Living the Martial Way : A Manual for the Way a Modern Warrior Should Think

LIVING THE MARTIAL WAY 1 CONTENTS 6 ACKNOWLEDGMENT 4 Foreword 10 INTRODUCTION 12 Background on the Martial Arts 14 Martial Arts, Martial Ways, and The Martial Way 18 Why Practice The Martial Way Today? 19 The Design of This Book 20 PART ONE: THE WAYOF TRAINING 24 Chapter 1: The Warrior Mind-Set 26 Getting the Mind-Set 33 Acknowledge Your Warriorship 34 Pursue Internal Versus External Objectives 36 Chapter 2: Your Martial Destiny 42 Doctrine, Strategy, and Tactics 45 Choose Your Strategic Foundations 49 Analyze the Threat 50 Evaluate Your Physical and Emotional Assets 51 Select a Doctrine 52 The Pitfalls of Narrow Doctrine 53 Build Your Skills Around a Doctrinal Core 56 Chapter 3: Train as Warriors Train 60 Make Training a Daily Regimen 63 Employ Shugyo in your Training 65 Take Άjutsu Approach to Training 70 Chapter 4: The Warrior's Way of Strategy 84 Plan Your Strategy in Four Phases 88 Identify Your Strategic Objectives 88 Collect Intelligence 90 Plan for Environment 92 Program for Engagement 94 How to Develop Tactics 96 Read Your Opponent 97 Control the Fighting Range 99 Feint Effectively 101 Use Rhythm and Timing 102 Avoid, Evade, and Intercept 104 Chapter 5: The Warrior's Spell Book 110 Kiai and Aiki 112 Find Kokoro 116 Practice Harage 120 Develop Kokyn Chikara 125 Apply Kime 127 Practice Kata With Utmost Seriousness 131 Mushin—Mind Without Thinking 132 Zanshin—So Alert You Dominate 137 PART TWO: THE WAYOF HONOR 144 Chapter 6: The Foundations of Honor 146 The Basic Tenets of Honor 151 Obligation 152 Justice 153 Courage 157 Honor and Face 158 Develop Your Own Sense of Honor 161 Chapter 7: Honor in Action 166 Putting Honor to Work 168 Truthfulness 168 Courtesy 170 Restraint 172 Loyalty 174 Service 179 Honor in the Fog of Life 180 Chapter 8: Revenge and Suicide: Perversions of Honor 186 The Forty-Seven Faithful Ronin 189 Revenge and the Scales of Honor 191 Suicide: Courage or Cowardice? 195 Standards for Planning Revenge and Suicide 197 PART THREE: THE WAY OF LIVING 202 Chapter 9: Warrior Fitness 204 The Great Sham of Modern Martial Arts 206 The Qualities of Warrior Fitness 208 Body Types and Muscle Physiology 214 The Three Pillars of Fitness 218 Train for Muscular Strength and Endurance 219 Condition for Aerobic Capacity 221 Develop Flexibility 226 Nutrition and Weight Control 229 Chapter 10: Religion and Mysticism 236 Eastern versus Western Religious Thought 238 The Principle Asian Religious Doctrines 240 Confucianism: The Way of the Sages 241 Taoism: In Pursuit of the One True Way 244 Buddhism: Following the Eightfold Path 249 Shinto: The Way of the Kami 257 Mysticism and the Danger of Cults 261 Martial Arts Training and Religious Convictions 265 Chapter 11: The Warrior Stands Alone 270 The Three Keys to Warrior Dignity 273 Develop a Commanding Posture 274 Discover the Power of Physical Grace 277 Cultivate the Austere Quality oíShibumi 279 The Secret of Personal Power 283 Chapter 12: Mastery and The Martial Way 290 Mastery in The Martial Arts and Ways 295 Mastery in The Martial Way 300 Appendix A: Glossary 310 Appendix B: Selected Bibliography 318 Living the Martial Way is a concise manual for training in warriorship. Unique among martial arts books, it provides a systematic, step-by-step approach to applying the warrior mind-set to your martial training and daily life. It combines a knowledge of fighting with an exploration of the culture of the warrior