9 Best 「martial arts」 Books of 2024| Books Explorer

In this article, we will rank the recommended books for martial arts. The list is compiled and ranked by our own score based on reviews and reputation on the Internet.
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Table of Contents
  1. Breathe: A Life in Flow
  2. Tools Of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers
  3. Bruce Lee's Fighting Method: The Complete Edition
  4. The Book of Five Rings
  5. The Martial Arts Teacher: A Practical Guide to a Noble Way
  6. 葉隠(英文版)- Hagakure
  7. Master Jiu-Jitsu Master Life: How To Create An Extraordinary Life Through Jiu-Jitsu
  8. The Shotokan-Karate Dictionary: Japanese Technical Terms Used in Karate: The Comprehensive Collection of Japanese Technical Terms in the Karate Style of Shotokan
  9. The Essence of Karate
No.1
100

*** Instant New York Times bestseller *** *** USA Today bestseller *** *** Wall Street Journal bestseller *** From legendary Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA master Rickson Gracie comes a riveting, insightful memoir that weaves together the story of Gracie's stunning career with the larger history of the Gracie family dynasty and the founding of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, showing how the connection between mind and body can be harnessed for success both inside and outside the ring. Undefeated from the late 1970s through his final fight in the Tokyo Dome in 2000, Rickson Gracie amassed hundreds of victories in the street, on the mat, at the beach, and in the ring. He has joined the pantheon that includes Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and Jackie Chan as one of the most famous martial artists of the twentieth century. Jiu-Jitsu, the fighting style developed and pioneered by his family, has become one of the world's most prominent martial arts, and Vale Tudo, the "anything goes" style of Brazilian street fighting over which the Gracies had a monopoly, was an early precursor to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Simply put, without the Gracie family, there would be no sport of "MMA," no 4-billion-dollar UFC empire, and no "Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu" at strip malls all across America. In Breathe, for the first time, Rickson reveals the full story of how his father and uncles came to develop Jiu-Jitsu, what it was like to grow up among several generations of world-renowned fighters from the Gracie clan, and the principles and skills that guided him to his undefeated record. From learning to assert himself on the streets of Rio to gaining fame and honor in Japan and emerging through heartbreaking tragedy, the martial arts master shares tales of overcoming challenges, extolling universal virtues and showing readers how pride and ego are the enemies of success.  With never-before-seen photos and profound insights into the sport and way of life that only a studied legend can provide, Breathe is an entertaining and magnified view of an enduring legacy as well as an inspiring tale of weathering life's complexities and overcoming them with style and grace.

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No.2
88

The latest groundbreaking tome from Tim Ferriss, the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The 4-Hour Workweek.From the author:“For the last two years, I’ve interviewed more than 200 world-class performers for my podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show. The guests range from super celebs (Jamie Foxx, Arnold Schwarzenegger, etc.) and athletes (icons of powerlifting, gymnastics, surfing, etc.) to legendary Special Operations commanders and black-market biochemists. For most of my guests, it’s the first time they’ve agreed to a two-to-three-hour interview. This unusual depth has helped make The Tim Ferriss Show the first business/interview podcast to pass 100 million downloads.“This book contains the distilled tools, tactics, and ‘inside baseball’ you won’t find anywhere else. It also includes new tips from past guests, and life lessons from new ‘guests’ you haven’t met.“What makes the show different is a relentless focus on actionable details. This is reflected in the questions. For example: What do these people do in the first sixty minutes of each morning? What do their workout routines look like, and why? What books have they gifted most to other people? What are the biggest wastes of time for novices in their field? What supplements do they take on a daily basis?“I don’t view myself as an interviewer. I view myself as an experimenter. If I can’t test something and replicate results in the messy reality of everyday life, I’m not interested.“Everything within these pages has been vetted, explored, and applied to my own life in some fashion. I’ve used dozens of the tactics and philosophies in high-stakes negotiations, high-risk environments, or large business dealings. The lessons have made me millions of dollars and saved me years of wasted effort and frustration.“I created this book, my ultimate notebook of high-leverage tools, for myself. It’s changed my life, and I hope the same for you.”

