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

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.

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.

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.

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Linking the time when karate was a strictly Okinawan art of self-defense shrouded in the deepest secrecy and the present day, when it has become a martial art practiced throughout the world, is Gichin Funakoshi, the "Father of Karate-do." Out of modesty, he was reluctant to write this autobiography and did not do so until he was nearly ninety years of age. Trained in the Confucian classics, he was a schoolteacher early in life, but after decades of study under the foremost masters, he gave up his livelihood to devote the rest of his life to the propagation of the Way of Karate. Under his guidance, techniques and nomenclature were refined and modernized, the spiritual essence was brought to the fore, and karate evolved into a true martial art. Various forms of empty-hand techniques have been practiced in Okinawa for centuries, but due to the lack of historical records, fancy often masquerades as fact. In telling of his own famous teachers--and not only of their mastery of technique but of the way they acted in critical situations--the author reveals what true karate is. The stories he tells about himself are no less instructive: his determination to continue the art, after having started it to improve his health; his perseverance in the face of difficulties, even of poverty; his strict observance of the way of life of the samurai; and the spirit of self-reliance that he carried into an old age kept healthy by his practice of Karate-do.