1 comments about How Go Get What You Want from Almost Anybody: Your Self-Defense Consumer Guide.

1. this book is easy to read, understand , and fantastic. the book is full of alot of good information, and i highly recommmended
   sayed omar- Egypt

5 comments about The Code of the Warrior.

1. I have been teaching martial arts for years and have read every book I can find on the warrior culture of the samurai. My curriculum for martial arts students includes several books that my students must read and write reports on in order to move up a belt rank. I had been using The Code of the Samurai but I have switched for several reasons.

   1. I never liked that the other book used the work Knight when talking about the Samurai Warrior. I prefer to stay with a Japanese feeling when reading this type of book and Knight just wasn't as comfortable.
   2. I feel that this book is brings the concepts and the mind of the warrior out in a more clear and complete way.
   3. It is completely evident that the author has a lot of experience in the martial arts and the way of the warrior. This can make a huge difference in what you take away from the read.

   I first heard of the warrior series when a friend loaned me a copy of The Book of Five Rings by the same author. I liked it so mush that I bought my own copy and this book at the same time.

   If you are interested in learning about the warrior mind from a warrior's perspective then this is your book.




2. It is amazing to me that such a small book can cover so many deep and life changing principles. This is not just a code of conduct for warriors it really should apply to all people. The concepts of loyalty, bravery, and honor are brought out and explained in a clear straightforward manner. I really enjoyed reading this book though I have never trained in martial arts or studied anything about the samurai. I became interested because of our American warriors overseas and decided to give this a read. I am blown away that all the same principles apply to warriors today as several hundred years ago.



3. This book is an easy to read basic guide for warriors at any stage of their development. As with most Asian guides to war and martial arts, the advice might appear basic, and even elementary, but to really understand, and to incorporate it into their life, it will take the reader years of training and study. Mr Tarver's background also gives him a special understanding of the original text, so the translation really feels right, and lot of power in it.
   Unfortunately, Mr Tarver loses a bit in credibility with his foreword. He appears naive. He blames "wealthy liberals" for their antimilitarism, while totally forgetting the greed that has driven many of the USA's wars. That mars an otherwise excellent achievemnt. Mr Tarver would do well to remember that you can be a honest warrior, but be in the service of an evil master. Just see what happened to the millions of Germans, Japanese, Italians, etc., that sacrificed their lives in WWII.



4. I read this book and found it very moving. I became interested in the Samurai after watching The Last Samurai and I read several books on the subject. This book is a great guide to the mind and insight of the Samurai and it has caused me to reevaluate my view of many important life issues. I bought the Last Samurai DVD and understand the culture in the movie much better now. I cannot recommend this book enough.



5. I enjoyed reading this book. However there are two things that could make it better:
   
   1. Print the title on the spine of the book.
   2. Reduce self-importance in the translator's preface.
   
   I have tremendous respect for the translator's martial arts achievements and his fluency in Japanese and I appreciate his regard for the warrior's way. But I would enjoy the book better-- and I think it would appeal to a wider audience-- if Mr. Tarver relaxed some of his us-versus-them attitude in the preface. For example:
   
   "Whether enlisted in the military or not, the burning desire to protect is one of the things that separate us from the sedate, self-infatuated crowd."
   
   When I buy a book to learn about traditional samurai values-- values like humility and respect for the people you serve-- I find it distracting to have this kind of self-congradulatory language in the preface.
   
   Otherwise I found the book interesting and useful.

2 comments about The Art of Weapons: Armed and Unarmed Self-Defense.

1. The so called knife defenses in this book are terrible. Tedeschi's other books are fairly good, but this one is the worst of the type I have ever read. The knife work will get you killed. There is no way this stuff would work against anyone with any knife skill whatso-ever. If you have seen Jim Carry's "you've attacked me wrong" skit from 'In Living Color' you have some idea of how useless this book is.
   
   The other weapons are ok, but the knife stuff just brings the whole book down to not worth keeping.



