Author: Sang Kyu Shim
Publisher: Pkd Enterprises
ISBN: 9780685062241
Category : Martial arts
Languages : en
Pages : 141
Book Description
The Making of a Martial Artist
Author: Sang Kyu Shim
Publisher: Pkd Enterprises
ISBN: 9780685062241
Category : Martial arts
Languages : en
Pages : 141
Book Description
Publisher: Pkd Enterprises
ISBN: 9780685062241
Category : Martial arts
Languages : en
Pages : 141
Book Description
The Complete Martial Artist
Author: Willie "The Bam" Johnson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781594396533
Category : Young Adult Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 160
Book Description
A complete martial artist learns how to conquer "self" through martial arts training and how to live by twelve (12) traditional core values. Although there are occasions when martial arts may be used for self-defense, its primary uses are for sport, and character and spiritual fulfillment. This book, The Complete Martial Artist, offers young adults and twenty-something's an opportunity to see what martial arts can do for their lives.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781594396533
Category : Young Adult Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 160
Book Description
A complete martial artist learns how to conquer "self" through martial arts training and how to live by twelve (12) traditional core values. Although there are occasions when martial arts may be used for self-defense, its primary uses are for sport, and character and spiritual fulfillment. This book, The Complete Martial Artist, offers young adults and twenty-something's an opportunity to see what martial arts can do for their lives.
MARTIAL ARTS WOMAN
Author: Andrea Harkins
Publisher: Kaizen Quest
ISBN: 9781937884185
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 208
Book Description
The Martial Arts Woman shares the stories and insights of more than twenty-five women in the martial arts, and how they apply martial arts to their lives. Unlike most other martial art books, the reader will catch a glimpse into the brave and empowered woman who dares to be all that she can be. Many of these women had to overcome great societal or personal challenges to break into the men's world of martial arts. This book will motivate and inspire you to go after your goals in life and to fight through every challenge and defeat every obstacle. The Martial Arts Woman will open your eyes to the power of the human spirit and the martial art mindset that dwells in each of us!
Publisher: Kaizen Quest
ISBN: 9781937884185
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 208
Book Description
The Martial Arts Woman shares the stories and insights of more than twenty-five women in the martial arts, and how they apply martial arts to their lives. Unlike most other martial art books, the reader will catch a glimpse into the brave and empowered woman who dares to be all that she can be. Many of these women had to overcome great societal or personal challenges to break into the men's world of martial arts. This book will motivate and inspire you to go after your goals in life and to fight through every challenge and defeat every obstacle. The Martial Arts Woman will open your eyes to the power of the human spirit and the martial art mindset that dwells in each of us!
Martial Arts and the Body Politic in Meiji Japan
Author: Denis Gainty
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135069905
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 206
Book Description
In 1895, the newly formed Greater Japan Martial Virtue Association (Dainippon Butokukai) held its first annual Martial Virtue Festival (butokusai) in the ancient capital of Kyoto. The Festival marked the arrival of a new iteration of modern Japan, as the Butokukai’s efforts to define and popularise Japanese martial arts became an important medium through which the bodies of millions of Japanese citizens would experience, draw on, and even shape the Japanese nation and state. This book shows how the notion and practice of Japanese martial arts in the late Meiji period brought Japanese bodies, Japanese nationalisms, and the Japanese state into sustained contact and dynamic engagement with one another. Using a range of disciplinary approaches, Denis Gainty shows how the metaphor of a national body and the cultural and historical meanings of martial arts were celebrated and appropriated by modern Japanese at all levels of society, allowing them to participate powerfully in shaping the modern Japanese nation and state. While recent works have cast modern Japanese and their bodies as subject to state domination and elite control, this book argues that having a body – being a body, and through that body experiencing and shaping social, political, and even cosmic realities – is an important and underexamined aspect of the late Meiji period. Martial Arts and the Body Politic in Meiji Japan is an important contribution to debates in Japanese and Asian social sciences, theories of the body and its role in modern historiography, and related questions of power and agency by suggesting a new and dramatic role for human bodies in the shaping of modern states and societies. As such, it will be valuable to students and scholars of Japanese studies, Japanese history, modern nations and nationalisms, and sport and leisure studies, as well as those interested in the body more broadly.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135069905
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 206
Book Description
In 1895, the newly formed Greater Japan Martial Virtue Association (Dainippon Butokukai) held its first annual Martial Virtue Festival (butokusai) in the ancient capital of Kyoto. The Festival marked the arrival of a new iteration of modern Japan, as the Butokukai’s efforts to define and popularise Japanese martial arts became an important medium through which the bodies of millions of Japanese citizens would experience, draw on, and even shape the Japanese nation and state. This book shows how the notion and practice of Japanese martial arts in the late Meiji period brought Japanese bodies, Japanese nationalisms, and the Japanese state into sustained contact and dynamic engagement with one another. Using a range of disciplinary approaches, Denis Gainty shows how the metaphor of a national body and the cultural and historical meanings of martial arts were celebrated and appropriated by modern Japanese at all levels of society, allowing them to participate powerfully in shaping the modern Japanese nation and state. While recent works have cast modern Japanese and their bodies as subject to state domination and elite control, this book argues that having a body – being a body, and through that body experiencing and shaping social, political, and even cosmic realities – is an important and underexamined aspect of the late Meiji period. Martial Arts and the Body Politic in Meiji Japan is an important contribution to debates in Japanese and Asian social sciences, theories of the body and its role in modern historiography, and related questions of power and agency by suggesting a new and dramatic role for human bodies in the shaping of modern states and societies. As such, it will be valuable to students and scholars of Japanese studies, Japanese history, modern nations and nationalisms, and sport and leisure studies, as well as those interested in the body more broadly.
