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Post by AngelaG on Feb 11, 2005 13:41:11 GMT
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Post by charmin on Feb 11, 2005 17:07:52 GMT
Book of Five Rings is supposed to be good.
Art of War (which I can't stand) most people swear by.
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Post by bunkaiseeker on Feb 11, 2005 20:07:58 GMT
"Bunkai Jutsu" and "Karate's Grappling Methods" by Iain Abernethy should definitely go onto this list.
"27 Shotokan Karate Kata" by Albrecht Pflüger (originally German, there is also an English edition; older editions were called 26 Shotokan Karate Kata) is very good for reference with hand drawn diagrams of the kata sequence. This is more or less "the" book all German-speaking Shotokaners swear by. Unfortunately the publisher tanked about a year ago and the book is out of stock. There have been some rumours of republishing it but so far nothing has been forthcoming. Maybe if you can get one on ebay... The bunkai is admittedly crap but I have yet to find something more handy as a reference tool for the kata sequence. Beats all the books with lots of photos in them hands down.
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Post by charmin on Feb 11, 2005 23:03:04 GMT
I saw bunkai jitsu on Amazon the other day, but I'm assuming it's for Shotokan kata only. It doesn't say on the listing  |
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Post by shotopants on Feb 12, 2005 15:14:32 GMT
Most of the stuff that I have read and found most applicable to my Shotokan studies have been non-Shotokan books.
What I think I'm trying to say is the IA's work should be able to offer you something whatever style/system you practice.
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Post by Sionnagh on Feb 14, 2005 7:00:30 GMT
Aside from those already listed and mentioned: - Karate-do Nyumon by Gichin Funakoshi. While it frequently seems to be overshadowed by Kyohan, it contains a lot of good information. - Analysis of Shaolin Chin Na by Dr Jwing-Ming Yang. Chin Na is the study of how to control your opponent using methods ranging from joint locks to attacking vital points. - The Essence of Okinawan Karate-do by Shoshin Nagamine. This book presents the teachings of Nagamine, founder of the Matsubayashi school of Shorin Ryu. - Classical Kata of Okinawan Karate by Patrick McCarthy. A bit dated now perhaps but still contains a few gems of information. - Kobou Jizai Goshin-jutsu Karate Kenpo (The Free Self-defence Art of Karate Kenpo) by Kenwa Mabuni, translation by Mario McKenna. Mabuni was one of the most prolific writers on karate-do but few of his works have been translated into english.  Mick |
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Post by bunkaiseeker on Feb 17, 2005 12:25:22 GMT
I saw bunkai jitsu on Amazon the other day, but I'm assuming it's for Shotokan kata only. It doesn't say on the listing No, Bunkai Jutsu is not "Shotokan only". IIRC, Iain Abernethy comes from Wado Ryu originally. In his books he uses the Pinan Kata and Kushanku (Kanku Dai), Wanshu (Empi),... but I find that they are similar enough to translate well into the shotokanized forms. The books are NOT a list of "Kata X, sequence 1 is this and that, sequence 2 is this other thing, sequence 3 is... etc". His books focus more on principles of fighting and using these principles to find and judge bunkai. The specific bunkai shown are used as examples of theses principles. I think you will find the books applicable to whatever style you practice. |
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Post by Aefibird on Feb 19, 2005 18:09:00 GMT
Bruce Lee's The Tao of Jeet Kune Do is interesting reading, and a bit of a "must-have" for any Bruce fan (which I'm not, but I liked the book anyway!)
Bushido: The Way of the Samurai by Tsunetomo Yamamoto
Throws For Strikers by Ian Abernethy (along with anything else he's written IMO!)
Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere: An Illustrated Introduction by Adele Westbrook & Oscar Ratti.
A great book for anyone even remotely interested in Aikido.
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Post by AngelaG on Feb 20, 2005 17:36:22 GMT
Thanks for the suggestions guys!
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Post by Aefibird on Mar 3, 2005 16:05:37 GMT
No probs!  |
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Post by AngelaG on Mar 16, 2005 13:37:51 GMT
I'd be really grateful if any of you want to write any reviews for the books you have listed (I am wary about recommending books that I have not read, unless accompanied by some sort of recommendation). I have started writing some reviews for the books already up there (assisted greatly by Martyn Harris sensei) and on our reviews we have put a little score system at the bottom which consists of:
Content X/10
Presentation X/10.
Value for Money X/10
Regards
Angela
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Post by ajay on May 27, 2005 11:10:17 GMT
For Shotokan students (primarily) I would recommend Five Years One Kata by Bill Burgar for a really in-depth look at Goju Shiho Sho kata.
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Post by AngelaG on May 30, 2005 10:50:31 GMT
I've just bought Harry Cook's "Shotokan Karate; A Precise History". I've only had the time to have a quick look but I am quite interested just by the little glances I have had. I shall have to allocate the time to sit down with a nice mug of tea and a bisuit and have an indepth read. |
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Post by RigsVille on May 31, 2005 14:04:12 GMT
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Post by Aefibird on Jun 3, 2005 11:11:27 GMT
I liked Angry White Pyjama's and found it to be a really entertaining read. I bought the book ages ago and passed it round to various members of my dojo. Those of us 'in the know' now refer to our gi as our "angry white pyjamas". Robert Twigger has written a couple of other books too but AWP is the best of them all.
Even though I've heard on the grapevine that his (Twigger's) Aikido was poor and he only just scraped though the course, kudos to him for even attempting it in the first place. My old Aikido Sensei trained in that particular dojo in Japan and used to always refer to the instructors there as "those sadistic b******s in Tokyo".
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