2. There are several weapons systems that provide a more complete repertoire of techniques. However, this book illustrates techniques developed from Hapkido, a very eclectic system. This book provides the reader with a comprehensive explanation of various types of weapons and principles that share basic concepts with many other systems. I think this book is very well written and the author provides a solid weapons foundation for all martial artists, regardless of style. I disagree with the previous review that states that the knife techniques will get you killed. Any technique is only as good as the practitioner using it. The knife and other weapon techniques in this book are solid and should be studied for concept. Meaning that they are not exclusive to the weapons illustrated. Many household products can easily be used as a weapon while using the same concept. I would strongly recommend this book to the open minded martial artist of any level.

2 comments about American Combat Judo: 200 Photographs Illustrating Jiu Jitsu Wrestling, Foot-Fighting and Police Tactics.

1. I just received mine the other day and was very pleased with it. I was a bit skeptical because of some of the reviews on the internet but still ordered it. Its a great addition to anyones Combat Classic Library,Good solid techniques.Mine will not be for sale.



2. Some books about fighting are heavy on philosophy, or history of a "system" or "style". I'm not making fun of them, because there are systems and styles that I like a lot.
   
   This is a different sort of book. Little less talk, little more action.
   
   The photos are perfectly good but they aren't museum quality. They aren't pretty at all. There is no consideration whatsoever to esthetics in this book.
   
   This is a legitimate tough guy from a tough era talking about a bag of tricks. The book is heavy on demonstration in a LOT of grubby little pictures, and light on talk.
   
   If you practice nothing but the techniques in this book, you'll be more effective than you were before.
   
   Note that this edition probably doesn't contain the eye gouge waza. The author discusses and illustrates his favorite approach to an eye gouge, and the editors, in their infinite wisdom, left it out. They also left out an illustration of a groin attack.
   
   My guess is that you'll find them on the internet if you look for them.
   
   Anyway, if you've ever had an interest in expanding your bag of tricks, this is a cheap, easy, effective source.
   
   And some of these are pretty nasty (if the editors took out the eye gouge and one groin attack, they left in plenty of other down and dirty stuff), so don't give this one to your eight-year old grandchild.
   
   Just reading this book tells you AGAIN why you really, really don't want to get into fights. Somebody may have been reading the unedited version of this thing!
   
   Don't buy this book if you want a coffee-table-sized, beautifully photographed book full of artistic martial arts techniques. This is straight-up tough guy stuff from another era. And this guy had a lot of experience and useful stuff between his ears.
   
   A somewhat comparable book is "Strictly Street Stuff". This book makes fewer choices for you. It provides a smorgasbord of techniques, and let's you decide which ones you want to spend time practicing (because nothing works without practice).

1 comments about Combat Rifle Marksmanship Exercises: Training Effectively for Combat Readiness.

1. Another fine book on the topic of firearms use and instruction. Andy Stanford's efforts to relate various methods and drills to increase one's effectiveness is well done.
   A great addition for anyone who wishes to better their own skills or to draw upon in instructing others.

3 comments about Dim-Mak's 12 Most Deadly Katas: Points Of No Return.

1. I have 17 years of experience in martial arts, including experience in Kyusho-Jitsu (pressure point fighting). This book is a total waste of money. This guy is a joke because he even doesn't know about simple cycle of destruction between five elements, which is the most important part in pressure point fighting.



