It's a Lot Like Dancing: An Aikido Journey (Paperback)

by Terry Dobson (Author), Riki Moss (Editor), Jan Watson (Photographer) "I went to Japan to work in a kind of rural Peace Corps situation..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The text combines with the great photos to create an incredible reading experience. Anyone interested in getting more out of the martial arts than physical technique should read this book.

About the Author
Terry Dobson studied in Japan for ten years with the founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba. Before his death in late 1992, he had taught aikido for twenty-five years and brought its principles to conflict management and personal growth seminars in education, mediation and business.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Blue Snake Books; illustrated edition edition (March 4, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883319021
• ISBN-13: 978-1883319021
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #598,963 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Martial Arts Experience -, December 8, 1999

By A Customer

I had seen this title around for years & avoided buying it because it looked a bit too "touchy-feely". I also assumed that it contained the redundant, & often abstract, philosophy found in many books & articles on Aikido these days. I am so glad that I gave it a chance, beacause this is truly one of the great martial arts books of our time.

Terry Dobson's stories and statements are interesting, insightful, intelligent, amusing, and MEANINGFUL. The book conveys some sophisticated ideas in autobigographical stories that the reader immediately relates to. Then it reminds us that some of the best & most insightful ideas are really the simplest. The philosophical quotes from the founder of Aikido that begin each chapter are amazingly appropriate given the very "down to earth" nature of the stories, and the fact that most of the book was assembled by an editor who combined Dobson's stories after his death - ie. they were probably not designed to fit nicely under a particular quote.

The text combines with the great photos to create an incredible reading experience. Anyone interested getting more out of the martial arts than physical technique should read this book.

The book is about life, truth, and the contradictions in both. All this & you can probably read it in about an hour !

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aikido is much more than a martial art., April 11, 1999

By	Mike Taigman "Chronic Student" (Oakland CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book does a wonderful job of capturing the comprehensive impact that the practice of Aikido can have on your whole life. The black and white photography seems to twirl off the page with breath taking beauty.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable evening, July 19, 2007

By	W. Scott Zrubek (Friendswood, Texas USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I spent an enjoyable evening with Terry's words and the accompanying pictures. I'd hesitate to call it a book about aikido. I'd call it a memoir by an aikidoka.

The vignettes that are presented are well-done, and a number gave me pause to reflect on them.

The photography used a too-slow shutter speed for my taste, most of the time. It conveyed the motion that is essential to aikido, but it often resulted in being just a blur on the page.