Amazon.com, Customer Reviews
The Emperor's New Clothes
Instead of telling you what is in the book, let me tell what it has done for me as someone of no great skill who has trained in several arts and been satisfied with none of them. (A lot of us, unfortunately, fall in this category.) More than anything else I have ever seen or read, this book helped me to: (1) Analyze and understand what I do and do not want from a martial art, and who might offer it. Anyone who has studied several arts here and there, as I have, knows the frustration of not being able to be an "intelligent consumer." This alone is worth far more than the cost of the book (probably less than half the cost of a month of lessons anywhere). I agree with another reviewer; if you are thinking of taking lessons but don't know exactly what you want already, BUY THIS BOOK NOW. It takes time and experience to discover the right art and teacher. It is a great help to borrow some of Bob's time and experience before you start spending your own. (2) Maintain motivation to train. You can't wait to train until you find the ideal art. I find it encouraging to know that even if my best local opportunity to train is not what I would prefer, there are other things out there if I have patience. Perspective is a valuable thing, particularly if it helps you take advantage of the opportunities you have rather than waiting for ones that you don't. (3) Appreciate arts that are not necessarily for me. Once you know what you want personally, you can stop trying to make other arts something they are not but instead enjoy what they are. As well as being a generally humane attitude, this also helps with point (2). And, after all, I may discover I like them more than I thought. I have minor criticisms, but what they are does not matter. What does matter is that you read it for yourself and find your own. That's ultimately the point of the book; rational inquiry and debate in the best Western tradition. Bob asks "why?" and "can you prove it?" constantly and encourages us to do the same. It is a shame that we need the encouragement so much. |
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Last update:
Aug. 6, 2016 by Bob Orlando |