Title: The Ankō Itosu Biography (The Man, The Master, The Myth) Author: Thomas Feldmann Publisher: Lulu Publish Date: 2021 Pages: 448 Cover Price: $55.41 ISBN: 978-1-008-98617-6 Ankō Itosu is one of those names that you continuously hear if you study or research Japanese or Okinawan martial arts. However, to me [Read More]
Title: Suparinpei “The Last Kata of Goju-Ryu Karate” Author: Giles Hopkins Publisher: Blue Snake Books Publish Date: 2021 Pages: 216 Cover Price: $21.95 ISBN: 978-1-62317-558-0 I have never studied karate, let alone Goju-ryu karate. I don’t have any plans to do so either. However, I love to hear about people [Read More]
So, you do martial arts? Whenever you tell someone that you do martial arts, I’ll near guarantee that what pops into their head is an image of rows of people in white gi punching in unison to the commands of an instructor in the front of the room. Although that [Read More]
Martial Word Wednesday “Maai; 間合い” Origin: Japanese There are many Japanese words in martial arts that we try to translate into English, and don’t do justice to the term. Maai is one of those words. It’s often translated as “distance.” In Aikido, it’s described as “finger-tip distance.” As illustrated in [Read More]
Origin: Japanese Besides the words “Black Belt”, there are few words that conjure up the idea of martial arts in English speaker’s minds more than “Sensei.” So much so, that it’s essentially worked its way into the English lexicon. The same way someone would understand what a “Jedi” or a [Read More]
Origin: Japanese Ranks are a very complex subject in martial arts. As such they are highly debated. The exact meaning of the coveted “black belt” varies by system to system, and even school to school. Most modern Japanese martial arts, and quite a few others, have adopted the kyu/dan belt [Read More]
Origin: Japanese The definition of a menkyo is a license. In koryu (see previous Martial Word Wednesday), these are certificates that the soke (inheritor of the system) gave to those allowed to teach the art. In some ways, this is the equivalent of a shodan or black belt today. These [Read More]
Koryu is a Japanese word which literally translates as “old school.” Not in the modern, hip vernacular, but instead as a school that is old. It can also be translated to be “old style.” Koryu specifically refers to Japanese traditional art that developed before the Meiji restoration of 1868. In [Read More]
Ura; 裏 Ura has the general meaning of “behind” or “the other side.” However, there are several different levels of meaning and connotation occurring simultaneously in this word. Ura, in its usage in aikido and other Japanese martial arts, references a techniques that occurs after the attacker generated power or [Read More]
Omote; 表 Omote has a general meaning of “outer” or “surface.” But like many things in Japanese culture and language, it has a couple layers of understanding occurring all at the same time. The term in aikido specifically, and Japanese martial arts in general, refers to a technique that occurs [Read More]
Many martial arts come from other cultures with different languages. This new weekly article, Martial Word Wednesday, is designed to shed some light on some of the ideas present in other languages that don’t necessarily have a place in English. -do Do is a suffix that is used in Japanese [Read More]
There are unusual weapons from around the world. This is a monthly column on Martial Journal in which we analyze and describe these weapons. Come back every month for a new installment. The Uchine Origin: Japan, Late 14th to Early 15th Century History The uchine was first described in manuals [Read More]
In the interest of disclosure, this book was given for review purposes. Warning: Check your Local or State laws regarding ownership and use of Balisong. Title: Veintenueve Balisong: Filipino Knife Fighting Author: Datu Shishir Inocalla Publisher: Modern Arnis Federation/Tambuli Media Publish Date: 1984 Format: Softcover Pages: 93 If you grew [Read More]
Many martial arts come from other cultures with different languages. This new weekly article, Martial Word Wednesday, is designed to shed some light on some of the ideas present in other languages that don’t necessarily have a place in English. Bu Etymology is the study of word origins. In English, [Read More]
Title: Aikido Comes to America Author: Antonio Aloia Publisher: Tambuli Media Publish Date: Sept 01, 2020 Format: Softcover Pages: 180 Cover Price: $24.95/$9.99 (Kindle) Sometimes, the title sells the book. I’ve always enjoyed the history aspect of martial arts and Aikido has such an interesting history. So I had to [Read More]
Title: Authentic Iron Palm: The Complete Training Manual Author: Phillip Start Publisher: Blue Snake Books Publish Date: 2020 Format: Soft Cover Pages: 97 Cover Price: $18.95 (US Iron Palm is one of those “techniques” that you hear a lot about from old Kung Fu movies. Its name is mentioned almost [Read More]
Title: Polish Saber: The Use of the Polish Saber on Foot in the 17th Century Author: Richard Marsden Publisher: Tyrant Industries Publish Date: 2015 Format: Hardcover with color pictures Pages: 237 Cover Price: $49.99 I’ve always loved swords. It was that love that got me into the martial arts in [Read More]
Title: Fight like the Wind: Apache Knife Author: Robert Redfeather with Stace Pitts Published Date: 2019 Publisher: Lulu Books Format: Softcover Pages: 245 Cover Price: $25.00 I first encountered this author in an interview HERE on Martial Journal. I was intrigued by the idea of an extant combat system from [Read More]
Voting will close on May 8, 2019, at 6 pm EDT. Okay, round one has determined, by your poll results, the 8 greatest martial arts films of all time! In this showdown, we have two expected winners with the #7 seeded Jet Li’s Fearless vs the #2 seed The Karate [Read More]
Seven Samurai vs. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Voting closes on 4/21/19 at 6 pm EDT. It’s An Art House Battle Royal! In terms of movie making, these might be the two most beautiful martial art movies ever made! We all know that martial arts movies are usually relegated to the [Read More]
Copyright © 2024 | WordPress Theme by MH Themes