Rating: 
Summary: A book of great standards, passion and insight!
Review: "The Inner Game of Fencing," is a unique and masterful text. As with most aspects of life, much of what you find in this book will be dependent on what you bring to it. If you are cynic who has lost the zest, flavor and honor that comes with a life that is worth living you probably won't appreciate this text, regardless if you compete with a sword or really fence. In contrast if you measure life more by what you can bring to it then what others will, then this is a text you will find challenging, uplifting and enticing. Regardless of your fencing prowess this book, more specifically Nick Evangelista, says some things that not only should be read, but also applied. I was a beginning fencer when I first read it, and although I worked to comprehend certain terms and experiences that were still very new, I gained and valued the insights. In truth, it did help me, firmed some thoughts I was having and clarified some questions. If having standards, high standards at that, are passe, then you will find this book dated. If you value and recognize these as both timeless and necessary to impact life as a whole, this book will excite you. I said initially that I read this as a brand new fencer, I also have gone back and re-read it several times as time has gone by. I still find it fresh, I still gain insight and yes learn and improve my fencing skills from the text. I highly recommend Nick Evangelista's other books as well. They are well written and applicable to a serious fencer, novice or experienced. His writing style is such that you feel more as though he is there with you sharing both his belief, passion and life experiences. Like few other writers, when you finish reading his books you feel like you have spent time with a friend. Were I to have the honor of meeting him, I would feel like I knew him already. A wise mentor of mine has often told me that when the student is ready, the teacher will be there. I must have been ready when this book came out, he is a teacher and I have grown as a result of his work. My sincere encouragement to anyone who is thinking about buying this book, and my sincere appreciation to Mr. Evangelista for putting the labor of love into writing it!
Rating:
Summary: A Modern "A BOOK OF FIVE RINGS"
Review: "The Inner Game of Fencing" is the book the great Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi would have written had he been alive today. This book is the "Spirit of Fencing." Don't delay, buy this book. The fire burns here!
Rating:
Summary: From Nick Evangelista: Author of "THE INNER GAME OF FENCING"
Review: A number of beginning fencing students have mentioned to me that they believed, just by its title, that "The Inner Game of Fencing" might be too "advanced" for them. To the contrary, this book is perfect for the fencer just starting out, because its purpose is to help develop a mindset for fencing that will help guide the beginner through the mechanical development of their game. The sooner this process gets put into motion, the better. You need your brain in gear to fence well. I did not write this book to be overly complex, or to make it inaccessable except to only a few chosen individuals. I wrote it in the same manner as my "The Art and Science of Fencing," in language anyone can understand. Fencing is about people -- human thoughts and human actions -- not overly complicated technicalities. It is about reason and control, which are things anyone can understand. That is what "The Inner Game of Fencing" deals with.
Rating:
Summary: From Nick Evangelista: Author of "THE INNER GAME OF FENCING"
Review: A number of beginning fencing students have mentioned to me that they believed, just by its title, that "The Inner Game of Fencing" might be too "advanced" for them. To the contrary, this book is perfect for the fencer just starting out, because its purpose is to help develop a mindset for fencing that will help guide the beginner through the mechanical development of their game. The sooner this process gets put into motion, the better. You need your brain in gear to fence well. I did not write this book to be overly complex, or to make it inaccessable except to only a few chosen individuals. I wrote it in the same manner as my "The Art and Science of Fencing," in language anyone can understand. Fencing is about people -- human thoughts and human actions -- not overly complicated technicalities. It is about reason and control, which are things anyone can understand. That is what "The Inner Game of Fencing" deals with.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST for all Martial Artists
Review: Although I fenced a little through college I primarily practice Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do. This is by far the best book on Martial Arts I have ever read. If you are interested in the teachings of Bruce Lee or Martial ARTIST thought, you NEED this book. This is what JKD people have been questioning since Bruce died. The answers are in this book or this book will guide you to the TRUTH. A true masterpiece and to be compared to THE ART OF WAR. Yes, it's that good. A cannot praise this book enough!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Sadly Lacking
Review: Although Maitre Evangelista is a passionate fencer, and clearly dedicated to the classical school of fencing, his book is at times empty, opinionated, and incorrect in the area of athletic conditioning. In my opinion, classical fencing is a beautiful athletic "art", not a modern sport fencing reality. Mr. Evangelista appears to long for an unrealistic return to the past, as a way of returning interest to the sport. Modern fencing has evolved, not badly, but as a means for survival. Reading this text you cannot help but feel as though our growing sport is a bad thing. Lastly, with regards to his sentiments on athletic conditioning, they are completely incorrect. As a fitness professional, coach, and personal trainer, it is almost insulting listening to a respected fencing master downgrade the need to condition oneself in all areas of fitness, which Mr. Evangelista does. Obviously a knowledgable fencing coach, but totally uneducated and ignorant about fitness and conditioning. One star only out of respect.
Rating:
Summary: A beginner's viewpoint...
