Customer Reviews

Zen Combat: Personally Oriented

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

 

 

This book is a the recent version of his book Zen Combat that came out in the fifties. This book contains the most complete description of many of the Japanese martial arts. Included are Karate, Kendo, Jujutsu, and Aiki. Any one that is involved in martial arts should read this book.

Originaly written as a series of magazine articles in the fifties, the book is not entirly accurate. It is a good overview of several Martial arts traditions. he covers all styles of martial arts. Covers everything from Aikido to Zen. Gluck does a very good job of conveying the passion for martial arts that he has. This book is a good read, and would be great for those thinking of starting the Martial Arts.

Mr Gluck was one of the first author/explorers of the post war Japanese Martial arts. His rendition of the Arts, are therefore basic yet illuminating in not suffering from any preconcieved ideas or values of the arts. When taken at the informative value of introducing a foriegn concept to the western mind, we arrive at an original discription of the Martail Arts and of their merit to the practioner. This book introduces the reader to the base of understanding and refreshes the practioner with the uncalloused viewpoint. Excellant for its value as a mental tonic and revitalizer.

Originaly written as a series of magazine articles in the fifties, the book is not entirly accurate. It is a good overview of several Martial arts traditions however, and does a good job of conveying the passion for martial arts that the author obvoiusly feels. This is the book that originaly inspired me to start my study of martial arts almost twenty years ago,I have learned much since than. This book is a bit over-zealous on some points, but it is a good reference work for most martial artists, and a good read for the laymen.

Gluck gets many things wrong. I cannot even figure out why this book has been reprinted. His account of Persian martial arts is so wrong that it borders on being fanatically racist. What this "reprint" really looks like is two separate books: Somebody took Gluck's original colorful nincompoopery from 1962 and overlaid it around a serious chapter and some serious passages about ki, breathing, and meditation.
It would have been less expensive and more compassionate to simply print the good stuff on ki in a slim, separate volume and leave Gluck's work back in the oblivion of the 1960's pop view of martial arts.