- Paperback: 133 pages
- Publisher: Little Brown and Company (April 8 1997)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0316734640
- ISBN-13: 978-0316734646
- Product Dimensions: 25.4 x 20.1 x 1.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 136 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From School Library Journal
Grade 5 Up. Although this book covers martial arts basics such as stances, self-defense, sparring, and belt ranks, its strong point is its exploration of the philosophy and history of these fighting styles. Rafkin offers background material on the origins of major styles from around the world. She uses anecdotes to illustrate the skills of ancient masters and highlights the talents of modern "warriors." There's information here on everyone from the Shaolin Temple monks to Bruce Lee, including women and young people. Anyone intrigued by karate movies, Hong Kong films, or the "Kung Fu" TV series will appreciate Rafkin's emphasis on thinking rather than punching. Throughout the narrative, violence is portrayed as something to avoid, and force something to be used only for self-defense. The bibliography is excellent; the only detriment to the presentation is the lackluster black-and-white illustrations. Along with Terrence Webster-Doyle's Facing the Double-Edged Sword (Atrium, 1988), this is one of the few martial arts books that emphasizes the mind over the fist.?Cathryn A. Camper, Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 4-7. For libraries with plenty of how-to books on various martial arts, this volume fills in the background with history, lore, legends, types, techniques, Eastern philosophical concepts, and biographical profiles. Divided into four sections (history, worldwide martial arts, training today, and "Martial Arts and You"), the book has a magazinelike combination of short articles and sidebars to present a variety of information in a lively way. Black-and-white photographs and drawings illustrate the book. Good supplemental information for martial arts students. Carolyn Phelan
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tigers Eye Birds Fist,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Tiger's Eye, The Bird's Fist (Paperback)
My two children have studied Aikido for three years.In this book, there are stories of different martial artists. The reason I like this book is that it does not have stories that accept the product of aggression to be violence. Rather one should seek a way of non-violence to avoid aggression whenever possible.
4.0 out of 5 stars
entertaining, but somewhat limited - a good beginner's book,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Tiger's Eye, The Bird's Fist (Paperback)
This book was entertaining and well written, including refreshing stories of real people and their experiences. Almost everything concerning martial arts is touched upon, but Only touched upon; subjects get a couple of pages at the very most. Nevertheless, it was very enjoyable, and I recommend it highly for the beginning martial artist as casual reading.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews) 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
entertaining, but somewhat limited - a good beginner's book,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Tiger's Eye, The Bird's Fist (Paperback)
This book was entertaining and well written, including refreshing stories of real people and their experiences. Almost everything concerning martial arts is touched upon, but Only touched upon; subjects get a couple of pages at the very most. Nevertheless, it was very enjoyable, and I recommend it highly for the beginning martial artist as casual reading.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Beginner's Book,
By Aaron - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Tiger's Eye, The Bird's Fist (Paperback)
The Tiger's Eye, The Bird's Fist: A Beginners Guide to the Martial Arts by Louise Rafkin is exactly what the book is subtitled, a beginners guide to the martial arts. There are several stories, biographies, quotes, and pictures along with the history of several different styles of martial arts. This book is not a typical "How-To" book but rather an overview of the history and philosophy of the martial arts. This book is easy to read, understand, and well written. Four parts divide the book into Early History, Martial Arts Around the World, Training Today, and Martial Arts and You. At only 133 pages, the book is relatively short and very general but provides many topics of interest to just about any martial artist. This is a great book for a beginning student or someone wanting a short refresher.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tigers Eye Birds Fist,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Tiger's Eye, The Bird's Fist (Paperback)
My two children have studied Aikido for three years.In this book, there are stories of different martial artists. The reason I like this book is that it does not have stories that accept the product of aggression to be violence. Rather one should seek a way of non-violence to avoid aggression whenever possible. |
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