A Martial Artist's Book of Knowledge
Author: Floyd Laverne Buttke Jr
Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub
ISBN: 9781461026365
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 720
Book Description
"A Martial Artist's Book of Knowledge," by Floyd Laverne Buttke, enlightens readers to the truth, reality, and wisdom of the Martial Arts and life in general. The book combines elements of the Martial Arts, philosophy, and psychology into one master text. Information presented in the book relates to those subjects a person should think about, learn, and practice when developing expertise in the Martial Arts. It inspires readers to develop their mind, body, and spirit. The book offers readers comprehensive information to help them understand and develop the proper actions, character, behavior, ethics, and morals of a Martial Artist. It features a wide-ranging collection of beginning to advanced level skills used by practitioners of all styles of Martial Arts. Readers will learn wisdom, knowledge, and enlightenment from of a great Martial Artist. It goes above and beyond the knowledge a person would expect to find on its pages. Reading "A Martial Artist's Book of Knowledge" is like listening to the wisdom of a great and wise master of knowledge and the Martial Arts. The knowledge conveyed in the book can help a person become a great Martial Artist and a better person. It can help a person with life's issues, problems, and difficulties. It is an inspirational book that betters a person's mind, body, and spirit. The book is organized into 126 sections; each section groups the knowledge into similar categories. The book has an alphabetical index which allows readers to easily access information. "A Martial Artist's Book of Knowledge" reviews not just the fighting aspects of the Martial Arts, but also the character, morals, ethics, and spiritual aspects required of a great Martial Artist. The book presents an enormous amount of information on ethics and information to help people perceive their present self and analyze their character and personality for the good of the person. Martial Artists seek the information found in "A Martial Artist's Book of Knowledge" to help guide them in life and the Martial Arts. The information will help them become better Martial Artists and better people. The book presents people with the knowledge they seek in order to answer most of the questions they have about the link between Martial Arts and life in general. The book is a source of inspiration that directs readers to think about themselves, what they want in life, how they act and behave, the meaning of truth and reality, how to attain success in what they want in life, and how to improve their mental, physical, and spiritual well being. It presents readers with a lifetime of wisdom put together in one enlightening source. Anyone interested in learning about themselves or any aspect of the Martial Arts will benefit by reading "A Martial Artist's Book of Knowledge."
Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub
ISBN: 9781461026365
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 720
Book Description
"A Martial Artist's Book of Knowledge," by Floyd Laverne Buttke, enlightens readers to the truth, reality, and wisdom of the Martial Arts and life in general. The book combines elements of the Martial Arts, philosophy, and psychology into one master text. Information presented in the book relates to those subjects a person should think about, learn, and practice when developing expertise in the Martial Arts. It inspires readers to develop their mind, body, and spirit. The book offers readers comprehensive information to help them understand and develop the proper actions, character, behavior, ethics, and morals of a Martial Artist. It features a wide-ranging collection of beginning to advanced level skills used by practitioners of all styles of Martial Arts. Readers will learn wisdom, knowledge, and enlightenment from of a great Martial Artist. It goes above and beyond the knowledge a person would expect to find on its pages. Reading "A Martial Artist's Book of Knowledge" is like listening to the wisdom of a great and wise master of knowledge and the Martial Arts. The knowledge conveyed in the book can help a person become a great Martial Artist and a better person. It can help a person with life's issues, problems, and difficulties. It is an inspirational book that betters a person's mind, body, and spirit. The book is organized into 126 sections; each section groups the knowledge into similar categories. The book has an alphabetical index which allows readers to easily access information. "A Martial Artist's Book of Knowledge" reviews not just the fighting aspects of the Martial Arts, but also the character, morals, ethics, and spiritual aspects required of a great Martial Artist. The book presents an enormous amount of information on ethics and information to help people perceive their present self and analyze their character and personality for the good of the person. Martial Artists seek the information found in "A Martial Artist's Book of Knowledge" to help guide them in life and the Martial Arts. The information will help them become better Martial Artists and better people. The book presents people with the knowledge they seek in order to answer most of the questions they have about the link between Martial Arts and life in general. The book is a source of inspiration that directs readers to think about themselves, what they want in life, how they act and behave, the meaning of truth and reality, how to attain success in what they want in life, and how to improve their mental, physical, and spiritual well being. It presents readers with a lifetime of wisdom put together in one enlightening source. Anyone interested in learning about themselves or any aspect of the Martial Arts will benefit by reading "A Martial Artist's Book of Knowledge."
Complete Martial Arts Training Manual
Author: Ashley Martin
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 1462905552
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 296
Book Description
The Complete Martial Arts Training Manual is a complete guide for anyone who has an interest in the martial arts. Having a broad knowledge of the various techniques of the martial arts gives a martial artist an expanded ability to counteract a variety of attacks and overwhelm an opponent's defenses. Author Ashley Martin shares with the reader his years of experience as a practitioner and teacher. He provides a catalog of the various martial arts being taught worldwide and their strengths and weaknesses. He then covers the basics of hand-to-hand techniques within each of those disciplines, from strikes to ground fighting. Finally, he offers information on the overall health and well being of the martial artist, including important nutritional information and stretching techniques. The Complete Martial Arts Training Manual is a solid foundation of martial arts for beginners and a key supplement for the veteran martial artist.
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 1462905552
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 296
Book Description
The Complete Martial Arts Training Manual is a complete guide for anyone who has an interest in the martial arts. Having a broad knowledge of the various techniques of the martial arts gives a martial artist an expanded ability to counteract a variety of attacks and overwhelm an opponent's defenses. Author Ashley Martin shares with the reader his years of experience as a practitioner and teacher. He provides a catalog of the various martial arts being taught worldwide and their strengths and weaknesses. He then covers the basics of hand-to-hand techniques within each of those disciplines, from strikes to ground fighting. Finally, he offers information on the overall health and well being of the martial artist, including important nutritional information and stretching techniques. The Complete Martial Arts Training Manual is a solid foundation of martial arts for beginners and a key supplement for the veteran martial artist.
Hong Kong Martial Artists
Author: Daniel Miles Amos
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1786615444
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 230
Book Description
This imaginative and innovative study by Daniel Miles Amos, begun in 1976 and completed in 2020, examines sociocultural changes in the practices of Chinese martial artists in two closely related and interconnected southern Chinese cities, Hong Kong and Guangzhou. The initial chapters of the book compare how sociocultural changes from World War II to the mid-1980s affected the practices of Chinese martial artists in the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong and neighboring Guangzhou in mainland China. An analysis is made of how the practices of Chinese martial artists have been influenced by revolutionary sociocultural changes in both cities. In Guangzhou, the victory of the Chinese Communist Party lead to the disappearance in the early 1950s of secret societies and kungfu brotherhoods. Kungfu brotherhoods reappeared during the Cultural Revolution, and subsequently were transformed again after the death of Mao Zedong, and China’s opening to capitalism. In Hong Kong, dramatic sociocultural changes were set off by the introduction of manufacturing production lines by international corporations in the mid-1950s, and the proliferation of foreign franchises and products. Economic globalization in Hong Kong has led to dramatic increases both in the territory’s Gross Domestic Product and in cultural homogenization, with corresponding declines in many local traditions and folk cultures, including Chinese martial arts. The final chapters of the book focus on changes in the practices of Chinese martial arts in Hong Kong from the years 1987 to 2020, a period which includes the last decade of British colonial administration, as well as the first quarter of a century of rule by the Chinese government.
