The Martial Arts Book
by Laura Scandiffio
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Book Summary Information
Author: Laura ScandiffioIllustrator: Nicolas Debon
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2010-08-01
ISBN: 1550377760
Number of pages: 64
Publisher: Annick Press
Book Reviews of The Martial Arts Book
Book Review: Good Introduction with Beautiful Illustrations!
Summary: 4 Stars
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.
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