Lessons in the Art of War

by Sprague, Martina

• ISBN13: 9780804840972
• ISBN10: 0804840970
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-10-10
• Publisher: Tuttle Pub

Summary

War is a human activity, not one that is limited by geographic location. And the principles of war are the same, regardless of place or number of participants. An army of ten thousand engaged in battle uses the same basic strategies that two people in single combat will utilize. In Lessons in the Art of War,author Martina Sprague explores the writings of both Sun Tzu, the famous Chinese military strategist, and Carl von Clausewitz, the European military genius. Despite the differences in time period, geographic location and culture, both Sun Tzu and von Clausewitz had achieved extraordinary understanding of human nature and how that relates to combat. Sprague takes the similarities and differences in their respective strategies and distills them down to their essence for martial artists to understand and incorporate into their personal practices.

Author Biography

Martina Sprague is the author of numerous books on the martial arts and military strategy, including The Complete Martial Arts Student, Strength and Power Training for Martial Arts and Norse Warfare. She holds a Masters in Military History from Norwich University and has over twenty years of experience in Asian and Western martial arts.

Table of Contents

Introduction to Asian and Western Military Thought	p. 6
The Nature and Conduct of Combat	p. 17
What is Combat?	p. 36
Preparing for Battle	p. 53
Elements of Tactics and Strategy	p. 72
Imposing Your Will	p. 90
Destroying the Enemy Force	p. 109
Strength of the Defensive Position	p. 126
Failure	p. 143
Moral Quality of Courage	p. 164
Securing Victory	p. 180
Conclusion	p. 198
Notes	p. 202
Bibliography	p. 218
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