Zen in the Martial Arts by Joe Hyams
Wendy Z Wednesday is a little different this week. Today I introduce “Books That Kick Ass,” an occasional feature about a book that impacted my life and that I think you’ll love, too.
Our first “Book That Kicks Ass” was written by someone who actually did kick some ass; he was, like me, both an author and martial artist. Zen in the Martial Arts by Joe Hyams is a book I discovered around 30 years ago on my then-Sensei’s bookshelf when I was training in Tae Kwon Do. I borrowed it, devoured it from cover to cover within a few hours (it’s a great, quick read), and ended up getting my own copy that I could underline and mark up. I still pull it out for inspiration from time to time, and its format was one of my inspirations for my own book, Jump in the Holes.
Joe Hyams was born and raised in Massachusetts and became a successful syndicated columnist in Los Angeles in the 1950s and ’60s. He frequently interviewed the leading Hollywood stars of the time, including Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Katharine Hepburn, Frank Sinatra and Spencer Tracy. He first became involved in the martial arts while serving in the U.S. Army, where he said he was frequently targeted for being Jewish. In his civilian life as a writer, he continued training in the martial arts. He became a student of kenpo karate and studied Jeet Kune Do with Bruce Lee, as well as becoming proficient in many other martial arts disciplines. Hyams authored many books during his career, including Zen in the Martial Arts, published in 1979--a collection of philosophies and lessons learned from his many years of studying martial arts with Lee and others.
I’ve returned to Zen in the Martial Arts again and again over the years and bought copies for others, even those who’ve never studied the martial arts. Why? Because it’s not just about martial arts, but about life, philosophy, the mind-body connection, and much more. Many of its lessons, such as de-escalating situations, combating self-doubt, and dealing with difficult people, originated for Hyams in the dojo but are applicable to all of us in everyday life. Hyams may no longer be with us (he passed in 2008) but his timeless lessons live on in this classic little book of wisdom. I hope you check it out.
Stay tuned for more Books That Kick Ass; I’ll feature them occasionally.