Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

Bibliography:

Gladwell, Malcolm. "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking." Bay Back Books. France. 2007.

Review: I am always amazed, I shouldn't be by now, at what is out there that teaches us why we do what we do. Blink is one of those books that turns a light on inside my mind. 

In martial arts we talk about the mind, the state of mind-no-mind, and about being present in the moment but there is more to that then these teachings. We talk about the mind, conscious and unconscious (the logic mind, the monkey mind and the lizard mind, etc.), but we don't really spend much time learning how the unconscious mind actually works and the why it works to well especially when we need snap judgement and instantaneous responses or actions. 

Blick helps open the door to that process and explains just how much we depend on the unconscious, a faster processing part of the brain, to achieve instant answers or in the field of martial defense - actions. 

The rub is once you understand how it works and learn how to acknowledge it for what it is you, like in mind-no-mind, simply forget about it and then be more accepting as to its purpose, function and use in life and in defenses as they apply to life. It is an amazing journey. I started reading and could not put it down till the end. I am at this writing starting the second reading of this fine book. 

Violence: A Writer's Guide

Bibliography:

Miller, Rory. "Violence: A Writer's Guide." Pacific Northwest. Wyrd Goat Press. 2012.

Review: Again Sgt. Miller has coupled his life experiences in a violent work world into something educational and useful, for a writer as well as a person learning about violence for self-defense. This book, as is his other efforts, is well done. It refreshes about information from his other efforts as well as provide solid clues on how to write about it with authenticity and accuracy. 

Example of content: The three essential elements of self-defense he provides in this book are a good primer for anyone seeking self-defense training. Knowing of and about these elements gives a person ammunition to seek out good self-defense training. When you couple this with the information Sgt. Miller provides in this book as well as his other efforts you have a good foundation to separate the chaff from the wheat of self-defense instruction. 

What are the thee essentials? Awareness-Initiative-Permission. I could give you my view of this but prefer recommending you read his book as mentioned above. His explanations are far better than mine. 

When the Fight Goes to Ground

Bibliography:

O'Connell, Lori; Hiscoe, Steve; Weintz, Jennifer. "When the Fight Goes to the Ground: Jiu-Jitsu Strategies and Tactics for Self-Defense." Vermont. Tuttle Publishing. 2012. 

Review: First, I am not a ground fighting expert. I am not even a novice. I have some grappling experience from my early days but nothing that should be taken for expert or even very proficient. I just wanted to get that out there. Second, I believe more now than ever before that it is important for anyone practicing any type of martial art for self-defense that they address ground fighting simply because there may be moments, if you encounter violence, when you end up on the ground. 

Where I received a recommendation for this book is lost to me at the moment of publication of this post. I can tell you that whomever it was is someone I respect for their experience and abilities especially in regards to going to ground in self-defense. 

This book lays out what I perceive as solid self-defense fundamentals that will enhance any martial art, not directly associated with ground work to begin with, for self-defense. I like the way it is laid out and the simplicity that is promoted within the pages. It should be fairly easy to learn from the book if you are an experienced martial artist with SD experience. You can enhance the effort by including the DVD that is sometimes sold with the print edition or you can get the kindle edition in conjunction with the DVD. 

If your a novice I still recommend it but with one strong caveat, make sure you get clarification and experience in practice from a qualified and experienced martial artist. This is good with any pairing of literature and media for learning and sometimes is recommended even for the experienced martial artists with no background in ground work. 

This book and DVD are a very good basic starting point regardless. Couple that with hands on training as I mention and you can gain a solid foundation of ground self-defense. Hopefully you will never have to use it for real but remaining basic as this one does should provide you the tools to end the encounter and allow you to seek safety and security. Provided, of course, your avoidance and deescalation strategies and tactics fail. 

Highly recommended!

Quiet

Bibliography:

Cain, Susan. "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking." Broadway. New York. 2013. 

Review: Reading this book led me to some things of interest for training and practice but more importantly the SD aspects. It deals with how we are programmed by both genes and environment. It deals with whether a person is either a high-reactive or low-reactive person. It deals with introversion and extroversion along with the amygdala storage and later influential abilities (lifetime of stored associations). 

It must be understood that these influences matter and that one can train themselves to overcome them but occasionally it does not work leaving you subject to those stored associations. What the ? am I talking about?

