Post by kensei on Aug 13, 2012 13:34:00 GMT
Whenever I get some extra cash I go trawling for books on ebay and chapters.com to see if I can find a gem that is relatively cheap and still a book I don’t have yet. …which is very difficult because as My wife says to her friends…I buy books…lots of books!
My home Dojo is adjacent to my office, which is basically a storage area for Dojo gear, old gi’s and books…lots and lots of books. I have the best Karate series…twice…just incase you know! I have my Dynamic Karate text that has been signed by a half dozen masters, some I will never meet again…and the thousands of books that sit in the book shelves piled high on subjects from Judo to Karate, from Aikido to Kendo and about two dozen other martial arts. Medical books sit next to massage texts, Books I printed off the net sit next to books I spent hundreds of bucks on! And they all seem to hold up the equal amount of dust!
I often go and pull a text out and review the writing before I plan a seminar or I will grab Tanakas book for inspiration before a big class on Kumite! But I almost always rip through a book a week reviewing them randomly to keep my brain working hard on different aspects of Karate. Recently (last few years) I have been made aware that Kanazawa has three books that he had re-released or released and I wanted them so bad….first one I got almost ended that however. I bought the “Black belt Karate: the intensive course” and was hyper to get it! I had a very small “Kanku dai” book that my instructor is letting me house for him and its nice, but I wanted the “INTENSIVE COURSE” and wanted it bad. I ordered it through Chapters and waited!...and waited…the waiting was making the book seem so much more important and fantastical that I was like a kid in a candy shop….and when it came I ripped open the package and rushed to read it….several minutes in…I realized it was a FLOP!
The book title is very deceiving, it’s a “How to be a while belt” kind of book with his version of Kihon and some kumite and Kata but nothing like a “BLACK BELT INTENSIVE TRAINING” book should be. I think I got one warm up exercise I had not seen out of the book and it was pretty much a huge let down. The name should be “Karate for beginners” not “BLACK BELT INTENSIVE TRAINING”!
Fast forwards a year and I was sitting at my computer looking for another birthday gift to myself and up pops “Karate fighting techniques” By Kanazawa. One of the few books Chapters had for sale that I did not already own…..the pull to buy was off set by the recognition that I was burned and burned bad last year! I had one of those minutes were I just sat looking at the screen wondering if it was worth it. I contemplated for a long time looking over and seeing my copy of “THE INTENSIVE COURSE” atop my pile of “Don’t bother reading” books. But I had the urge, I was drawn in by the cover and write up and read the blurb about the book and went ahead and bought it!
I was not going to buy a NEW books so I went ahead
and ordered a used book. It was not a bad idea I felt as it saved me about $20 on the book and even if it was a bit beat up it should still have the right info I wanted in the book….unless some Moron tore out pages! It took a bit of time to get again, but three weeks later it was at my front door and I again rushed to rip open the book and start reading.
It was NOT what I expected again…but this time it was a bit better in ways. I don’t think I expected a book on kumite techniques like Tanaka put out, with the different tricks and Kumite techniques to win fights, because to be frank Kanazawa never struck me as the tournament kind of fighter that Tanaka, Yahara and others were, he was a more meat and potatoes basic fighter that earned wins back when basics and strong kumite spirit won out! It was not until years later that the fast tag style of kumite became the norm! However, I did expect some great strategy from the older masters of Karate…and got something totally different!......In a good way!
What it lacks in flash and explosive techniques it makes up for in solid Kumite training. Basic sparring, intermediate training and even advanced training ideas. The book is chalk full of technical knowledge on real kumite and on a much more basic interpretation of Kumite than other books. Its easy to follow, has some historical info and even some interesting tid bits that I managed to pull from it that proved a few theories of my own about Funakoshi and Kumite.
Is the book worth grabbing, heck yah! The lay out is very easy to follow and it is very logical, from the most basic form of Kumite, with some basics to give you a push in the fight direction, to the most advanced training kumite! The book does not offer the flash that the instructor shows in his cover photo with a back kick bent over to the face of the buy standing pretty much ontop of him….but its solid and much better than the other book I have purchased from his three book collection.
Fighting techniques is good for students from yellow belt (or a fairly advanced white belt) through black belt and is very good review and even an in depth study of the basic styles of Kumite and more advanced forms as well. Kanazawa produced a solid book here that really gets to the roots of Kumite and builds off of that.
The book takes on subjects that most Dojos don’t practice due to time and limited education of the instructors. The JKA has done away with some styles of Kumite and never dipped into others. The book however does cover off on some unique styles of Kumite like Koso Kumite, Kaeshi Ippon Kumite and Okuri Jiyu ippon kumite…..normally we see books cover sanbon, ippon and Jiyu Kumite and perhaps Jiyu ippon kumite, but this book delves a bit deeper into styles of sparring that are often over looked and under practiced.
Kanazawa also dedicates a section to Rei and etiquette in Kumite, but the book is more about education in Kumite! Its not going to revolutionize Kumite practice, but the explanations of Kumite for learning and not just for earning shinny medals is refreshing and Kanazawa sensei keeps out, for the most part, the elements of NON-Karate he is known for in favor of solid Kumite training.
Would I buy another Kanazawa book based on the first two I recently purchases. Yes, I think that Karate fighting techniques saved Kanazawa from being known for writing horrible books like the first one I bought. And to be frank, the first book was well thought out as well, but marketed as an advanced book when you have chapter by chapter of basics and how to front kick to get for your bucks!
