What are you currently reading? (MA Only)

[Hardball]

What martial arts book are you currently reading? I'm reading a book called vital leglocks by Steve Scott.

[parsec1982]

I'm Reading....

I am currently reading:
1. Be Like Water: Practical Wisdom from the Martial Arts
2. The Straight Lead: The Core of Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do

Parsec

[Funkasaur]

I'm reading a book about the way of the samuri. I think it's called "lessons of the samuri". It has a great section on the idealogy and code of the great warriors. It give some insight into zen as well.

[Hardball]

I got 6 more books since I started this thread. One on armlocks, two on boxing, one on conditioning, one on chokes and strangles and one by randy couture on wrestling.

[Funkasaur]

Hard ball, do you do mixed martial arts?

[Hardball]

Sort of, but I'm retired. I mostly stay in practice for street self defense and I earn part time income by teaching m/a.

[Funkasaur]

That's good. I'm not hating on MMA, believe me, I'm a fan of the UFC and there are some really good fighter in there. I just don't like how the majority of them don't learn how to strike. Boxing is not the end all be all of striking, though some my disagree. I would like to see some kung fu or karate in the UFC. I think a MMA practictioner could go far if he invested some time in learning wing chung, a kung fu specially disigned for close quarters. I don't mean to offend MM artist, I just want to see some variety, so that it can truely be called mixed martial arts.

[Hardball]

Where do you think all of those spinning backfist and roundhouse kicks come from? Karate/tkd/muay thai.

Boxing is popular because of it's training methods and success rate. How many arts develop their hand strikes on heavy bags, speed bags, timing bags, and focus mitts? Few but not many, most are busy punching the air.

[Funkasaur]

I disagree, while it is true that most MA's practice punching the air for ACCURACY, they practice POWER on trees, sand, hardened planks, and even each other. Also, i see that they have spinning block fists and round house kicks, but I see no close quarter strikes, no blocks-strike combinations, very few standup locks, such as finger locks, no pressure-point striking, no spear finger striking, which would work great with the gloves they give them, very few throws, dare I go on.

Look you seem like a cool person, but I'm just not seeing your point of veiw. Every fight seems the same in the UFC, they start out trading punches, then they grapple, and then some on goes in a choke and loses.

[jubaji]

............ LOL!


funny stuff

[Hardball]

I disagree, while it is true that most MA's practice punching the air for ACCURACY, they practice POWER on trees, sand, hardened planks, and even each other. Also, i see that they have spinning block fists and round house kicks, but I see no close quarter strikes, no blocks-strike combinations, very few standup locks, such as finger locks, no pressure-point striking, no spear finger striking, which would work great with the gloves they give them, very few throws, dare I go on.

Look you seem like a cool person, but I'm just not seeing your point of veiw. Every fight seems the same in the UFC, they start out trading punches, then they grapple, and then some on goes in a choke and loses.

No disrespect intended but don't you think you are a little off topic. This thread was about martial arts books. Peace Bro.

[Funkasaur]

Your right, let's shake hands on it and get back on topic.

By the way, some other MA books I've read are 3 of the "Best Karate" book series, "Knights of Darkness", "The Mystic Art of the Ninja", "Asian Fighting Arts", and "Secrets of Judo", among others.

[Hardball]

Cool. Secrets of judo sounds interesting.

[FitnessRubber]

American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch: An Odyssey in the New China (though admittedly, I haven't got too far with it)

[Funkasaur]

"Cool. Secrets of judo sounds interesting."

It's good, but I need to find someone that will let me try the throw and hold on. So far, no luck.