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1786615444
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 230
Book Description
This imaginative and innovative study by Daniel Miles Amos, begun in 1976 and completed in 2020, examines sociocultural changes in the practices of Chinese martial artists in two closely related and interconnected southern Chinese cities, Hong Kong and Guangzhou. The initial chapters of the book compare how sociocultural changes from World War II to the mid-1980s affected the practices of Chinese martial artists in the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong and neighboring Guangzhou in mainland China. An analysis is made of how the practices of Chinese martial artists have been influenced by revolutionary sociocultural changes in both cities. In Guangzhou, the victory of the Chinese Communist Party lead to the disappearance in the early 1950s of secret societies and kungfu brotherhoods. Kungfu brotherhoods reappeared during the Cultural Revolution, and subsequently were transformed again after the death of Mao Zedong, and China’s opening to capitalism. In Hong Kong, dramatic sociocultural changes were set off by the introduction of manufacturing production lines by international corporations in the mid-1950s, and the proliferation of foreign franchises and products. Economic globalization in Hong Kong has led to dramatic increases both in the territory’s Gross Domestic Product and in cultural homogenization, with corresponding declines in many local traditions and folk cultures, including Chinese martial arts. The final chapters of the book focus on changes in the practices of Chinese martial arts in Hong Kong from the years 1987 to 2020, a period which includes the last decade of British colonial administration, as well as the first quarter of a century of rule by the Chinese government.
Leading from Within
Author: Robert Pater
Publisher: Inner Traditions / Bear & Co
ISBN: 9780892817948
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 262
Book Description
A leading consultant shows how to maintain inner calm, influence others by controlling oneself, develop intuitive judgment, sustain concentration on goals, react quickly to change, and turn minimum effort into maximum gains by using martial arts concepts in business and management.
Publisher: Inner Traditions / Bear & Co
ISBN: 9780892817948
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 262
Book Description
A leading consultant shows how to maintain inner calm, influence others by controlling oneself, develop intuitive judgment, sustain concentration on goals, react quickly to change, and turn minimum effort into maximum gains by using martial arts concepts in business and management.
The Essence of Martial Arts
Author: John Hennessy
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 9781462058174
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 164
Book Description
In this guide, author John Hennessy presents a concise, to-the-point volume on martial arts written from the perspective of prospective students to help make sense of complicated routines that remained reserved for senior martial arts students. The Essence of Martial Arts is an easy-to-read instructional guide to mastering the more difficult maneuvers and then applying them to real-world scenarios. You may be new to martial arts, experienced, or somewhere in between. Perhaps youve never been to a dojo, dojang or kwoon, or perhaps you spend a large portion of your time at one of them. Whatever the case, you will be able to pick up the elements of martial arts quickly and put them to use. This guide covers the basics, but also addresses more specific approaches for fighting and self-defense. So jump right in. With good guidance, its not difficult to achieve excellence in martial arts if you absolutely commit to doing so. Synopsis Written from the unique perspective of an experienced martial arts instructor, the book is a concise collection of theories that the author knows to work in practise. Throughout, the book is easy to read, and balances a humorous style when telling real life stories which enhances the serious points the author wants to convey. Therefore, the book is summarised into the basic, intermediate and advanced levels that all readers can pick up the elements quickly and put them to use. There are specific chapters on Kung Fu (Wing Chun), Tai Chi, Karate and Jeet Kune Do. This is a very personal book in which the author details how and why he got into martial arts, through to chapters on real practical life-saving methods, street fighting, self-defence for women, and how to succeed in tournaments. Anyone interested in martial arts will not fail to benefit from this book. Why you should buy this book:- Many chapters have insights that some teachers won't tell you. Often they will tell you what works for them, but not explain in detail what will work for you. So what is produced from some Schools, are people who have some individual strengths, but many weaknesses that the training, for whatever reason, does not correct. This book helps you focus on what is important. It does not go on and on about difficult techniques that you cannot do without proper guidance. This book explains basic and more advanced approaches, simply and methodically. It is a book any beginner can improve from, and many advanced martial artists can benefit from. Chapters Include: Tai Chi - How to harmonise internal energy to turn it into external force Re-directing your Opponent's Energy - How to beat someone without throwing a single punch Kung Fu - How to blow your opponent away, effectively and with relative ease Jeet Kune Do - How to use this most unsettling of styles to devastating effect Karate -How to use discipline and focus to overcome your opponent Self Defence Principles for Women - Reasons why women can be confident against potential attackers Tournaments and Street Fighting for Real - Putting what you learn into a real context that tests how much you have learnt And much more.