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No.3
88

Vividly illustrating the techniques of a legendary innovator, this definitive examination explains how to survive attacks on the street, increase training awareness, and develop body movements. Originally compiled as a four-volume series, this revised edition breathes new life into a classic work with digitally-enhanced photography of jeet kune do founder Bruce Lee in his prime, a new chapter by former Lee student Ted Wong, and an introduction by Shannon Lee. This renowned compendium once again reclaims its place as an integral part of the Lee canon and a necessary addition for collectors and martial arts enthusiasts alike.

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No.4
80

The Book of Five Rings

Musashi, Miyamoto
Bottom of the Hill Publishing

Miyamoto Musashi's Go Rin no Sho or the book of five rings, is considered a classic treatise on military strategy, much like Sun Tzu's The Art of War and Chanakya's Arthashastra. The five "books" refer to the idea that there are different elements of battle, just as there are different physical elements in life, as described by Buddhism, Shinto, and other Eastern religions. Through the book Musashi defends his thesis: a man who conquers himself is ready to take it on on the world, should need arise.

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No.5
79

The Martial Arts Teacher: A Practical Guide to a Noble Way

Shifu, Jonathan Bluestein
Createspace Independent Pub

The teaching of martial arts can be one of the noblest professions, but bears with it some of the most unique and surprising challenges imaginable. In this special book, best-selling author shifu Jonathan Bluestein reveals in great detail the manner in which this wonderful occupation and life-mission may be carried out with great success and joy. Written for martial arts teachers of any style, practicing or aspiring, this exceptional work is guaranteed to provide you with solid and easily applicable life-changing advice. With this exceptional book, be the best that you can become!

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No.6
79

葉隠(英文版)- Hagakure

山本常朝
チャールズ・イー・タトル出版

The comprehensive and accurate edition of the Hagakure is a must-have for serious martial artists or fans of samurai and the bushido code. The Hagakure is one of the most influential of all Japanese texts—written nearly 300 years ago by Yamamoto Tsunetomo to summarize the very essence of the Japanese Samurai bushido ("warrior") spirit. Its influence has been felt throughout the world, and yet its existence is scarcely known to many Westerners. This is the first translation to include the complete first two books of the Hagakure and the most reliable and authentic passages contained within the third book; all other English translations published previously have been fragmentary and incomplete.Alex Bennett's wholly new and highly readable translation of this essential work includes extensive footnotes that serve to fill in many cultural and historical gaps in the previous translations. This unique combination of readability and scholarship gives Hagakure: The Secret Wisdom of the Samurai a distinct advantage over all previous English editions.

