Martial Arts for Martial Artists
Dive into our curated book list for martial artists—explore essential reads like *Moving Zen* and Gichin Funakoshi’s classic *Karate-Do*, blending philosophy, history, and discipline to deepen your practice.
Book
Karate-Do
by Gichin Funakoshi
This text presents the autobiography of the man who made karate an international martial art, in which he recalls his own teachers and of his efforts to define and spread knowledge about karate without compromising its spirit. Linking the time when karate was a strictly Okinawan art of self-defense shrouded in the deepest secrecy and the present day, when it has become a martial art practiced throughout the world, is Gichin Funakoshi, the Father of Karate-do.' Out of modesty, he was reluctant to write this autobiography and did not do so until he was'
Book
Moving Zen
by C. W. Nikoru
A classic story of one man's confrontation with the self through Karate. In 1962 at age twenty-two, C. W. Nicol left Wales to study Karate in Japan. He quickly found that the study of the martial art engaged his whole being and transformed his outlook on life. Moving Zen is the multifaceted story of a young man who arrived in Japan to study the technique of, and spirit behind, Karate. Joining the Japan Karate Association, or Shotokan, Nicol discovered that Karate, while extremely violent, also called for politeness and a sense of mutual trust and responsibility. He learned that the stronger the Karateka, the more inclined he was to be gentle with others. Those who have gained a measure of skill but have not yet achieved spiritual maturity are the dangerous practitioners. Studying kata, Nicol came to realize that these forms are, in essence, moving Zen and that the ultimate goal of all the martial arts is tranquility. Through the help of many gifted teachers, C. W. Nicol gained his black belt, and moved progressively closer to his goal of tranquility. His story, Moving Zen, was first published in 1975 and has achieved the status of a modern classic.
Book
Gene LeBell's Grappling World, The Encyclopedia of Finishing Holds (2nd Expanded Edition)
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