- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: Aurum Press Ltd; First Edition edition (25 Feb 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1845130901
- ISBN-13: 978-1845130909
- Product Dimensions: 21.4 x 14.6 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
563,899 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #22 in Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Fitness & Exercise > Martial Arts > Judo
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Product Description
The Observer Sport Monthly, 02/09/2007
`...a fascinating journey in which [the author] unravels this most opaque of sports with humour, verve and style. Part travelogue, part history, part chronicle of midlife discover, the Pyjama Game is an illuminating exposition of an enigmatic and marginal sport'
Product Description
It is a sport of balletic beauty and extraordinary violence ? where else are you allowed to strangle an opponent unconscious? But while its aim is to inflict symbolic death, judo is a form of combat which also rigorously insists on the most formal courtesies. When Mark Law joined his local judo club he was able to observe at close quarters the sport practised at its highest level. He even found himself having to face some of the finest fighters in the business ? World Champions and Olympic medallists from Japan and Europe, men like Brian Jacks, one of the all-time greats of British judo, (whose superhuman fitness and strength also saw him to the BBC?s ?Sporting Superstars? title in the 70s). He went to Osaka, Japan to see the World Championships and to Athens for the Olympics. And he explored the history of this martial art rooted in the traditions of the 17th century Samurai warriors through such legendary figures as Jiguro Kano, who created the basis for the modern sport of judo, Anton Geesink, the Dutchman who was the first to shatter the hegemony of the Japanese, and Yamashita, the greatest of the modern champions. The result is a fascinating journey into this most enigmatic of sports which, in its own ferocious but highly codified regime, feeds man?s immutable warrior instinct for combat. It tells the story of how judo conquered the world, and how the world has tried to conquer Japan. We are taken behind the scenes of the international tournament circuit populated by some of the most fearsomely single-minded and self-denying competitors of all time -- men and women who have arrived at the apex of a sport from thousands of ordinary judo clubs all over the world. Through a series of colourful encounters -- sublime, grotesque, comic and tragic -- we experience the irresistible drama of tournament judo as figures grapple, whirl and fly through the air or struggle for armlocks and chokes, each contest reaching its conclusion in that symbolic death. Funny, alarming and mesmerising, The Pyjama Game is one of the best sports books of recent years.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
useful,
By rod (bradford) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Pyjama Game: A Journey into Judo (Hardcover)
an amazing book that describes the transformation of mark law from the proverbial 'nine stone weakling' to a man able and willing to face down anyone. it can be read on many levels. as a keep fit guide. as a no nonsense guide to stopping smoking and eating healthily. as the awakening of a middle aged man to what life can hold in store if he lets himself be true to himself. as satire. as a deeply philosophical treatise on East versus West. as the ultimate answer to those who say we should turn the other cheek when insulted. no finer book on judo exists. i doubt there is any finer work on sport as a path to truth. i give this five stars with no hesitation.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
fabulous,
By barry (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Pyjama Game: A Journey into Judo (Hardcover)
self confessed wimp and chain smoker mark law sets out on an amazing journey of self discovery. he wants to prove to himself he is made of 'the right stuff' and enrols in his local judo club. at first he is the butt of jokes as the 'real' men of the club think he is only there to colllect material for another best seller. you see they know law as the writer, not the man out to prove himself as he hits the buffers of 50. slowly he wins their respect by learning about judo and training hard. he 'bulks up' though he rejects as unclean the steroids some neer do wells use and is no longer embarrassed by his reflection in a mirror. he gains confidence as a man and embarks on the second stage of his voyage. he travels around the world, often in judo outfits, winning the trust and respect of many within the sport. some always dismiss him as a voyeur,out only to write about and not join them. i tend to side with these people and think law never really had judo in his blood. that's only a small reservation. by and large this is the best book ever written about judo and one of the best about sport. i hope it is made into a film. but who would play law!
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
inspiring,
By mahmoud (london) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Pyjama Game: A Journey into Judo (Hardcover)
Mr Law's book is an inspiration. From a slob who ate and drank too much for his own good he became a lean, mean fighting machine, a force for good not bad. In Britain and abroad he studied the Masters of Judo. He learned wisdom and implacable hostility towards bullies and bad people generally. By the end Law is almost a Knight. I am so impressed that I intend to take up judo myself although my children say I am 'past it' at 56. Law says you are never too old. I agree.
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