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No.7
78

Compelling and captivating stories of jiu-jitsu icons and influencers that reveal the 22 scientifically proven principles for success on and off the mats.\nJiu-Jitsu will change your life. But are you paying attention to the right things? When you are exposed to the jiu-jitsu community, you will meet countless people that share a similar message which is, "Jiu-Jitsu changed my life!"\nThe first few times you heard this, you probably rolled your eyes and internally snickered. You thought to yourself, "How could so many people say that jiu-jitsu changed their lives? That is just ridiculous." But practitioners keep training. Weeks turn into months and months turn into years. Many fall in love with jiu-jitsu and then start saying, "Jiu-Jitsu changed my life.\nThe book includes compelling and captivating stories of icons, influencers, legends, and champions in the jiu-jitsu world. It highlights 22 scientifically proven principles for success on and off the mats. This book is for those that love jiu-jitsu and have a love for learning. Master Jiu-Jitsu Master Life has dozens of stories that are fun to read but more importantly allow you to pull out and apply these principles of success in your own life.\nAmong the stories, you will learn;\n - How RVCA founder PM Tenore and Shoyoroll founder Vince "Bear" Quitugua escaped poverty to build hugely successful brands that have impacted the jiu-jitsu community.\n - How Rener Gracie turned a major injury into a life-changing opportunity.\n - How Keenan Cornelius went from an unknown and average jiu-jitsu competitor to a breakout star creating his own techniques.\n - How Kit Dale earned his jiu-jitsu black belt in four years while winning major championships using science-based learning principles.\n - How UFC Champion Georges St-Pierre’s coach Firas Zahabi trained countless athletes to reach the highest levels in combat sports including jiu-jitsu.\n - How Royce Gracie’s first U.S. jiu-jitsu blackbelt Rob Khan systematized jiu-jitsu for mixed martial arts and how that led to changing the lives of countless practitioners and students.\n - How jiu-jitsu legend Marcelo Garcia approached the development of his students and turned them into world-class champions.\n - How Bernardo Faria became a multiple-time jiu-jitsu world champion and business success at the same time.\n - How Jocko Willink went from success as a U.S. Navy Seal to top podcaster, gym owner, best-selling author, management consultant, entrepreneur, and jiu-jitsu blackbelt.\n - How Karel “SilverFox” Pravec immigrated to the United States from a country that no longer exists to become one of the top global influencers in the jiu-jitsu world.\n - How Roger Gracie became one of the most dominant jiu-jitsu competitors of all time.\n - How John Danaher transformed himself from a philosophy student at Columbia University to full-time legendary jiu-jitsu coach and originator of many modern jiu-jitsu sequences.\n - How Joe Rogan became a comedian, television host, podcaster, health enthusiast, UFC commentator, and a jiu-jitsu black belt.\nIf you are looking to change your life through jiu-jitsu, this book is for you.\nIf you are looking to lose weight, compete, and have better relationships through jiu-jitsu, this book is for you. \nIf you are looking to progress your jiu-jitsu game at a much faster rate, this book is for you.\nHow much more productive would you be on and off the grappling mats if you knew the proven principles of success used by those at the top of the game?\n"I created this book, my ultimate guide-book of highly effective principles, for myself. It changed my life. It improved my jiu-jitsu. It improved my life off of the mats. I hope it does the same for you."

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No.8
78

Illustrated throughout with color photographs of karate stances and techniques―plus clear English definitions of karate terms―The Shotokan Karate Dictionary is a unique reference guide indispensable for every martial arts library.The Shotokan Karate Dictionary, fourth edition, is a complete compendium of essential terms of the practice of karate-do, with special focus on the Shotokan style. Clear, easy-to-understand, and accurate English translations of Japanese karate terms, plus color photographs of essential karate stances, movements, and techniques, will give karate students a firm foundation in karate terminology. A Japanese pronunciation guide and exquisite calligraphy of the Japanese characters (kanji) of each term will deepen students’ understanding of karate’s cultural roots.This comprehensive reference book covers the Japanese numerical system, different target levels and directions of movement, the basic elements of karate training, basic and advanced katas, as well as the Japanese terms for typical instructions and commands you will hear throughout your karate training.The Shotokan Karate Dictionary also explores the philosophical background of karate through an explanation of selected terms, the origin of the name karate-do, the Twenty Precepts of Funakoshi, the rules that govern the dojo, karate philosophies, and annotations by famous Zen masters.

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No.9
78

The Essence of Karate

Funakoshi, Gichin
Kodansha International

Gichin Funakoshi is a legendary figure and the founder of Shotokan karate, the most popular style of Japanese karate, with millions of practitioners worldwide. In The Essence of Karate, Funakoshi creates, in his own words, a narrative of modern karate. He explains the philosophical and spiritual underpinnings and includes memories of his own training, as well as recollections of other karate masters and the history of the martial art. He also discusses the importance of winning without fighting, and the reason why many great martial artists improve with age.The preface has been contributed by Hirokazu Kanazawa, President of the Shotokan Karate-do International Federation (and Funakoshi’s disciple). He fondly writes of his memories of Gichin Funakoshi during his youth and what he learned from the master. In the afterword, the founder's great-nephew, Gisho Funakoshi, shares previously unknown personal anecdotes about his "Uncle Funakoshi."

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