ROUND EARTH PUBLISHING

Since 1996 we have provided resources related to Aikido / martial arts, and health.

We bring together an unusual selection of information beyond what is usually thought of as "martial arts," from verbal self-defense, to training tools, and sewing patterns for making your own uniforms and equipment. You will also find help in dealing with issues that may keep you sidelined at the dojo or in daily life including:

This simple test can determine the muscles that lurk
behind problems ranging from chronic headaches to shoulder pain.

New! Aikido Exercises for Teaching and Training

The 2nd edition is at the printer and available for pre-order at $19.95. This expanded, updated edition is bigger and better with many new exercises and illustrations. It ranges from putting on your first uniform and basic skills and drills, to exercises for practicing alone and applications in daily life. There is new information on safe rolling, the rationale behind safe and effective warming and stretching, the muscular origins of knee pain, back pain, and other common physical problems on the mat.

Pre-orders receive free U.S. shipping. You may phone, fax, e-mail (or mail checks/money orders) to the address at the bottom of this page or order from our online store.
If you want your book autographed by the author, let us know!

Sewing Patterns	If you're constantly wearing out hakama and gi knees in hard practice or ground work, why not make your own and make them better? Patterns are easy and educational whether for martial arts, anime/cosplay fans, or just fun and fashion. Our karate-style gi pattern offers the traditional-style gussetted crotch for freedom of movement. Hakama pattern is easy to make and match with our other classic pattern designs, including haori and tabi, hapi coat, the sleeveless jinbaori, or the samurai batwing kataginu jacket. We also offer patterns for several kimono, the popular kappogi (Mama-san apron), furnishings for home or dojo (including futon and pillows). Not sure you're up to making your own? Our *Budo Bear* pattern allows you to make gi pants, jacket, belt and hakama (and bear!) at a smaller, more manageable scale. Construction techniques are the same as those used in adult-sized garments. The finished items will fit teddy bear or budo baby.
Pain Relief Myofascial Pain Amazingly common, rarely recognized Head and Neck Pain Muscular origins of sinus and migraine Muscle-Related Diagnoses Not all in your head! List of Entrapments Which pinched nerve? ROM Testing Finding the entrapper	Does sword work (or computer work or too much time on the phone) give you headaches? Do your knees hurt -- for no reason that shows up on MRI -- when you walk or kneel? Four different reasons for knee and thigh pain are shown here. Four different muscles, four different pain patterns. Every martial artist who hurts (and their friends and families) should know about myofascial pain -- how to identify it, test it, fix it. Muscles and fascia (connective tissues) are the most common causes of these and many other common aches and pains. Myofascial pain patterns are remarkably consistent, but can also be confusingly similar. ROM tests distinguish overlapping pain patterns, allowing you to differentiate between problems caused by different muscles. They can also locate problem areas where pain symptoms have not yet appeared. Students often want to skip warm-ups to get to the "good stuff" but these tests demonstrate the importance of limbering and stretching while helping instructors keep their students safe. Learn the pain patterns referred by muscle and fascia, and the specific muscles that cause restriction and potential injury. Identify muscles involved with our Range-of-Motion Testing charts. Students of martial arts and yoga will find many of these tests to be strikingly similar to flexibility exercises done in class. For the exercises you can't do, these charts will tell you (or your doctor or therapist) why you can't do them -- and how to fix the problem. They identify the muscles most likely to restrict a specific motion whether it's high kicks or simply combing your hair. The simple Mouth Wraparound Test (shown at the top of this page) evaluates 11 different shoulder girdle muscles to reveal the source of mysterious shoulder and upper back pain. The Rectus Femoris Test scan actually save you from submission holds in BJJ, judo or wrestling. If you can't pass the ROM test shown below (at left), you will be forced to tap out quickly in the hold shown at right. You may also suffer persistent knee-cap pain at home and the office, especially while walking downstairs.