Review: As a beginning fencer (15 lessons about 5 years ago, and just getting back into fencing), I found the writing style that Nick uses to be very refreshing and thought-provoking. His way of looking at the classical and modern styles of fencing reminds me of several martial arts books and teachers, who long for a stronger tie to the more traditional ways of martial arts. I have never seen an electric tournament, and can in no way pass myself off as anything but a beginner. But I was inspired, as I believe many fencers were, by the swashbuckling movies of my early years, and numerous books that contained stories of mighty swordsmen (and the occasional swordswoman)who were noble, valient, honorable, and courteous... Nick's book went beyond any simple listing of hand positions and body movements. It asks the question "Why do you fence"? To win medals/fame/status? Or to seek the challenge of constantly looking to improve yourself and your fencing? For the beginner, there is much to learn from this book - and since fencing is a thinking person's activity, it does much to stir the mind.
Rating:
Summary: A Voice From the Wilderness
Review: Before Nick Evangelista wrote the Inner Game of Fencing no one had yet stuck their heads out on the difficult issues surrounding the development of fencing in our modern age. Too many redundant "text books" line bookstore shelves; this book expands the genre of published fencing material. As previous reviewers have correctly stated, this book has one fundemental flaw: it coherently speaks for a minority perspective of fencing. One which is based upon a specific canon of applicable technique, respects fencing's historical significance as much as its day to day 'fun' factor, and one which doesn't bow down obediantly to a totalitaian machine bent upon the total monopolisation of a rich & complex system of European swordsmanship. For the rest of the fencing community who find the contents of the Inner Game of Fencing hard to swallow, I urge them to remember that fencing is larger than the USFA, the FIE and bigger and brighter than any Olympic gold medal. Read this book, study this book, be thankful for this book and keep in mind that while Master Evangelista's message first sounds like a lone voice calling from the wilderness, thousands of contemporary "Classical" fencers are here, alive and well in the 21st century working hard to preserve, promote and enjoy the True Art & Science of Occidental Swordmanship. We are no small crowd and this book stands as our newest totem of the pursuit of execellence!
Rating:
Summary: A Voice From the Wilderness
Review: Before Nick Evangelista wrote the Inner Game of Fencing no one had yet stuck their heads out on the difficult issues surrounding the development of fencing in our modern age. Too many redundant "text books" line bookstore shelves; this book expands the genre of published fencing material. As previous reviewers have correctly stated, this book has one fundemental flaw: it coherently speaks for a minority perspective of fencing. One which is based upon a specific canon of applicable technique, respects fencing's historical significance as much as its day to day 'fun' factor, and one which doesn't bow down obediantly to a totalitaian machine bent upon the total monopolisation of a rich & complex system of European swordsmanship. For the rest of the fencing community who find the contents of the Inner Game of Fencing hard to swallow, I urge them to remember that fencing is larger than the USFA, the FIE and bigger and brighter than any Olympic gold medal. Read this book, study this book, be thankful for this book and keep in mind that while Master Evangelista's message first sounds like a lone voice calling from the wilderness, thousands of contemporary "Classical" fencers are here, alive and well in the 21st century working hard to preserve, promote and enjoy the True Art & Science of Occidental Swordmanship. We are no small crowd and this book stands as our newest totem of the pursuit of execellence!
Rating:
Summary: Fencing's 'Yoda' Renders Tour de 'Force'
Review: Does modern "sport" fencing signal the end of civilization as we know it? While he may not go that far, Maestro Nick Evangelista again takes up his sword and leads the crusade against fencing's bastard child, which, at the least, does indeed threaten the existence of the classical game. In his latest effort, fencing's most prolific author offers a treasure chest of informative gems and pearls of wisdom with the goal of getting his reader to think intelligently about the fork in the road.
In The Inner Game of Fencing, Evangelista first bestows the heritage of fencing upon anyone willing to claim it. This rich, expansive heritage encompasses the historical development of fencing into the art and science that epitomizes the classical game, the philosophical and strategic thought behind that development, and fencing's more modern applications from the Olympics to the movies. Beyond imparting this heritage, which alone is fascinating, Evangelista keeps it alive as he infuses it not only into today's game, but into the future of fencing.
To accept reality is to understand that there are warring points of view pertaining to almost any topic -- fencing not excluded. On the one hand, there is the author's game, hard won through years of apprenticeship, discipline, mental application, and an appreciation of the total game, rooted in centuries of swordsmanship. On the other hand, there is the lately evolved "sport" fencing, which seems to shun classical fencing and all that it, as a process and a discipline, can bring to a fencer, in favor of a game that prizes scoring and winning above all else.
It is unlikely that one would find an author who cares more about these differences. Having for decades steeped himself in fencing and all related subjects from the gladiators of Roman times to those on the silver screen, it is also unlikely that one would find a more knowledgeable author.* Here the treasure chest breaks open: a book by a fencing master both knowledgeable and caring who takes lessons learned and wisdom gleaned and shares it generously as the "inner game" of fencing.
As will occur with any genuine master, the lessons go beyond
strict application and become metaphorically expanded to life in
general. Thus, classical fencing becomes not only a way, but a way of life. In this sense, the provocative book would provide good mental cross-training for any one, any sport.
Has Nick Evangelista been called the 'Yoda of Fencing'? He clearly presents the dark and enlightened sides -- the choice is
up to the reader. May the Inner Game be with you. *Evangelista is fencing editor for Encyclopedia Britannica and author of Encyclopedia of the Sword.
|