Well, you will have to study the material yourself to get the full picture and idea behind this post. I know instinctively that this matters and it may help sensei work with practitioners to achieve the best results possible in their training and practice toward self-defense. Knowing how this entire model works within those persons be they of an introverted or extroverted nature (and all levels in between) or of high-reactive or low-reactive nature will tell you how you can possible gear things toward greater understanding and ability in a SD situation. 

I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially those who teach be it martial arts or any life discipline. 

The Power of Intuition

Bibliography:

Klein, Gary. "The Power of Intuition: How to Use Your Gut Feelings to Make Better Decisions at Work." Doubleday. New York. 2003.

Review: Awareness, one of the many fundamentals of self defense especially through the martial arts, classical or traditional. Intuition, subconscious, cues and patterns are but a few terms you will encounter in this excellent book. Highly recommended to read and use in reality based training and practice. 

I found this book most enlightening and discovered many ways to explain how we develop these traits to better serve in the combative and defensive arts. 

Bibliography:

Howe, Paul R. Msg U.S. Army. "Leadership and Training for the Fight." Authorhouse. Indiana. 2006.

Review: This one I found on Rory Miller's Blog site, "Chiron." Anything he recommends can be counted on to support and inform what he writes in his own books. After reading the first chapter on the OODA I can relate it to some of Rory's information in books and electronic media. As for myself, I find it an outstanding addition to my library. 

This provided me many connections, and I am not hardly finished reading it either, that help my mind relate to things necessary to know how things work. It is outstanding and an awesome supplemental book in support of Rory's efforts as well as other authors of note on this subject. 

Well worth the expense.

Tales of Old Japan

Bibliography:

Freeman-Mitford, Baron Algernon Bertram. "Tales of Old Japan." Indy Publishing and Amazon Kindle. Britain. 1910.

Review: First, this book is free on Amazon in the kindle edition. It does not get any better than that guaranteed. 

Second, this book was first published in 1910 and written with the intent to provide greater insight into the culture and belief of the Japanese during a period of time that has deeply influenced how Japan is in modern times. 

Third, anyone be they martial artist or just interested in learning about Japan will benefit from this book. As an example there is one small quote that adds to the explanation in the practice of sitting in a Zen posture under a waterfall during the coldest times of the year in Japan. In a nutshell it is about cleansing the soul as that is perceived by Japanese. 

An excellent edition to anyone's library and the expense is "nothing." :-)

PDF Books Available

Greetings and Salutations All: I have worked toward compiling two small pdf books as an exercises and learning effort on terminologies for martial arts as well as my interpretation of the karate koan most call the ken-po goku-i. I didn't do this to publish for money and I don't plan on trying to charge for these two pdf books in the future.

I am making them available free to whomever wishes to obtain them for study and reflection. If you would be interested in reading them simply send me an email address that I can send them to as attachments. Please note that I am still editing them both so you will find errors and omissions within as to grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. I have a friend who is an editor who has graciously consented to edit the ken-po goku-i effort. When it is done I plan of notifying those who ask for a copy so they can have an updated and hopefully fully edited final edition.

The terminology pdf book is not what you might normally find as it does not give technical/technique oriented terms but rather terms of a teaching/martial philosophical nature. I had this one as a blog for a while but decided it might better serve those who are interested to have a pdf version available to either read and use via electronic means, i.e. either a computer like the iPad or a kindle reader type thing. 

So, send your email to isshin.do.karate@gmail.com and I will gladly send you one or the other or both for your reading pleasure. I would ask that if you do that you give me your review of them, if you wouldn't mind, when you have read them. - Thanks!

Samurai: The Last Warrior

Bibliography:
Man, John. "Samurai: The Last Warrior." Bantom Books. London. 2011.

Review: One quarter way through as of 13:17 hours on January 24th in the year 2013. I am impressed and will follow up with a more comprehensive review when reading is completed. I can say with enthusiasm that this one should be in any martial art library.

I am stunned by the misconceptions we have regarding both the samurai of Japan and the martial arts that have come to being from as far back as the feudal era to present day.

February 13, 2013: Satsuma, a family name many who practice karate recognize as the family of samurai who conquered Okinawa around the 1600's. It appears that this samurai tribe had far more influence on the changes that Japan, and by osmosis Okinawa, endured during the restoration period.

