Martial arts research library

[bushido_man96]

I wish I could read three books a night. To be honest, though, I am really quite a slow reader. Otherwise, I would have read most of the books I have bought by now.

I know it looks silly that I am quoting myself, but I want to give a brief review of the books that I have that I read. Of course, my reviews aren't quite as good an informative as the ones that NightOwl can give (he is the man ), but I try.

If I find out anything about any of the books that anyone else has posted, I would quote them as well.

[bushido_man96]

Renaissance Swordsmanship

 

Medieval Swordsmanship

John Clements

These are ARMA member books.

Both of these books are great resources for the unique fighting styles of the times that each represent. Medieval Swordsmanship focuses on the use of long sword during the "mail period" between 800 and 1300 AD, and includes the use of the shield. Renaissance Swordsmanship covers the later use of cut-and-thrust swords, rapier, and small swords of the Renaissance period. Both books do an excellent job of dispelling common myths about sword combat that are reinforced by movies and fantasy role playing. The latter title does a good job of showing how the rapier evolved from the civilian usage of cut-and-thrust swords, to the rapier, and then to the small-sword. The author, John Clements, covers many different ideas and concepts of these Western sword arts, and has himself done a yeowman's work in bringing the Western Martial heritage back into the light.

For any information on the historical or technical questions about Western sword arts, I highly recommend looking into the writings of John Clements.

[bushido_man96]

Highland Knife Fighting with the Dirk and Sgian

Christopher Scott Thompson with Louie Pastore

This book was interesting. There weren't a lot of pics in the book to go along with what was explained, but if you happen to have some experience with knife combatives, then I think it would be easier to extrapolate some. However, this book was informative, with interesting historical insights on the use of the dirk in Gaelic society.

The information in this book is taken from a text written in the 1800s and one written in the late 1700s, and also some foot work taken from a Scottish dirk dance that has been passed to a few people.

The work describes different guards for the holding the dirk, along with the various angles of attack employed. Holds and throws are discussed and illustrated to a point. Most of the text is dedicated to unarmed vs. dirk combat, as this was the most common situation to be found in. Many of the ideas expressed in this book are similar to those found in the book Medieval and Renaissance Dagger Combat, written by Jason Vail. The "cover" is discussed in both texts. Although Vail's book doesn't cover guards, the starting positions for his strikes echo the guards shown in Thompson's text. One significant difference between the texts is that Thompson covers stabs and slashing, whereas Vail only covers stabbing.

Overall, a good book, but I would like to see more. Perhaps that is just because of my lack of knowledge on the subject, though.

Krabi-Krabong Thailand's Art of Weapon Fighting

This book is takes a look at the history of the art of Krabi-Krabong, along with its cultural aspects. It starts with a little bit of Thai history, and how the art came about to what it is, and a little about how the sport of Thai boxing came to be today. The author then goes into the various weapons that are trained in the art. One thing that I like to see is the use of the shield, and how the shields are described as weapons, as opposed to just being assumed to be defensive. In the study of Medieval Combat, I have seen the shield spoken of as a weapon itself, as well. Basics and footwork are discussed, and then a section demonstrating some techniques is shown. It also discusses the usage of Muay Thai Boran within the art, but doesn't detail much on technique. Sections on social conduct of a stylist fill out the book.

There is one section in which there are details on the discussion of magic in Krabi-Krabong, or in the history of it, and it makes me lift an eyebrow when I read it. Overall, the book is very informative, and a good read.

Edited October 11, 2007 by bushido_man96

[bushido_man96]

Sigmund Ringeck's Knightly Art of the Longsword

Sigmund Ringeck's Knightly Arts of Combat Sword-and-Buckler Fighting, Wrestling, and Fighting in Armor

David Lindholm and Peter Svard

These two books are breakdowns of a Medieval fightbook authored by Sigmund Ringeck, a 15th century master of the Liechtenauer system of swordsmanship. The first title focuses soley on the use of the longsword without wearing armour, while the second work includes several other systems of combat of the age.

The first book is very informative on the subject of the Medieval longsword combat, discussing the various guards used, the strikes, parrying, and other tactical uses of the blade, such as winding, traveling after, and how tactics such as these work off the bind.

The second text goes into more detail on fighting with the longsword when wearing armour, which is a very indepth section of the book. The spear section is very interesting. I found the most interesting section to be the Wrestling section.

