Aikido Talks: Conversations with American Aikidoists [Paperback]

Ronald Rubin (Author), Susan Perry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2002

How Aikido has changed the lives and thoughts of 20 prominent American Aikido students and teachers. They • describe experiences with Aikido's founder • discuss Aikido's philosophy • explore the warrior spirit • relate Aikido to therapy, law enforcement, Taiko drumming and community building

Generally understood as a martial art, Aikido goes beyond self defense, transforming practicioners by changing their relationships to other people, attitudes toward violence, connections to the environment, and the focus of their lives. These interviews originally appeared in Aikodo Today magazine.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Susan Perry and Ronald Rubin have been training in Aikido since 1978, founding Musubi Dojo in 1983 and Aikido Today magazine in 1987. Both have doctorates in Philosophy; he is Prof. of History of Ideas at Pitzer. His books include logic texts and a popular translation of Descartes' Meditations. Susan Perry is writing a book about Aikido's founder for Shambhala. They've also produced 12 videos on Aikido.

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: Arete Press (Claremont, CA) (January 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941736156
• ISBN-13: 978-0941736152
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,039,042 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Trained in philosophy (which he taught for many years), Ronald Rubin (1945 -) is now Professor of the History of Ideas at Pitzer College of the Claremont Colleges in Southern California. He writes both about the history of Western philosophy and about the Japanese art of Aikido. For the 20 years of its existence, he was Senior Editor of Aikido Today Magazine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aikido through the eyes of its American exponents., January 12, 2002

By 

Derek Grimm (Perth, WA Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aikido Talks: Conversations with American Aikidoists (Paperback)

I bought this book with no hesitation when I saw it advertised in Aikido Today Magazine.

I have been living and training in Japan for the past six years and am always very interested to hear the opinions and stories from the multitude of instructors here. Although I am very happy to be here in Japan training under an amazing Sensei, after reading the interviews in this book, I no longer feel that to find 'true' Aikido you must travel to Japan. I have come to realize that the Aikido being practiced in America is vibrant, alive, and growing quickly.

This book is a collection of interviews with some of the more widely known Aikidoists in America and I recommend it without reserve, to anyone interested in North American Aikido.

I would also like to encourage the editors to publish a collection of conversations with the Japanese Aikidoists. I'm sure that it would be as beneficial as this book.