Asian Martial Arts: Constructive Thoughts & Practical Applications represents an international gathering of friends who happen to be highly qualified martial art scholars and practitioners. This martial arts book is a collection of articles from practitioners who have come together in celebration of the 20-plus years that Journal of Asian Martial Arts has inspired scholarship to higher academic standards while encouraging all aspects of responsible practice. Each article was written specifically for Asian Martial Arts, with topics representing the rich variety found in the Asian martial traditions.

Chapters in this book present meticulous research into the adaptation and significance of Asian combatives as infused within American society. These chapters are presented here as published according to their original chronological appearance in the Journal of Asian Martial Arts. In the first chapter Dr. John Donohue presents an anthropological perspective on what Asian martial arts represent to Americans and why Americans choose to study them. The attraction goes far beyond the physical aspects of self-defense, embracing the symbolic associations of “warrior heros,” grasping of power and skills through mythical means, and a quest for a coherent world view. Though Asian martial systems do establish high principles, their interpretation and evolution are affected by powerful societal trends, ranging from the inclination toward mutual improvement to commercialism and militarism. In chapter two, Dr. Daniel Rosenberg brings a realistic picture of the favorable and not so favorable aspects of martial art studies. In chapter three, martial arts coverage by four major-market American newspapers are analyzed by Ellen Levitt. Since the articles reflect trends and attitudes, we should be concerned with how they and their styles are presented in newspapers. Frederick Lohse’s chapter shows that by identifying, or contrasting, ourselves with shared ideas and images, we construct an identity that is both salient to ourselves and understandable to those around us. Her examines some aspects of how practitioners in the USA use the martial arts as one means of constructing their narratives of Self. In chapter five by Geoffrey Wingard, an ethnographic “snapshot” is examined to illustrate the validity of the seminal studies of martial arts and aggression. This chapter shows how students representing traditional and non-traditional martial arts engage each other, represent their arts and exhibit aggressive and non-aggressive behaviors. The final chapter by John Donohue examines how the revolution in communications technology has altered American understanding regarding the relationship between skill acquisition/training and the end result of such training. Just what attracts people to study fighting arts? What psychological needs are met when one joins an instructional class? Practitioners and scholars will find much in this anthology to broaden the perspective and understanding of why Americans are so fascinated with the Asian martial traditions.

Most learn about martial arts through movies and print publications, primarily fictional. "Fiction is drama, the blood of drama is conflict, and martial arts are rooted in conflict," writes James Grady in chapter one. Good fiction uses martial arts well, while poor writing skills can be plain boring! This anthology is a collection of fifteen articles that cover the richness and depth of Asian martial arts in both movies and literature. After look over the array of topics, I decided to utilize writings by James Grady for the two introductory chapters. Grady is an internationally renowned writer and investigative journalist known for his nail-biting thriller novels. His early novel was adapted to film as Three days of the Condor (1975) starring Robert Redford. Grady has since written over a dozen wonderful novels and in between wrote two excellent pieces for the Journal of Asian Martial Arts: one dealing with movies and another with literature. The following chapters are greatly enriched by the informative contents in Grady’s chapters. Details about movie-making are provided in the interview with producer Andre Morgan (Enter the Dragon, Walter Texas Ranger, Martial Law, etc.), plus the inside scoop in the publishing and film industries in the interview with multifaceted Curtis Wong. Actor/producer/kickboxing champion Don Wilson provides insights from both sides of the camera in his interview. Among the chapters are Albert Dalia’s exposition of China’s “wandering martial hero” stories that have roots reaching back two thousand years; Christopher Bates’ excerpt from Xiang Kairan’s Tales of Chivalrous and Altruistic Heroes; and Olivia Mok’s research and translations of sections of Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain, a Louis Cha’s novel of 1959. In the latter, Mok extricates references to dianxue—the methods of attacking vital points. We also have fiction focusing on Japanese and Chinese martial traditions by John Donohue, Peter Graebner, John DeRose, and John Gilbey’s (aka, Robert W. Smith)—each highlighting combative experience, theory and technique with cultural trimmings. Interviews with Barry Eisler and Author Rosenfeld give insight into scholar/practitioners whose published novels contain text colored by their knowledge of the martial arts and culture. We hope you’ll find this book captivating, exciting, heroic, spellbinding, content rich, fascinating, penetrating . . .

In the global world of the twenty-first century, martial arts are practised for self-defense and sporting purposes only. However, for thousands of years, they were a central feature of military practice in China and essential for the smooth functioning of society. This book, which opens with an intriguing account of the very first female martial artist, charts the history of combat and fighting techniques in China from the Bronze Age to the present. This broad panorama affords fascinating glimpses into the transformation of martial skills, techniques and weaponry against the background of Chinese history, the rise and fall of empires, their governments and their armies. Quotations from literature and poetry, and the stories of individual warriors, infuse the narrative, offering personal reflections on prowess in the battlefield and techniques of engagement. This is an engaging and readable introduction to the authentic history of Chinese martial arts.

