the rum soaked fist: internal martial arts forum

Good day!

I would like to inform you of a new book I have recently published, titled 'The Martial Arts Teacher'. It is a unique treatise dealing with the ins and outs of teaching martial arts and operating a martial arts school and community. The book tackles this mission and its many challenges from novel angles and perspectives, offering exceptional ideas and solution for all martial arts teachers from any style, be they practicing or aspiring. This memorable book is guaranteed to provide you with solid and easily applicable advice, for bettering your life and those of the people around you. ;-)

Being that I am a teacher of the traditional Chinese martial arts, the book is written more from that sort of perspective. However, it is approachable to and readable by just about anyone.

The book is readily available on any Amazon-affiliated website, such as below:
https://www.amazon.com/Martial-Arts-Tea ... W0PM17JBM8

More information is available on the official website:
https://www.researchofmartialarts.com/

Best of luck with your new book, enjoyed your last book.

Thank you Kenneth! Means a lot coming from you

Looking forward to reading it!

Just curious as to what makes you an authority on teaching. That introduction smacks of hubris.

Over the past few years I have always had the same reply for those who criticize the quality of my books or my 'authority' to write them:

By all means - write better books. I will be the first to read them.

It is certainly easier to try smearing one's name writing anonymous comments on a forum, than attempting what I have suggested...

But since you asked, I shall at least refer you to the appropriate answer as found within the book itself. It is detailed among the lines of the foreword, written by my friend, master Keith Kernspecht, who with 60,000 students in his organization is likely the most commercially successful martial arts teacher to have ever lived. In there he explains why, in his opinion, my words matter. It is better to read it from him, than myself attempting to make any justifications, which are anyways undue and uncalled for here. My martial arts professional resume is well known and detailed in my books and many of my articles.

Good luck with your writing and teaching! I shall now go back to mine.

If Kernspecht endorses something then one should steer clear of it. But I bet it will sell well as his organisation is quite big.

Q: That introduction smacks of hubris. what makes you an authority on teaching?
A: My is resume is well known, read my book.

Ha ha ha!



Funniest on RSF for a very long time.

jonathan.bluestein wrote:Over the past few years I have always had the same reply for those who criticize the quality of my books or my 'authority' to write them:

By all means - write better books. I will be the first to read them.

It is certainly easier to try smearing one's name writing anonymous comments on a forum, than attempting what I have suggested...

But since you asked, I shall at least refer you to the appropriate answer as found within the book itself. It is detailed among the lines of the foreword, written by my friend, master Keith Kernspecht, who with 60,000 students in his organization is likely the most commercially successful martial arts teacher to have ever lived. In there he explains why, in his opinion, my words matter. It is better to read it from him, than myself attempting to make any justifications, which are anyways undue and uncalled for here. My martial arts professional resume is well known and detailed in my books and many of my articles.

Good luck with your writing and teaching! I shall now go back to mine.

Ha ha… you seem a little sensitive. Not exactly noble eh.

Bao wrote:Q: That introduction smacks of hubris. what makes you an authority on teaching?
A: My is resume is well known, read my book.

Ha ha ha!



Funniest on RSF for a very long time.

You couldn't make it up. Bless his little cotton socks.

Hello! Originally I wanted to have a "cool post count" of 108, or something like that (something associated with Tai Chi) but that does not seem possible here. Therefore I am editing this post to point out that users here cannot delete their own posts. I do not understand why users have the ability to edit their posts but not to delete their posts.

Appledog wrote:

phil b wrote:Just curious as to what makes you an authority on teaching. That introduction smacks of hubris.

Lol, no it doesn't.

This is like someone walks into a kung fu school and says, "What makes you an authority on teaching? Your flyer smacks of hubris."

If you don't like the idea of teaching don't buy the book.

I mean on a whole other level this is exactly the kind of book any serious teacher, at least at an academic level, would have for their library. The idea that he isn't qualified doesn't even enter into it.

The question is perfectly legitimate. I won’t buy a book about teaching from a common teacher. Then I could better write and read my own book. You need to sell it better. Just “I am great, just read my marvelous book”, doesn’t do it for me.

