| | Advanced Karate - Kata | The Way of Kata - A Comprehensive Guide for Deciphering Martial Applications'The Way of Kata' is a thoughtful, thorough and informative analysis of the 'hidden' fighting applications of kata. This superb book is essential reading for all those who wish to understand the highly effective techniques, concepts and strategies that the katas were created to record. | |
| | Bushi Jutsu by Darren Westwood and Andrew Paskin Bushi-Jutsu, The Science of the Warrior bridges the gap between the Kata of old Okinawa, following the influence of the feudal Japanese militia and that which is taught in today's dojo as 'effective' self-defence. The distressing reality, for most Kata bunkai students, is that there is very little 'real' application in the world today, outside Japan. That which is taught as 'bunkai' tends to be Monkey See - Monkey Do - very few really understand the highly technical and effective nature of this 'secret' part of karate. This book doesn't just uncover the brutal nature of karate Kata application, it literally rips the shroud of secrecy from around it and cleaves the mystery from it. A pragmatic, gritty and realistic analysis of Kata bunkai. |  |
 | Bunkai Jutsu by Iain AbernethyBunkai Jutsu is extremely well done. Iain Abernethy is one of the few authors who truly understands and is able to communicate that martial arts are at their core about combat. Kata is not dance practice nor is it aerobic training (though that may be a legitimate side benefit of performing it). It is the fundamental basis of a fighting art. Bunkai are the kata applications practitioners can use for real-life self-defense. Abernethy provides an easy to read approach to understanding and utilizing these applications. If you know how to decipher them, all aspects of fighting can be found in kata, including kicking, striking, grappling, strangling, pressure point techniques, and throwing applications. The contents of this impressive tome include a brief history of Kata, a treatise on the nature of real fighting, Iain's rules of bunkai (how to figure out what the Kata is telling you), pre-emptive striking, entrance and exit techniques, ground fighting, the "true" use of blocks, the purpose of stances, kata-based sparring, and much more. This is all stuff you can use in real life combat. The section on vital points is illuminating. Iain Abernethy holds a godan (5th degree black belt) in applied karate from the British Combat Association, one of the world's leading groups for close-quarter combat and practical martial arts. He is also a yodan (4th degree black belt) in Wado-Ryu karate (English Karate Governing Body), a member of the Combat Hall of Fame, and a former national level kata judge in the UK. He is the author of four books on applied karate: Bunkai-Jutsu: The Practical Application of Karate Kata, Throws for Strikers: The Forgotten Throws of Karate, Boxing, and Taekwondo, Karate's Grappling Methods, and Arm-Locks for All Styles. | |
| | Five Years, One Kata: Putting Kata Back at the Heart of Karate by Bill Burgar This book gives the reader a unique insight into an five-year study of a single kata (Gojushiho). It shows the depth that is waiting to be discovered by the close study of kata, covering a range of subjects including: imagery the psychology of confrontation the common acts of physical violence vital points and how to exploit them the methodology for the break-down and understanding of kata the applications of the kata the principles of karate and how to apply them the applications (in detail) for each of the movements of Gojushiho the major variations of each application objective measurements regarding their practicality and how to link the applications together
The author also explains how to undertake your own study using a single kata of your choice, and how to build a training regime based on the kata. If you have ever wondered what kata is really all about then this book is for you. When karate was a secret art, practiced in the back yards of Okinawa by a few dedicated masters and their disciples, it was usual to train in a single kata for many years. A master of karate would know just one, two or possibly three kata. Through the deep study of those few kata the master karateka would possess a complete self-defence system, he would be well versed in the underlying principles of karate and he would have a memory aid which would map out his complete training regime. Over the last century the practice of a single kata has disappeared from karate practice. The deep understanding of a few kata has been replaced by the superficial understanding of many. This book shows you in great detail how to recover that understanding and how to put kata back at the heart of karate |  |
 | Advanced Shotokan Karate Kata by John van WeenanIntended for both instructor and pupil, this guide to the most popular style of karate in Europe covers the three basic concepts of karate training. Bassai-Dai, Chinte, Jion, Jitte, Tekki Shodan, Tekki Nidan and Tekki Sanda are all covered in depth. Eliminating directional problems has been overcome by 'The Compass System', and this book should prove beneficial to student and instructor alike. It also contains ' Shoto Niju Kun' (Shoto's 20 Precepts), The Ten Elements of Kata, as taught by Kanazawa Sensei and a selection of profound, relevant quotations. This volume concludes with one of Sensei van Weenen's favourite Japanese stories, that of the young boy desperately wanting to become the finest swordsman in the land! | |
| | The Advanced Shotokan Karate Handbook by Gursharan SahotaFollowing the success of his first book, The Shotokan Karate Handbook -- Beginner to Black Belt, the author felt there was a need for a manual to assist the more experienced student. Therefore, he has concentrated on more advanced techniques such as Kihon lppon Kumite, Jiyu lppon Kumite sets 6 and 7, and all the remaining Katas in Shotokan Karate. It is important that Karate Ka are aware that time, effort and practice are still the main factors in working towards perfecting not only one's skills but also one's inner mind and attitudes towards the art. This book is meant as a guide to Karate Ka -- it cannot take the place of your Sensei (teacher). |  |
 | Understanding Kata and Bunkai - Karate's Grappling Methods by Iain AbernethyThis book looks at Karate's grappling techniques and principles - as recorded within the Karate katas (forms) - and shows how they can be realistically applied in a fighting situation. Karate's close range methods have largely been neglected since the advent of modern competition. If you wish to practice karate as an effective system of fighting - you need to read this book! Karate's Grappling Methods covers the following topics: Understanding Kata & Bunkai, The role of grappling in self-defence, Close range strikes, Throws & takedowns, Ground fighting, Chokes & Strangles, Arm locks, Leg & ankle locks, Neck wrenches, Finger locks, Wrist locks, Fighting dirty?, Combinations and Live grappling drills. Karate's Grappling Methods contains approx 400 easy to follow black and white photographs. The information contained within this book will enable you to practice Karate as the effective and complete art that its founders intended it to be. If you want to know what kata is really all about, you simply have to get this book! | |
| | Karate Kata Applications by Aidan Trimble and Vince Morris |  |
|
ESKA Open Day Results Part of the English Shotokan Karate Association 
2006 Calendar