2. I'm only really writing this review as an answer to the one presently listed at the mo. I do really feel that people have got it in for Erle and his books, and this comes across in some reviews of his work. I don't agree with everything he's written, but I do know what works. I've had this book for a number of years now, and it does exactly what it says in the title: show you the 12 circular dim-mak forms of the Old Yang style taiji - no more, and certainly no less. It's not a pretty book to look at, but there's certainly no BS in there. I've had experience of several grappling styles, as well as karate, kung-fu, tae-kwon-do, boxing and kickboxing, as well as taiji and several forms of bagwa and hsing-I over the past twenty-five years, and I'll simply say this: as good as I was at boxing and judo, (and I wasn't too bad at all of them), I never fully "understood" grappling or striking until I put these forms into practice - it din't come immediately, but after practicng these short forms foe just a little while, I "knew" how to throw/strike/and grapple, it was just a case of putting the hard work in of learning the forms and chi-gung at my bodies own pace.
   Yes, this stuff does work, and it'll probably enhance your other activities. If you don't want this stuff to work, it never fully will- but learn them and see for yourself. All you need for self-defence is in this little book, it just takes a bit of time and practice, that's all.



3. This book teaches you exactly what it says on the cover: The 12 katas of Dim-Mak. The destructive (KO) and controlling (Shen) cycles are not covered in this book because they hold no bearing on the forms. They are covered in depth in some of his other works such as the Encyclopedia of Dim Mak. In short, I was able to learn the katas and fa-jing (explosive movements)and improve my abilities ten-fold.

5 comments about The Complete Martial Artist.

1. I greatly enjoyed reading Mr. Johnson's book! It is incredible how much he has overcome in his life. If you like reading motivational books on how to improve yourself, this is required reading. Mr Johnson writes about the many obstacles placed before him and how he overcame them. This is a very good book for children to read and appreciate how to achieve in life. Job well done Mr. Johnson! Your students should be honored to have a great role model as a martial arts instructor and teacher.



2. This book like so many others today really give you true inspiration. To me this book represents life. It tells you the struggles of a man who overcame those struggles to become a very spriritual person. You can not tell me that he is not spiritual, because once you read his message you will be able to tell only if you too are a spiritual person. Well actually you just have to be open minded. To here how he has applied his life situations to his martial arts situations, that is truly inspiring for all upcoming martial artist. Today there are few martial arts hero's. Yes that is right few, because most of them never had to struggle through life situations as Mr. Johnson did. Being from an inner community myself gives me motivation after reading his book that it doesn't matter where you are from but where you are headed. I would suggest that all teens, kids and even adults and NO you don't have to be from the projects you could be from the suburbs to read this book. It will change who you are and how you think. Each day, when I am about to do something I begin to think about Mr. Johnson and his book. I refer to that book as my life encyclopedia now. In only a few short months it has changed me. I used to be in a gang but NOW I am free and I call upon the lord and Mr. Johnson daily to help me through.



3. This is a great book. I wrote a review of this book before that someone didn't like. But let me get to the point. Mr. Johnson teaches his philosophy about the martial arts that can be very helpful to martial artists and nonmarttial artists.



4. The martial way is a sacred path when approached properly. Mr. Johnson's story shows how we can benefit from universal principles and apply this to every aspect of our lives. My family nad I have had the benefit of studying with Mr. Johnson (Professor BAM)for the past five years and much of what is in this book we have witnessed in terms of how he leads by example. From reading his book I learned the importance of admitting to past mistakes and putting them out in the open so I can grow and assure that I do not repeat those same mistakes. This will also help my kid's from making those mistakes as well. There are many wonderful "Life Lessons" in this book, I highly recommend it for yourself, your family and your friends.



5. A champion martial artist gives insight into becoming a champion at life as well as sport. This book is a must read for those of us involved in a martial art.

4 comments about Mind/Body Fitness: Focus, Preparation, Performance.

1. Mind/Body Fitness is perfect timing for the athlete or fitness person who is ready to move to the next level.

   Strength, flexibility, endurance, and nutrition have all been thoroughly researched but the mind-body connection is still an amorphous concept

   Mind/Body Fitness gathered the latest concepts in the sports psychology research and put it together with common sense principles to help me to finally get my program together. I was able to improve my ability to relax, focus, and prepare for my fitness and sport with renewed energy.

   I highly recommend Mind/Body Fitness without reservation.




