Living the martial way: a manual for the way a modern warrior should think

321 Pages·1992·62.022 MB·English

by  Morgan, Forrest E

LIVING
ΊΠF F
MARTIAL
WAY
A Manual for the Way a Modern
Warrior Should Think
FORREST E. MORGAN, MAJ, USAF
B A R R I C A D E B O O K S
To the noblest warrior ľve ever known,
my father
Published by Barricade Books Inc.
185 Bridge Plaza North
Suite 3O8-A
Fort Lee, NJ 07024
Copyright © 1992 by Forrest E. Morgan
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or trans­
mitted in any form, by any means, including mechanical, electronic, photo­
copying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the
publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection
with a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, or broadcast.
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Morgan, Forrest E.
Living the martial way: a manual for the way a modern warrior should think /
Forrest E. Morgan
ISBN 0-942637-61-5
ISBN 0-942637-76-3 (pbk)
1. Martial arts. 2. Martial arts—Training. I. Title.
GV1101.M66 1992
796.8—dc2O 92-16969
CIP
15 14 13 12
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank all my friends in the martial arts whose con­
stant encouragement motivated me to write this book. I would
also like to thank all my instructors, past and present, for giving
me the technical foundation to undertake a project of this nature.
Finally, my deepest gratitude goes to my family, Susan, Samuel,
and Aubrey, who patiently endured the long months of neglect
while I labored over this manuscript.
I would like to express my special appreciation to the following
schools for allowing me to photograph their students and instruc­
tors: Gokyo Dojo and Sandia Budokan, Albuquerque, New
Mexico, Frederick Tart, Head Instructor; Hakkosen Dojo, Aurora,
Colorado, Dennis Palumbo, Head Instructor; The Korean
Academy of Taekwon-Do, Aurora, Colorado, Jae T Chung, Head
Instructor; Runes Kung Fu Institute, Parker, Colorado, J.T.
Runes, Head Instructor.

C O N T E N T S
Foreword 1
INTRODUCTION 3
Background on the Martial Arts 5
Martial Arts, Martial Ways, and The Martial Way 9
Why Practice The Martial Way Today? 10
The Design of This Book 11
PART ONE: THE WAYOF TRAINING
Chapter 1: The Warrior Mind-Set 17
Getting the Mind-Set ....24
Acknowledge Your Warriorship 25
Pursue Internal Versus External Objectives 27
Chapter 2: Your Martial Destiny 33
Doctrine, Strategy, and Tactics 36
Choose Your Strategic Foundations 40
Analyze the Threat 41
Evaluate Your Physical and Emotional Assets 42
Select a Doctrine 43
The Pitfalls of Narrow Doctrine 44
Build Your Skills Around a Doctrinal Core 47
v
VI LIVING THE MARTIAL WAY
Chapter 3: Train as Warriors Train 51
Make Training a Daily Regimen 54
Employ Shugyo in your Training 56
Take Άjutsu Approach to Training 61
Chapter 4: The Warrior's Way of Strategy 75
Plan Your Strategy in Four Phases 79
Identify Your Strategic Objectives 79
Collect Intelligence 81
Plan for Environment 83
Program for Engagement 85
How to Develop Tactics 87
Read Your Opponent 98
Control the Fighting Range 90
Feint Effectively 92
Use Rhythm and Timing .....93
Avoid, Evade, and Intercept 95
Chapter 5: The Warrior's Spell Book 101
Kiai and Aiki ...103
Find Kokoro 107
Practice Haragei Ill
Develop Kokyn Chikara 116
Apply Kime 118
Practice Kata With Utmost Seriousness 122
Mushin—Mind Without Thinking 123
Zanshin—So Alert You Dominate 128
PART TWO: THE WAYOF HONOR
Chapter 6: The Foundations of Honor 137
The Basic Tenets of Honor 142
Obligation 143
Justice 144
LIVING THE MARTIAL WAY Vİİ
Courage 148
Honor and Face 149
Develop Your Own Sense of Honor 152
Chapter 7: Honor in Action 157
Putting Honor to Work 159
Truthfulness 159
Courtesy 161
Restraint 163
Loyalty 165
Service 170
Honor in the Fog of Life 171
Chapter 8: Revenge and Suicide: Perversions of Honor 177
The Forty-Seven Faithful Ronin 180
Revenge and the Scales of Honor 182
Suicide: Courage or Cowardice? 186
Standards for Planning Revenge and Suicide 188
PART THREE: THE WAY OF LIVING
Chapter 9: Warrior Fitness 195
The Great Sham of Modern Martial Arts 197
The Qualities of Warrior Fitness 199
Body Types and Muscle Physiology 205
The Three Pillars of Fitness 209
Train for Muscular Strength and Endurance 210
Condition for Aerobic Capacity 212
Develop Flexibility 217
Nutrition and Weight Control 220
Chapter 10: Religion and Mysticism 227
Eastern versus Western Religious Thought 229
The Principle Asian Religious Doctrines 231
Vlll LIVING THE MARTIAL WAY
Confucianism: The Way of the Sages 232
Taoism: In Pursuit of the One True Way 235
Buddhism: Following the Eightfold Path ....240
Shinto: The Way of the Kami 248
Mysticism and the Danger of Cults 252
Martial Arts Training and Religious Convictions 256
Chapter 11: The Warrior Stands Alone 261
The Three Keys to Warrior Dignity 264
Develop a Commanding Posture 265
Discover the Power of Physical Grace 268
Cultivate the Austere Quality oíShibumi 270
The Secret of Personal Power 274
Chapter 12: Mastery and The Martial Way 281
Mastery in The Martial Arts and Ways 286
Mastery in The Martial Way 291
Appendix A: Glossary 301
Appendix B: Selected Bibliography..... 309
F O R E W O R D
THE ASIAN MARTIAL ARTS are grounded in a rich heritage of
blood and honor, and they have a great deal to offer serious stu­
dents in today's dangerous world. Unfortunately, in most modern
schools that heritage has been lost. It seems that the modern
world and the marketing that drives it revolves around sport com­
petition. As a result, students in today's schools are only getting
the surface features of a deeply rooted tradition, and even older
styles of the traditional arts are gradually losing their historical
perspective. Sadly, with each new generation more is lost. This is a
bitter pill to swallow for traditionalists such as my teachers and
me, who have devoted our lives to preserving those legacies.
Unlike most modern martial artists, Forrest Morgan under­
stands and appreciates the rich heritage of martial arts tradition.
When I first met Mr. Morgan in early 1988, he already had more
than 15 years of training and experience in a particularly formal
style of Asian combat. But he was discouraged that his original
system, rigorous as it had once been, had given way to the pres­
sures of modern sport application, and he expressed a desire to
study the more traditional styles. I was impressed but a little skep­
tical of his willingness to begin again in an entirely new form of
martial art after having already attained considerable stature in his
primary art. But without hesitation, he strapped on a white belt
and began scrubbing mats along side beginners half his age.
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