Jonathan Bluestein

I'd like to post this here, but if the mods wish to move feel free.

This guy has been "popping up" on various web pages I frequent touting his book.

As I understand it, he's an Israeli who studies Chinese systems?

Anyone got any more details about him or the book?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Research-Martial-Jonathan-Bluestein-Shifu/dp/1499122519

 

I have a copy he provided me for free to review. I am still working on it - it is VERY thick and done in a scholarly tone.

I am already a little dubious due to the false internal/external distinction (but as he is an IMA that shouldn't suprise me too much). He seems pretty genuine in his intent and belief though

 

i follow his youtube channel. he posts a very interesting mix of stuff, so if nothing else, he's been exposed to a fairly large range of styles, at least from CMA.

 

That's what worries me.

Random pop ups in the sites I visit! - and now some of the FB pages I admin.

Anyway - have taken him up on his offer of a free copy to review - so lets see how that pans out.

 

Well I was a member of a MA FB page and he posted on it saying he had written his book and would offer it to people "of skill and reputation" to review - I said "sure, send me one" and TA DAA!! it appeared in my postbox

 

Just so we are clear - It's this guy?

https://www.youtube.com/user/jonathanbluestein

 

That's his channel yes

 

ayup, that's it.

 

He gave me a discount code for a copy which was nice but I don't have the CMA background to look at it properly.

He is popping up all over the shop.

 

Nor do I Mr Winchester - but if you're going to flog your wares on a JMA FB site - let's see what that brings.

 

It's always a surprise to see relatively young 'masters' popping up and explaining the 'r3alz'.

Might have some good stuff but so far looking at his book page I get little bio. I see from one source that he has posted that he is now 26 years old. He started writing the book in question when he was 21.

http://www.malineage.com/martial-artists/Jonathan-Bluestein?section=timeline

What makes anyone think this guy is credible?

LFD

 

It's an amalgamation of interviews and discussions with others...I look at it as a "thesis" rather than a definitive text

 

He's a regular poster on RumSoakedFist. So he's not someone who just came out of the woodwork.


I have no idea what his book is like,or even if I'd agree with a little,a lot,or none of it but having lurked on that forum quite a bit and read many of his posts I think don't think comparisons with AC is accurate.

Unless it turns out he's got a Chinese girlfriend translating archaic Chinese texts for him!

 

EM, this thread is in the general MA section so many of us are unfamiliar with the rum soaked fist . No idea about either JB or AC as I don't spend much time on forums. Really I don't know anything about JB and he is someone I have never heard of. He has popped up for the karate crowd so appears relatively unknown outside a limited section of the CMA community..

After close to 30 years I still struggle enough with the basics/theories in my own arts without needing to go off in too many other directions (other than wrestling/judo/bjj/boxing/etc ;' ).

How relevant do you think his ideas are to relatively 'external' practitioners?

LFD

 

From my initial reading not so much...as he said he is heavy into the internal/external split (on the Internal being much more refined side)

It's an outdated mindset but as i am not much into the book it may not be his exact position

 

Greetings friends!

Jonathan Bluestein here. Happy to see you are discussing my book.

I would be happy to answer any of your questions here - concerning the book or otherwise. I have nothing to hide.
I will now do my best to answer at length all of the questions and issues posted on this thread.

__________________________

Concerning the contents of the book:

For getting a better impression of what the book is about, you can all refer to an online file[/COLOR.
Please bear in mind that I had released it just prior to the final editing of the book. But apart from a few minor typos, the text is identical to the book as being printed today.


__________________________

Regarding free books:

Indeed, I have many a time offered a free complimentary copy of my book to any serious teacher who would be willing to share word of its existence with students, friends and colleagues. I do not force anyone to write reviews. I politely ask that wherein the person who received my work liked it, if he or she could be kind enough to write a review. So far, all the reviews published of my book (most independent of my requests) have been positive (in several languages). The reviews can be read either on Amazon or on the book's official website.


The reason I offer up free books and put my book up on lots of facebook groups is that I am a self-published author. I do not have any big-name publishing company to do the advertising for me, and neither the funds to pay professional to do it.

In sending my book to complete strangers, I am taking a risk. These books cost money to print and ship. However, I have faith in my work. I am convinced that the majority of my potential readers will like it, which is why this is a risk I am willing to take. So far this strategy has proven itself nicely, as can be read in the reviews.

I would also like to point out the fact that the majority of the people who had reviewed my book are very serious martial artists, from a wide variety of styles and systems, often with decades of experience it. Most are also teachers themselves.


Hannibal misquoted me, by the way. I did not write that I offer free books to "people of skill and reputation", but to "notable instructors". That is, because I have to limit myself and my limited funds, and cannot send free copies to every teacher out there. That said, about half the people I ended up sending a copy to were teachers who sent me messages saying they "were not notable instructors as such but interested nonetheless". I never let that criteria hinder me from sending a copy to someone who was really interested.


