Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #93903 in Books
• Published on: 1997-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 144 pages

Synopsis
Hyams recounts more than 25 years of experience in the martial arts, revealing how the daily application of Zen principles not only developed his physical expertise but gave him the mental discipline to control his personal problems, self-image, work pressure, competition and relationships with other people.

Customer Reviews

Thought provoking
As a practitioner in Martial Arts from aged 9 this book has unlocked another thought process in my mind. A valuable source of information and inspiration. The author has displayed the problems that have faced him as a student and as a master and given much thought to resolving these conflicts. You do not need to understand the theory of Zen, this is a simple but deeply moving book of epic proportions. For the Martial Art practitioner the author has an uncanny ability to pass on further direction. This book is vital for the student and the Master and should be mandatory in the Dojang for all to learn from, follow and continually refer to. However as a book on life it is just as valaubale for the non martial artist.

Inspirational, Positive, Motivational.....Full of Budo Wisdom
Must be a classic already? I can't add much too all the positive reviews listed here already, but, despite being a small book and a quick and easy read, it's one of those books that should be read and its contents digested several times, to make sure the important messages have sunk into your sub-consciousness.

Joe gives several accounts of when he trained with Bruce Lee and there are many witty and funny stories in the book. The book covers many Budo secrets and is a fantastic summary of many of the great samurai classics. No matter what Martial Art you study, there will be plenty of material here to improve your performance and help you with the important aspects of breathing, timing and Kime.

Try and get the Bantam July 1982 edition as it is nice and small and can fit in your pocket. Keep it by your bedside to give you something to meditate on before you go to sleep and refer to it often to help you absorb the important techniques within the book. If followed with some persistence, I am certain it could help anyone increase their longevity though the various practices in the book.

Actually quite good.
I ordered this expecting to be mildly entertained but ultimately I thought that I probably wouldn't get a lot of useful information out of it. Indeed it did entertain, and the amount of Zen in it is quite thin on the ground. But when it is used it is with (I found) remarkable results. In each chapter the author will talk about a time when he had a problem with life or training, and how he overcame it through "Zen" wisdom supplied to him by instructors he has trained with over the years. At the end of each chapter I found myself stopping and comparing his stories with my own experiences, and reflecting on how I could add some of the wisdom he had learnt into my own life and martial arts.
This book is not going to change your life in an instant, but will probably make you think about new approaches you could make to training and other perspectives you could consider. For this reason I would recommend it to anyone, but particularly to martial artists as I think they will get even more out of it.