The Martial Arts Book

My son started taking Kung Fu about 7 months ago and was very interested in learning about the different type of Martial Arts. I picked up this book after looking at the table of contents and pictures shown on the "Look Inside" link. The book was better than I had hoped. It has a lot of detail of how each martial art got it's beginnings, the philosophies, and type of moves each disciple does. The art work was clear and detailed. There are many small but interesting stories in each section involving the different martial arts. It is presented in more than an overview but less than a textbook. The book clearly shows how martial arts was not developed for violence, but yet for protection and to help the body and mind as a whole. My son who is 9 begged to read a chapter with me every night. It took about a week to get through the whole book. I absolutely love this book and am looking forward to reading it again.

For aspiring martial arts students, parents, children and anyone who is curious about martial arts, this book provides a simple overview of the martial world. This book has beautiful illustrations that compliment the discussions perfectly and the text is quick, easy and fun to read! Beginning with the (legendary) origins of Asian martial arts, this book follows the spread of martial arts since their alleged origin and describes how geographical, cultural and practical factors caused the martial arts to diverge into the multitude of styles that we know today. Also included in this book:Philosophies, origins and general intentions of some of the more common martial arts such as aikido, judo, karate, kendo, kung fu, tae kwon do and tai chi.The roles of philosophies such as Buddhism, Taoism and Zen in the origins and subsequent divergence of various martial arts styles.How various groups such as Shaolin monks, Samurai and Ninja used and contributed to our martial arts legacy and how modern expectations are transforming the way we practice and perceive martial arts.What to expect when enrolling in a martial arts program.A glossary of some introductory martial arts vocabulary.While this book does provide an overview of the previously stated, I do think that it could have gone into more detail about the differences between the martial arts and what makes each one unique and distinctive. However, most arts get one or two pages, which is actually not very much considering the somewhat large font size and large (but beautiful) illustrations. I was somewhat disappointed that, as an aikido practitioner, while the statements about aikido's intentions are accurate, the description of the actual martial art is incredibly vague and every other martial art is treated in much the same way. It basically just states that one martial art has more empty handed striking techniques, one martial art has more improvised weapons and one martial art focuses on diverting an opponent's energy. Also, although this book does a pretty good job of explaining why these differences exist, I think that someone who lacks a basis for comparison will still be left scratching their head wondernig how some of the arts mentioned are different IN PRACTICE.Another thing that bothered me was that it doesn't make much of an effort to satisfy any reader skepticism of its historical accuracy. While many of the stories told are indeed great stories, no sources are cited and there is virtually no distinction made between martial arts legend and martial arts history. I only took off one star though, because I understand that this is primarily a children's book and going into too much detail might alienate the younger audience.I think a great book to read after this one is The Peaceful Way: A Children's Guide to the Traditions of the Martial Arts, which has fewer illustrations, more text and is geared toward slightly older kids. It does reiterate some of the martial arts legends from this book, but its main focus is what to expect as a beginning martial artist and how practice, dedication and responsibility can help you to grow, not just as a martial artist, but as a person.If you want to learn more about the different kinds of martial arts and how to choose the "right" martial art for you, but without having to buy a separate book for each style, my recommendation is The Complete Idiot's Guide to Martial Arts.

Really good book for introducing the history and philosophy of a wide range of traditional eastern martial arts to kids Ages 7 +. Good illustrations. Unbiased. Well researched and presented. Treats children as if they are intelligent.

My tween borrowed this book from the school library. He enjoyed it so much that I bought it for him. The book has good age appropriate information about the history of various martial arts styles.

Book is awesome! Shipped fast and book as described. No complaints.

Well written for children but should be read with a parent to get the most out of this wonderfully written and illustrated book.

This book is the best children's book on martial arts that I have seen, (and I work in a library and study martial arts, so I look at a lot of martial arts books!). The Martial Arts Book surveys the major styles of martial arts and their history, covering a lot of ground in a very short, but wonderful volume. The subject matter is so well treated that you get all the important facts about the major styles of martial arts in a very quick read.Frequently martial arts books (especially those for children) have little information, are too sugar-coated, are too commercial, or are clearly biased towards one art over another. This book, however, presents all the different styles of martial arts in a fair and equal manner. The maps, pictures, and asides do an excellent job of untangling the often confusing history of martial arts. The authors do not make light of martial arts myths, either - they realize that martial arts history is as much legend as fact and that to ignore the legends is to ignore a rich history. The legends told in the book are some of the classic tales of martial arts.Kids interested in martial arts will eat this book up. They will love seeing how how ninjas, monks, samurai, pirates and farmers gave rise to the martial arts of today. They will also love the colorful pictures and engaging layout. Parents will appreciate the emphasis on peace, compassion, and on growing internally as well as externally. Teachers will appreciate the accuracy of the information, the historical context it will give to their students, and the frank treatment of the "westernization" of martial arts.I, personally, am impressed with how much information was packed into such a short volume in such an engaging manner.