Reviews - Warrior Pages Martial Arts Society

Smart Phone Apps

2011-02-22T19:30:09.311Z

I got a Droid Incredible a few months ago, and ever since then, I've been looking for ways for it to enhance my training. So far it's helped me get more organized, manage my time better, learn to play guitar and while away countless hours; but until the other day, I hadn't found a really useful app for martial arts.

Now I've found an app called JEFIT (http://www.jefit.com). It's a workout log designed primarily for body builders, but it's got a customization feature that makes it useful for almost any physical activity you want to track. It comes with a ton of exercises programed in and most of them come with descriptions and animations.

In addition to tracking activity, you can track things like your weight, fat content, and measurements together with goal setting. Best off, it's free. There's a paid version, but so far the free one appears to be more than enough.

Have you found any useful smart phone apps?

Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation (2 Vols.)

2011-01-17T05:05:02.480Z

Green, T. A., & Svinth, J. R. (2010). Martial arts of the world: An encyclopedia of history and innovation (2 Vols.). Denver, CO: ABC-CLIO. (Which will hereafter be abbreviated as MAW: HI.)

http://www.amazon.com/Martial-Arts-World-volumes-Encyclopedia/dp/1598842439/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1295240089&sr=8-2

I think that somewhere on the site, this has been reviewed (Dr. Green is a member of Warrior Pages), but since it isn't in THIS forum, I thought I'd add it here.

MAW: HI is a reworking of Dr. Green's original encyclopedias on martial arts of the world. This version, however, is a completely different approach and if you have the first set, don't think there's nothing new in this set. There is. Lots of it. Joe Svinth has come aboard for this time to add his vast knowledge of the martial arts to the project. Some of you may know Joe from his Electronic Journal of Martial Arts and Sciences website: www.ejmas.com.

Volume I covers geographical RegionsIand individual Arts. Areas included are Africa, Americas, Central and Southwest Asia, East Asia, Europe, Oceania, South Asia and Southeast Asia. Individual martial arts are covered based on specific area of origin.

Volume II covers Themes. This includes Belief Systems (covered for a variety of areas), Commodification of Leisure (including a chapted on martial arts tourism), Expressive Culture (including folklore and invented traditions), Globalization of Martial Arts, Martial Media, Military, Paramilitary, and Law Enforcement Methods, Performing Arts, Political Uses of the Martial Arts, Secret Societies and Fraternal Organizations.

Green and Svinth have gathered a host of experts on the subject matter and each article is a joy to read. Anyone with an interest in martial arts will find each offering a pleasure. It has already received rave reviews from a variety of sources.

This is not, of course, a how to manual or a historical treatise on any praticular style. It is a very informative encyclopedia, chock-full-o information about the vast web of ideas, physical arts, and cultural associations that comprise this thing we loving call martial arts. It does a darn good job of making sense out of the mess.

Book Recommendation - Kurikara: The Sword and the Serpent

2011-01-12T16:26:20.184Z

Evans, J. M. (2010). Kurikara: The sword and the serpent. Berkley, CA: Blue Snake Books.

This is an excellent book on Japanese sword arts. Chapters include: kihon, kata, tanren, uchikomi, tameshigiri, kumitachi, shinshin renma and sanmitsu yuga. Appendices inlcude: training weapons, godai table, tenouchi, sword nomenclature and safety. A glossary and recommended reading list are also included.

Evans was a student of several sword teachers in Japan, including Nakamura Taisaburo Sensei, founder of a system of batto-do (featured in the documentary, Budo: The Art of Killing). Evans' insights are born of over 40 years of training in the sword.

This is one of the only books on Japanese sword arts that I have seen that includes discussions on mikkyo and Shingon (Japanese esoteric Buddhism). The only other mentions I know of is in Draeger and Warner (1982), which would make sense because of Draeger's expertise in Katori Shinto Ryu, and Draeger's lectures (available from the Hoplology Society). Most publications have been so influenced by popular media and the idea of a connection between Zen and swordsmanship that they have not bothered to check out the real history and the intimate relationship between Shingon and the sword. Evans corrects this disparity.

He also includes exercises from other disciplines, including yoga and Goju Ryu karate.

The book is well written and highly recommended. It will probably become a classic, so get your copy today, before the price goes up.

http://www.amazon.com/Kurikara-Serpent-John-Maki-Evans/product-reviews/1583942440/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

Karate Kid vs. Karate Kid, Old vs. New

2010-07-30T15:32:03.607Z

I haven't seen it yet, but I've gotten mixed reviews on the New Karate Kid. What do you think? How does it compare to the original?

Book Recommendation

2009-10-24T12:54:38.934Z

I have just finished re-reading "The Law and Martial Arts" by Carl Brown. Mr. Brown is a martial artist and a Lawyer. I recommend this book for all practitioners of martial arts. This in my humble opinion is a must read for all current black belts

Jiu Jitsu: The Effective Japanese Mode of Self Defense

2009-10-08T16:07:36.480Z

Jiu Jitsu: The Effective Japanese Mode of Self-Defense, by K. Koyama and A. Minami, 1924 (originally published in 1905)

This was a book I found on ebay (one of my favorite sites....). It was a very old translation of some notes on Jiu Jitsu which lists K. Koyama and A. Minami as "well-known native experts". Pictures were black and white with 35 techniques outlined in the book.

Very good book for the era but the descriptions would be useless unless you have some jiu jitsu knowledge beforehand. I found them to be easy to understand but there wasn't anything in the book that I didn't already know. The techniques are referred to as "tricks" in the book. The Japanese are referred to as "Japs" and the descriptions are quite humorous.

This is a short book of only 78 pages - but is a great historical reference book. I give the book at least 3 Stars out of 5

Martial Arts in the Modern World

2009-05-21T15:35:47.521Z

MAMW is an excellent book about the contemporary state of martial arts and how it got that way. Edited by Dr. Tom Green, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Texas A&M University, and walking martial arts encyclopedia, Joe Svinth, the collection of articles is diverse,authoritative and informative.

If you have any interest in martial arts then this book is recommended, not so much for history (which can be got from Dr. Green's, Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia) but for the evolution of the arts as they are seen and practiced today.

Any questions can be directed to Dr. Green, who is now a member of Warrior Pages Society!

The Theory and Practice of Taiji Qigong

2009-05-15T12:46:59.420Z

By Chris Jarmey

This is an excellent book which has an extensive discussion about Qi (Chi) and how to practice the movements. It also covers stances, postures, breathing (both normal and reverse), mental focus and meridian theory.

The book also covers the 18 movements of Taiji Quigong and how to practice them while integrating the above aspects (stances, postures, breathing....).

A good book and an excellent buy on ebay for next to nothing.

Gloves

2009-04-20T14:13:02.184Z

I recently purchased some MMA open finger grappling gloves from Piranha Gear. These gloves are excellent for bag work, sparring, grappling, and randori. They are comfortable and much easier to wear than the cheap ones you buy which are merely plastic foam. They also allow you to grab which you can't do easily with the other types of gloves.

They have adequate padding which allows you to hit without injury (not at full power of course....) but can work on a bag without injury to your knuckles.

If you want to try an excellent pair of gloves, I strongly recommend these.

Taiji Chin Na - The Seizing Art of Taijiquan

2009-04-16T13:44:10.857Z

by Dr. Yang, Jwing - Ming

Good book on the basics of Chin Na. I have learned some of this from Tashi Price, but the book really goes into pretty good detail about the history, the different positions, and the different fundamental patterns for the art.

The book covers General Concepts, Basic Theory and Training, Applications for Taijiquan (Tai Chi) postures, and the Pushing Hands exercises.