Appledog wrote:Lol, no it doesn't.

Yeah, it does. Big time.

This is like someone walks into a kung fu school and says, "What makes you an authority on teaching? Your flyer smacks of hubris."

No, it's like someone walking into a kung fu school and asking, "What makes you an authority on kung fu, or at least the style you are teaching?"

If the school's flier stated the school "tackles this mission and its many challenges from novel angles and perspectives, offering exceptional ideas and solution[s] for all martial arts of any style, be they practicing or aspiring", and that the school is, "guaranteed to provide you with solid and easily applicable advice, for bettering your life and those of the people around you", isn't it reasonable to ask what makes that teacher/school able or qualified to do so?

Many would just dismiss that rhetoric as "pimping". If one wants to be seen as "serious", or "academic", one avoids that sort of rhetoric.

I mean on a whole other level this is exactly the kind of book any serious teacher, at least at an academic level, would have for their library. The idea that he isn't qualified doesn't even enter into it.

First, "academic" inquiry doesn't use language like that. Academic works are held to a higher standard, one that requires an impartial, objective perspective. Language such as "novel", "exceptional ideas and solutions", "guaranteed" aren't often found in academic works.

Second, I think I'll write an academic book on brain surgery. The fact that I'm not qualified to write a book on brain surgery, by your statement, "doesn't even enter into it". Everyone has the "right" to write whatever one wants. But, that doesn't necessarily make it, shall I say, "relevant".

Here's the test that I use. Does a contribution - be it an article, a book, a video, an internet post - further understanding and communication or not. If it does, it is worth doing, worth the effort of the author to create it and, potentially, worth the intended audience's time to consume it. If it does not, it'll be a waste of time for both author and consumer. In the worst case, it harms, rather than helps, adding confusion and/or invalid information to a topic.

The catch, of course, it that some might find a particular contribution helpful, worthwhile, while others might not.

My experience has been that the vast majority of what is available in the English language - books, articles, videos - about Chinese martial arts isn't worth the proverbial paper upon which it is written. There are exceptions, but most of it gives the sense that the consumer is getting something useful when, in fact, little of effective value is being offered. That leads to a state where we have many "resources" but few that actually help people understand the topic and gain skill at it. We end up with a whole lot of noise, and very little signal.

Whether or not Mr. Bluestein's book is a help, a hindrance, or neither, I can't say. I can say that the rhetoric surrounding it makes me shutter and decreases the likelihood that I would read the book. Each to his or her own.


As for the "challenge" of writing something better - putting one's money where one's mouth is, so to speak - I used to do a fair bit of "technical" writing on Taijiquan. I now do zero, but for what I post on this forum. The reason for that is that it seems pretty clear to me that the art of Taijiquan - and probably many others - cannot effectively be taught or understood via a written format. Consequently, writing about Taijiquan is largely a waste of time for both author and reader. (The exception might be if the writing about it helps the practitioner organize his or her thoughts and understanding of the art.)

Teaching is distinct from doing. Teaching methodology can be discussed from a variety of academic and practical perspectives. Most of what I've learned about effective pedagogy, over three decades of teaching experience, could probably be summarized in a few pages. Effective running of a teaching business, a few more pages. Collectively, maybe a chapter.

phil b wrote:Ha ha… you seem a little sensitive. Not exactly noble eh.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-revi ... 1499122519

Yeah he is a little sensitive - our e-mail exchange after I posted this review was rather funny to me. Almost immediately Jonathan asked me to change my star rating so he wouldn't have to worry so much about a drop in sales. Later, he asked me to remove the review entirely because his sales were hurting. A second, updated edition is not a bad idea. I tried to give it to my local library but they were just going to sell it. I've since passed it around to a few of my local practice partners and almost everyone says the first part is almost unreadable.

Bao wrote:You need to sell it better. Just “I am great, just read my marvelous book”, doesn’t do it for me.

But he is an bestselling author But then the publisher would probably promote the book?