Health & Healing	If the pains above are too familiar, if you have fibromyalgia-like symptoms, aching muscles, chronic fatigue, and a consistently low body temperature, your metabolism may be low. Slow metabolism and a body temperature that runs just one degree low can be a big factor in chronic myofascial pain. Fatigue and mysterious weight gain (especially in women) are often dismissed as laziness, lack of exercise, or simple depression which is strongly linked to low thyroid. Many people have come to believe that low thyroid is the only cause of low body temperature and muscle pain. It is not. These symptoms are also strongly linked to B-vitamin deficiency, iron-deficiency anemia and other issues including chronic dehydration, inadequate calories, lack of exercise -- and head injury; see below). Meanwhile, make sure you're getting enough calories, nutrients, and exercise for healthy muscles, to support healthy metabolism and normalize your weight. DietPower is the best diet tracking software on the market. It sets goals, tracks 30+ nutrients and water consumed, calories burned, and calculates your basal metabolism. Try it out for free; demo version available on request with orders of any two items. Sometimes a large part of healing is simply being able to relax. Relax Deeply provides guided relaxation inspired by an ancient practice called yoga nidra. This proven methodology offers relief from the tensions and pressures of daily life, just as it has for centuries. See also Training Materials, below.
Head Injury & TBI I can no longer bear to watch America's Funniest Home Videos. They are mostly about children getting brain injuries. --Dr. Mary Lee Esty	Head injury is common in sports (not just martial arts!) and in daily life. Automobile accidents alone account for massive numbers of Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) from which many victims will never fully recover. Damage to adult brains can mean loss of professional skills, income, and relationships. Damage to children's brains may be unnoticed until the child begins school with a learning disability or ADD. Whether child or adult, these injuries can tear families apart. Part of the problem is a poor understanding of what brain injury means, what it involves. Damage on the mat is often ignored with the notion that it is necessary to "work through" the pain or disability "to toughen up." Unfortunately, adding more brain damage doesn't toughen anyone up. It just makes the damage worse. One of the most damaging medical superstitions around is this: If you didn't lose consciousness you're fine! Consciousness is managed by the brain stem. As demonstrated by the unfortunate Phineas Gage, it is quite possible to suffer severe injury with severe loss of basic human skills, massive personality changes, devastating physical symptoms (including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, depression, and metabolic slowing), without ever having lost consciousness. Look here for information on what is involved in concussion and TBI, what to avoid and what to do after injury. For those still caught in the aftermath of dysfunction and disability, look into the healing power of Neurofeedback. Find out why "nothing" on the MRI or X-ray does not mean that you are "fine" (or malingering). See what is needed for genuinely useful information on brain function or loss of it.
Training Materials	Our long-time favorite, Ki in Aikido: A Sampler of Ki Exercises, is now available in a larger, more extensive 2nd Edition including: Information on the physiology and biochemistry of proper breathing (or lack of it) and its impact on health. A brief history of modern biofeedback and neurofeedback based on the same yogic technologies that inspired the exercises you see here. New exercises, new teaching stories and essays. In particular, please see Stewart Johnson's gripping essay, Aikido of Ultimate Compassion. His story is the reason I finally sat down and got busy, it is what Aikido is all about. Thanks to Stewart and to all of you who helped make this edition a new reality. We also publish the best-selling Aikido Exercises for Teaching and Training . Additional ki exercises (and the physics and physiology behind them) are contained in "A Brief Ki Class." Includes tips and tools for training at the dojo or on your own. And, learn to fall and roll safely with Bruce Bookman's Ukemi videos.
Ordering	You can fax credit card orders to the number below or order securely on-line through our Yahoo! store. Please print and sign your name exactly as it appears on the card with correct billing address, delivery address, expiration date, and 3-digit verification code. If you prefer to use check or money order, just mail to the address below. You may also request a printed catalog or join our mailing list. Please note: We do not provide our mailing list or your personal information to anyone! Round Earth Publishing P.O. Box 157 Sewickley, PA 15143 Phone: 412-741-7286 FAX: 412-741-7287 URL: www.round-earth.com Send email (sales@round-earth.com)

Round Earth Publishing & Budo Bear Designs

Ordering