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Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture
Favourite martial arts book?

For the recommended section, I thought it would be good if everyone listed there favourite martial arts book. It could make an interesting list for people to scan through and to see if there were any obvious gaps in their libraries.

Here is the one and only rule: You are only allowed ONE favourite book!

I want to know what single book you would recommend others read. That way we make a collective reading list as opposed to a personal one. It also does not matter if someone else has listed your favourite already, you should still put your personal favourite as the more entries a book gets the more popular it obviously is.

All the best,

Iain

Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture

“Karate-Do: My Way of Life” by Gichin Funakoshi

ky0han
ky0han's picture

"The Teachings of Karatedo" by Heiko Bittmann

Gavin J Poffley
Gavin J Poffley's picture

"The martial arts and ways of Japan" by Donn F Draeger

PASmith
PASmith's picture

CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTING - Jack Dempsey

Oerjan Nilsen
Oerjan Nilsen's picture

It changes every few years what my favorite book is. Right now I would have to say Taegeuk Cipher by Simon John O`Neil for Taekwondo. If it has to be about Karate (This being a forum that mainly discusses Karate and all) I have to say Bunkai Jutsu by Iain Abernethy (my copy has been read so much that it barly holds itself together.),

Dave Moore
Dave Moore's picture

Four Shades of Black, Gavin Mullholland

shoshinkanuk
shoshinkanuk's picture

"Motobu Choki – Karate, My Art"

(published by the International Ryukyu Karate-jutsu Research Society)  Translated by Patrick and Yuriko McCarthy.

Here's a review by Victor Smith -  http://www.e-budo.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11689
michael rosenbaum
michael rosenbaum's picture

The Iliad by Homer.

Aaron Craft
Aaron Craft's picture

Traditions: Essays on the Japanese Martial Arts and Ways by Dave Lowry.

Gavin Mulholland
Gavin Mulholland's picture

I have found this an almost impossible task but by Gavin de Becker's Gift of Fear would be very high up on my list.

p.s. Thank you Dave...

danpt
danpt's picture

"Meditations on Violence" by Rory Miller, if I have to pick one, although there are a bunch of others I would consider pretty much as good as well.

Tau
Tau's picture

Probably not the cup of tea for all the pragmatists out there, but my personal favourite Martial Arts book remains Aikido and Dynamic Sphere by Westbrook and Rati. It's very well written and very thorough. OK, it's probably not very useful if you aren't studying Aikido, but if you are, or if you just have an interest, I don't think there's a better book.

Nomad
Nomad's picture

Mine would have to be "Living the Martial Way" by Forrest Morgan.

NHB SPS
NHB SPS's picture

Dead or alive by Geoff Thompson

Leigh Simms
Leigh Simms's picture

Tao of Jeet Kun Do.

Black Tiger
Black Tiger's picture

Jissen Karate - Karate for the streets not for trophies

Authored buy Ken G Wylson (that's me, I've not written it Yet but I got the title)

StuartA
StuartA's picture

Living the Martial Way by Forrest E Morgan

Stuart

karate10
karate10's picture

"Vital Karate"--Author: Sosai Mas Oyamas

Black Tiger
Black Tiger's picture

I found this Site, don't know how up to date it is but very informative:

http://www.martialhub.com/japanese/japanese_karate.html

Includes recommending books and Webistes too

Mr P
Mr P's picture

best Karate, Heian and Tekki, M Nakayama. It was the first karate book I ever bought.

garry
garry's picture

Angry White Pyjamas: An Oxford Poet Trains with the Tokyo Riot Police - Robert Twigger

Tau
Tau's picture

garry wrote:

Angry White Pyjamas: An Oxford Poet Trains with the Tokyo Riot Police - Robert Twigger

Damn fine book. For those that haven't read it, you can argue if it is or isn't a "Martial Arts book" as it's story of the author's year in Tokyo teaching English. He just happens to take up Yoshinkan Aikido. His Aikido is what most of the book becomes about. Probably because of the author's literary education, this book is excellently written. It's enthralling at times. He discusses the death of the head of the style and various serious injuries to his training partners. It also inadvertedly tells you a lot about Japanese culture and thinking. I keep intending to re-read it.

Sorry, interrupting the thread there, but I had to endorse this recommendation.

Holgersen (not verified)
Visitor's picture

Man this is hard.

I gravitate toward the more classical side of things when it comes to my research and study, so I'd have to say Patrick McCarthy's translation of the Bubishi.

Gary Chamberlain
Gary Chamberlain's picture

Claret and Cross-Buttocks or Rafferty's Prize-Fighters by Joe Robinson

Rare now but worth the money if you can find one.

"Those who scrap in the streets and bars are fools. They fight only in gangs like cowards and lynchers. If your pride's hurt, offer them the chalk. Do it properly. See how many are prepared to take ye on fair and square with a crowd watchin'. That's the real test of a man" 

Some things never change ...

Gary

Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture

Gary Chamberlain wrote:
"Those who scrap in the streets and bars are fools. They fight only in gangs like cowards and lynchers. If your pride's hurt, offer them the chalk. Do it properly. See how many are prepared to take ye on fair and square with a crowd watchin'. That's the real test of a man"

I like that :-)

Gary Chamberlain
Gary Chamberlain's picture

It's a great read about some very hard times.

If you're interested Iain I'll post it up so you can take a peek.

Gary

Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture

Gary Chamberlain wrote:
It's a great read about some very hard times.

Just ordered a copy. I can see it can be quite expensive to get (£500+ from some suppliers!), but I've found a second hand one for £11 :-)

jeffc
jeffc's picture

This is a tough one, but if I had to choose just one then it would be the Bubishi, as translated by Patrick McCarthy.   

D.Ram
D.Ram's picture

Oss! I've just joined, and it is wonderful to go through all the great discussions!

If I've to pick just one, it would be the book on Karate Katas by Hirokazu Kanazawa. In terms of utility and immediate practical application, for a SKIF karateka, it is simply a gem!

Paul_D
Paul_D's picture

Without question if I could only recommend one book it would have to be Dead or Alive by Geoff Thompson. 

It has completely changed the way I view Martial Arts and Self Defence.  Like many I made the mistake of thinking they were one in the same, and spent the years I was doing karate not understanding how what I did in the dojo equated to what happened in “the street”.  (You have to remember these where the days before the internet, so I didn't have people like Iain explainign things pragmatically).  Although I no longer train Karate I now know that when training in my chosen art, in the dojo I am having fun performing a MA and only a very small percentage of it is relevant to SD.  My SD training is now separate to my MA.

It has also made a huge difference to my life.  Being only 165cm and 60kgs I was never truly comfortable in pubs.  Upon reading this book a few years ago I have since been able to fully relax.  The paranoia and fear of confrontation no longer affects me, as I would know what to do, and not knowing what to do if confronted was half the problem.  I have used the techniques in the book numerous times to stop confrontations in their infancy from escalating.  Being small just the setion on eye contact challenergs alone has been priceless.  

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