Good books you could recommend for women MAs?

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chef
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Good books you could recommend for women MAs?

Post by chef »

I was searching for anything specifically on conditioning a woman's body for martial arts and saw several books on martial arts/self-defense, etc. for women. They are posted below.

Have any of you out there read and of these? Any good books you can suggested for women to add to our reading list? I know Bill and many others recommend DeBeck and Grossman.

Regards,
Vicki

The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from V... by Gavin De Becker

The Gift of Fear: And Other Survival Signals That Protect... by Gavin de Becker

Real Knockouts: The Physical Feminism of Women... by Martha McCaughey

A Girl's Gotta Do What a Girl's Gotta Do by Kathleen Baty

Fear Less: Real Truth About Risk, Safety, and Security in... by Gavin de Becker

See Sally Kick Ass: A Woman's Guide to Personal Safety by Fred Vogt

Fearless: The Complete Personal Safety Guide for Women by Paul Henry

Fight Like a Girl...and Win: Defense Decisions for Women by Lori Hartman Gervasi

Girl Power : Self-Defense for Teens by B. Konzak

Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe... by Gavin De Becker

On Combat: The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Confli... by Dave Grossman

Sharp Spear, Crystal Mirror: Martial Arts in Women... by Stephanie T. Hoppe

On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in... by Dave Grossman

Not an Easy Target : Paxton Quigley... by Paxton Quigley

Her Wits About Her: Self-Defense Success Stories by Women by Denise Caignon

Training at the Speed of Life, Vol. 1: The Definitive Tex... by Kenneth R. Murray

Bulletproof: The Making of an Invincible Mind by Chuck Holton
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Dana Sheets
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Post by Dana Sheets »

Do you want info about your mindset, your strength/stamina, or muscle/tendon changing?

Most of the books you listed look to be about mindset.

There was a great article a few years back in the Journal of Asian Martial Arts about iron palm conditioning that really altered my approach and started me in a new direction in my training. I'll see if I can dig up the reference.
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Shana Moore
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Post by Shana Moore »

Can't wait to see Dana's post on the palm conditioning...I also wanted to put in a plug for a book I recommended on the "to pump or not to pump" thread:
I like Strength Training for Women by Lori Incledon. She’s a licensed athletic trainer and physical therapist assistant. Her book not only has many great exercises with pictures and instructions, she goes into a great deal of information about how to set up your own training program to focus on your personal goals, whether they be muscle building, strength, power, and/or endurance. She also discusses agonist/antagonist muscle groups (opposing push/pull muscle groups like your back/chest muscles or triceps/biceps). So, there is some good information here…I welcome any other reference/resources you may find!

http://www.amazon.com/Strength-Training ... 176&sr=1-3
I like this book because it focuses on some of the differences in female anatomy and training specific to women...without being to wimpy....has lots of deadlifts and powerlifts in it as well.
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chef
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Post by chef »

I think you talked about this a while back, Dana...please post that article when you find it. I am very interested in it.

It isn't a book, but I recently purchased a DVD on line on Pilates for Karate and am anxious to try out this womens workout. Will let you know how it goes.

Later,
Vicki
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Dana Sheets
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Post by Dana Sheets »

Here 'tis

VOLUME 10 ~ NUMBER 2

Image

You can't read it but the whole issue could be yours for 2 bucks.
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chef
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Post by chef »

Thanks, Dana, I just registered and ordered it. I look forward to reading it.

Have a great weekend.

Regards,
Vicki
"Cry in the dojo, laugh in the battlefield"
Rick Wilson

Post by Rick Wilson »

The books I would recommend to a woman are the same ones I would recommend to a man.

“The Gift of Fear” by Gavin Debecker has already been mention and it is an important book in my library.

In this order I recommend:

1) “The Book of Martial Power: The Universal Guide to the Combat Arts” by Steven Pearlman.

This is the most comprehensive book on martial principles I have read. Excellent for all style because they are principles not techniques.

2) “Meditations on Violence: Comparison of Martial Arts training and Real World Violence” by Rory Miller.

This is a must to train martial arts with a proper focus on what is real and what is the fantasy of the training.

3) “Principles, Analysis, and Application of Effortless Combat Throws” by Tim Cartmell.

4) “Chin Na in Ground Fighting: Principles, Theory and Submission Holds for all Martial Styles” by Al Arsenaultt and Joe Faulise.

There is a grappling aspect to Uechi that is not taught in many schools and these two books are a great step in the right direction. Ignore the entries on the takedowns and see where he ends up and you can find the Uechi. Look at the applications of the locks and you can see the Uechi.

5) “Deadly Force Encounters: What Cops need to Know to mentally and Physically Prepare for and Survive a Gunfight” by Dr. Alexis Artwohl and Loren W. Christensen

While this is written for police this is a cold bucket of water for going through a violent encounter and the legal ramifications that can follow. Other than the department specific information this is directly related to all people.

6) “Cheng Hsin: The Principles of Effortless Power” by Peter Ralston

Okay this is a far more existential work than the others but it is a book I have read and reread over the years and gotten a great deal out of. Enlightened, baffling and some times totally confusing.

These are the six books a person can base a solid martial practice in.

There are many more as a book shelf in my home will attest and many many good ones b ut these cover the range needed for a strong foundation and launching point for any level of martial artist.
Last edited by Rick Wilson on Tue Oct 14, 2008 8:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
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chef
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Post by chef »

Thanks all, sounds great!

Dana, I just got this magazine in and will read up on this, employ some much needed Iron Palm conditioning as well.

Rick, the books sound wonderful. I will make it a point to try to read some of the books off your list this winter.

Best regards,
Vicki
"Cry in the dojo, laugh in the battlefield"
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Dana Sheets
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Post by Dana Sheets »

Have fun and go slowly. Massaging the hands before and after the training is very important, as is squeezing/pumping the hand in between strikes.

You can usually buy bulk mung beans at asian markets much more cheaply than you can at typical grocery stores.
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chef
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Post by chef »

I remember you telling me about that several years ago, Dana. We do have a local Asian store in Richmond. I will swing by there and look for the mung beans there.

I have some heavy duty coin bags from our vending company. They are made of a smooth canvas or duck fabric. I thought they might be good for the bag fabric. Do you think they are too coarse to use or okay?

I need to go to that article and read on it.

Great info, Dana, thanks.

Always,
Vicki
"Cry in the dojo, laugh in the battlefield"
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Dana Sheets
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Post by Dana Sheets »

Those should work as long as you stay away from the zippers. If you get into tossing them up and down and back and forth you may want to consider finding something without a zipper.

One training method is to grab the bag and quickly let go of it and grab it again while it is still at the same height as many times as you can until your grip fails. Then start over with the other hand.
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chef
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Post by chef »

No zippers on these. Do you have your sewn closed or with velcro to wash th bags?

I think I might just sew the bags shut and just make new ones when they beans and bag gets crummy looking.

Do you stuff the bag pretty full with the beans...sort of like a comfortable bean toss bag for games?

Regards,
Vicki
"Cry in the dojo, laugh in the battlefield"
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Dana Sheets
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Post by Dana Sheets »

Unless you've got industrial velcro a couple of inches wide then I'd sew them shut with a double seam.

Fill them up pretty well as over time the canvass will stretch and the beans will get ground to power.

If you're only going to hit it then it get be more full than if you want to toss it around an grab it out of the air.
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