Living the Martial Way : A Manual for the Way a Modern Warrior Should Think (Paperback)

by Forrest E. Morgan (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Hailed by many as the best book available on the subject, Living The Martial Way is a step-by-step approach to applying the Japanese warrior's mind-set to martial training and daily life. It combines a knowledge of fighting with an exploration of the culture of the warrior. Morgan carefully guides the reader from The Way of Training, through The Way of Honor, to The Way of Living, constantly finding applications both inside and outside the martial arts. More than 60,000 sold!

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Barricade Books (November 25, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0942637763
• ISBN-13: 978-0942637762
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (102 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,066 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Martial Artists, June 14, 2005

By	S. Peek (Rocky Mountains, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

'Living the Martial Way' is a valuable book that should be read by serious martial artists.

The author explores a wide range of issues including the mental/'spiritual' aspects, history, philosophy, strategy/tactics, and many others. This work is particularly valuable to those who do not have the good fortune to have an instructor who is a traditionalist. Those martial artists who have such a teacher have undoubtedly gotten a dose of most of the best of this volume. Those without such a mentor will doubly benefit from Morgan's instruction.

Here is the breakdown of this book as I see it:

The Good
----------------
1. Lots of interesting history.
2. Excellent material on the ethical principles, loyalty, honor, etc.
3. Philosophical roots of the martial arts.
4. The benefits of training, particularly as it applies to seeking ecellence in other areas of one's life.
5. A good section on strategy and tactics.
6. Excellent commentary on internal vs. external motivations.
7. A good response to religious based objections to martial arts training.

The Not So Good
--------------------
1. Too much discussion of 'face' including some rationalization for inappropriate responses to a loss of face.
2. Some discussion of revenge and suicide that should have been treated strictly as historical instead of some weak justification of these as applied to the modern world.
3. The author is rather elitist in his view of warriors being superior to pretty much everyone else on the planet. Although this part included some good observations, it was overdone.

Overall, I would recommend this book for any martial artist. Additionally, I think that a lot of the information would be interesting and valuable even to non 'warriors'.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, July 24, 2000

By	K.H. - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This book is a masterpiece. It is a great guide for the martial artist and fills in many gaps in his or her training. For example, Morgan has a chapter on Honor. He is right when he states that we in the martial arts "world" hear the word "honor" often, but, never have its definition articulated to us. He gives a groundwork of tenets (obligation, justice, and courage)and builds a thesis as to why these tenets are important to martial artist of all belt ranks. Even though I think his tenets are incomplete, but neverless insightful; it is a great start, and he is the first to forcefully lay down such a well reasoned view.

The book is full of training ideas and incorperating the martial arts into one's "everyday" life. I often refer to this book when I have not lived up to one of the tenets and strive to be a better martial artist and after reading this book, a better man.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book & a must own by all serious Martial Artist, November 18, 2002

By	Anthony Cataldo (Jupiter, Fl www.CombatDojo.com) - See all my reviews

This is a must read book and a book to be owned by anyone who considers themselves a warrior. I require its reading by all of my Black Belts and recommend it to all my students. This book explains in detail the essential elements of a true martial artist/warrior. It is not about the skill of fightinhg, yet more importantly about the moral and ethical obligation to self.

This book should be required reading in all police and military academies. I think, it is one of the five major books regarding the martial arts. The Martial Way is one in which the practitioner can excell in life and the constant pursuit of excellence in all of life.

The mind, body and spirit must be trained as one and function as one in all pursuits. This book will assist one greatly in acheiving the mental balance of the Martial Way.