From choosing a martial art and finding a school to earning your black belt-and everything in between-this unique book offers expert answers to your questions, satisfying your curiosity while it builds your martial-arts knowledge and enhances your practice. Every chapter is packed with information about major martial arts and uses a question-and-answer format that is both quick to read and fun to browse. Inside you'll find answers to all your martial-arts questions, including:

How can I slelect a martial art and find a qualified teacher in my community?
Do people with black belts have to register their hands as lethal weapons?
Why is here so much bowing in some martial-arts classes?
Why do some martial arts use highly acrobatic feats such as flying kicks? Is this authentic? Is it effective?
How did traditional sumo wrestlers live and train?
Does Jackie Chan really perfom all of is own stunts?

With 750 expert answers, this book is an engaging and essential resource for anyone intersted in the martial arts.

John Corcoran is recognized as one of the world's premier martial-arts authors and journalists, with seven martial-arts books, countless articles, and the screen play for American Samurai to his credit. He is a veteran black belt n karate, which he has studed for more than thirty years.

John Graden is a former member of numerous world-champion United States kickboxing teams and was five-time member of the World Championship United States Karate Team (1985-91). He is the author of two top-selling books for owners of martial-arts schools and has appeared in major national media, including the A & E Network and the Wall Street Journal.

Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
1 Basic martial arts
2 Martial arts myths
3 The martial arts and ways of Japan and Okinawa
4 American martial arts
5 Korean martial arts
6 Chinese martial arts
7 Brazilian jiu-jitsu
8 Jackie Chan
9 The higher values of martial arts
10 Fear and the fight-or-flight reflex by Jim Harrison
11 Martial spirit
12 Martial arts in entertainment
13 Exotic martial arts and weapons
14 Bruce Lee
15 How to choose a martial arts school
Index