Throughout my martial arts career, I read literally every book I could find on the martial arts - many several times. Whenever I traveled, one of the first things I’d do was track down every bookstore in town and check out their martial arts sections. My constant reading helped me accrue a huge amount of information over the years, much useful, some not.
I will try from time to time to recommend books I've especially enjoyed or found especially informative. One of my all time favorites was a book I first read in the 70s, C.W. Nicol's Moving Zen
. It gave me great insights into what it was like to train in the early 60s at JKA headquarters in Tokyo and taught me a lot about proper dojo etiquette. I also picked up some technical advice from it that proved very valuable when I became one of the national coaches.
. It gave me great insights into what it was like to train in the early 60s at JKA headquarters in Tokyo and taught me a lot about proper dojo etiquette. I also picked up some technical advice from it that proved very valuable when I became one of the national coaches.I have linked the book title to the Amazon website. If you’re interested in reading Moving Zen, click on the title and it will take you to Amazon, where you can check out availability and pricing and, if you like, order a copy. I buy most of my books through Amazon. They don’t always have the cheapest prices but they have an extensive selection (including many I couldn’t find anywhere else), are easy to do business with, have quick delivery, and always make a purchase right.
, click on the title and it will take you to Amazon, where you can check out availability and pricing and, if you like, order a copy. I buy most of my books through Amazon. They don’t always have the cheapest prices but they have an extensive selection (including many I couldn’t find anywhere else), are easy to do business with, have quick delivery, and always make a purchase right.
I've always tried to get every book you recommend. Moving Zen is one of my favorites. It is a great inspirational story. Another on the same line is Stan Schmidt's Spirit of the Empty Hand.
ReplyDeleteI've found many hard to find books at www.bookfinder.com which lists books from thousands of book sellers from across the USA.
You definitely have to hunt. I remember finding a set of the Ancient Martial Arts of the Ryuku Islands by Ryusho Sakagami for only $12.00 once!