2. Can you be relaxed and focused throughout an entire exercise routine? Do you take care of yourself, eat the right food, exercise on a regular basis but still fail to see the results you desire? If you want to improve your performance, your body can only take you to a certain point. Beyond that point, the mind and body must work together in harmony to produce superior results. Clinical studies have proven this to be true.
   
   Tom Seabourne has written Mind/Body Fitness to show you how to integrate the techniques and wisdom of eastern disciplines (Martial Arts and Yoga) with western methods (visualization and stress-reduction.)
   
   "The secret to success in martial arts, sports, fitness, and even life is mindfulness." -Tom Seabourne
   
   This book will guide you into easy-to-learn relaxation and meditation skills you can practice anytime and anywhere. You will enjoy learning how to increase your focus, confidence and health using Tom Seabournes' techniques. He also includes dietary tips to optimize your mental and physical effectiveness. The easy-to-use checklist with strategies on mindfulness, goal setting and time management also make this book highly practical.
   
   With a background in sports and martial arts, Tom Seabourne will show you that "mindfulness is not inborn." It is however, available to everyone.
   
   One idea really stuck out in my mind. Tom explains how when we encounter a problem, we can 1. Become a Solution. 2. Go Away. or 3. Change. He is so right when he says that the more we focus on something the more you will become it.
   
   This book will be a great motivation for your own progress and you will find a new perspective you won't find in most fitness books.
   
   ~The Rebecca Review



3. This brand new (year 2001), 160 page guide is designed to help you improve your ability to relax, increase your focus, gain confidence, improve your health, set goals and manage your time. It's an easy-to-read guidebook, with clear strategies to help you be successful. Topics range from concentration, self-esteem, confidence and motivation, to handling fear, body language, and sleeping right. The specific strategies presented motivate you to follow the book's concepts, leading you to positive results. Everyone can benefit from it.



4. At first glance, I wasn't sure what to make of Mind/Body Fitness. It looked like a typical self-help guide with sort of a New Age feel to it, which immediately turned me off. But I gave it a chance and read through it, thereby finding it actually had a lot of good advice tailored specifically for martial artists.
   
   The primary focus of the text is on the concept of "mindfulness", which is another word for awareness (and we all know how important awareness is). Lots of good insights on focus, setting realistic goals, discipline, and health. The importance of a calm clear mind is stressed throughout. Meditation, proper breathing, and nutrition are addressed in detail.
   
   This was a good book, and if it hadn't come so highly recommended I would not have given it a chance. I'm glad I did.

2 comments about Warrior Arts of the Philippines.

1. Having trained mostly in Japanese martial arts I was not very familiar with Filipino styles. This book gives a very good overview of both the different styles and the people instrumental in their development. Some of the photo sequences are better than others but don't expect to learn any FMA from this book. That is not an especially negative comment because you can not learn most martial arts from a book. Its strong point is that it may help you decide which style you would like to explore and give you direction as you look for a person to study under. This book is also a very nice tribute to the people who have expanded and preserved their native arts.



2. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Rey Galang is now my favorite author on FMA subjects. In this book, just in "Masters of the Blade", he did a superb job of giving an excellent presentation of several chosen styles and their most respected exponents. This book is less "techically oriented" than the MOB book, i.e. there is more history and philosophy explined, as well as some methodology of training in various styles, while in the MOB book, every chapter featured an excellent training section too. Still, this is not a bad thing at all, cause like this one gets inspired in another way. I would even say that Mr. Galang has succeded in making the reader feel the "breath of old times" of FMA. After reading the conclusion, I can only regret that some of the people who were approached for the book did not take the opporunity to be part of something so good, but that again, nothing prevents me from hoping there might be the Part II... nad, just to make sure that there can still be improvements, I think that it might be better to skip someone from being presetned alltogether, than doing it like in the case of the late Sonny Umpad.

No comments about Simple Thinking:Intelligent Fighter: Simple Thinking: Intelligent Fighters v.2: Why Wing Chun Works ll (Summersdale martial arts) (Vol 2).