The Korean martial art of Hapkido is an advanced system of self-defense. It is designed to teach its practitioners exacting methods to defend against all types of attacks. In this book, Hapkido Master Scott Shaw details refined aspects of this martial art, in order to provide the reader with an enhanced sense of self-defense awareness and combat understanding.
Scott Shaw is one of the world's most prolific proponents of the Korean martial arts. He has authored several books on the subject and over four-hundred of his articles, on the martial arts, have been published. He was the first non-Korean ever to be awarded the 7th Degree Black Belt by the prestigious Korea Hapkido Federation and he currently holds 8th Degree Black Belts in both Hapkido and Taekwondo.
Product Details
Paperback: 218 pages
Publisher: Buddha Rose Publications/Light Source Books (June 22, 2007)
Scott Shaw, Ph.D. is a prolific author, composer, and filmmaker. He was born and spent his formative years in Hollywood, California. Since his late teens, Shaw has traveled the globe. His particular focus has been on Asia, where he continually returns, documenting obscure aspects of Asian culture in words and on film.
During his youth, Shaw was drawn to two factors that have come to define much of his life; namely: Eastern Meditative Thought and the Martial Arts. These inclinations led him to study in both the West and Asia. Shaw is an initiate of Buddhist, Hindu, and Sufi sects. He has been a certified instructor of both Yoga and Meditation since the age of eighteen.
Shaw began studying the martial arts at six years old. He has emerged as one of the leading modern proponents of integrating spirituality into the martial arts. He was the first non-Korean ever to be awarded the seventh degree black belt by the prestigious Korea Hapkido Federation and has since been promoted to eighth degree black belt in both Hapkido and Taekwondo. He also has been certified seventh degree black belt in Aikijutsu and Kumdo.
As an author, Scott Shaw's writings were initially published by literary journals in the 1970s. He continued forward to have several works of poetry and literature published in book form. By the 1980s, Shaw's writings came to be embraced in Spiritual and Martial Art circles. From this, he has authored numerous articles and a number of books on Zen Buddhism, Yoga, Ki Science, and the Martial Arts.
In addition to writing, Shaw has an active career as an actor and filmmaker. In 1991, he developed a new style of filmmaking that he titled, Zen Filmmaking. The primary premise behind Zen Filmmaking is that no screenplay should be used in the creation of a film. According to Shaw, "In Zen Filmmaking there are no rules and no definitions. Instead, the spontaneous creative energy of the filmmaker is the only defining factor. This allows for a spiritually pure source of immediate inspiration to be the only guide in the filmmaking process."
As a university professor, Shaw has taught seminars and courses on Asian Studies and Filmmaking at such institutions as the University of California, Los Angeles, California State University, Los Angeles, the University of Oxford, Silpakorn University, and the Korea National University of the Arts.
This review is from: Hapkido: Essays on Self Defense (Paperback)
Yeah I said probably not for beginners but that doesn't mean you couldn't get something out of it. Well written thoughts of someone who has given considerable time to what if scenarios in regard to self-defense. Filled with some very good principles to spend time developing for yourself. I like the keep it simple philosophy even if I learn and practice some ineffective styles and methods myself. You do have to step back from it every once in a while and think why do I practice a technique I feel is useless and ineffective. Then perhaps you can find a more useful way of implementing it... or maybe you won't.
Good read either way filled with ideas worthy of consideration.
The best fights you have are the ones that never occur.
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