General Books - Page 2

Zen in the Art of Archery

Eugen Herrigel

Amazon Price: $9.56 List Price: $11.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Vintage Amazon Marketplace: 71 new & used starting at $5.00

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> General
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> General AAS
Subjects -> Religion & Spirituality -> Buddhism -> Zen

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 60 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

This is not a book on kyudo. 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This is not a book on kyudo. As Earl Hartman says in another review, Herrigel did have little contact with kyudo in Japan (3-4 years). This book could be about many interesting things (zen, misticism, ...), but I don't know of them. But it's not a book on Kyudo. It seems more a book on Herrigel himself.
I don't says this is the worst book someone can read if is interested on kyudo. Last years saw apearing one or two terrible book's with kyudo in title.
Should be read with precaution and specially doesn't substitute pratice and guidance from a teacher or a master. Many persons come to kyudo allready knowing this book but after a few sessions they give up. and many of them continue to claim that they know about kyudo only by reading this book.

Editorial Review:

The path to achieving Zen (a balance between the body and the mind) is brilliantly explained by Professor Eugen Herrigel in this timeless account. This book is the result of the author's six year quest to learn archery in the hands of Japanese Zen masters. It is an honest account of one man's journey to complete abandonment of 'the self' and the Western principles that we use to define ourselves. Professor Herrigel imparts knowledge from his experiences and guides the reader through physical and spiritual lessons in a clear and insightful way. Mastering archery is not the key to achieving Zen, and this is not a practical guide to archery. It is more a guide to Zen principles and learning and perfect for practitioners and non-practitioners alike.

Ultimate Flexibility: A Complete Guide to Stretching for Martial Arts

Sang H. Kim

Amazon Price: $15.61 List Price: $22.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Turtle Press Amazon Marketplace: 38 new & used starting at $12.25

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Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Exercise & Fitness -> Stretching
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Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Exercise & Fitness -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 41 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Ultimate Flexibility is the book you've been waiting for. More than a collection of exercises or an explanation of technique, Ultimate Flexibility is a complete guide to stretching for martial arts, from the very basics of why you should stretch to detailed workout guidelines for every style and level of martial arts practice. Written by acclaimed author and martial artist Sang H Kim, Ultimate Flexibility is your guide to achieving maximum flexibility in your training. Begin with an in depth look at the hows and whys of flexibility and stretching. Learn about the many types of stretching, which methods are best for beginners, when to graduate to advanced techniques and why you should completely avoid certain types of exercises. You'll also find information that you wont find in any other martial art book, including a detailed exploration of how your body works for or against you in your training and how flexibility can make you stronger and faster. Building on this foundation, Sang H Kim teaches you nearly 200 flexibility exercises that he has personally used to achieve the highest levels of flexibility. You'l get detailed instructions, workout planning guides, goal setting tips, difficulty levels, injury prevention and recovery, and over 400 photos to guide you. Special bonus sections: 10 Tips for Full Splits, 20 Tips for High Kicks and 10 workouts for specific martial art types.

The Warrior Diet: Switch on Your Biological Powerhouse For High Energy, Explosive Strength, and a Leaner, Harder Body

Ori Hofmekler

Amazon Price: $12.89 List Price: $18.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Blue Snake Books Amazon Marketplace: 47 new & used starting at $10.57

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Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Diets & Weight Loss -> Diets -> Weight Loss
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Diets & Weight Loss -> Diets -> Weight Maintenance
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Diets & Weight Loss -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Along with the many benefits of leisure-class living comes obesity and its attendant ailments. In The Warrior Diet, Ori Hofmekler looks not forward but backward for a solution–to the primal habits of early cultures such as nomads and hunter-gatherers, the Greeks, and the Romans. Based on survival science, this book proposes not ordinary dietary changes but rather a radical yet surprisingly simple lifestyle overhaul.

Drawing on both scientific studies and historical data, Hofmekler argues that robust health and a lean, strong body can best be achieved by mimicking the classical warrior mode of cycling—working and eating sparingly (undereating) during the day and filling up at night. Specific elements from the Warrior Diet Nutritional Program (finding ideal fuel foods and food combinations to reduce body fat) to the Controlled Fatigue Training Program (promoting strength, speed, and resilience to fatigue through special drills), literally reshape body and mind. Individual chapters cover warrior meals and recipes; sex drive, potency, and animal magnetism; as well as personalizing the diet for women. Featuring forewords by Fit for Life author Harvey Diamond and Fat That Kills author Dr. Udo Erasmus, The Warrior Diet shows readers weary of fad diets how to attain enduring vigor, explosive strength, a better appearance, and increased vitality and health.

