Black Belt Magazine

What were the five most influential martial arts books in your life?
For me, the five most influential martial arts books were:
1. THE WAY OF KARATE (1963) by George E. Mattson
2. KARATE'S HISTORY AND TRADITIONS (1968) by Bruce A. Haines
3. THE 1968 BLACK BELT MAGAZINE YEARBOOK
[Though not a book, this particular magazine edition hit me hard.]
4. ZEN FLESH, ZEN BONES (1957) by Paul Reps
5. 'BUSHIDO: The Soul of Japan' (1900) by Inazo Nitobe
These were the initial readings which reinforced and colored my youthful martial arts obsession..
KARATE HIDETAKA NISHIYAMA 1960
THIS IS KARATE MAS OYAMA 1962
ZEN COMBAT JAY GLUCK 1962
THE WAY OF KATA L.A. KANE 2007
THE BUBISHI translated by PAT MACCARTHY KIYOSHI 2007 and an earlier version 1980
There have been many others between 1960 and today those are the ones that helped the most.
Other arts
AIKIDO AND THE DYNAMIC SPHERE
SECRETS OF THE SAMURAI DON DRAEGER a must have book no matter your style.
THE BIBLE OF KANO JUJUTSU(judo)very old book
JUJUTSU KLINGERSDORF very old book
A BOOK OF FIVE RINGS MUSASHI MIYAMOTO
Bart Vale Black Belt Full Contact Fighter Of The Year 2006
![]() |
| Powered by phpBay Pro |




US $9.99




























































