Mental Karate: A Warriors Guide [Paperback]

The introduction to this book, alone, is almost worth the price of admission. It conjures images of fearless warrior juggernauts from throughout history, revealing a secret so powerfully potent and self-realizing, that it could be considered a better "engine of history" than Hegel's thesis-antithesis "synthesis." In fact, I find myself fighting for time to re-read the book with my wife, reading it aloud to my mother (with whom I have had quite a rocky relationship with, and she's furiously writing notes down as I'm reading), and I'm getting ready to send a copy to my troubled, barely-adult sister. It also just occurred to me that this will be a perfect high school graduation gift for my neighbor. The funny thing is, none of them are "martial artists." Nevertheless, it is a true guide to anyone seeking a higher mentality, a stronger, clearer purpose, a different bent on history, and even the inner workings of the mind and the psychology of fear. It's that good.

Even though I am a friend and student of the author, and have heard many of the stories straight out of the "horse's mouth," it is nevertheless very refreshing to have them in a book form that I can easily refer to and share with anyone I choose. There are many other stories and concepts which I have newly-learned, as well, and many others will benefit from them through the concise conveyances in this book.

One story speaks of a pit bull that the author once owned. One day, while walking it, it ran out into the street, chasing a stray dog. It was hit by a van, and the author observed the rear tire running over the dog, after the bumper had hit his head--the van had been going 35 MPH. Expecting to find him slumped on the ground and mortally-wounded, he instead observed him to "flip out from under the van, "land on his feet," and continue to run after the dog." Other than a tire print on his underside and a broken paw, several days of observation by a vet revealed no serious injuries, and the dog lived another 6 years. The author spent weeks trying to figure out how the dog had survived, and concluded that it was due to his conditioning-he'd run the dog 10-12 miles per day, and it's body was "like steel-" and the specific reaction, including the dog's breathing.

You might be asking what something as mundane as a dog being hit by a car has to do with "warrior spirit," but we must remember that the ancient masters observed wild animals to learn fighting moves, and to mimic their strong spirits. The author mentions this, saying that gazing into the eyes of a wild animal (from a safe place, of course) is an excellent way to "instantly" realize what true focus and determination is, and to "wake up the mind." The other point is the breathing, which the book devotes an entire section to. Other stories deal chiefly with people.

The book is far-reaching, covering such subjects as spirituality, sociology, psychology, history, and even religion and faith. The author is so well-versed and cultured, that even I found myself, a personal friend, wondering how he could so eloquently and effortlessly make his points, yet so clearly-written, that a child could mostly comprehend much of the book (albeit with a bit of background). On the other hand, it could be used as an introduction to many of the advanced concepts and, in fact, will always occupy a central place on my bookshelf, as I raise my almost-3 toddler, and work to expand my family.

Unlike most books of the genre, it's capaciousness lends itself to anyone interested in becoming more efficient and powerful, or just seeking insight into what it takes to set apart a leader from the crowd. The book shows that everyone has the capacity to expand his or her mental energy, but that it's the willingness to work towards it, even starting with "baby steps," and working along the path.

The cover photo is arresting. It is a portrait of Tsutomu Ohshima, a karate master and the author's longtime instructor and friend, performing a karate move, and exhibiting great mental focus and strength, as a much younger man.

I can personally attest to the author's genuineness and selflessness. Last summer, he came out and voluntarily performed a karate demonstration for a summer class I was teaching--6 students with severe behavioral problems in a self-contained special education class that was so isolated from the rest of the school's population that they had their own lunch-time, and had to be individually escorted to the restroom by security personnel. Students that had dismissed me from day 1 took to him almost immediately, and the simple "baby-stepping" self-improvement strategies he spoke of, the complete respect and non-judgementalness that he approached them with gained their immediate and lasting confidence, and I believe changed the (not-so-positive, but expected) courses of their lives (and they really enjoyed seeing their teacher getting "beat up" during the physical parts). This even impressed my teaching assistant, who was doubtless fortified and enlightened, firing off a volley of questions of her own. I know those 7 people (and I) greatly benefitted from this personal and generous display of selfless devotion to what many considered to be "lost causes," and this attitude permeates the book.

This book is unlike any other "self-help" book (and it is broad enough to be at the front of the category). It does not berate you for failing or falling short. In fact, a central tenet is to "never talk down to yourself" (in your inner "mind-talk"). It isn't composed of repetitive exercises, and doesn't talk you into seeing a shrink. Instead, it seizes on your inner strength and builds on it, showing how to harness that positive energy and strike down negative, draining thoughts, building an ever-increasing aura of positivity that will draw other positive people towards you.

Other sections of the book cover the "power of belief," self-confidence, controlling thoughts and developing mental strength, and attaining "optimum peak-performance mental states" (ie. "the zone," athletically speaking), among other things. Many pictures depict martial artists, the author performing world-record (and Guiness Book) feats such as pulling 18-wheel trucks and fire-walking and mountain climbing, and some of the professional people he's worked with, such as Willie Gault, "the fastest man in football," and Lamon Brewster, the WBO world-heavyweight champion.

In summary, reading this book will either initiate (or continue) a road of self-improvement in almost anyone, and Tom Muzila's extremely humble and generous personality and strong, warrior mentality will carry right through its pages, and into your psyche. That sounds like a lot, but I'm speaking from personal experience, as well as the direct observation of the effect of his spoken and written words on even those who've either never heard of (or previously met) him, and wouldn't recognize him at all. And reading the book has greatly helped me to increase my self-discipline, stay positive in the face of "dire straits," face opponents more strongly in the karate dojo (as well as my own fears and weaknesses), and even spread positivity by simply discussing it. It is one of the finest, most helpful books I've ever read, easily reaching into my "top ten."

Unfortunately, I have never had the pleasure of meeting Tom Muzila, but being a life time student of Shotokan karate, I had heard of his many accomplishments. One of the many things I love about this book is how he gives so much credit to his teachers, most especially Master Tsutomu Ohshima. I also love his book dedication to "all the warriors in human history." The author is no "arm chair warrior." Throughout his life he has constantly tested himself to do extreme things. He has lived by the philosophy of "the mind is the most powerful weapon for warriors." There are so many lessons to learn in this fantastic book that this short review cannot do it justice. You will just have to get your own copy and read it. It is a book to read and refer to many times for inspiration and advice. I rarely give a book 5 stars, but this volume deserves the highest rating. This is a book for anyone who is truly serious about his or her martial arts training and living the life of a warrior.

Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Shotokan Karate Self-Defense Techniques: Practical Combat Karate for the street)

You can pass on this if you already have read many motivational or how to "awaken your warrrior spirit" type of books. There is nothing new here. Yes, Muzilla is a legend and his association with the training and development of Karate in America is important, but that, to me, is the only selling point of this book. If you are looking for that "kick in the pants" motivation from this book, then I am confident that you can find other resources which are much, much, much better. Unless you just want to say that you own Muzilla's book, then just save your money and buy something else instead of this one.

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