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 9781462058174
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 164
Book Description
In this guide, author John Hennessy presents a concise, to-the-point volume on martial arts written from the perspective of prospective students to help make sense of complicated routines that remained reserved for senior martial arts students. The Essence of Martial Arts is an easy-to-read instructional guide to mastering the more difficult maneuvers and then applying them to real-world scenarios. You may be new to martial arts, experienced, or somewhere in between. Perhaps youve never been to a dojo, dojang or kwoon, or perhaps you spend a large portion of your time at one of them. Whatever the case, you will be able to pick up the elements of martial arts quickly and put them to use. This guide covers the basics, but also addresses more specific approaches for fighting and self-defense. So jump right in. With good guidance, its not difficult to achieve excellence in martial arts if you absolutely commit to doing so. Synopsis Written from the unique perspective of an experienced martial arts instructor, the book is a concise collection of theories that the author knows to work in practise. Throughout, the book is easy to read, and balances a humorous style when telling real life stories which enhances the serious points the author wants to convey. Therefore, the book is summarised into the basic, intermediate and advanced levels that all readers can pick up the elements quickly and put them to use. There are specific chapters on Kung Fu (Wing Chun), Tai Chi, Karate and Jeet Kune Do. This is a very personal book in which the author details how and why he got into martial arts, through to chapters on real practical life-saving methods, street fighting, self-defence for women, and how to succeed in tournaments. Anyone interested in martial arts will not fail to benefit from this book. Why you should buy this book:- Many chapters have insights that some teachers won't tell you. Often they will tell you what works for them, but not explain in detail what will work for you. So what is produced from some Schools, are people who have some individual strengths, but many weaknesses that the training, for whatever reason, does not correct. This book helps you focus on what is important. It does not go on and on about difficult techniques that you cannot do without proper guidance. This book explains basic and more advanced approaches, simply and methodically. It is a book any beginner can improve from, and many advanced martial artists can benefit from. Chapters Include: Tai Chi - How to harmonise internal energy to turn it into external force Re-directing your Opponent's Energy - How to beat someone without throwing a single punch Kung Fu - How to blow your opponent away, effectively and with relative ease Jeet Kune Do - How to use this most unsettling of styles to devastating effect Karate -How to use discipline and focus to overcome your opponent Self Defence Principles for Women - Reasons why women can be confident against potential attackers Tournaments and Street Fighting for Real - Putting what you learn into a real context that tests how much you have learnt And much more.
Research of Martial Arts
Author: Shifu Jonathan Bluestein
Publisher: Jonathan Bluestein
ISBN: 1499122519
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 418
Book Description
Jonathan Bluestein's Research of Martial Arts is a book about the true essence of martial arts. It includes neither instruction on deadly killing techniques, nor mystical tales of so called super-human masters. Rather, it is a vast compilation of seriously thought-out observations made on the subject by the author, as well as many other martial artists and scientists, with a slight touch of history and humour. The goal of this project had from the start been to surpass the current standard in the martial arts literary market, and offer readers worldwide something which they have never seen before. In essence, a book in which are found countless answers for martial arts practitioners which they cannot be read elsewhere, which address commonly discussed martially-related topics with breadth and depth unparalleled in other works to this day (in any language). It holds among its pages no less than 220,000 words, containing knowledge which would be coveted by many. The aim of this book is to present the reader a coherent, clear-cut, and in-depth view of some of the most perplexing and controversial subjects in the world of martial arts, as well as providing a healthy dose of philosophical outlook on these subjects (from various individuals). At its core is the author's aspiration to build a stronger theoretical foundation for the discussion of martial arts, while addressing matters in innovative ways, which I have come to believe, would help people to better grasp the nature of these arts. There are books by authors who will tell you that some aspects of the martial arts are too complex for concrete, coherent and defined explanations. Others have used ambiguous terminology to explain what they could not pronounce otherwise. This is no such book. This book was written to provide you with the solid, applicable answers and ideas that you could actually understand, and take away with you. This book is mainly comprised of three parts: | Part I: From the Inside Out – External and Internal Gong Fu | This is essentially mostly a very long & thorough discussion of martial arts theory and practice. Traditional and modern concepts and methods are discussed through the mediums of