Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Martial Arts

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I greatly enjoyed this book. It answered many questions that beginners may have as well as answered some of my questions about other Martial Arts besides the one I am a practitioner of. I am a black belt in Taekwondo and I still found this book entertaining and interesting as well as informative.

This book is very well written and organized for the beginner of the martial arts. It will help to establish a broad base of knowledge for one in the selection of a style or system of martial arts to begin their study. It is not a "How to Manual" about the martial arts or self-defense.

The authors write about the majority of martial art styles and the foundation and history of them. Most of the styles are written about in an unbiased and informative fashion. This book will serve as a great primer to the beginner or to the experienced student who desires to expand his knowledge, outside of the dojo.

I recommend the reading of this book to all my begginer martial art students. For self-defense books, may I refer you to my "listmania" selection.

This book is a basic overview of all the main martial arts practiced in North America. The main purpose of the book is to tell people about a certian art so they can choose which one interests them and get in a class for it. Every art has about 10 pages in the book. If you are interested in only one art, don't buy this book.

On the bright side, the information it gives is great. I found out alot about many different arts. it talks about 13 different kinds of martial arts and how to train for them. The book is an entertaining read even if you aren't interested in martial arts. it is a good book.

With many of the "For Dummies..." and "Complete Idiot's Guides to..." books you sometimes don't know what you are getting into. Some are great and some are not worth the paper and ink they are made with. In this case it is defiantly the former!

In clear, concise language the author gives a great background, history and dissection of martial arts. He doesn't stick with only one art, but rather explains all the major arts in a fair and balanced manner. The sections on cross-training and nutrition were also great.

The only think that was lacking was a mention of western boxing or savate. Both of which, in my opinion, are fine choices for the beginning martial artist.

I'm a Black belt in Tae Kwon Do I, wanted to try a new form of Martial Art. This book provides just about everything you need to pick the right Martial Art for you. It's got a easy to follow training guide. I highly recommend it,I give it a perfect 5-Star

This book is exactly what you'd expect it to be. A thorough yet easy to understand introduction to the world of martial arts. I have been studying tae kwon do for almost 2 years and I had a desire to step back and see where I and my school stand in the grand scheme of martial arts in general. This book helped me do that. I would recommend it for anyone wanting to find out more about martial arts before joining a particular school. You'll definetily know what your options are if you read this book.

I give this book 3 stars because I don't believe in giving every book you like the highest score. The "C" grade should indeed be the average.

This book really butchers the history and foreign terms.

However, it does offer a good beginner's guide to choosing a style and finding a school. The 'nitty-gritty' section on that subject has a nice list of factors to consider when making a decision on a style/school. It is a bit dated tho, being written ~1998, and does not list internet resources.

Given the dorky titles, I keep wanting to discover errors, omissions, or outright failings in the "Idiots" series of martial arts books yet continually find them well-written and very worthwhile once I get around to picking one up. This one is no exception. It is surprisingly well done given the considerable mass of content it tries to cover. It is obviously not real in-depth in any particular area, but it does do a pretty good job covering topics like the benefits of studying martial arts, the history of martial arts/combat sports (e.g., ancient arts of wrestling, boxing, pankration, gladiator training), nutrition, fitness/conditioning, strength training, myths and realities of martial arts, finding the right art to fill your needs, selecting a good school, choosing a good instructor, and what to expect once you begin your training. Arts highlighted in detail include ju jitsu, karate, judo, aikido, kobudo, tai chi chuan, Jeet Kun Do, and more. Notably absent are Filipino arts, iaido, savate, modern boxing, wrestling, and several other common forms. Overall, however, it's a darn good introduction to the subject. It's only an introduction though...

Lawrence Kane

Author of Surviving Armed Assaults, The Way of Kata, and Martial Arts Instruction

I picked up this book mostly as a curiousity into reading brief histories of other styles. I have a third degree black belt in Kenpo, but I was also interested in other styles.

This is an excellent book for anyone beginning or thinking of training in the martial arts. I found their different rankings of what a student could expect to be informative, in regards to kicks/punches/grappling.

I only wished there were more chapters in regards to other styles, but it's understandable since the styles they focused on were more likely to be found in North America.

Definitely worth picking up for new or experienced martial arts practitioners

This book is a complete and detailed over-view of the martial arts. This text is for anyone who is interested in learning about the martial arts, whether beginner or expert. This volume is one of the very best on the market because it explains the basic principles of numerous popular martial art systems. Areas covered include Aikido, Hapikido, Jujitsu, Judo, Karate, Kickboxing and Kendo. The twenty four chapters are informative and detailed. In conclusion, this is a book that should be in every martial artist's library.

Rating: 4 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Monadnock Defensive Tactics (MDTS) System).