Secrets Of Shotokan Karate

Reveals the origins and purpose of the art of shotokan. This book describes how karate was invented by the world's only unarmed bodyguards to protect the world's only unarmed king, the king of Okinawa, against Americans.

Lean the techniques, strategies and history of Japanese Shotokan Karate with this illustrated martial arts guide. Generously illustrated with over 700 clear photos, The Secrets of Shotokan Karate offers an in-depth look at the world's most popular martial art, with strategies, techniques, and drills to guide new students to proficiency and to help established practitioners excel. Sixth-degree black belt Robin Rielly provides a comprehensive guide to the fundamentals and theory of Shotokan, interwoven with relevant philosophy and historical context. This book offers expert instruction and a greater understanding and appreciation of the art. Topics covered include: basic physiological-psychological principles principles of physical movement elements of fighting sparring drills strategy kata

Introduction: My first book, Shotokan Myths, was published in 2010 and to my great pleasure it has received a lot of positive feedback from many readers. Some sent me emails and told me that this book gave them a different perspective to their training. One reader in Australia, Ms. Astrid Meid, called it her karate Bible which almost embarrassed me and here is what she wrote; "I have been using your book like a karate bible, I open any page and read from there, it has helped me to open my mind further as I try to understand and look beyond the meaning and continually question karate as such, in life, in spirit, and of course the techniques, I am find myself asking myself questions about technique applications and looking for any possible way to combat that technique, it is very good for me mentally. A great book, one of those that you can open any page, read just that page and then put the book down." Another reader from the UK, Ms. Moley Walsh, also gave me a very nice compliment; "I found this book to be the most educational karate book I have ever read. I found it extremely interesting and have learned so much more than I expected. I read this book in awe just by knowing that the information you have written must have taken you hundreds and hundreds of man hours to research to which you kindly decided to share with the rest of us karate-ka. It was a very enjoyable read and has given me plenty more to think about. All of your answers have turned into many more questions, but questions I never even thought about until now, and so this gives me even more to research. I thank you personally for the book and think that you have done an incredible job in putting all of this together. I do not have a bad thing to say about it. I was trying to see which chapter I enjoyed the most, but I don't have one, I simply could not put the book down." Those readers realized there were many "facts" and "truths" that were hidden or taken for granted and those subjects needed to be questioned. They said what I shared in the book made sense. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the readers who took time to read my first book as well as those who purchased this one which covers many other subjects that I could not put in my first book. My second book, Shotokan Mysteries, contains the following interesting subjects. Chapter 1. Funakoshi's New Techniques Chapter 2. The Mysteries of Heian Kata Chapter 3. Heian Bunkai Mysteries Chapter 4. Mikazuki Geri, An Extinct Kick? Chapter 5. Disparity Between Kata And Kumite Chapter 6. Why Uchi Uke? Chapter 7. Does Shotokan Lack Circular Techniques? Chapter 8. Straight Techniques in Circular Movements Chapter 9. Unstable Balance Chapter 10. Gravitation, Your Enemy? Chapter 11. Karate Master Chapter 12. Shu Ha Ri Chapter 13. Tenketsu Jutsu (Dim mak) Epilogue: The Last Samurai I cannot believe that three years have passed since the publication of Shotokan Myths. Many have been asking for my second book and I wanted to publish this much sooner but it took three years. Those were very busy years but also exciting and productive ones for me. Let me talk a little about myself and some of the experiences from my early days. During my early years of training I was like those readers who wrote and shared their karate lives with me. I was a diligent and blindly dedicated student who never questioned. When a sensei said jump", my response was "How high?" Of course, the only answer we could give to a sensei in Japan was "Osu". As I got older and had my own students, many questions came to mind. But I had no place to go or anyone knowledgeable to ask so I had to do my own investigation and research. For the first time I started to look into the history of Okinawan karate as well as the teaching of other styles. My interest expanded beyond Karate and my research went into Ki and various Chinese m

This invaluable martial arts philosophy handbook presents ancient wisdom for contemporary readers. Secrete Tactics contains brilliant new interpretations of fundamental works of strategy and martial arts tactics by Miyamoto Musashi, Gichin Funakoshi, Yamamoto Tsunetomo, and various martial arts tomes. It distills the important teachings on leadership, character and values found in those books. Readers will unlock the secrets of their art and of themselves. These and a dozen other essays on strategy, combat tactics, psychology, leadership, good character, and the exercise of power, make Secret Tactics an indispensable resource for students of Asian culture, martial artists, and corporate executives.

This book details the "problems" with Karate as it is taught today. Unlike most other books of this genre, it details exactly how to remedy these problems. Russell Stutely takes you on a step by step guide to really make your Martial Arts work.

When creating karate kata, the Okiniwan masters included deadly techniques targeting vital points. But they kept these techniques secret from outsiders, and when karate was exported to Japan, it appears they chose not to pass on their full knowledge of vital-point striking. Here Ashley Croft demystifies this hidden corner of the art and explores its practical application. This book offers historical perspectives on the evolution of karate, the possible intentions of the ancient masters, and the development of vital-point striking, as well as the location and description of the pressure points, and the practical application of pressure-point strikes.

Master Korean Karate, also called Tae-Kwon Do, with this expert martial arts guide. This book is one of the first of its kind on Tae-Kwon Do (Korean Karate). Karate practitioners who recognize this to be the only work to cover Free Fighting techniques recognize this as a vital resource Illustrated with nearly 1,000 photographs, the systematic and scientific approach of the application of each karate move in Free Style Fighting with WHEN, WHERE, WHY, and HOW should help karate competitors everywhere design and master their moves to suit them best in competition matches. In this martial arts book, the pin-point explanation of the advantages and disadvantages of each move, analyzed step by step from many different offensive, defensive, and counterattacking angles, can also guide readers to manage with it to be adjustable to the individualistic tastes and characteristics of any karate style, regardless of their differences.

The Essence of Okinawan Karate-Do presents the teachings of legendary martial arts master Shoshin Nagamine, founder of the Matsubayashi school of Shorin-ryu karate-do. Used for generations as a practical and pictorial guide, it contains over 1,000 photographs to document eighteen classic karate kata (preset forms) and seven yakusoku kumite (prearranged partner exercises), as well as basic techniques. This book is a precise and easily accessible pictorial guide to performance and perfection of traditional karate. The only book in English with photos of one of the great prewar masters demonstrating the proper execution of Okinawan karate, The Essence of Okinawan Karate-Do is a bridge between karate's legendary past and the practitioners of today. This ingenious and imaginative text explains the historical landmarks in the development of style, vividly outlines its leading forms and techniques, and recalls noted Okinawan karate men of the past, including the author's teachers Ankichi Arakaki, Choki Motobu, and Chotoku Kyan.