The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery

Chuck Taylor, Jack P. Lewis

List Price: $18.95 By: DBI Books Inc. Amazon Marketplace: 12 new & used starting at $6.86

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Subjects -> History -> Military -> Weapons & Warfare -> Conventional -> Firearms
Subjects -> Outdoors & Nature -> Hunting & Fishing -> Shooting
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Engineering -> Industrial, Manufacturing & Operational Systems -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 35 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Well-known firearms authority Massad Ayoob reports on the latest techniques and available handguns, ammunition, and accessories essential to effective self-defense with a handgun. Covered topics are of vital importance to anyone who has an interest in the tactical use of a handgun.

Combat pistols, including semi-automatics and revolvers, are discussed. Readers will learn what to look for in a used handgun, how to build and test necessary skills, and where to find additional training. Combat handgun controversies are thoroughly discussed such as revolvers versus semi-automatics and point shooting versus aimed shooting.

New combat handgun tactics and techniques are evaluated and demonstrated including close quarters battle, and combat scan. Enthusiasts will also learn about common mistakes and accidents and how to prevent them. Contains essential information on concealed carry.

• Learn about the latest combat handgun techniques, handguns, and accessories

• Build and test necessary combat handgun skills

• Tactics and techniques are evaluated and demonstrated

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory and Technique (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu series)

Renzo Gracie, Royler Gracie, John Danaher

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Invisible Cities Press Llc Amazon Marketplace: 56 new & used starting at $15.97

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Subjects -> Sports -> Individual Sports -> Martial Arts -> General
Subjects -> Sports -> Individual Sports -> Martial Arts -> General AAS
Subjects -> Sports -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 125 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Awesome book! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I highly recommend this book! It's especially handy for reviewing proper execution of chokes, submissions, positioning etc. that you just performed in class as well as any frustrations you may be experiencing with a particular move. You might be missing something very simple that can be picked up by seeing the move or reading it step-by-step in the book. I also train at Royler Gracie/David Adiv's academy. They are two wonderful men.

Train hard!
Never tap!

The best book to really learn from. 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I love this book! I have bought two for myself, and several for my students and friends. I feel that this book is well written, easy to understand, and can be used for review, or to learn new techniques. If you know just a little BJJ, you can use this book to expand your toolbox. It's worth every penny.

Editorial Review:

While most martial arts deal only with the initial punching and kicking stages of combat, Brazilian jiu-jitsu concentrates on ground combat. This guide shows how to use Brazilian jiu-jitsu to increase combat effectiveness. Photographs and step-by-step instructions show how to master the techniques used in this exciting new form of combat.

The Concealed Handgun Manual: How to Chose, Carry, and Shoot a Gun in Self Defense

Chris Bird

List Price: $19.95 By: Privateer Publications Amazon Marketplace: 11 new & used starting at $3.69

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Subjects -> Law -> Criminal Law -> Law Enforcement
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 49 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Gun Manual 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is a must read for all gun owners especially if you are thinking about getting a CCW license. This is also a good book to send to people that are anti-gun. After reading this book the anti-gun people might change their minds about guns. I sent this book to my sister who hates guns.

Strongly Recommend 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I just received this book yesterday and have already read most of it. A very interesting and informative book that is hard to put down. As previous reviewers have written, this is a "must read" for anyone considering a handgun for personal defense. The book I ordered and received is fifth edition, published in 2008, so updated conceal/carry laws for each state are included.

I enjoyed reading this book so much, I have ordered the author's other book, "Thank God I had a Gun."

Editorial Review:

Timely because more states continue to pass concealed-carry legislation, this comprehensive handbook contains information on current state regulations, beginning and advanced shooting instruction, and updated safety advice. This guide covers everything needed to understand these subjects and offers tips on the importance of self-protection, selecting and buying a handgun, and methods of concealing weapons. In light of the current problem of violence in schools, this edition also offers detailed instruction on how to avoid all violent encounters. Information on the mental ramifications of self-defense is included as are actual stories of incidents of concealed-carry self-defense.

Iceman: My Fighting Life

Chuck Liddell, Chad Millman

Amazon Price: $10.20 List Price: $15.00 Not yet published By: NAL Trade

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Iceman Inspires! 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book tells a good story and gives you a peek at the explosively popular world of MMA. Chuck Liddell is an example for America's youth to look up to. Honest, hardworking and straight to the point. Very happy with this purchase.

