The common and typical definition of a martial artist that is used today is of someone who does kata’s, weapons, sparring and board breaking. One thing that should be added to the definition of a martial artist is that he/she is a reader of the arts as well. There are lots of great books out there that cover a wide range of styles, techniques, and philosophies of martial arts. Some are better then others, but it doesn’t hurt to pick up a relevant book to your path and sit down with a nice cup of tea and see what it has to offer.
Why Books?
Being knowledgeable of different arts and styles of martial arts can be beneficial and well worth your time. I will have to quote that great saying that we all hear, “Knowledge is Power”, and modern day society should follow this concept more. The more you know about martial arts and the different ways, and strategies of styles and art forms, the more you will learn how to improve yourself and YOUR style.
Here are some great books to read:
- The Art of War – Sun Tzu
- The Book of Five Rings – Miyamoto Musashi
- Jeet Kune Do – Bruce Lee
- Living the Martial Arts Way – Morgan Forrest
- The Zen Way to Martial Arts – Taisen Deshimaru
- The Unfettered Mind: Writings from a Zen Master to a Master Swordsman–Takuan Soho
- Sword & Brush: The Spirit of the Martial Arts – Dave Lowry
- Zen in the Martial Arts – Joe Hyams
Of Course you should go out there and explore your own assortment of martial arts books. Start your own library of books that you like and would reccommend to someone else who is in the arts as well. I will in later posts go over these books individualy with more emphasis on each one. So get out there and start reading!
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