The reawakening of Asian martial arts is a distinct example of cultural hybridity in a global setting. This book deals with history of Asian martial arts in the contexts of tradition, religion, philosophy, politics and culture. It attempts to deepen the study of martial arts studies in their transformation from traditional to modern sports. It is also important that this book explores how Asian martial arts, including Shaolin martial arts and Taekwondo, have worked as tools for national advocate of identities among Asians in order to overcome various national hardships and to promote nationalism in the modern eras. The Asian martial arts certainly have been transformed in both nature and content into unique modern sports and they have contributed to establishing cultural homogeneity in Asia. This phenomenon can be applied to the global community. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue in the International Journal of the History of Sport.

This book is the most comprehensive and authoritative reference ever published on the wide range of martial arts disciplines practiced in cultures around the world. ABC-CLIO's Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation is the most authoritative reference ever published on combat disciplines from around the world and across history. Coverage includes Shaolin monks, jousting knights, Roman gladiators, Westerner gunfighters, samurai warriors, and heavyweight boxers. These iconic figures and many more are featured in this title, as well as representatives of less well known but no less fascinating systems, all vividly characterized by expert contributors from around the world who are themselves martial arts practitioners. Martial Arts of the World comprises 120 entries in two volumes. The first volume is organized geographically to explore the historic development of martial arts styles in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The second volume looks at martial arts thematically, with coverage of belief systems, modern martial arts competitions, and a wide range of such topics as folklore, women in martial arts, martial arts and the military, and martial arts and the media.

Many know of the legends concerning the Shaolin Temple as the font of Asian martial arts. However, this was not the only temple with deep associations with combatives. This anthology dives deep into the historic significance of the relationship between temples, monks, and martial arts. As a transporter of culture, it seems logical that the Indian monk Bodhidharma brought more than just Buddhist texts to the Shaolin Temple. India has a wonderful tradition of martial and healing arts that he would have shared at the temple. His rich story throws light on how and why monks throughout Asia have often blended martial arts with their spiritual lives. Asian countries have unique histories and societies, but also share important elements. A major thread is religion and the mixing with ancient native shamanism and mysticism. We find a blend of Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, Hinduism, and Islam in Asian cultures, which are strongly based in monastic centers. The spread of religious thought is coupled with the spread of knowledge about martial arts. It is part of human nature to find sources to enforce the spiritual, mental, and physical condition. Temples and martial arts are certainly valued for these reasons. In the first chapter, Michael Spiesbach details the story of Bodhi-dharma. His piece couples nicely with Stanley Henning’s observations from a visit to the Shaolin Temple. Dr. Charles Holcombe details the historic connections Daoism has with martial arts, while Mark Hawthorne discusses the recent state of Daoism and its prospects for the future. Jerry Shine’s chapter on the sohei shows the influence these warrior monks had in Japanese history. Ken Jeremiah’s chapter looks at the extreme asceticism Japanese monks and warriors practiced to reach their individual goals. Mark Wiley’s chapter deals with mystical elements as sources of power in Indonesian martial arts. In the final chapter, Mark Kelland brings the religious and martial traditions into our present everyday lives.

Many Indo-Malay martial arts are kept private, taught in secluded areas away from the public. These are arts of the older tradition, developed when combative knowledge was valued for its use in protecting the sanctity of life. This two-volume anthology brings together a great collection of writings by authors who dive into the deepest realms of Indo-Malay combatives. They offer readers a rare viewing of martial traditions that is usually hidden behind social shrouds of secrecy and a clannish quest to preserve individual tradition. A special presentation in this second volume are the writings of Dr. Kirstin Pauka forming three chapters on silat (silk) of West Sumatra. The lead chapter discusses silk history, styles, training methods, and its use in dance. In chapter 2, Dr. Pauka shows that the martial arts constitute the core of the movement repertoire of the Randai folk theatre. Her third piece reports on an extended silk artist-in-residence program in the Asian Theatre program at the University of Hawai'i. The next three chapters contains some academic coverage of kuntao-silat in the Indo-Malay traditions, garnished with technical sections illustrating the martial aspects of the arts. Mark Wiley details Silat Seni Gayong’s ethical foundation for self-defense and nine techniqes illustrating the art with the help of Master Shiekh Shamsuddin. My own chapter offers a glimpse of how cultural streams from India and China contributed over centuries to native Indonesian fighting arts to form hybrid systems. Examples were derived from personal observations of practitioners in the Willem Reeders lineage. The research shows the original intent and practices of any highly efficient combative art. Chris Parker’s insightful chapter discusses applications of specific movements, the rhythm that can be achieved when employing them, and the space they fill as being of crucial importance for defense. Pencak silat postures form the focus of this study. All who are serious about the history and practice of Indo-Malay fighting arts will enjoy this special anthology, volumes one and two. We are very fortunate to assemble the works of these highly qualified authors. We hope reading will provide information you seek. Although the availability of studying under a true silat mater is nearly impossible, the chapters here will certainly add direction and inspiration for practitioners.