__________________________

On Internal vs. External:

My book is not at all dogmatic and anachronistic on these issues. Far from it. The point the book is making, as one reads along, is that there are no 'Internal' and 'External' systems, but rather many 'Internal and External methods' (which are the topic of discussion throughout a large portion of my work). I have thus referred to martial arts as being more 'Externally-oriented' wherein they feature a greater number of 'External' methods; 'Internally-oriented' when their emphasis on 'Internal methods' is greater than that of 'External' ones'; and finally - 'Combination style', a nickname I had attached to various martial arts that possess a relative balance between the two conceptions. I talk of 'approaches' and 'methods' to training, not of 'Internal and External martial arts'. This is stressed countless times in the text. To be reading otherwise is to do injustice to my original intentions. It may be the result of partial reading, since the book is intended to be read by the order of its chapters from start to finish. This order is of paramount importance for understanding what the book is trying to say. This I have also stated quite a few times in the beginning of the book. However, I have noticed that there is a tendency among some readers to ignore this advice, and skip to those parts in which they believe they would find greater interest.

_____________________________

Some facts about me, to set things straight:

I am Israeli. I am young - 27 next week. I am not a master of anything, and do not pretend to preach or teach 'the realz'. In my short life I have been a computers tutor for 3 years, an infantrymen for a few months, an investigator/interrogator for the Israeli Police Force for 3 years (my obligatory military service), an editor/writer for a large Israeli community website, hosted a TV spot on Kids' TV channel, have earned degrees in Law and Government Studies, and have written this book (a few more books are on the way, including a second edition for this book, to be published 2 years from now). I practice and teach Xing Yi Quan and Pigua Zhang. My arts come from master Zhou Jingxuan of Tianjin city, China. You can read all about him in my book.


I am a disciple of master Zhou's top disciple, shifu Nitzan Oren. He is my main teacher. Most of what I know - I owe him (this is also stated in my book). He is a TCM doctor, and can translate ancient Chinese on the fly (his Chinese is better than most Chinese people's... Zhou shifu asks him for advice on TCM too). He studied TCM in Tianjin Medical University and martial arts with Zhou shifu daily for 7 years in China, and prior to that had many years of training in Karate and Taiji.

With master Zhou I have had about 5 months of 1 on 1 teaching so far, in three different periods.

I am also currently studying Southern Mantis privately from a capable teacher, Sapir Tal, a disciple of Henry Poo Yee.

I have had 1.5 years of training in Western Boxing and ****o-ryu karate, each. I also have *minor* experience training in Baji Quan, Shaolin Jingang Bashi, Chen style Taiji and Vietnamese Wing Chun (up to two months of training in each). General exposure, just training with other people of different styles or taking a class here and there, I have had with countless styles. Krav Maga I did in the army and elsewhere. I trained with lots of Taiji people, Wing Chun people, Karateka, Aikidoka and even Pak Hok Pai people. In China once I got corrections and advice from a Dai XinYi guy and had daily exposure for months to many different Baji players. I have trained Baji Liu He Qiang at length for years. Been there done that. Though to be frank, I only count my Xing Yi, Pigua and Mantis teachings as having had a real, in-depth authentic learning experience.


___________________

Self promotion -

Does not interest me at all. The only thing I promote is my book. I did not get a single student here in Israel because of my status as an author. People here do not care about that. Neither am I doing workshops abroad, selling any services or produces, or offering online courses. I am a hard-working martial arts teacher who had busted his ass writing an authentic piece of work for 5 years, while complete his university studies. I will not get rich by selling this book (not even close, haha ), and frankly when I wrote it I did not even know whether it would sell 1 copy or 1 million copies. I did not care. I wrote this book for the love of the arts, and because I wanted this book to brighten people's day and provide quality information for those seeking it. Nowadays, this book helps pay the rent for my new martial arts school. Rent in Israel is extremely expensive, and with 18 students I do not even make enough money to pay it. The book keeps me afloat and helps assure my beloved students could have a second home to come to.

As explained earlier, I "self-promote" on facebook not because I need an ego booster, but simply as that is my way of making a living. I have no grand-master titles attached to me, no big fancy organizations providing sponsorship, no marketing schemes or anything. It works for me when I reach out to my readers on a personal level. This means spending dozens of hours each month online, just talking to people and patiently telling them what my work is about, and why it should interest them. That is also what I am doing here. It is my philosophy as an author. I believe in being in direct contact with my readers. I always reply politely to all messages and emails. To forthcoming individuals with genuine interest, I will also provide very lengthy and detailed answers and explanations. I love this. This interaction helps us all grow. My readers have already provided me with absurd amount of useful feedback and information, which I cherish. I do not possess all the answers (to anything), and my readers teach me things just as I have taught them.

___________________


As stated at the beginning of this message, I would be happy to answer any more questions I am not ashamed of who I am or of my book. Ask away.

Cheers,

Jonathan.


Welcome to MAP!

Moderator Edit. Your post has been edited to remove items that do not meet our TOS.



Please read the TOS with regard to linking/driving traffic to external sites and posting contact details.

 

Hey Jonathan, welcome to MAP

I am glad that as the book progresses the distinction will go....early chapters it seems there is very much a "split" between the IMA/EMA definitions. The reason I have not reviewed it fully yet is precisely because I feel it needs more of my attentio
ns prior to doing so - it is a VERY thorough work

I wasn't doint a direct quote when I referenced you, but can see where it is confusing so me culpa. However the meaning is pretty much the same regardless

I look forward to submitting a full review soon

 

Hello Jonathan,

As the OP I would like to thank you for the information. We also had a brief exchange on the England Wado-kai FB page on which I admin.

I too look forward to reading the book. I will let you know what I think.

Gary