Customer Reviews

Warrior Speed

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4 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Ted Weiman' s Warrior Speed is crammed with information that will help you get that coveted attribute sought after by every martial artist- speed. The author researched and experimented in the areas of physiology, kinesiology and psychology to learn and then document in this book ways to enhance speed of movement, perception and reaction. He has filled the pages with techniques, tactics, and exercises that, when applied with diligence, will bring out your maximum speed. As an author of 12 books on the martial arts, I highly recommend Warrior Speed.

Weimann has filled his book with a variety of basic principles and concrete examples of a handful of exercises for improving speed in martial arts. Many parts of this book would be useful in almost any athletic endeavor, and many of the studies cited are on performance in things like weightlifting, running, swimming, and cycling.

If you are looking for simply a series of drills and exercises, then this isn't the book for you. If you are looking to really understand the physics, physiology and pyschology of althetic performance, then this is an excellent text. It may be dry to some readers as it sometimes reads like a scientific review article, but I found the references to research extremely helpful and enlightening. I am a bit more skeptical of some of the psychological drills, but the mind is a complicated thing.

I found a lot of good information in this book that I haven't encountered in other exercise/fitness books, such as why you should take Tylenol for muscle aches but not Alleve (the answer is on page 61) if you want to gain muscle mass.

The only complaints I have are with the title and the binding which doesn't open flat. The title is kind of cheesy. A good description, although very pedantic would be something like: "A Review of Current Research in Developing Speed in Athletic Performance and Suggested Applications of These Principles to Training".

The author has done his homework. After reading the first couple of chapters, I now understand the muscular system in great detail and understand how it can be improved or impaired through training. The physiological info provided is remarkable and worth studying if you are involved in any sort of sport where speed & power are factors- but especially martial arts. Plyometrics are covered very clearly (and scientifically) and sample exercises are given.
The author looks at what supplements & drugs are out there and summarizes their effects very well.
Speed itself is broken down as it applies to martial arts, and focus is placed on the areas that can be significantly improved through training.
This is a no-BS book that I've been impressed with so far, and with every page I read I think "wow, that's good to know." The information is presented in a way that really gives martial arts folks exactly what they care about, without drifting too far into other topics.
Lots of numbers- for example, a typical punch's force comes from 39% legs, 37% trunk, and 24% arms. Maybe its just me, but I love numbers.
As a side note I had just been reading Bruce Lee's "Tao of Jeet Kune Do" and I find that much of the information here complements Lee's writings.. much of it actually is more detailed and scientifically based than Lee's. The author has much more scientifc data available at the time of writing than Lee did, of course, and he has really taken advantage of it.

Two thumbs up- this is really informative and should be considered a "must read" for martial arts practitioners who are serious about developing speed.

I practice Kenpo, and have been studying for about four years now. I'm not the best, and I'm certainly not the fastest. After reading Warrior Speed, I'm still not the best nor the fastest, but it did help me to overcome a plateau that hit about four months ago, and I have improved a good deal.

It's been close to a full year since I first read Ted Weimann's book,"Warrior Speed," but I haven't put it down for more than a week at a time since then. What I mean by this is that after reading Mr. Weimann's book I realized it would get me nowhere without putting the elements of the book to use. So, on a regular basis in conjunction with my workout routines I employ myself, I also use what I've learned in the book. This is no small task believe me, but if you do as I've done and make a significant effort using the principals set forth in the book I think you'll definitely know the difference between your speed before reading the book and after reading the book and applying what you read. I pretty much go over some exercise in the book on a weekly basis and keep the book in my gym bag. The reason I do this is because the book is packed full of so much information, you need to dissect it chapter by chapter, section by section. As you do this and use the techniques, I think you'll notice significant improvement in your speed as I have in my training. I had a chance to read the author's comments and I actually did exactly as he said before he had even written his comments...I highlighted every important detail I didn't want to forgot for easy reference at a later time, i.e., during my training while employing his techniques. I don't have formal training in the martial arts field (unless you count sparring repeatedly at your buddy's house), but I've managed to win all 4 of the bare knuckles matches I've entered...and this is all since reading this book and using those principals. I hadn't entered a contest like this before reading this book, so I can't tell you that this is what the difference was in my wins since then, but I can tell you that I think I definitely had the edge in every one of those four matches because of this book. Why, you ask did I have the edge? SPEED...bottom line. I did what the book said with the exercises and I made my move first every time in the match...not always being the physically superior individual in the ring, but the FASTEST. And because of that speed advantage I was able to take the psychological edge from a bigger, stronger, opponent and ultimately win each of those four matches. I've had to travel mostly to the Southwest United States for these amateur bouts, but what a geometric progression of a learning curve I have experienced in my training by entering these matches and using Mr. Weimann's book. If you're serious about your training, BUY THIS BOOK!

