Invincible Warrior

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Summary: One of the best books on Aikido.
Review: I have spent a great deal of time reading books and articals on Aikido. None have given me the insight that this book has.. If you injoy this art and are looking for a deeper under standing of Aikido, you will find it here.

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Summary: My Favorite Aikido Book by Far!
Review: John Stevens, who I must admit has written many great Aikido books, outdoes himself with this book. With a feeling of actual fondness, Stevens seems to capture Founder Morihei's human side without in any way diminishing his almost supernatural presence. This is a must read for any follower of the art.

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Aikido Book by Far!
Review: John Stevens, who I must admit has written many great Aikido books, outdoes himself with this book. With a feeling of actual fondness, Stevens seems to capture Founder Morihei's human side without in any way diminishing his almost supernatural presence. This is a must read for any follower of the art.

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Summary: The life and teachings of an enlightened being.
Review: Morihei Ueshiba's teachings about The Art of Peace bring to balance and equilibrium two extreme entities in oriental martial arts philosophy, being in the other end Sun Tzu's masterpiece The Art of War. This book reflects the different fascinating paths taken by Moriehi towards an encounter with himself, the martial arts that he developed, and his unique understanding of the universe.

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Summary: Hagiographic in tone
Review: This book reads like a hagiography of Ueshiba - pardon, me I mean O Sensei. I mean, even though I never met him and don't speak Japanese I should be calling him O Sensei, right? Isn't that how you show that you're with it in the Aikido world? Look my friendly friends, Ueshiba may very well have been an exceptional man. But it is not professional or mature to write a book which is a syrupy-toned laundry list of Ueshiba's larger than life exploits. YOu know, like "The officers in the army were in the habit of raining blows down on the soldiers heads. But when Ueshiba came around, many an officer fractured his hands on Ueshiba's head!" Gee, that's swell. Imagine reading a biography of Wittgenstein that was like this. You know, he comes around and dazzles everyone, yet again. The End. Also, it is important to bear in mind that Aikido is a strangely flawed system of martial arts instruction. The students are led to do elaborate, highly choreographed, dance-like techniques against a very cooperative opponent. Aikido training certainly does not obey Occham's razor, i.e., the KISS principle, as in Keep It Simple, Stupid. Yes, yes, I know, I'm a lunkheaded philistine who doesn't unnerstand the beauty of the art, AND its deadly effectiveness. Well, I have no wish to argue with anyone. All I would say is that the student must think for himself. And ask himself in all honesty how likely it is that an attacker would wait around through all these fancy moves. Basic principle: when the defense is more elaborate than the attack, you're in trouble.