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.
It's a very good endeavor Mather Sensei to increase your knowledge bank. Because we newcomers need your wisdom and experiences to show us the way. Please do share some more of the good books you had read.
ReplyDeleteI'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.
Roy Sensei, thank you. I am glad others share my love of books. I went through my libary this morning, pulling out special books I want to pass on to others.
ReplyDeletePhillips Renshi, Bookfinder.com is also a site I often use as well. They, however, seem to focus on collectors, rather than guys like me who just want the words and knowledge inside. They are often extremely expensive. They wanted several hundred dollars for a book I ended up finding new for $35 on Ebay from the writer. Often I check Amazon and they have no listing on a book. So I go to Bookfinder only to find a listing for it on Amazon. Abe Books is another I go to when I can't find a particular book on either of the other two. Another good source, especially for recently released martial arts books, is the author him or herself. I track down their site. I found a new, better-bound version of John Sells' Unante on his site for half of what I paid elsewhere for the old version, which literally came apart as I read it. The Spirit of the Empty Hand will be one of my next to cover.
If I I may humbly add to this list, and it it is very applicable to karate, "Zen and the art of Archery" by Eugen Herrigel. substitute fist with arrow. :) Very good martial arts perspective.
ReplyDeleteYes, that was a very good one. Read it early on. I found a great deal of useful information in books not directly related to karate - such as archery and the tea ceremony. Thanks for the addition.
ReplyDeleteYes, 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!
ReplyDelete