Martial Arts for Beginners

Contents: 1. Introduction. 2. Internal or external; soft or hard. 3. China. 4. Okinawa. 4. Japan. 5. Philippines. 6. Brazil. 7. Korea. 8. Thailand. 9. Ninjutsu. 10. Indonesia. 11. About the author and illustrator. Index.

"Martial Arts for Beginners is an overview of the Martial Arts of China, Okinawa, Japan, Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, the Phillippines and Brazil—and their mythology and technique, along with their evolutions from life-or-death fighting arts to ‘sports’ (and sometimes back again). This unique book answers questions about the ‘Arts’ that most of us are too naïve to ask, like:

What do all Martial Arts have in common?
What are their differences?
What separates the so-called ‘hard style’ and ‘soft style'?
The ‘Internal’ and ‘External’?

The author also makes a distinction between Martial Arts for competition, spiritual development and learning how to fight (not that these are necessarily separate categories). The book also includes little known practical information like:

How does an experienced Martial Artist know when it’s time for a new teacher?
Why should you interview several instructors before committing to one?
Aikido, a Martial Art so gentle that you take pains not to hurt your attacker, has one of the highest injury rates for someone learning the art.

Perhaps even more important, Martial Arts for Beginners effortlessly shows how the mind-skills you develop from the right kind of Martial Art are exactly the skills required to live your life—focusing your attention, avoiding distraction, the cost of misreading people and situations."