Looking for a Good MA memoir

[ANCIENTMASTER]

I'm not one of those people who can learn techniques from a book. However I love MA and I love reading. I often read biographies, which can get rather boring. Eventually I found a book titled Tao of Bruce Lee. It was interesting as hell, and I found out how MA and Lee had an impact on this guys life. I couldn't get enough, than I read Angry White Pyjamas, this was a great book. It changed my view on western MA. I wont generalize, however I think that many western schools are very watered down, and that a tougher environment will make you a tougher combatant.

Now I've read both of these books, I am craving more. I am looking for a similar book. Does anyone have any reccomendations?

[tellner]

Leo Giron's "Memories on the Ebb of Tide" is good if you can find it.

[Ghost Frog]

Ken Shamrock's book "In the Lion's Den".

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0804831513/qid=1130861360/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/002-7919630-4265658?v=glance&s=books

[Matt_Bernius]

Mark Salzman's "Iron and Silk" is a great option though MA is only part of the story. His "Lost in Place" is an excellent read as well.

- Matt

[slipthejab]

Well you've already been through what I consider one of the best books that is a non technique book about MA.

Angry White Pajama's.

Worth rementioning for anyone reading this thread. I think I read the thing non stop, front to back in two days. A real good read.

On the boxing tip of things there are several... one that I have on hand at the moment and I find quite brilliant in that it really touches on many of the issues of someone who boxes is:

The Gloves: A Boxing Chronicle
Author: Robert Anasi
Publisher: Mainstream Publishing, 331 pp.
ISBN: 1-84018-889-8

On a more historical tip and very well researched and written would have to be this book about one of the most seminal figures in the fuedal history of Japan and one that everyone and their grandmother referes to on martial arts forums. The Lone Samurai: The Life and Times of Miyamoto Musashi. I often find it silly that everyone refers to Musashi's The Book of Five Rings and seemingly understand very little about the larger scope of his life or the times and society in which he lived. It often seems people are more interested in appearing in-the-know and use references to The Book of Five Rings to shore up their assertions online and their attempts to appear well informed on samurai's and the warrior mentality. The William Scott Wilson book is a very good, if not the best breakdown of just that for the western reader. One of the books that is really worth having in hardcover. It's interesting to note that the author William Scott Wilson is also the translator of much of the original Japanese historical texts that he's used for reference on Musashi.

The Lone Samurai: The Life and Times of Miyamoto Musashi
Author: by William Scott Wilson
Publisher:Kodansha International, 287 pp.
ISBN: 4-7700-2942-X

Finally also on Japan but slightly more academic is:

Samurai Invasion: Japan's Korean War 1592-1598
Author: Dr. Stephen Turnbull
Publisher: Cassell & Co., 256 pp.
ISBN: 0-304-35948-3

Very much the historical retelling of the two sixteenth-century Japanese invasions of Korea. Good insight into Japan, Korea and China in this book. Covering much of the vital period of the samurai culture. It covers the campaigns, the armies and the military and political background. Much of the material used including the illustrations are relatively new discoveries.

It's a nice account of the Korean resistance to the Japanese that doesn't suffer from the usual ultra nationalism that so much of Korean history suffers from. No one flapping on about how Tae Kwondo was invented and what not. Really good insight into the Japanese pirate raids of the Korean coast and the massive differences between not only political structures between the two countries and cultures but also highlights the innate differences in military structure and differences in preference for adopted western technology.

One you'll want on your bookshelf.

Ok... that should keep you busy for a bit. :D

[Crimson_Stone]

If you like Japanese history and Samurai culture then pretty much anything by Stephen Turnbull is worth picking up.

Slip's suggestion The Lone Samurai is an excellent read, especially combined with Eiji Yoshikawa's Musashi (historical fiction, very good :) ), and Musashi's own The Book of Five Rings.

Eiji Yoshikawa also wrote Taiko which is about Hideyoshi Toyotomi's life, along with his and Oda Nobunaga's rise to power.

If you want to hunt then Makoto Sugawara's Lives of Master Swordsmen is a rare delicacy. He comes to some very "interesting" conclusions.

Donn F. Draeger has written dozens of books from self defense to judo to classical Budo and Bujutsu. Many were published in the 60's and 70's but still interesting reads.

Many editions of Sun Tzu's Art of War come with either a fascinating history of China or comparative treatises from other great Chinese generals. Just recently the most popular military writings have been combined into one book, The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China by Ralph D. Sawyer

And for a slight twist the I Ching and the Tao Te Ching are both very worthwhile reads.

[slipthejab]

Crimson Stone,
Great post. Full of great reads. I'm off to the library now! :D

[Playful Giant]

I find that there are books out there that are very interesting to read even if they may not have direct relevance to martial arts.

In World War II for example they used to have the circular bullseyes to shoot at in the firing range. What they found however, was that people could not bring themselves to shoot a human being when the enemy were in front of them.
In Vietnam the government changed the bullseyes to be human shaped so that soldiers got used to shooting at human shaped objects
I find this indirectly relevant to what I do, because if you train on a pad everyday of your life, you soon find that it's hard to hit a person. Therefore BOB's or even training partners are a much more efficient way of training (use pads for power, but get used to confronting partners)

[Rochambo83]

"Zen and the art of street fighting" by Jack Sabat. It is a story of how he discovers traditional okinawan Karate while in the Navy. He then comes back to the states and trains. It mostly tells about major moments in his martial arts career, from visiting a school in okinawa, to sparring matches in an old garage converted into a makeshift dojo, to teaching his own students. His training is very hardcore. It is complete torture at times. From what I remember he trains with several Sensei, and usually it's one on one or a couple other students. This type of training wouldn't attract many people, but it makes for great reading. Might be hard to find this book though. I got it at a discount used book store.

[ocianain]

The Toughest Man Alive by, Gene Labelle. Autobiography of a top rated judoka who led a very colorful life. This is autobiography at it's best, what a read!

Martial Musings by, Robert W. Smith More a collection of all his articles then a serious memoir the book is choppy and episodic. It also suffers from Smith's pendantic writing style, nonetheless it is full of intriging stories and personalities. Read a little at a time, come back to it often.

[ap Oweyn]

I was going to recommend Iron and Silk, but Matt beat me to it. I'll have to check out that other book you mentioned. Been ages since I read Salzman's books (The Laughing Sutra and Iron and Silk).

How about Richard Strozzi Heckler's In Search of the Warrior Spirit. Good read. About a project with the US Special Forces. Heckler is a psychologist and aikidoka who kept a journal of a project to teach SF soldiers meditation, martial arts, and other things along those lines. Great book.


Stuart