Amanda Takes Off...

A few months ago Diana asked me to recommend some taekwondo/martial arts books.

Here's a short list of the martial arts books I have in my house, as well as my thoughts on them.

Ultimate Flexibility: A Complete Guide to Stretching for Martial Arts by Sang H. Kim
The Martial Artist's Book of Yoga by Lily Chou

I should use both of these books more than I do. Flexibility is one of those things I'm OK with, but I'd like to be better.

Although I knew many of the stretches in Kim's book, he explained how they were used, and what muscles should be targeted. I think sometimes people stretch but don't know exactly where they're supposed to feel it. His book is laid out by body part, with suggested workouts at the end of the book.

Chou's book is interesting because she breaks out a set of patterns for each skill. Interested in working on throws? Do the yoga in that section. General balance issues? Go to that section. I liked that because it made it easier for me to choose what to work on, though of course, you could do any of the poses.

The Tao of Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee
Jeet Kune Do: Bruce Lee's Commentaries on the Martial Way edited by John R. Little

These two books are primarily about Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do. The first book was the originally published one, while the second book came from notes and papers that didn't make the first book.

I actually like Little's collection better than the original book. The original book is more comprehensive, more information about Lee's system, methods, and beliefs. The book edited by Little is more a collection of short statements, incomplete ideas. I liked that book more because I was able to consider statements out of context. How did they apply to me, to my art, to my life?

Taekwondo: Ancient Wisdom for the Modern Warrior
Traditional Taekwondo: Core Techniques, History, and Philosophy by Doug Cook

These two books work well as a set. The first book is about learning personal traits from taekwondo. What is a warrior? What mindset should one have? While I find the word "warrior" to be a bit too Robert-Bly-men's-movement-
chest-thumping for my personal taste, the content in this book is so strong I was able to overlook my own dislike of the term. I believe martial artists from all camps could benefit from reading this book.

The second book is more about self-defense, stances, etc with lots of photos. I prefer the first book, but the second could be a good addition for people studying taekwondo, especially people who are new to the art. The author includes information about both WTF and ITF taekwondo, though he does not include poomse charts/diagrams.

Taekwondo: Philosophy & Culture
Dynamic Taekwondo: Kyorugi
Dynamic Taekwondo: A Martial Art & Olympic Sport by Kyong Myong Lee.

I like these books for general information about taekwondo, but I don't think most people would need all three books unless very interested in the subject.

The first book focuses on the philosophical aspects and history of taekwondo. The second focuses on free sparring. The third focuses on the forms. Each book can stand alone, while there is some overlap.

I liked these because books about the philosophy of taekwondo can be hard to come by, and this is one area where our language gap shows in the studio, though Master does a fantastic job bridging it. Still, having background knowledge in English makes understanding what Master talks about in Korean much easier.

Having said that, the Romanization of Korean is terribly annoying to me (though most readers would probably not be bothered by it since they wouldn't've studied Korean). The history section is a bit different than I've read before, but I consider these strong books. I should note that I bought them in Korea for half the price they (are said) to cost new in the States. Pick them up used!

Taekwondo Textbook I
Taekwondo Textbook II by the Kukkiwon.

These books are, quite simply, the definitive books on WTF-style taekwondo. Book I covers the basic motions of taekwondo (stances, punches, kicks, blocks) and the Taegeuk series of forms. Book II covers the black belt series of forms, demonstration rules, competition rules, and common training methods for "taekwondo players" (serious competitors).

If you are seriously into WTF-taekwondo, this is the go-to book. I suspect this book is mostly owned by instructors. Having said that, I bought the soft cover editions for $30 in South Korea and I bought them because they are—thank goodness!—bilingual. These are the books I learned my Korean taekwondo terms from. (My dictionaries didn't have them, and my Korean friends and coworkers don't know them!) I absolutely needed these books. But $100 for them like Amazon wants? No...you can find them cheaper, I'm sure.