIn this erudite yet practical book Professor Cheng shares the secrets of his lineage and takes us to the heart of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, presenting it as a martial artm a medicine, and a means of exercise and self-development. With examples from anatomy and physics, he demonstrates precisely how the postures and moves work, internally as energetic principles, and externally on opponents. Professor Cheng always emphasizes that disease (like an attack from an opponent) is an opportunity for training. The practitioner of T'ai Chi Ch'uan may serve as his (or her) own doctor and, likewise, as the physician (or trainer) of an attacker. This special text includes:-Thirteen essays on his insights into T'ai Chi Ch'uan.-Oral secrets from his teacher, Yang Cheng'fu.-Questions and answers giving his commentary to the classics.-Descriptions and mechanics of push-hands, San Shou, and Ta Lu.-Prefaces by both Madame Cheng and Bejamin Pang-Jeng Lo.

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Book SynopsisAikido and the New Warrior includes essays which illuminate Aikido concepts as they apply to many different walks of life: sports, nature, anger, martial arts training, death, and aging to name a few. Please note that this book does not include information on martial arts techniques.

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Book Synopsis'This book, T'ai Chi Ch'uan Ta Wen, was written sixty years ago by Professor Ch'en Wei-ming, who was a famous exponent of the Yang style T'ai Chi Ch'uan and a student of the great master, Yang Cheng-fu. In 1927 he established the Chih Jou School in Shanghai where he taught many students. At that time he saw how popular T'ai Chi Ch'uan was becoming and he was concerned that if it became a fad it would lose its original spirit. In the process of its being spread, its principles would be forgotten or mixed with other forms, thus leading to the loss of an important part of its essence. Therefore, this book is based only on what Professor Ch'en heard in his teacher's classes. The questions are his own personal questions.'-Benjamin Pang Jeng Lo, from the Introduction

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Book SynopsisA teacher''s guide for instructing beginners of Aikido--this book appeals to the new beginner and experienced student alike. Nippon Kan was established in 1980 as a center for Denver residents to experience Japanese culture. The center has since served more than 6,000 studetns wit hits variety of classes, but its core is still Aikido. Thousands of students have benfitted from Gaku Homma''s form of dynamic Aikido.

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Book SynopsisDistilling the martial art known in the West as kung fu, Robert Smith presents Chinese boxing (ch’uan shu) as an art “that combines the hardness of a wall and the softness of a butterfly’s wings.” His lively, pragmatic account conveys the discipline and insights acquired in ten years of study and travel in Asia. Smith describes his work with t’ai chi master Cheng Man-ch’ing, and connects ch’uan shu with the softer aspects and inner power of that popular practice. Fifty black and white photos illustrate this informative and personal account of the Chinese boxing tradition.

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Book SynopsisPersonal, reflective, and gently investigative, these early essays have a raw, fresh quality which predates the more formal theory and practice of Peter Ralston''s two popular books, The Book of Not Knowing and Pursuing Consciousness. Many of the questions we might struggle with in life—identity in relation to others, authenticity in the face of belief systems, the draw we have to pursue ineffective self-serving urges, and our tendency to conceptualize rather than experience things—are described here in simple, almost conversational language. Attempting to grasp what authentic knowledge is, Ralston''s queries become a quest for how humans can develop a deeper sense of themselves as participants in the world.

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Book SynopsisUsing a lively style and the languages of transpersonal psychology, meditation, esoteric magic, and kundalini, Glenn Morris recounts his amazing adventures and hair-raising close calls while training and then practicing as a master of martial arts. Following in the tradition of the legendary Togakure Ryu of Japan, whose fighting techniques and lore inspired the fascination of westerners with Ninja warriors, he offers guidelines on how to tell sham from authenticity, how to keep friends while developing power, how to voyage safely into the inner landscape, and how to deal with dark forces-incarnate and disincarnate. At the same time, he provides exercises, tests, and adventures for the courageous-as well as spiritual and ethical compass.

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Book Synopsis'The T''ai Chi Boxing Chronicle is a translation of the text left behind by the Orthodox Masters who developed this system of boxing. Over a period of generations, fives basic movements were developed, called the Bone Marrow Washing Exercises. These exercises helped the monks restore their health and will-power. As the movements were passed down from generation to generation, the meaning behind the movements of Tai Chi was almost completely lost. Due to the integrity of Kuo Lien-Ying, this information is presented without modification or alteration. This book contains a clear explanation of the physical laws of the art of T''ai Chi that hold true wherever it is practiced. The person who studies the information contained in this book will have the tools to achieve the highest level of mastery and skill to be obtained through the practice of T''ai Chi Ch''uan.'-Guttman

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Book SynopsisOriginally published before Kuo Lien-Ying left China and then again in 1966 soon after his arrival in the United States, Tai-Chi Chuan in Theory and Practice has now been edited and expanded by his widow and disciple, Simmone Kuo. Her version includes new material on the philosophical origins of Tai-Chi Chuan, particularly how it relates to the I Ching, the most ancient text of Chinese wisdom. The book also provides explanations of the meaning of this ancient and elegant martial art--its name and history--the keys to understanding the Thirteen Movements, archival photographs of Lien-Ying performing the movements, and other supplementary literature.

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Book SynopsisA longtime student of the taiji grand master Yang Cheng-Fu, Chen Wei-Ming became famous himself as a scholar, martial artist, and proponent of the Yang style of t''ai chi. In the 1920s, he wrote a number of influential books on taiji, among them Taiji Sword (1927), which detailed a rare method of fencing. Translated here for the first time, this book serves as both a historical document and a training manual for an increasingly popular sport.

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Book SynopsisNow 101 years old, Master T. T. Liang came to the U.S. from Taiwan in the 1960s to introduce t''ai chi to America. His life story is full of the stuff that makes a great martial arts adventure: a career as a high-ranking government official, street fights and shootouts, opium dens and prostitutes, mystical martial arts masters and monks—the story of a life lived to the absolute maximum. Twenty-five photographs add to the captivating life story of this great t''ai chi master.

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Book SynopsisThis book describes the history and importance of Ju No Kata—the science of what it takes to execute throws—to the study and practice of judo. It also serves as a semi autobiography of the author, Keiko Fukuda, who is the world''s foremost authority on Ju No Kata. At the age of 90, she still practices her passion. Understanding Ju No Kata is essential for passing higher-rank tests and this book, imbued with Fukuda''s wisdom, is comprehensive and definitive.

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