Total Stick Fighting: Shintaido Bojutsu

Rating:
Summary: Useful book on Shintaido style
Review: In an age of cheap video you have to wonder why people are even still doing martial arts books with static photos that don't really convey the art very well, and this is especially problematic for the weapons arts. Furthermore, when you consider that most martial arts videos cost about $30 new and the price for this book is about the same, and that all this material would easily fit on a 60-minute video tape, the purpose of such a book becomes even more moot.

That having been said, I still found this a useful book on the art of Shintaido. The photos are quite clear and the demonstrators seem to show excellent form, although there are subtle differences from the Okinawan kobudo that I'm more familiar with. This is a relatively new art founded in the 60s when the author found himself disatisfied with traditional bo training and decided to develop his own methods, which he says encourage more natural movement. This is hard to glean, as I said, from photos in books, but I was still able to get some idea about the style from the photos.

The book covers basic positions, strikes, blocks, several kata, kumibo (sparring) techniques, and nagewaza, or throwing techniques, which was the most interesting to me. The author says the system has about 50 but he only shows 15 in the book. I would be up for a more advanced book showing these techniques, but I suppose that would be a stretch. The author should really consider doing a video instead.

One final point is, as someone remarked earlier from the author's comment in the book, the style seems to be mostly focused on the art of handling the bo and getting intimate with its special capabilities and properties rather than practical combat, and the author encourages non-traditional types of activities such as throwing the bow in the air, playing catch with someone, and so on, in order to develop this sort of feel for the weapon. For someone already skilled in the bo arts or a Shintaido practitioner, this is fine, but if you're a non-expert looking for truly practical and combative stick art, there are better books out there. This book should be seen as a contribution to the bujutsu arts and culture rather than as a combative art per se, and in that regard it serves very well.

Rating:
Summary: Not about fighting, about Shintaido
Review: The title of this book is a little confusing. As soon as you crack the book open and read the introduction by Micheal Thompson, you find out that the founder of Shintaido Bojutsu (Hiroyuki Aoki) thinks that the idea of people smacking each other with sticks as weapons is a bit anachronistic. Instead, Shintaido Bojutsu should be used as a discipline to help practicioners along the Shintaido path. All things considered, it is kind of hard to fault that logic.

Despite the fact that the techniques are not really combat oriented, and certainly not tested in real combat, there is some value to this book for the experienced practicioner of a Japanese bojutsu art such as Kukishiden ryu. There are some things that make me wince as I consider people trying to actually use them in real combat, but there were other parts that made me ponder. If you are experienced in a Japanese art with the bo in it, you might want to read this just to open your eyes to other viewpoints.

But the main audience for this book seems to be Shintaido practicioners, and for them the book is perfect. For them I would say that this rates five stars. I am sure that every member of Shintaido will benifit from this book. The pictures are clear, the instruction is logical and easy to follow. Considering how hard it is for some people to convey techniques by way of the written word, this book really stands out in the ease in which people can pick up on what is being taught.