3 Books That Made Me a Better Martial Artist
I’ve grown up doing martial arts since age 6, and because I was obsessed with training, I always tried to get as much knowledge as I could from anyone who would teach me. I would ask my coaches for tips and advice. Whenever I was asked if I wanted to stay back and do more, I jumped at the chance and asked other students to drill with me before and after classes.
And like everyone who loves martial arts, I’ve seen all the movies, and I mean ALL THE MOVIES. The Karate Kid, Bloodsport, Enter the Dragon, Ip Man, Fearless, The Last Samurai, Rocky, Creed, The Protector and Undisputed. I love them all.
All this is supplemented by a healthy amount of book reading. I’ve read a lot of books about and related to martial arts. Philosophy, instruction manuals, history, biographies, memoirs, and training guides decorate my bookshelf. As amazing as they are, books can be dense, and some of the classics are particularly hard to understand since they were written so long ago.
Occasionally I’m asked, “What books should I read to make my martial arts better?” This is a great question, and one which I have some strong opinions about. So here are the books that I liked, why they made my training better and how applicable I think they are.
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
A classic through and through. If you have done martial arts for more than 6 months, you’ve probably heard of this, if you haven’t already heard of it from outside of the dojo. The Art of War was written in China roughly 2500 years ago by a General named Sun Wu, later called Sun Tzu.
Devised as a military treatise, the literal interpretation of the book gives advice on how a general should conduct warfare. However, if read as a philosophical approach to war or as allegory, the book takes on meanings that have application to one-on-one fighting, political strategy and business tactics. This has led to its popularity across time and geography, being one of China’s 7 Military Classics and has been translated into over 200 languages.
All chapters in The Art of War have a common theme, and that is preparation and intelligence. A well-prepared army is an efficient and effective army. This is the easiest way to apply the knowledge from this book into your training.
For example, one quote from the book is “He who occupies the high ground, and the sunny side of it, will fight with an advantage.”. Instead of reading it and literally thinking about getting above your opponent and getting the sun behind you, try to think about what position in your current conflict is most advantageous. If you are in the ring for example, instead of fighting your opponent out in the middle where you have equal space, maneuver your opponent into the corner giving yourself an advantage.
While some quotes like the above require a level of lateral thinking to apply, quotes like “If your opponent is ill tempered, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that way he may grow arrogant.”, are much easier to think about and apply tactically.
You should give this book a read if you enjoy philosophy, train in a more traditional martial art style or have a liking for Eastern Literature.
Enjoyment: 7/10 Applicability: 7/10 Overall: 7/10
The Dao De Jing by Lao Tzu
The Dao is a philosophical dialogue on the nature of the universe and how to live a good life. Again, hailing from China, the book was composed between the 4th and 6th centuries BCE and is written for those who wish to follow the Daoist path to enlightenment.
Lao Tzu is the historical figure said to have written The Dao, but like anything this old it is impossible to know for sure. What we do know is that whoever wrote it had such an in-depth grasp on The Way that the book is still studied by philosophers all over the globe today.
Being a philosophy book, The Dao De Jing can be difficult to parse, and its teachings often need a layer of interpretation to be applied to martial arts. In saying that, the seemingly contradictory nature of Daoist philosophy is extremely relevant to martial arts when used abstractly.
Take the opening line of the book, “The Dao that can be told is not the eternal Dao.”. Things can’t be true and false at the same time. The Dao can’t be at the same be The Dao and not be The Dao. What Lao Tzu means by this is that in our search for The Dao, The Way, we as people assign our meaning, our language and our wants to The Way.
By assigning these things to The Dao, we chang its meaning. It means different things to different people. So instead of “The Dao that can be told is not the eternal Dao.”, consider it as “The Dao that individuals seek and discuss is not the eternal Dao that I write about.”. This applies to martial arts in the sense that everyone will practice techniques, drill with partners, and train forms their own way. The martial arts that you practice and learn is not the martial arts that your instructors teach you because you bring your own values, beliefs, and experiences to it.
Another one for your consideration. The phrase “Empty and become full”. The surface reading makes no sense. Empty and full are opposites; they can’t both be true at the same time. It takes an example to clarify the statement.
Consider a cup; if the cup wasn’t empty, you would not be able to use it. The usefulness of the cup is the empty space inside of it, without the emptiness it is not a cup. If you empty the cup, it becomes full of space. Empty yourself of your purpose and you find a new purpose. Be like the cup.
In martial arts, this means that to learn something new, you must first put what you have learnt to the side. You must be able to practice as if you are starting from scratch every time.
All this means that while The Dao De Jing is not itself a book about martial arts, it can be read in such a way that it becomes a how to guide instructing martial artists on how best to practice martial arts and what spiritual lessons and practices are important for longevity and continual improvement.
You should read this book if you want to become more spiritual, have been struggling to learn new things, or if you catch yourself stepping into your ego.
Enjoyment: 10/10 Applicability: 7/10 Overall: 8.5/10
Atomic Habits by James Clear
This one you probably weren’t expecting but trust me it's worth a read. The author James Clear grew up in the US and was obsessed with performance and improvement in sport. He followed this passion through to university where he received a degree in biomechanics before starting to blog to share his insights. This worked and launched a multi-media empire focusing on performance through the perspective of physiology and psychology, out of which developed the book.
Atomic Habits is a human psychology and self-development book that gives practical and applicable advice on how to turn your wants into goals and then goals into habits. James’ voice is very clear throughout the whole book and provides an extremely personal perspective on habits and hacks that he uses to improve his own performance.
Whilst it can be easy to assign this as a self-help book and disregard its advice when it comes to your training, it would be advantageous to integrate the insights laid out by Clear. By building a daily practice and shifting your psychology using this book, it can take you from the mindset “Training is something I do twice a week” to “I am a martial artist”. That shift in mindset is essential for longevity.
If you are looking to make that shift from recreational training to including martial arts as a part of your identity, or a good place to start for maximum applicability, this is the book to read.
Enjoyment: 8/10 Applicability: 10/10 Overall: 9/10
After some thought, it’s not surprising that the books I recommend aren’t style specific. I often try to apply concepts and principles from one style to another, and I find that if I improve one, all of them benefit which aligns with the books I like to read to improve my training. Wisdom comes from everywhere, and if you are open to it, everything is applicable in some way.