This book looks at one of those samurai who had a huge influence on this period of history, Saigo. It goes through his associations and connections with Japan, the Shogun and the Satsuma. It is an excellent book on the history, culture and belief of Japan that had a strong influence on its subjects of Okinawa.

Nice addition to the martial library and it will open some eyes as to how things transpired and affected the martial practices of modern times.

Happy Holidays Everyone

As the week progresses we get a bit closer to the annual celebration we call Christmas. Since there are many who celebrate in different ways I tend to just wish every one a happy holiday since regardless of beliefs those who reside here in the America's tend to take that time as a holiday I felt it generic enough to express happiness and joy for the season while, hopefully, not offending anyone.

I will be at work till this Friday which means I will be in the Bloggersphere but after Friday until the morning of the second of January "2013" I will be on holiday with my wife, three cats and poodle dog. Have a great holiday everyone if I don't hear from you; I wish us all the best for 2013!!!!

The Study of China Hand Techniques

Bibliography:

Itoman, Morinobu and McKenna, Mario (translation). "The Study of China Hand Techniques." Mario McKenna Publisher. 2012.

Review: A very interesting and validating book to say the least. Mario McKenna has gone to a good deal of trouble to translate this book from a copy that is apparently on display at the Hawaiian Karate Museum run by Charles Goodin. I find this book a refreshing one and recommend it for your collection of karate or martial arts library. 

The only drawbacks is the clarity of the snapshots but assume they are copies of older and less clear shots when this book was originally published. 

Leading the Way

Bibliography:

Bown, Tim and Miller Rory. "Leading the Way: Maximize Your Potential as a Martial Arts Instructor." Rachelle Bown. Kindle. 2012

Review: Rory Miller was right, this is a solid book all martial arts sensei should read, and, read again and again and again. I would have loved to see what Tim Bown would have produced in other writings if not for his untimely passing.

I agree with Bown Sensei that this professional teaching requirement is missing from many dojo, training halls and gyms. It is a shame that upon earning the coveted black belt those new yudansha don't or have not already acquired the ability to "teach or lead the way" and often fall back on inadequate teaching methods simply because it was the way my sensei did it so it is good enough for my students.

Get this book, make it a part of your studies and then deliver the benefits to your students. 

Campfire Tales from Hell

Bibliography:

Overland, Clint; Anderson, Drew Dr.; Kane, Lawrence; Trahan, Terry; Burrese, Alain; Demeere, Wim; Eisler, Barry; MacYoung, Marc; Miller, Rory; Miller, Kamila. "Campfire Tales from Hell: Musing on Martial Arts, Survival, Bounding, and General Thug Stuff." CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. 2012.

Review: What can I say, another effort headed up by Rory Miller. There is not much else that anyone can say about the efforts he has made in this genre and those other authors have their own expertise that is passed along in this book. I thought to myself, what else can be said in the subject of violence than another book arrives on Amazon and I am blown away once again. 

This book is worth every penny. It is something to be used as a teaching guide to anyone who is working in the profession or who is teaching about defense against violent conflict. 

Scaling Force

Bibliography:

Miller, Rory and Kane, Lawrence A. "Scaling Force: Dynamic Decision-making under Threat of Violence." YMAA Publisher. New Hampshire. 2012

Review: I just got this book yesterday, the 3rd of October 2012, and have read only one foreword, by Clint Overland. That one foreword was enough to get me thinking about self-defense, violence and martial arts if not for the previous books by Rory Miller, Lawrence A. Kane, and others - impressive credentials on violence and impressive articulation of the importance of this book and how all of us perceive  self-defense, fighting and violence. 

It feels like one of those fictional page turners you spend the next forty-eight hours straight reading - no sleep, no shower, no food but the book. It is one of those, for me, that tunes me out of this world and takes me into another whole different world. I sit here now writing this review with such anticipation that I will stop now and get back to reading the book. 

Do I need to say any more? Thanks Mr. Overland for you outstanding foreword, it made a difference and I will take your advice and truly study this book. Domo! ありがとう

Zensho

Bibliography:
Aiello, J. "Zensho." A Warriors Broadcasting Network. 1994.

