Standing qigong is a simple, effective form of exercise suitable for all ages that can increase health, balance and vitality. This complete and accessible guide introduces standing qigong for health and martial arts. Beginning with an introduction describing his own discovery of the practice and an exploration of the health benefits, the author provides detailed instruction on the basic health postures and the process for diaphragmatic breathing. The second part of the book focuses on the martial postures and provides guidance on the subtle variations of the movements that help to cultivate and strengthen healing and internal power. Practice sequences are also included to help readers get started immediately, including, in the third part of the book, the Xing Yi Five Element linking form. Easy-to-follow, and covering all the basics, this guide to standing qigong is perfect for anyone who is looking for ways to improve their health, or with an interest in the internal or martial arts, especially practitioners of Taiji, Qigong, XinYi, Bagua,YiQuan and yoga.

Bushido: A Complete History of British Jujutsu reveals the untold stories behind the UK's martial arts. Jujutsu was brought to the UK in the 1890s, the era of Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes. It was adapted by men like EW Barton-Wright for the paranoid streets of London and the violent docks of Liverpool. It was then utilised by men who served in the trenches of the First World War and by the women who defended themselves in the Suffragette movement like Edith Garrud. After the Second World War British Jujutsu was pioneered by ex servicemen like Gerry Skyner, Jim Blundell and Vernon Bell. Bushido: A Complete History of British Jujutsu traces the lineages of Jujutsu's pioneers to the Samurai schools that their teachings came from. It traces right through to the present day governing bodies and the era of mixed martial arts. Historian Simon Keegan, author of the best-selling Karate Jutsu publishes contemporary records, photographs and cuttings that have never been published before.

This illustrated manual takes the martial artist step-by-step through everything necessary to convert their skills for use in the "street".

Nestor Capoeira, a long-time teacher of capoeira and noted "mestre "(master), begins this revised edition of his bestseller with an in-depth history of the Brazilian art, giving the most popular theories for the origins and purposes of this movement that combines the grace of dance with lethal self-defense techniques in a unique game-song structure. He discusses some of the most famous capoeristas and their influence on the art. In addition, he describes how the two major branches of capoeira (Angola and Regional) came about and the differences between them.
"The Little Capoeira Book's "clear descriptions of the game, or "jogo, "explain the actual application of capoeira, vaguely similar to sparring but very different in purpose and style. The music of capoeira, which is played during all "jogo, "is also examined, along with its main instrument, the "berimbau."
The author includes a how-to guide with photographs showing basic moves for beginners, with offensive and defensive applications for simple kicks, takedowns, advanced kicks and movements, head butts, hand strikes, and knee and elbow strikes. Each technique is vividly depicted with drawings that are easy to understand and learn from, and "mestre "capoeira includes an explanation of both Angola and Regional versions.

In "Mikkyo"--Japanese esoteric Buddhism--the dragon Kurikara symbolizes the internal energy developed through sword practice. Kurikara is a manifestation of the fierce bodhisattva Fudo Myo O, the patron of ascetics and warriors in Japan, who uses his sword to destroy delusions and sever attachments. Fudo's sword represents the gaining of discriminative power and decisiveness--the ability to cut through illusion and attachment. This leads to the development of an inner energy that allows one to "burn up" all obstacles to spiritual freedom.
"Kurikara: The Sword and the Serpent" sets out the eight basic principles of swordsmanship common to all Japanese sword schools, emphasizing the cultivation of power and mental focus. Accomplished martial artist John Evans provides practical examples from his experience with the sword arts as well as "Mikkyo" and "shugendo" (mountain asceticism). The first foreign student to train with Nakamura Taisaburo sensei--widely acknowledged as the master of the sword art "battodo"--Evans clearly explains how skill such as Nakamurua sensei's can be systematically developed through "tanren," exercises that meld "inner" and "outer" power. Filled with fascinating anecdotes from Evans's training in Japan, "Kurikara" is a useful, inspiring guide to Japanese sword practice and its spiritual underpinnings.

