Product Description

This is an introduction to the origins, philosophy and practice of the world's martial arts. This book provides a chapter-by-chapter tour of the many varieties of martial arts, such as aikido, iai-do, jiu-jitsu, judo, karate, kendo, kung fu, kyudo, naginata, ninjutsu, sumo, taekwon-do and Thai boxing, discussing how and why these arts developed, their ways and laws, founding myths and heroes, and the culture that created them. A glossary of martial arts terminology and an illustrated section on martial arts weaponry are also included.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #380701 in Books
• Published on: 2003-06-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Customer Reviews

First port of call if you want to start a martial art
If you want to start a martial art but are unsure of which one is best for you, I recommend you read through this book. It gives a brief explanation of many of the worlds arts and as such lets you compare them and allows you to see what may best suit your beliefs and what you want to achieve from martial arts. You can then pursue further research based on this knowledge before embarking on a path of training. It is clear to read and immensely interesting.

Excellent overview
Interested in broadning your martial arts knowledge? Or in changing styles? This is the book for you. More than anything else I have read, this book details every major martial art and a few obscure ones to boot. For each the author focuses on history, philosophy and training methods/emphasis. The arts are presented with a minimum of the bias which is so often present when dealing with the subject, and the glossary will make the book as accessible to newcomers as it is to black belts.

Look elsewhere
This book provides superficial chatty coverage of many martials arts, and suffers from many faults. The structure is poor (covers arts by countries) as opposed to themes and flow of martial ideas through the ages and countries. It is pretty badly written/edited with many odd comments and turns of phrase. If you are genuinly interested in the martial arts I would look at more detailed and scholarly works available. If you just want to browse through several arts to perhaps decide which one to pursue, then I would refer you to wikipedia for better quality and more detail.