Review: It has been a while since I read this one so the review is going to be terse in nature. This book interested me as it presents a view from the author into a bit of the culture that inspired the ancient masters who created the various systems.

It states that the author is a modern Zen master who has been inspired by his studies and attempts to bring the ancient cultural beliefs he perceives to have existed in those ancient dojo or for Okinawan's the tombs, yards, and fields where they practiced the empty hand called "Ti or Toudi."

A good read and worth the money if you can find a copy.

My Library Listings - work in progress

I still have a good deal of books to add to this blog. I have lost many books over the years but have a list of one hundred and seventy-eight on hand and listed in an excel document. 

I will be adding them one at a time with reviews starting with the "A's" and skipping over the one's that are already listed below. I will add the data first and then put in a photo of the book cover's later as time permits.

I look forward to sharing my reading of books and hope to hear some suggestions from the blog members. 

Myths of Light

Bibliography:
Campbell, Joseph. "Myths of Light: Eastern Metaphors of the Eternal." New World Library. Novato, California. 2003.

Review: If your taking a route toward understanding the culture that brought us the martial arts then you have already studied the Ancient Classics of Japan, Okinawa and China. To dig into China's cultural beginnings, i.e. those influences that changed China's culture long, long ago, then study the culture's, myths and symbolism's of India.

This book cuts it all down into a terse explanation of those cultural beliefs that must have been carried across the borders by Bodhidharma into the Chinese province that hosted the Shaolin Monastery where some believe all martial arts of Okinawa and Japan began.

This book covers it nicely and if you have studied the ancient classics along with ken-po goku-i, bubishi, etc. then you will readily see the connections. Worth the effort and money to get a copy!

Speed Training in Martial Arts

Bibliography:
Christensen, Loren W. "Speed Training: How to Develop Your Maximum Speed for Martial Arts." Paladin Press. Boulder. 1996.

Review: Go for it. Don't hesitate, arghhh, too slow already. Don't hesitate and make if fast - buy this book :-). Simple, easy and it will increase your speed using simple physics, common sense and a positive affirmative mind-set that with this book you will get fast.

Christensen Sensei has presented a means to achieve speed but you have to expend some costs yourself. Costs? A positive attitude and lots of hard, hard work. I have slow twitch musculature but have picked up speed and I am fifty-nine years young.

OhhYahhhhh.

Timing in the Fighting Arts

Bibliography:
Christensen, Loren W. and DeMeer, Wim. "Timing in the Fighting Arts." Sante Fe New Mexico. Turtle Press. 2004.

Review: Another outstanding accomplishment for martial artist everywhere from both Loren W. Christensen and Wim DeMeere. Don't let the title fool you as they cover, in great detail, many subjects that either directly or indirectly influence the timing necessary to achieve dominance in the fighting arts including both defense/fights/combative and all those under the heading of sports.

This is well written it seems sometimes to me like a great action book you just can't put down until you reach the ending. In this case the ending of the book opens the door to many features you can incorporate into your training and practice to achieve a reality based training system.

The Katas

Bibliography:
Tokitsu, Kenji. "The Katas Meaning behind the Movements." Shambhala. Boston & London.

Review: There are many awesome materials out there on kata that are exemplary in their content and meaning. I have listed my favorites on this blog and my web site recommended reading list.

I applaud the works of:

Bibliography:
DeMente, Boye Lafayette. "Kata: The Key to Understanding & Dealing with the Japanese." Tuttle. Vermont. 2003.

Kane, Lawrence A. and Wilder, Chris. "The Way of Kata: A Comprehensive Guide for Deciphering Martial Applications." YMAA. New York. 2005.

Wilder, Kris. "The Way of Sanchin Kata: The Application of Power." YMAA Publication. New York. 2007.

And, we must not forget the references to kata in the  many books listed here and elsewhere that promote the understanding of kata.

This book takes up the cultural basis of the martial art kata as it has meaning to budo. This also speaks to kata in light of both the art of the sword and the writings/teachings of Miyamoto Musashi as understood by Sensei Kenji Tokitsu.

His approach is different and from the expertise of a Japanese martial artists of note. It is highly recommended and can answer many of the questions toward the depth and breadth of kata practice. 

A must read, a must have and a must place it in your library!