Sharp Spear, Crystal Mirror: Martial Arts in Women's Lives - Softcover

Hoppe, Stephanie T.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0892816627 ISBN 13: 9780892816620

Publisher: Park Street Press, 1998

Synopsis

· Twenty-four women martial artists discuss the physical and spiritual challenges of martial arts training and how it helps bring meaning and purpose to their lives

· Women aged 12 to 83 are interviewed on the importance and meaning of martial arts in their lives.

· Explores in-depth why many women are dedicating themselves to the martial arts.

· An inspiration for anyone concerned with enhancing the physical, spiritual, and social dimensions of life, and for those interested in women's self-defense and safety.

Sharp Spear, Crystal Mirror explores in depth how, why, and to what effect considerable numbers of women are dedicating themselves to the martial arts. The twenty-four women interviewed here discuss the physical and spiritual challenges of martial arts training and how it helps to bring meaning and purpose to their lives. Their disciplines include T'ai Chi Ch'uan, Aikido, Capoeira, Wing Chun, Judo, Kajukenbo, Jujutsu, Tae Kwon Do, Karate, and Kung Fu, and their backgrounds are equally diverse. Some were accomplished athletes before beginning, while others had never been comfortable with their physical bodies until discovering the martial arts. All have received deep spiritual nourishment through their practice, integrating and healing their bodies and minds as well as enriching community bonds. Those interested in women's studies will find a wonderful sample of contemporary American women who speak articulately about the forces that have shaped their lives.

About this title

Review

Would you be afraid of a woman with a sixth-degree black belt in Aikido? You shouldn't be, not because she couldn't hurt you (she probably could), but because she may turn out to be the best teacher you've ever had. In Sharp Spear, Crystal Mirror, seasoned writer Stephanie T. Hoppe conducts interviews with over 20 remarkable women who have not only excelled in martial arts but have adopted them (or been adopted by them) as a particular path to self-transformation. While many of these women are considered masters of their art, all of them have become masters of themselves--centered, articulate, creative, healthy, and compassionate. The wellspring of this wholeness appears to be the challenge, the camaraderie, and the continuous insights that one gains from dedicated practice of an art form that demands focused attention on what one teacher calls "being both gentle and strong at the same time." Sharing their experiences, we learn how martial arts can transform a person and how martial artists can begin to transform society through leadership and self-development training. --Brian Bruya

From the Author

Stephanie T. Hoppe coedited a two-volume anthology on women's relationships with animals and the natural world entitled With a Fly's Eye, Whale's Wit and Woman's Heart and And a Deer's Ear, Eagle's Song, and Bear's Grace. Her many stories and interviews have been widely published, and she has written several science fiction novels. She lives in Ukiah, California, where she teaches T'ai Chi Ch'uan at the White Cloud Women's T'ai Chi School.

About this edition

• Publisher: Park Street Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0892816627
• ISBN 13: 9780892816620
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320