I thought this book was incredibly thorough and specific. I've already put Weiman's information to good use. I don't know what Wolfe is talking about in his review. Of course a 200 page book on plyometrics or mental training would have more information than this book, but Weiman does an excellent job of tossing out the bs and explaining how plyometrics, or what ever, will help and how to incorporate it into your training. I'm already reading it for a 2nd time because there is so much useful info. Some of it is so good, I almost don't want to tell my friends about it. I highly recommend this to all atheletes, especially martial artists.

A very thorough work on the prerequisites for obtaining speed in one's execution of physical techniques. There is NO simple, quick fix for a student who desires speed in the execution of their strikes, blocks and evasion tactics. Correct and continued practice is necessary. This book guides one to the correct path, yet, you the practitioner must go down that path with hard work.

The concepts and principles of speed are outlined in a very efficient and technical manner. The principles include proven scientific concepts such as: physics, neurology, plyometrics, anatomy, and kinesiology. The book serves as an academic primer on the aforementioned topics....

The possession and comprehension of the knowledge within this book, along with a competent instructor and diligent practice will allow a student to achieve their desired level of speed. Good Luck !

This book is thouroughly scientific and compregensive, yet easy to read and understand. It tells you everything from the best exercises to change the quality of your muscles, to the fastest techniques. It has sections on mental speed, and physical speed, timing, reaction etc... It's a great book that I would reccomend for martial artists from all backgroungs

This is not a "how to" book. It is loaded with information from numerouos scientific reports and studies about speed and that in itself is poorly presented. The section on Physics, though accurate to some extent is incomplete. As far as the mental, goal setting and plyometrics chapters, you'd do better with a book on those subjects. Mr. Weimann is good at touching on what affects speed, but doesn't present any valuable information or practical methods of achieving it. This book is simply a regergitation of scietific studies and reports on speed. I don't even remember if there were any paragraphs that didn't have a reference to "this study showed that yada yada yada about speed, and that study revealed yada yada yada about speeed". Well I thought this was a book on how to achieve speed! Ted might be saving that for volume two, who knows, but its not in this one. This book will not help you become faster. It will confuse you with parlor tricks and boggle your mind with scientific data which even the author doesn't seem to understand. You would do better reading a book on achieving speed by a coach or a Phd who is getting the results you're seeking. Maybe one for runners or swimmers and adapt the techniques to your martial arts training, because this book is lacking. I bought this book because of the wonderful reviews and the notes from the author and Mr. Christiensen. I was grossly dissappointed. It makes me wonder if the people who reviewed it read it through. Hoped this helped. William Wolfe 6th Degree Black Belt American Kenpo Karate

As a trained martial artist with over 25 years experience in Chinese, Korean, American and Philippino arts as well as degrees in Chemistry and Engineering, I think that Ted Weimann's book is the best out there for developing speed as well as maintaining conditioning in middle age and after. His detailed discussion of musculature, its operation, and the keys to maximizing better speed performance without the use of supplements is inspiring in an age when mass and weight seem to be the main priority for young athletes. Also, his discussion of the effects of aging on athletic performance, and how to forestall the effect, will be a great benefit to any individual who desires to keep a maximum level of fitness as they grow older.

You can't go wrong by owning this book!