Martial History Team

 Here are highlights from some of the martial arts books I surveyed in August 2023. Boxing: A Cultural History, Kasia Boddy, 2009 Boxing: A Cultural History is an impressive work that uses history to tell a cultural story. Here are a few excerpts: "Prefiguring the boasts of Muhammad Ali, Epeios[, semi-mythical (?) Greek soldier of the Trojan War,} claims the prize before any competitor has even stepped forward:  I say I am the greatest...  It will certainly be done as I say -- I will smash right through the man’s skin and shatter his bones.  And his friends had better gather here ready for his funeral, to carry him away when my fists have broken him." "Justified boastfulness also features in the Odyssey (c. 725 BC). In book eight, the Phaeacians seek to impress the travel-weary Odysseus with a display of their athletic prowess. All goes well until Laodamas, son of the prince and a champion boxer, urges their guest to participate, telling him,  ‘there is no greater glory

 As of July 2023 I (Richard) am no longer publishing a survey of books each month. At this point in the Martial History Team project, I will highlight only a few books that I read or surveyed in a given period. This is the first post to use this new approach. I have three books to share from July. Chinese Archery, Stephen Selby, 2000 (2003 reprint) Chinese Archery is an impressive book. It features an outstanding integration of translated primary sources, along with the original Chinese text. Despite being a solid resource for domain experts, as a newcomer I was comfortable with the material. I appreciated the author's insights into Chinese culture. Here are a few I highlighted: "It is a tradition in Chinese culture to assign an 'inventor' to objects and activities which are culturally significant. Chinese society shows its respect for certain things by ascribing their invention to some character venerated in Chinese history (or respect for the person by ascribing to

   Welcome to the June 2023 book survey, part four. I decided to break this month's survey into four posts. The themes for this month are diverse, but include Japanese arts, Filipino arts, and European arts. These are generally the last print books in my library that have not been previously surveyed. Here are parts  one ,  two , and three . Introduction In June 2023, I (Richard) continued my book survey plan. This post examines several books on Filipino and European arts. Modern Arnis, Remy Presas, 1983 My copy of Modern Arnis is a paperback measuring 5 7/8 inches by 8 7/8 inches with 160 black and white pages. It's a 1995 13th printing. There is a newer edition from 2014 with a Kindle version and promised bonus digital content. I bought this book when I was studying modern Arnis in San Angelo, Texas in the mid-1990s. It includes chapters on warm-ups, preparation, 12-zone striking, trapping hands, flow practice, sinawali & redondo, and stick & sword disarms.  The pres

 Welcome to the June 2023 book survey, part three. I decided to break this month's survey into four posts. The themes for this month are diverse, but include Japanese arts, Filipino arts, and European arts. These are generally the last print books in my library that have not been previously surveyed. Here are parts  one  and two . Introduction In June 2023, I (Richard) continued my book survey plan. This post examines several books on jujitsu. This is my preferred spelling for arts that are neither strictly Japanese "jujutsu" nor Brazilian "jiu-jitsu" or "jiujitsu." You'll see this spelling used by most of the books in this survey. Jujitsu: Basic Techniques of the Gentle Art, George Kirby, 1983/1995 My copy of  Jujitsu: Basic Techniques of the Gentle Art  is a paperback measuring 5 7/8 inches by 8 7/8 inches with 128 black and white pages. The Internet Archive  also has a copy. Kirby (born 1944) is a student of Sanzo Seki (1914-1998), and Kirby wro