In this guide, author John Hennessy presents a concise, to-the-point volume on martial arts written from the perspective of prospective students to help make sense of complicated routines that remained reserved for senior martial arts students. "The Essence of Martial Arts" is an easy-to-read instructional guide to mastering the more difficult maneuvers and then applying them to real-world scenarios. You may be new to martial arts, experienced, or somewhere in between. Perhaps you've never been to a dojo, dojang or kwoon, or perhaps you spend a large portion of your time at one of them. Whatever the case, you will be able to pick up the elements of martial arts quickly and put them to use. This guide covers the basics, but also addresses more specific approaches for fighting and self-defense. So jump right in. With good guidance, it's not difficult to achieve excellence in martial arts if you absolutely commit to doing so.