Secret Tactics: Lessons from the Great Master of Martial Arts

Rating:
Summary: A Reader
Review: I bought this book - and I regret it, gomen-nasai. It's filled with all of the expected cliches, and the content has no lasting deep meaning.

Take, for example, the premise that the unethical practice of using deception and confusion to forestall one's opponent makes one strong. A truly strong warrior is able to force one's enemies to confront the truth, after which the defeated opporent becomes the student and future teacher. The fatal flaw of this book is that it supposes to teach "the way" (as if there were only one), and blatantly seeks to push the so-called 'secret tactics' as metaphorically relevant for real-life confrontations, without ever overcoming the faults it identifies in its own first chapter (hei-ho-kaden-sho).

Anyone who adopts this book as their manual for how to deal with potentially real or perceived confrontation will be forever stuck in the self-defeating mode of the arrogant aggressor.

A much deeper and more penetrating book is "Be Like Water: Practical Wisdom from the Martial Arts", which more correctly stresses the utility of mastering the art of threat assessment.

gomen-nasai, but I say avoid this book. It will send you on an errant journey.

Rating:
Summary: Ancient Martial Arts Secrets Tactics revealed
Review: Sensei Kazumi Tabata has captured, blended & passed on teachings from ancient Asian texts in this book. He has tried to explain, in simple concepts, winning tactics every martial artist needs to have in his repertoire. There are ideas for self development, leadership and cultivating & maintaining a winning attitude not only in martial arts but also in every aspect of life. This book is a must have for any serious martial artist.

Rating:
Summary: A Seminal Work
Review: Sensei Kazumi Tabata has captured, blended & passed on teachings from ancient Asian texts in this book. He has tried to explain, in simple concepts, winning tactics every martial artist needs to have in his repertoire. There are ideas for self development, leadership and cultivating & maintaining a winning attitude not only in martial arts but also in every aspect of life. This book is a must have for any serious martial artist.

Rating:
Summary: A Seminal Work
Review: This book is a very deep research text. It comprehensively unites, comments on and extends past writings on martial arts.

Beautiful calligraphies notwithstanding, it is not a work for the coffee table. In an attempt to properly understand the content, this reader was slowed down to about three pages a day.

In turn, rewards are sweet and plentiful. Master Tabata characterizes clearly how the basic tenets and spiritual practice of martial arts are different from other strands of eastern philosophical and religious traditions.

This book will be seminal, as it combines scholarly rigour and original insight to establish martial arts as an independent spiritual system. It traces its roots in India and East Asia but highlights its original contributions over traditional Buddhist or Confuzian beliefs and ideals.

It also gives helpful advice on how to beat up your opponent in a match.

This book is indispensable for any instructor or serious practitioner of martial arts. It will be the standard reference work for anyone trying to discover the meaning and foundations of martial arts.