What you look for in a MA book?

[SPJ]

We used to have lessons and notes and not many books around.

1. I usually look for definition in books.

What is Peng? What is Lu?

2. At the end of books, usually authors will interpret classics.

Others may like applications or training methods etc.

What do you look for in a MA book?

:D

[SPJ]

I was so amazed by so many interpretations of the same word or phrase such as Peng.

I compared my notes, and definitions from others and books.

Personally, I think this is most daunting task in CMA is to use a common term that all agreed on to mean the same thing.

Definition of moves, postures have to be clear and precise. We then may use the moves as bricks to build something.

Or if we do not have good basics, we will not then advance far with tactics and strategy skillwise and communication wise.

This will be very tough.

The hawk soaring to the sky or Yao Zhi Zuan Tian means different postures and moves in Yin style and Cheng style in Ba Gua. sometimes it is also called soaring the cloud or Yao Zhi Zuan Yun.

We have a long way to go.


:mad:

[PangQuan]

One element I like to see in a martial art or tactical book is history.

It is always a great pleasure to read of those who walked before us and helped to develop the path we now walk.

A tribute of sorts, as well as an educational experience.

I will now add one of my favorite books:

"The Unfettered Mind"
~Takuan Soho

Not really a martial art book, but more a book on japanese zen.

3 letters written by one of japans most famous past zen masters. 2 of the letters were known to have been written to Yagu Munenori (sp), the individual who procured the position of teacher to the shogunate (martial arts), the very position that Miyamoto Musashi himself coveted...

Quite intruiging.

[PangQuan]

I guess no one else reads books...

[Mutant]

I find that clarity and conciseness are often lacking in MA books.
Too often, they overcomplicate things. Try to dazzle and impress, but offer very little.
I like a book that identifies clear principles, and builds on them with core techniques. From there they can elaborate on variations in an organic way.
Too many MA books merely pan through the tree-tops in a blur of incoherent techniques like so many leaves, but fail to identify the branches, trucks and roots at the core.

History is nice too :p

[Chief Fox]

I like books about theory and not practice. This can go either way. If I like the author's ideas about theory then i like the book. If I don't, then I don't.

For example:
The Sword Polisher's Record: The Way of Kung-Fu by Adam Hsu
This book is bunch of different articles written by Adam Hsu and then put together as a book. He touches on some practice but for the most part the book is all about theory and how to approach your desired art or style. This is an excellent book.

Living the Martial Way : A Manual for the Way a Modern Warrior Should Think by Forrest E. Morgan
I didn't like this book. The author came across as being very ****y and in my opinion put too much of his own personal feelings into the book instead of leaving some stuff up for interpretation. I just got the feeling that if I ever met the author that I would walk away thinking that he was a jerk.

Alot of people talk up the "Tao of Jeet Kune Do" by Bruce Lee. For me, the book was too scattered and random. Basically just a bunch of random thoughts written down with no thought as to how they should be put together in a book.

Currently, I'm reading: Scholar Warrior : An Introduction to the Tao in Everyday Life
by Ming-Dao Deng
So far, I really like this book. It's about achieving balance in your chi with everything you do.

[SPJ]

I think we are bound by the "traditions".

Last time I was in Taipei, it was the winter of 1999.

There are songs, classics, names of postures, diagrams or pictures of moves etc.

this is the same way, CMA books were written over thousand of years.

You are correct. Tactics and strategy are written in words or songs.

there are no transition moves and only the final moves/postures or Ding Shi.

Also, we are or at least me camera shy.

More video, more images are needed.

A good list from YKW.

:cool:

[David Jamieson]

Correctly sequenced images with concise step by step definition of what needs to happen in order for you to do the practice shown.

A legend on how to progress through the images to translate to fluidity. (something that tells you what the dotted lines mean and the solid lines)

When looking at kungfu books, I look for manuals that have reasonably good transmission. I don't really care too much about the other stuff, just the info and an accompanying DVD that shows everything in motion that is in the book. :-D

[Wong Fei Hong]

Am i the only one , i always look at the author, if im browsing the shelf then i will pick up something thats different , shows something not outlined before in a conventional manner.
But otherwise all the books i buy 90% are online and are by someone well known or lineage, I might have 4 books on aikido all by ueshiba, 5 books on karate all by the founders of their respective styles. Books on tai chi by chen lineage holders books on hsing yi by sun lu tang. Boxing by jack dempsey hung gar books from lam sai wing etc etc . I couldnt go and buy a book titled secrets of tiger style by frederick johan papadopoulos. I just couldnt. Im actually a shopaholic when it comes to books, I might be on ebay and find a japanese karate magazine, with no english in it and it has an interview with said lineage holder and will fork out 40$ for it. Same with 100 dollar original books.
Btw i cant read japanese :D

[SPJ]

Over the years, I have collected some books.

Agreed that the book is only as good as the author.

The thing is that not all good teachers write books. There are plenty of good practitioners that are not famed, but have very good view points to share.

Most important of all sometimes words may be misleading.

There is a good old saying.

If you believe in everything from the book, you might as well not read one.

Jing Xin Shu Bu Lu Wu Shu.

;)

[SPJ]

My point was that even with the book written by a good lineage author.

We still have to investigate or be critical about the contents.

So where is the ruler to measure?

From your practice.

Sort of to practice is to know.

To read is only to be informed.

:D