Some Suggestions and Notes on martial arts information resources.

1. Martial arts books may be classified under the headings of philosophy, strategy, movement routines, specific techniques and applications, power acquisition, attribute training such as stretching, iron-palm, specific schools, styles and systems (usually focused on a routine set, and others).

2. Books on martial arts theory are at best great reference material. Almost every martial artist requires a period of close association with a competent teacher to achieve a reasonable breakthrough in performance standard.

3. Most martial arts magazines and journals serve to keep readers informed about people, aspects of the arts, events and trends. As a source of technical information, it is limited in scope and depth. The best publications for pure gems of information are the mainland Chinese martial arts publications. Then again, they also recycle previously published features in other languages and many dubious articles.

4. Serious martial arts enthusiasts and students must study the writings of others to more thoroughly understand the martial arts endeavour.

5. Traditional Chinese Philosophy has a direct relevance to the internal martial arts. Students may want to look at the texts -

* <Tao Te Ching>
* <Kojiki>
* the Four Chinese Classics and the 5 other treatises.
* Books on strategies are also a must. The top of the list is the <Sun-tze Art of War>. Others should include the <Romance of the Three Kingdoms> and <Go Rin No Sho>. Students who do read Chinese should also invest in the martial arts stories written by Ching-yung.

6. Serious aficionados or longterm enthusiasts should engage in focused study of works produced by the late Buckminster Fuller, Krishnamurti, Takuan, Edgar Cayce, Wilheim Reich, Viktor Schauberger, Charles Luk Kuan Yu and John Blofeld. For a start.