Aikido and the New Warrior: Essays (Io Series, No 35) (Paperback)

by Richard Strozzi-Heckler (Editor) "Ueshiba Morihei, the founder of Aikido, was born on December 14, 1883, to a farm family in an area of Wakayama Prefecture now know as..." (more)
Key Phrases: brief strategic therapist, brief strategic therapy, harmless resolution, Ueshiba Sensei, Morihei Ueshiba, Hombu Dojo (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Aikido and the New Warrior includes essays which illuminate Aikido concepts as they apply to many different walks of life: sports, nature, anger, martial arts training, death, and aging to name a few. Please note that this book does not include information on martial arts techniques.

About the Author
Richard Strozzi-Heckler is President of Strozzi Institute. He has a sixth-degree black belt in aikido and a doctorate in psychology. Dr. Strozzi-Heckler has taught the principles of embodied leadership and mastery to business, government, military, non-profits, health care, and education for the last thirty years. He is the author of The Leadership Dojo, The Anatomy of Change, and In Search of the Warrior Spirit; and the editor of Being Human at Work: Bringing Somatic Intelligence into Your Professional Life, and Holding the Center.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: North Atlantic Books (January 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938190512
• ISBN-13: 978-0938190516
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #661,762 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent essay collection, October 1, 1999

By A Customer

This was the first book I ever read on Aikido, and the only reason that I am practicing Aikido today. The essays in the book serve to illuminate Aikido concepts as the apply to many different walks of life: sports, nature, anger, martial arts training, death, aging, etc. The Terry Dobson essay, 'A Kind Hand Turneth Away Wrath' makes the book worthwhile all by its lonesome. Note that this book contains no information whatsoever on any Aikido techniques. Thank goodness. We definitely don't need another redundant Aikido book which does not offer any kind of special perspective on the martial art. If you need techniques, buy Westbrook and Ratti's "Aikido And The Dynamic Sphere, the single most comprehensive Aikido book out there. 'The New Warrior' offers many unique perspectives on the practice of Aikido which cannot be found in any other book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars not a "how-to" manual, May 17, 2007

By	Caraculiambro (La Mancha) - See all my reviews

This book is a collection of essays not so much about what Aikido is (and certainly not "how to do it"), but on how the practice of it has changed the lives or shaped the goals of the different contributors. The emphasis of the anthology seems to be an exploration of how the principles of Aikido can be successfully applied to widely divergent fields. Save the one on the cover, there are no pictures.

I first read this over twenty years ago. I found most of the essays forgettable, but there is at least one lustrous pearl among them: George Leonard's, "On Getting a Black Belt at Age Fifty-Two," which appears in about the middle of the volume.

So memorably written and full of genuine wisdom is that particular essay that even now, two decades after reading it, I can still reconstruct its entire structure entirely from memory, and everything about it. This piece alone justifies the price of admission.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Anthology worthy of review, December 12, 2007

By	C. DeGetmon "Coyoteteacher" (Earth) - See all my reviews

I read this book years ago while studying Aikido in Japan. A pretty good anthology by various practictioners of the Art. The articles provide a rather good context for understanding the Founders life, his spiritual and philosophical thoughts, reflections, and values for an embodied life.

It was the philosophy of O'Sensi that provided the impetus to study and learn this Art. It led to a five year love affair with the mysterious states of consciousness I kept tripping over - and through - or invoking in my life. While I cannot demonstrate what follows via logic, I suspect that any current or former student of Aikido will support my contention that Aikido offers a profound matrix for learning, change, and personal transformation.

Along the way, I discovered Tai Chi Chuan, and gave up Aikido to focus on Tai Chi. My love affair with this Art now over thirty years strong.

If you have an interest in Aikido and its praxis for personal transformation, this book might provoke your interest for checking it out. Here is the disclaimer: you may never be the same again! Internal martial arts such as Aikido and Tai Chi Chuan open doorways into what Castaneda called the "second attention." If you want to find out more, sign up at your local Aikido Dojo, and then hold on for the ride of your life!