Christian Tobler makes a deep dive into the fighting traditions of the late 14th and early 15th centuries, particularly as recorded by Johannes Liechtenauer (1300-1389). It was a time of plague, of the Hundred Years War, of the Peasants' Revolt, but also a time when the origins of the European Renaissance were formed. In the later years of this turbulent time a shadowy figure named Johannes Liechtenauer systematized lessons for swordsmanship, wrestling, armoured and mounted combat. Recorded in cryptic, rhyming verses, it fell to masters of the 15th and 16th century to record, clarify and expand the grandmaster's instructions in an extensive body of fencing manuals. As the world of the knight receded into history, these texts - many extensively and beautifully illustrated - were forgotten by all but German-language antiquarians and fencing historians until the last decade of the 20th century, when they were rediscovered by a new audience of martial artists and historians. No author has done more to reveal this lost world of German knightly martial arts to a modern audience than Christian Tobler. Lance, Spear, Sword and Messer is a rich collection of Tobler's work, containing extensive material on topics as diverse as the two-handed sword, spear, poleaxe, wrestling, and the use of long shields, combined with thought-provoking analysis and historical commentary that will occupy the mind-and challenge the preconceptions-of students and historians of medieval German martial arts. In addition, the martial career-in arms and in the literature of arms-of Emperor Maximilian I, often called "the Last Knight," who was himself a devoted student of the tradition, serves as a capstone of this collection. Maximilian's literary output, including a planned but unwritten fight book, was a similar capstone in his own lifetime at the waning of the Middle Ages and start of the Northern Renaissance.

Hands are the most accessible, effective and natural tool available for use in self defence situations. This manual takes the reader step by step through the moves and techniques required to become competent in real punching. These moves can be used to compliment other forms of martial arts, or used alone in close-range self defence. Topics covered include sparring, stances, the jab, the cross, footwork, defences, "cheeky" shots and hooks.

Grappling (wrestling) is probably the oldest genre of combat known to man. Throughout the world, wrestling and grappling have been part of every culture, probably due to the fact that pulling, holding, lifting and carrying are far more natural to us as living and working human beings than punching and striking. This manual takes the reader step by step through the moves and techniques required to become competent in the grappling arts. These moves can be used to compliment other forms of martial arts, or used alone in close-range self defence. Topics covered include beating kickers and punchers, history of grappling, training equipment, safety in practice, vertical grappling, groundwork, joint locks, throws, stance and grips.

Kicking ass and taking notes-what it's like to be a woman in the ring. Alison Dean teaches English literature. She also punches people. Hard. But despite several amateur fights under her belt, she knows she will never be taken as seriously as a male boxer. "You punch like a girl" still isn't a compliment - women aren't supposed to choose to participate in violence. Her unique perspective as a 30-something university lecturer turned amateur fighter allows Dean to articulately and with great insight delve into the ways martial arts can change a person's - and particularly a woman's - relationship to their body and to the world around them, and at the same time considers the ways in which women might change martial arts. Combining historical research, anecdotal experience, and interviews with coaches and fighters, Seconds Out explores our culture's relationship with violence, and particularly with violence practiced by women. "An important addition to women's martial arts scholarship, Dean provides personal insight into the radical space women occupy in sport fighting. Seconds Out is a must-read for all fighters looking for mentors in the complicated world of martial arts." -L.A. Jennings, author of Mixed Martial Arts: A History from Ancient Fighting Sports to the UFC "Dean brings a fresh new female voice to the topic of combat sports." -Trevor Wittman, renowned MMA trainer, UFC analyst, and founder of ONX Sports "Trained in the discipline and art of both fighting and literature, Dean combines both with style. She honors the fighters, writers, and historians who have come before her and definitively ends the idea of women fighters as a novelty. Seconds Out is a must-read for anyone who feels the call of the bell and reverence for a good fight." -Sue Jaye Johnson