I can say that my next few classes will revolve around using the less seen kumite styles that I am reading about and I will be joining in to enjoy the training a bit more with the info I gathered from this book!
J
My home Dojo is adjacent to my office, which is basically a storage area for Dojo gear, old gi’s and books…lots and lots of books. I have the best Karate series…twice…just incase you know! I have my Dynamic Karate text that has been signed by a half dozen masters, some I will never meet again…and the thousands of books that sit in the book shelves piled high on subjects from Judo to Karate, from Aikido to Kendo and about two dozen other martial arts. Medical books sit next to massage texts, Books I printed off the net sit next to books I spent hundreds of bucks on! And they all seem to hold up the equal amount of dust!
I often go and pull a text out and review the writing before I plan a seminar or I will grab Tanakas book for inspiration before a big class on Kumite! But I almost always rip through a book a week reviewing them randomly to keep my brain working hard on different aspects of Karate. Recently (last few years) I have been made aware that Kanazawa has three books that he had re-released or released and I wanted them so bad….first one I got almost ended that however. I bought the “Black belt Karate: the intensive course” and was hyper to get it! I had a very small “Kanku dai” book that my instructor is letting me house for him and its nice, but I wanted the “INTENSIVE COURSE” and wanted it bad. I ordered it through Chapters and waited!...and waited…the waiting was making the book seem so much more important and fantastical that I was like a kid in a candy shop….and when it came I ripped open the package and rushed to read it….several minutes in…I realized it was a FLOP!
The book title is very deceiving, it’s a “How to be a while belt” kind of book with his version of Kihon and some kumite and Kata but nothing like a “BLACK BELT INTENSIVE TRAINING” book should be. I think I got one warm up exercise I had not seen out of the book and it was pretty much a huge let down. The name should be “Karate for beginners” not “BLACK BELT INTENSIVE TRAINING”!
Fast forwards a year and I was sitting at my computer looking for another birthday gift to myself and up pops “Karate fighting techniques” By Kanazawa. One of the few books Chapters had for sale that I did not already own…..the pull to buy was off set by the recognition that I was burned and burned bad last year! I had one of those minutes were I just sat looking at the screen wondering if it was worth it. I contemplated for a long time looking over and seeing my copy of “THE INTENSIVE COURSE” atop my pile of “Don’t bother reading” books. But I had the urge, I was drawn in by the cover and write up and read the blurb about the book and went ahead and bought it!
I was not going to buy a NEW books so I went ahead
and ordered a used book. It was not a bad idea I felt as it saved me about $20 on the book and even if it was a bit beat up it should still have the right info I wanted in the book….unless some Moron tore out pages! It took a bit of time to get again, but three weeks later it was at my front door and I again rushed to rip open the book and start reading.
It was NOT what I expected again…but this time it was a bit better in ways. I don’t think I expected a book on kumite techniques like Tanaka put out, with the different tricks and Kumite techniques to win fights, because to be frank Kanazawa never struck me as the tournament kind of fighter that Tanaka, Yahara and others were, he was a more meat and potatoes basic fighter that earned wins back when basics and strong kumite spirit won out! It was not until years later that the fast tag style of kumite became the norm! However, I did expect some great strategy from the older masters of Karate…and got something totally different!......In a good way!
What it lacks in flash and explosive techniques it makes up for in solid Kumite training. Basic sparring, intermediate training and even advanced training ideas. The book is chalk full of technical knowledge on real kumite and on a much more basic interpretation of Kumite than other books. Its easy to follow, has some historical info and even some interesting tid bits that I managed to pull from it that proved a few theories of my own about Funakoshi and Kumite.
Is the book worth grabbing, heck yah! The lay out is very easy to follow and it is very logical, from the most basic form of Kumite, with some basics to give you a push in the fight direction, to the most advanced training kumite! The book does not offer the flash that the instructor shows in his cover photo with a back kick bent over to the face of the buy standing pretty much ontop of him….but its solid and much better than the other book I have purchased from his three book collection.
Fighting techniques is good for students from yellow belt (or a fairly advanced white belt) through black belt and is very good review and even an in depth study of the basic styles of Kumite and more advanced forms as well. Kanazawa produced a solid book here that really gets to the roots of Kumite and builds off of that.
The book takes on subjects that most Dojos don’t practice due to time and limited education of the instructors. The JKA has done away with some styles of Kumite and never dipped into others. The book however does cover off on some unique styles of Kumite like Koso Kumite, Kaeshi Ippon Kumite and Okuri Jiyu ippon kumite…..normally we see books cover sanbon, ippon and Jiyu Kumite and perhaps Jiyu ippon kumite, but this book delves a bit deeper into styles of sparring that are often over looked and under practiced.
Kanazawa also dedicates a section to Rei and etiquette in Kumite, but the book is more about education in Kumite! Its not going to revolutionize Kumite practice, but the explanations of Kumite for learning and not just for earning shinny medals is refreshing and Kanazawa sensei keeps out, for the most part, the elements of NON-Karate he is known for in favor of solid Kumite training.
Would I buy another Kanazawa book based on the first two I recently purchases. Yes, I think that Karate fighting techniques saved Kanazawa from being known for writing horrible books like the first one I bought. And to be frank, the first book was well thought out as well, but marketed as an advanced book when you have chapter by chapter of basics and how to front kick to get for your bucks!
I can say that my next few classes will revolve around using the less seen kumite styles that I am reading about and I will be joining in to enjoy the training a bit more with the info I gathered from this book!
J
