Facing the Double Edged Sword: The Art of Karate for Young People (Martial Arts for Peace) [Paperback]

Terrence Webster-Doyle (Author)

Book Description

Series: Martial Arts for Peace

This book can help kids, parents, teachers, and counselors who are searching for healthy, nonviolent, humane ways for young people to deal with conflict. It gives readers a context in which to help young people understand and respond to violence.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-- Although most karate instruction emphasizes that karate is a training of both the body and mind, most karate books tend to stress the physical side of training. The media, too, constantly associates karate with violence and physical power. Webster-Doyle's book provides a refreshing alternative to this norm; it stresses the non-violent maxim of some karate masters which states that the best way to win a fight is not to fight at all. Webster-Doyle sets up various violent situations which children might encounter, and provides them with many non-violent ways to work out their problems. Although it's difficult to imagine a child reading this from cover to cover, the book would provoke some interesting classroom discussions about using brains instead of brawn to solve conflicts. The bland artwork detracts from an otherwise thoughtful text, and although the author gives good advice about refusing to be coerced into joining a particular school, one wonders if his advice also pertains to the promotional pages at the back of his own book. Still, the Zen-like knowledge imparted here is a sorely needed alternative to the Rambo mentality so pervasive in the American media and martial arts today. --Cathryn A. Camper, Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Terrence Webster-Doyle is a martial arts sixth-degree black belt, former schoolteacher and administrator, Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Commission task force member, and parent of five daughters. He has written twenty-one internationally acclaimed, award-winning books on conflict education and the martial arts, and is co-founder and director of Martial Arts Partners for Peace. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 88 pages
• Publisher: Education for Peace Pubns; New edition edition (October 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0942941160
• ISBN-13: 978-0942941166
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 8.4 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,605,091 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very readable case for the non-violence of martial arts!, November 13, 1999

By 

Robin Oldham - See all my reviews

This review is from: Facing The Double-Edged Sword: Art Of Karate For Young People (Paperback)

We got this book for our 4 year old son who was beginning to study karate. He has thoroughly enjoyed it and continues to refer to it as he is now a 7 year old studying tae kwon do. It's a great book for ANY child who is curious about martial arts and their true purpose in modern society. The author enumerates ways to avoid fights, gives examples of people who make the wrong choice in choosing to fight, and more. As a parent I embrace the philosophy of Webster-Doyle who values peace -- and the self discipline to achieve it -- above all. For this reason it's a good read for adults, too. I highly recommend it for young martial artists.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Karate is not all violence...., October 10, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Facing The Double-Edged Sword: Art Of Karate For Young People (Paperback)

My book (Facing the Double-Edged Sword) is not what I was expecting. I thought it would have been about high intense karate situations, but it was really about stopping a fight non-violently. This book gives information on different ways of stopping fights, like walking away. This book also talks about Zen, a method of finding inner peace, a way of relaxing your mind and clearning it of thoughts. Facing the Double-Edged Sword is trying to teach people that karate is not all violence. It teaches self-control, and stamina. Facing the Double-Edged Sword means that either way the sword is facing you will get cut.

Chris (Age 14)

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I really enjoyed reading this book!, October 10, 2001

By 

F. Doyle - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Facing The Double-Edged Sword: Art Of Karate For Young People (Paperback)

I really enjoyed reading this book! I liked the way this book outlined different situations I might encounter in my daily life as a young kid. It showed me through examples, how to react in a positive manner to the various situations, such as bullying. From reading the book I can better understand what reactions are best when a bully is picking on me. This book discusses good manners and bad manners which is good to know. The book gave me lots of information on the origins of different types of karate. It also gave you suggestions on how to pick out the correct karate school for you. The meanings and translations of various words such as karate (empty hands) was very interesting to me, because even though you may hear the words, you may not always understand the exact meaning. I read this book quite quickly because it held my attention. It is quite different from the regular books I would read, which most often are novels and therefore have amin characters. I did like reading this fact-filled book and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in karate or who may be encountering any kind of bullying.