Review by Wim Demeere
October 5, 2001.

Indonesian Fighting Fundamentals covered principles of Indonesian arts, this one is highly focused on the US.  It is also not book about techniques, but more a critical look on martial arts, traditions and customs.  Bob evaluates them and spares no sacred cow.

The book starts with a foreword by Robert Pickett and some acknowledgments.  The following introduction explains the purpose of the book: Examining the Eastern martial art practices and philosophies but also comparing their use to the needs of the average American practitioner.

Chapter one deal with a pertinent question: Why study martial arts?  Mr. Orlando explains the different types of focus the arts have and how they are part of a natural cycle of evolution and devolution.

Preserving ancient arts, looks at the dangers and value of preserving a martial art exactly as one has received it.  Where scores of practitioners claim to teach the exact same thing as the founder did, we should stop and think.  Even if the founder died many centuries ago, they claim nothing has been lost throughout time.  I always found this to be a strange train of taught and have some more personal opinions on this topic right here.

The next chapter deals with the claim of "Combat proven" systems.  You can read any given martial arts magazine and read an advertisement that states just that.  Bob makes the excellent point that culture, environment and other factors have to be taken into consideration before "combat proven" is in fact beneficial to a system.

Next is a look at traditions that are commonplace in the martial arts world.  Some of the ones evaluated are using a foreign language while teaching, bowing and more.

From philosophical to practical, looks at ways to increase the effectiveness of martial arts training.  From traditional blocking to barefoot training, the author takes a critical look at them and offers some alternatives.

Kata -- Forms training.  Here we tread on almost sacred ground for some people.  The discussion on the value of forms has been raging for decades and will probably go on forever.  Bob discusses the functions of forms, the different types and how they can remain valuable through time.

Sport Karate tackles the subject of martial arts competitions and more specifically "fighting competitions".  Mr. Orlando considers point fighting, full contact and "no rules" contests.  He discusses the benefits and drawbacks to both the individual and the martial arts world as a whole.

Women in martial arts is about the way gender differences influence practice.  Despite some claims, women in general are physically not equal to men in general.  This does not mean they are inferior in any way, just different.  Some topics covered are: women and self defense, destructive mind sets, mixed gender training and protective gear.

Another hot topic is about "Chi".  Bob explains his point of view by first classifying the different types of martial arts and how mysticism influences them.  He cites several examples of people performing cheap circus trick and attributing them to "chi".  As a counterweight to this nonsense, he gives his own explanation of the concept and demonstrates it within a technique.

Next is the spiritual side of the arts.  Many people claim that without an understanding of this aspect, one cannot achieve a high level of skill.  The author points out the flaws in this logic and speaks of cultural differences, the focus of each individual, meditation, religion and morality

Now, commercialism and it's influence on the arts are put under close scrutiny.  With the rising numbers of "Mc Dojo's", "world champions" and "Great-grand-ultra-mega-masters", matters have only gotten more complicated.  Mr. Orlando looks at the value of all these titles and what a black belt is all about.

The last chapter discusses what quality instruction should look like.  There are some tips on questions to ask before enrolling in a school, considering it's size and affiliation, tuition, contracts and teacher motivation.

The book ends with a conclusion, references and some info on the author.

Interest:  This book is in many ways a close look at a lot of what is wrong with martial arts in America, but it applies to most western countries too.  The idea is not to jam the author's opinion down your throat or any other form of indoctrination.  Mr. Orlando uses logic and sound reasoning to explain his points of view, but his ultimate goal is to get your mind in gear and think.  Then think some more.
 
Whether you agree with him or not is completely irrelevant.  The fact that you reconsider your original opinion and perhaps gain a greater understanding of your art, is.  Before you think the author spends his ink bashing on traditional styles, this isn't the case.  He seems to make an effort to find something positive and valuable in each case.  Sometimes this is possible, other times not.
 
If you are new to the arts and sometimes feel a nagging doubt that what your teacher does/says, might not be the best thing for your martial study, read this book.  You might just conclude you were right...or not.  If you have been studying for a long time, read it too.  There just might be some things in the book that make you think again about topics you formed an opinion on a long time ago.  At any rate, I highly recommend this book.

Quality:  The lay out is well done and the drawings/pictures are clear.  The notes are neatly organized per chapter which makes looking them up easy.  Good work.