Each text is the result of years of research and practice by the authors in recreating this system of swordsmanship. Each book contains the original text of the author (Ringeck) along with translations, and then follow illustrations of what the authors have worked out and deciphered from the text and original illustrative plates of the original work. The illustrations are very easy to follow, with footwork, hand position, and weapon positions all easy to identify. These works are a must have for the Western Martial enthusiast. Also included are appendices that help to locate accurate replica swords and armour for those interested.

These books are great. They are both ARMA member books, and are great examples of what the Western Sword tradition has to offer. Whatever (mis)conceptions that one may have about sword fighting in Medieval Europe, reading these books will quickly illustrate what an integrated and efficient style of swordsmanship it truly is.

[bushido_man96]

Bruce Lee The Celebrated Life of the Golden Dragon

Ed. John Little

This book is compiled and edited by John Little, who has done a number of works based on Bruce Lee for Tuttle Publishing. This book is a very nice compilation of Bruce Lee's thoughts and ideas, ranging from acting, to family, and of course to his martial pursuits and his philosophies. It includes a time line of his life's activities, and tons of pictures of Bruce on scene at his movies, behind the scenes, and with his family and friends. It is lead be a preface by his daughter, and foreward by his widow, Linda. It is actually a written version of the Bruce Lee Documentary "In His Own Words" that was released as part of the 25th anniversary of the release of Enter the Dragon. The pictures are all very nice, and the wording is very much Bruce's reflections on life and his passions. If you are a Bruce Lee fan, then this is a good addition to your collection.

[bushido_man96]

The Samurai The Philosophy of Victory

Robert T. Samuel

This book was an overview of some history of the samurai, contain excerpts from books such as A Book of Five Rings, Hagakure, and Code of the Samurai. It is full of anecdotal stories and stories of samurai exploits, mixed with the excerpts from the above titles, and lots of Japanese artwork randomly spalshed in. The book is ok, and has a few interesting points, with a timeline of samurai events paralleled by other events in history, the method of putting on armor by the samurai being illustrated, and a few other novelties. I bought the book on the bargain rack, and I don't think I would have paid much more than that for it.

[bushido_man96]

Complete Taekwondo Poomsae

Kyu Hyung Lee, Sang H. Kim

This is a very well put together book on forms. It begins with a section on fundamentals for Poomsae practice, including the ideas and theories behind the way the WTF set of forms were made. It then moves into basic techniques, which are explained very well, and then gets into a section on warm-ups, which is basically a plug from another of Kim's books, Ultimate Flexibility (I recognize the pictures from the book ).

There are also sections on the theory behind the Tae Guek and Pal Gwe Poomsae, which is rather good reading, although brief. Each is discussed before each of the respective forms sections.

The Tae Guek are illustrated first, then the Pal Gwe, and finally, the Black Belt Forms. Prior to the illustrations, each form's theory and philosophical applications are mentioned, which are to be kept in mind when performing the Poomsae. Next, a Poomsae Line is given for each form, showing how the moves follow the diagram of the form. Also discussed are the trigrams that reflect the name of the form.

This book lays out the patterns of each form well. The pictures are sometimes layed in a confusing manner, but numbers on each help with following along. In places, a reverse or side view is shown to illustrate certain moves. After each form is illustrated, there is a section on "New moves for Poomsae ..." Personally, I would prefer to have this section shown before each form, but that is just me. Otherwise, well laid out.

Overall, I think this is a good manual for the WTF forms, and I have always liked Kim's work, and Kyu Hyung Lee seems to be as good as well. As for the layouts go, I think I prefer the way that Grandmaster Richard Chun lays them out and describes them in his books. However, the advantage here is that all of the forms are in one book, as opposed to spread out over several volumes. If you are looking for a WTF form reference book, this one will suit your needs.

[bushido_man96]

Kodokan Judo

Jigoro Kano

I don't know how much I can say about this book. It is a great Judo reference. I haven't read a lot of other Judo books, but if there are some more complete, I would love to read them. It goes into good detail about the many throws, locks, and nuances of Judo techniques. The katas are also shown. There is also quite a bit of essay writing from Kano included in the sections of the book, which make for enjoyable reading. Great book.

[ps1]

Kodokan Judo

Jigoro Kano

I don't know how much I can say about this book. It is a great Judo reference. I haven't read a lot of other Judo books, but if there are some more complete, I would love to read them. It goes into good detail about the many throws, locks, and nuances of Judo techniques. The katas are also shown. There is also quite a bit of essay writing from Kano included in the sections of the book, which make for enjoyable reading. Great book.

This is a great book. The only critical missing piece of information in the book is more information on grips.

[bushido_man96]

That is true. Grips weren't mentioned much. Most everything started from the same set-up, as well. What other grips should be mentioned, ps1?