Editorial Review:

The New York Times bestseller from the baddest man on the planet—with photos and a brand new chapter.

Chuck Liddell is the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and superstar of Mixed Martial Arts -- the fastest growing sport in America. In 1998, he won his first Mixed Martial Arts fight, soon after joining the UFC to become the #1 ranked light-heavyweight contender in the world. He is a walking lethal weapon.

Here, for the first time, is the story of Chuck Liddell inside and outside the Octagon—from his childhood in the poor section of Santa Barbara to the bloodiest battles of his career, to balancing life as a father, a UFC champ, and a superstar. With never-before-seen photos—and an all-new chapter added for this edition—Iceman is the true, no-holds-barred story of Chuck Liddell’s fight to become a champion.

The Book of Five Rings

Miyamoto Musashi

Amazon Price: $12.92 List Price: $19.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Kodansha International Amazon Marketplace: 45 new & used starting at $7.21

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Subjects -> History -> Military Science
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> Eastern -> General
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Setting down his thoughts on swordplay, on winning, and on spirituality, legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi intended this modest work as a guide for his immediate disciples and future generations of samurai. He had little idea he was penning a masterpiece that would be eagerly devoured by people in all walks of life centuries after his death.
Along with The Art of War by Sun Tzu, The Book of Five Rings has long been regarded as an invaluable treatise on the strategy of winning. Musashi's timeless advice on defeating an adversary, throwing an opponent off-guard, creating confusion, and other techniques for overpowering an assailant was addressed to the readers of earlier times on the battlefield, and now serves the modern reader in the battle of life.
In this new rendering by the translator of Hagakure and The Unfettered Mind, William Scott Wilson adheres rigorously to the seventeenth-century Japanese text and clarifies points of ambiguity in earlier translations. In addition, he offers an extensive introduction and a translation of Musashi's rarely published The Way of Walking Alone. This gift-book edition also features original art by Musashi himself as well as new calligraphy by Japanese artist Shiro Tsujimura.

Sharpening the Warriors Edge: The Psychology & Science of Training

Bruce K. Siddle

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: PPCT Research Publications Amazon Marketplace: 22 new & used starting at $12.41

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Subjects -> Reference -> Education -> Research

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Buyer Beware 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Had bought this thinking it would be a good read and provide insight into training aspects for my martial arts. Feel asleep reading the second chapter. I have no idea why all these people rank it five stars as I found it not only boring, but repetitive and useless. There's even a disclaimer in the book stating that it's repetitive!
I think I read too much into the title for this book and, not being a part of the military, found it lacking.

Editorial Review:

Sharpening the Warrior's Edge is the first text which examines survival and combat performance from a scientific perspective. Author Bruce K. Siddle methodically brings together one hundred years of research which identifies the relationship between survival stress, the heart rate and combat performance.

Most importantly, Siddle explores the psychological and spiritual components which establish the warrior mindset. This pioneering test is a must read for present-day warriors, or anyone involved in use of force, combat or martial arts training.

Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi and QiGong (Book & DVD)

Bill Douglas

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 41 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Self-advertisement 2 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

When purchasing this book/dvd combination, I was hoping to get an introduction to Tai Chi that I could practically evaluate and practice. Instead, what I received was a poorly veiled advertisement for the author's 4 DVD set of instructional videos.

While the book does contain certain valuable facts about Tai Chi (history, etc), this is not something that you can pick up and begin doing Tai Chi exercises within an hour. The DVD on the other hand is almost completely useless and while advertising the full length 4 DVD set - looks as if it were filmed in the author's living room with long curtains hiding his sofa.

I would not recommend this product. Two stars b/c the book isn't all that bad - but is not a practical application of Tai Chi - and that may have been my mistake.

Editorial Review:

The ancient martial art that’s swept the nation.

The most popular form of exercise in the world, T’ai Chi can slow the aging process, increase balance and flexibility, lower stress levels, and enhance the body’s natural healing powers. Now, with over 300 illustrations, this updated #1-selling guide has been expanded so that readers can create a practice for themselves. Based on the latest research, this new edition includes:
-A DVD that demonstrates 64 groups of movements that are difficult to learn from print alone
-A new illustrated format
-An expanded and updated T’ai Chi yellow pages resource
-Expanded health/medical benefits