Physiology, Biology, Anatomy, Psychology, Philosophy (Western and Oriental alike), sports science, and the author's personal experiences. The Internal Martial Arts of China receive a special, lengthier treatment in this part of the book. | Part II: Contemplations on Controlled Violence | This one is of a Philosophical and Psychological nature, and contains the author's thoughts on the martial arts and their manifestation in our daily lives, with guest-articles by various martial arts teachers. | Part III: The Wisdom of Martial Spirits: Teachers, and the Things They Hold Dear | This part includes various interesting and comprehensive interviews with distinguished martial arts masters, spanning dozens of pages each. Every one of the interviewees is a person whose views and ideas are thought provoking and well-worth reading. The teachers interviewed in this book are: Master Chen Zhonghua (Chen Taiji Quan) Master Yang Hai (Xing Yi Quan, Bagua Zhang and Chen Taiji Quan) Shifu Strider Clark (Tongbei Quan, Wu style Taiji, Shuai Jiao and more) Shifu Neil Ripski (Traditional Drunken Fist and many others) Sifu James Cama (Buddha Hand Wing Chun and Southern Praying Mantis) Itzik Cohen Sensei (Shito-ryu Karate) No matter the age, rank, status or experience – this book was written for everyone who see themselves part of the martial arts community. It is my sincere hope that any person who reads this book will benefit from the time he or she had spent doing so. May this work encourage others to continue intelligent writing and research in the field, as I was pushed forth and built upon the knowledge others have shared before me. May you have a pleasant reading experience! =]
Publisher: Jonathan Bluestein
ISBN: 1499122519
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 418
Book Description
Jonathan Bluestein's Research of Martial Arts is a book about the true essence of martial arts. It includes neither instruction on deadly killing techniques, nor mystical tales of so called super-human masters. Rather, it is a vast compilation of seriously thought-out observations made on the subject by the author, as well as many other martial artists and scientists, with a slight touch of history and humour. The goal of this project had from the start been to surpass the current standard in the martial arts literary market, and offer readers worldwide something which they have never seen before. In essence, a book in which are found countless answers for martial arts practitioners which they cannot be read elsewhere, which address commonly discussed martially-related topics with breadth and depth unparalleled in other works to this day (in any language). It holds among its pages no less than 220,000 words, containing knowledge which would be coveted by many. The aim of this book is to present the reader a coherent, clear-cut, and in-depth view of some of the most perplexing and controversial subjects in the world of martial arts, as well as providing a healthy dose of philosophical outlook on these subjects (from various individuals). At its core is the author's aspiration to build a stronger theoretical foundation for the discussion of martial arts, while addressing matters in innovative ways, which I have come to believe, would help people to better grasp the nature of these arts. There are books by authors who will tell you that some aspects of the martial arts are too complex for concrete, coherent and defined explanations. Others have used ambiguous terminology to explain what they could not pronounce otherwise. This is no such book. This book was written to provide you with the solid, applicable answers and ideas that you could actually understand, and take away with you. This book is mainly comprised of three parts: | Part I: From the Inside Out – External and Internal Gong Fu | This is essentially mostly a very long & thorough discussion of martial arts theory and practice. Traditional and modern concepts and methods are discussed through the mediums of Physiology, Biology, Anatomy, Psychology, Philosophy (Western and Oriental alike), sports science, and the author's personal experiences. The Internal Martial Arts of China receive a special, lengthier treatment in this part of the book. | Part II: Contemplations on Controlled Violence | This one is of a Philosophical and Psychological nature, and contains the author's thoughts on the martial arts and their manifestation in our daily lives, with guest-articles by various martial arts teachers. | Part III: The Wisdom of Martial Spirits: Teachers, and the Things They Hold Dear | This part includes various interesting and comprehensive interviews with distinguished martial arts masters, spanning dozens of pages each. Every one of the interviewees is a person whose views and ideas are thought provoking and well-worth reading. The teachers interviewed in this book are: Master Chen Zhonghua (Chen Taiji Quan) Master Yang Hai (Xing Yi Quan, Bagua Zhang and Chen Taiji Quan) Shifu Strider Clark (Tongbei Quan, Wu style Taiji, Shuai Jiao and more) Shifu Neil Ripski (Traditional Drunken Fist and many others) Sifu James Cama (Buddha Hand Wing Chun and Southern Praying Mantis) Itzik Cohen Sensei (Shito-ryu Karate) No matter the age, rank, status or experience – this book was written for everyone who see themselves part of the martial arts community. It is my sincere hope that any person who reads this book will benefit from the time he or she had spent doing so. May this work encourage others to continue intelligent writing and research in the field, as I was pushed forth and built upon the knowledge others have shared before me. May you have a pleasant reading experience! =]