Martial arts research library

[bushido_man96]

Looks like a good book, Danielle. I do enjoy reading Kane and Wilder, and none of their works have disappointed me yet. I will keep this one in mind, as well. Sounds like a must-read for any instructor.

I recently finished the book Taekwondo Poomsae: The Fighting Scrolls, by Kingsley Umoh. This book was a bit, different, for my tastes. Its published by Strategic Book Publishing & Rights Co, which is one I've not heard of, but, I don't mind trying something out that looks a bit different. I caught wind of this book after reading an article in TotallyTKD Magazine by this same author, and thought I would check out his book.

He uses some different writing styles throughout the book, some in a story telling mode, others in a more factual and research type mode, so it can seem kind of random at times. He starts out with chapters on Yin and Yang (Um/Yang in Korean) philosophies, and relates this into the way the applications of the Taegeuk and Palgwe forms work, according to his study.

Chapters 3-5 focus on Taegeuk and Palgwe forms applications, with interesting comparison and contrasts for the opposing Taegeuks or Palgwe forms. For example, chapter 3 poses the self-defense question, "Response to an attack from the front," and then presents applications. If he uses applications from Taegeuk Il Jang, he poses an application for the opposite form on the Taegeuk, Taegeuk Pal Jang. One application he refers to as Um/Yin, and the other as Yang. Its an interesting take on the approach.

After these initial chapters, things get different, at least to me. Chapters 6 and 7 are on Taoist Ki Energy Theory, and Modern Ki Energy Theory, respectively. From there, he goes into the black belt forms, and delves even more deeply into Ki energy, talking about drawing it in, storing it, etc. Kingsley is a medical doctor, and it appears that in this book, he tries to use his medical knowledge to justify the existence of ki energy, and how it is used, stored, and strengthened.

When he gets into the black belt forms, each chapter seems to have a different approach and subject in the matter of ki energy usage, and I have to admit that it got tough for me to keep reading through it. I just don't buy into the ki energy thought process he presents in the book, but I am sure there are some practitioners out there that would really like to delve into it.

The author has various drawings throughout the work, but I see no sources for them, so I think they are his own work. He does draw up quite a bit of anatomy along with his ki discussions, but I know so little about it that I don't know what to think about them, let alone offer an opinion.

Now, the applications themselves, are interesting studies. It will be interesting to work with some of them. They take a different approach than the application of the Taegeuk forms undertaken by Simon O'Neill in The Taegeuk Cipher, so if you would like a different take on some applications, its a good source to look into for variety. He also includes Palgwe applications, the first of which I've seen in any book. Unfortunately, the pictures are small, like they are in O'Neill's work, making interpretation a bit difficult. The descriptions of the applications can be somewhat vague at times, as well, but the move count he uses for the forms matches those I've seen in manuals I have, such as Lee/Kim's Complete Taekwondo Poomsae. If you are not a WTF student, then having a resource such as this to refer the forms can be helpful when deciphering what the pictures are getting at.

This book is a toss-up. I guess it depends on what you like to read about. If you are looking for a source that really gets into some of the Taegeuk philosophy, and the channeling of ki energy, then you may enjoy this book. If you want some application ideas to work with, then this will help get you started. If you don't like what you see in the book, it will at least get you thinking about how and what you would do differently, which is a good thing, for sure, for anyone's training. I think the quality of the book could have been a bit better, and the obscure publishing company name may raise some eyebrows as to the quality of the work. I say, check it out for yourself, and make your own judgments about it.

http://www.amazon.com/Taekwondo-Poomsae-Fighting-Philosophy-Applications/dp/1612048013/ref=sr_1_sc_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1423766140&sr=8-3-spell&keywords=The+Taeguek+Cipher

[bushido_man96]

I recently finished reading Sang H. Kim's book, Complete Kicking. The book starts with a few chapters on the basics of kicking in general, the aspects that apply to all kicks, and on the importance of warming up and properly training the legs for good kicking. After that, the book gets into kicking proper. He has a section on fundamental kicks, which basically covers all kicks that are done while standing, with either the front or back leg. This includes front, side, and round kicks, but also more advanced kicks like whip, twist, and crescent kicks. So, the fundamentals are basically the kicks done standing, but not spinning, jumping, or hopping. Each chapter starts with the basics involved for performing the kick (the 'how-to'), attacking tools and target areas for the kick, and then some trouble-shooting and points to avoid to maximize the kick. There are also tidbits sprinkled throughout on different exercises to do to improve various kicks.

After covering the fundamentals, there are chapters on augmenting the above kicks, covering hop-kicks, jump kicks, spinning kicks, and multiple kicking. In the chapters, he also provides various applications for the kicks for sport, self-defense, and 'martial art' applications (like for demonstrations, board breaking, or one-step training) for each kicks.

Each of the chapters are pretty succinct, and get right to the points of how-to, then some tips, some applications, and some do's and don'ts to be successful. Kim also shamelessly plugs some of his other works for ideas on training and stretching (which is really a good idea for him...why cover what he has already dedicated an individual volume to?). Many of the photos are also photos that I've seen that popped up in other works of his, including Complete Poomsae that he authored with Kyu Hyung Lee, who he has photos of in the book, as well.

Overall, a good book on kicking that is worth looking into. Kim states that the book isn't written with only the TKD practitioner in mind, but anyone who wants to improve their kicking ability. I believe there is an accompanying DVD that would further enhance the training experience.

[vaporman]

Art of war

Mastering karate- Mas Oyama

The art of hojo undo- Michael Clarke

Mastering muay thai kick-boxing-Master Joe E. Harvey

Thai chi chuan-Paul Chen

[davidvismo]

some great tips here thanks for sharing guys.

[sensei8]

some great tips here thanks for sharing guys.

Welcome to KF, davidvismo; glad that you're here!!

[RW]

Korean Karate: The Art of Tae Kwon Do (takewondo)

Karate the Art of Empty-Hand Fighting (karate)

Any kempo books you guys recommend?

[ahamed sabuj]

This is too much good..it will help me

[LLLEARNER]

Are there any good books or other resources on stretching (especially the legs and hips)?

[bushido_man96]

Are there any good books or other resources on stretching (especially the legs and hips)?

Stretching Scientifically by Thomas Kurz, and Ultimate Flexibility by Sang H. Kim.

[LLLEARNER]

I have started my MA library.

Now that I have my yellow belt I was thinking that my library is looking a bit thin. Here is my start. I am focusing more on the practical at first, then I will move to the more esoteric.

On Order.

Kodokan Judo: The Essential Guide to Judo by Its Founder Jigoro Kano

Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere: An Illustrated Introduction

Dynamic Karate Masatoshi Nakayama

Fluid BJJ: Scrawny "Middle Aged" Guy's Guide to Getting Submissions

Small-Circle Jujitsu Jay, Wally

Own.

Karate-Do Kyohan: The Master Text

Planned.

Karate-Do: My Way of Life

A good one for kids karate games.

A good one on stretching

Tao Te Ching

The Art of War

A good one on Wing Chung

A good one on Tai Chi. I would like to do Tai Chi for some exercise and the range of motion involved. I am not sure of a good DVD series available. There is no Sifu near me that I can find.