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| The Way of Kata: A Comprehensive Guide for Deciphering Martial Applications | 
 enlarge | Authors: Lawrence A. Kane, Kris Wilder
Creators: Jeff Cooper, Iain Abernethy
Publisher: YMAA Publication Center
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $10.92
You Save: $14.03 (56%)
New (11) Used (9) from $10.91
Avg. Customer Rating:  23 reviews
Sales Rank: 220197
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 300
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 7.1 x 1
ISBN: 1594390584
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.815
EAN: 9781594390586
ASIN: 1594390584
Publication Date: October 25, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Ships immediately! Perfect and New! 2005 Paperback.
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| Customer Reviews:
One Path Toward Martial Realism March 16, 2006
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Caution!!! Pontification to follow !!!
As a martial artist and Martial Realist(tm) of over 50 years I have often been asked what is the most important thing a person can do to develop their martial art knowledge.
The first thing I tell both traditionalists and modern martial artists is know the true application of your techniques and then test them.
Mr. Kane has written a fine book on just that subject.
The total chaos of a serious life and death altercation demands a deep knowledge and ability of martial technique which can be applied at blinding speed with all the attendant principles required to allow a person to survive.
The original reason for a particular technique is paramount for deep understanding of application.
Remember: In order to survive swimming during a storm you must first know the basic strokes.
Students of traditional and modern martial arts both beginners and advanced will do well to read this book. Practioners of sportive as well a combative martial arts can also get a deeper grasp on what is needed to make your techniques work.
The great martial masters could make their arts work under trying and violent situations. Don't sell deeper, insightful knowledge short.
THE WAY OF KATA should be in your library and in your hands.
Thank you
John Perkins, author, ATTACK PROOF
Theory of Kata & Practical Application March 11, 2006
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
"Theory of Japanese Kata & Practical Application" is what I would have titled this terrific book on Japanese karate & kata. The authors draw from traditional Japanese roots in Goju-Ryu Karate but also incorporate ideas and modern points of view from a variety of martial artists. It is densely filled with information that is hard-to-find elsewhere. If one were to find any flaw at all in this work, it would be that it builds from a foundation of Goju-Ryu karate, which may not be very well known to students of other schools or non-Japanese styles. That does not mean you will not benefit from reading it -- you will, and if you read it seriously you may think about "what kata is" more deeply. And with greater understanding & appreciation. While many books will teach you the specific technical moves in a kata (i.e. Nakayama's excellent BEST KARATE series) this book discusses WHY you learn kata, the benefits, the intentions of creators of kata, the art, tradition, and psychology of kata. Ideas applicable to all schools where kata are learned. I have studied a variety of martial arts for 30 years and read hundreds of books on the subject in that time. I would say without any hesitation this book can fairly be placed in the "top 10 books" that belong in any martial artist's library, regardless of school or background.
The Way of Kata: Finally, a clear presentation of kata. March 9, 2006
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Even though I practice all my (30) karate katas every day, I have often been critical of its application for real life self-defense. Though I have attempted to read and study every book I could find on the subject, none persuaded me from my view that kata is not practical for any real life self-defense. I now admit my evaluation and research was not complete, in spite of my more than 50 years of training and teaching karate and other martial arts. Yes, even an old karate ka can still grow and learn. It is all because of reading this fantastic book, which explains as no other text in the past has, the true bunkai of karate. Even though I am a rokudan in shotokan karate and the writers are Goju stylists(which I am also studying at this time), their research applies to any style of karate that has kata. In my humble opinion, this is a book that every serious karate student should read and study. It is comprehensive in scope, but is easy to read and understand. This book uses 15 principles and 12 rules to use as a guide to decipher the combat meanings of karate kata. Even though I have always practiced all my katas at least once a day, I now look at the movements with a renewed interest and enthusiasm. I intend to learn some of the Goju karate kata in the future. One of the many things I like about this book is how it explains that learning kata alone will not make you a great fighter or self-defense expert, but when combined in the whole curriculum, will improve your karate effectiveness. This great book demonstrates that the old masters who created karate kata did it for practical purposes. Remember, karate was originally designed for real life and death combat, not for tournament tag. The book brings out the true combat effectiveness of karate kata. The book should become a classic and required reading for all those who practice traditional karate. In give it my highest rating. *****(Superior book) Joseph J. Truncale
Studying Bunkai? February 18, 2006
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I have been studying the martial arts now for 20 years. Over the years, the more I trained, the more I realized that the answers I received for questions like, "what is this technique for?" were insuficient answers. A few years ago my instructor started teaching me the real bunkai for some of the kata in our system, and this started a personal study on my own as well. Through several years,many books, and lots of training, I came accross several truths about the bukai of kata. The overwhelming truth I realized, is that you had to go to 20 different sources to get one answer. After reading Mr. Kane's book I was amazed at the overal encompassing coverage he presented in "The Way of Kata". It is my opinion that this is the best book on the market today for any student or teacher looking to understand thier style's kata or learn how to interpit their kata. The reading is easy, precise, and very applicable to any style.
For more reviews on books to include Mr. Kane's other books go to:
www.gmaujournal.com
www.gmau.org
Steve Walker
GMAU Dir. of Communication
Head Dojo Sensei
 Good guidlines for kata interpretation December 31, 2005
24 out of 25 found this review helpful
I liked this book very much. Shorin-ryu karate was my first martial art, and since moving on to more modern arts I've felt a sense of fustration that most karate, as taught today, cannot efficiently produce a person capable of defending themselves. The reliance on kata as a teaching tool adds to this fustration. Are the moves in kata effective? Why do some sequences seem illogical? Why aren't the movements explained? Is the explaination we're getting accurate?
"The Way of Kata" provides the karate-ka with a set of guidlines which makes understanding the movements of kata easier. The authors are both from the Goju-Ryu system, and so their explainations are most directly applicable to that system, and it's the system the book focuses on.
Chapter 1 covers background information, such as answering the fundamental question "What is kata", as well as going over the history of Goju kata. They also write about why the movements are hidden, and how to use kata as a curriculum of sorts.
Chapter 2 focuses on the difference between strategy & tactics, and how they relate to the Goju system. They also introduce the "Decision Stick", a takeoff of the concept of a "Decision Tree", designed to aid one in making split-second decisions instead of having to calculate dozens of variables when deciding on a strategy.
Chapter 3 covers the fifteen principles that aid in kata interpretation. Some may be familiar with long-time students of kata ("There is more than one interpretation") while others may be new to people ("Work with the Adrenaline Rush"). That last one got my attention, as well as "Nerve Strikes are 'Extra Credit'" and "Cross the T to escape".
Chapter 4 gets into the rules of kata interpretation; my favorite has to be "There is no block". There are others I'm still struggling with, such as "Kata demonstrate proper angles", but the rule about advancing & retreating techniques really explains a lot, and the head control rule is valuable to anyone.
Chapter 5 covers a lot of ground, including vital points (based on accupuncture theory & physiology), how the brain works in combat, and how to determine an appropriate level of response to your threat. There's a lot of things to take into consideration that are presented here, but the authors try to keep things in context of kata performance & utilization.
Chapter 6 covers the actual learning process; how to take kata movements and drill them as fighting techniques.
Chapter 7 gives examples of movements found in certain Goju kata and provides both the orthodox interpretation and the authors "optimal" interpretation. I think seeing these two views back-to-back is valuable, as is seeing the authors' checklist of principles and rules beside the interpretation.
There was some nice 'bonus' material in the appendices, including an ancient poem on the "precepts of kempo", a brief summary of Goju kata, and a blank checklist for the rules & principles of kata. Also nice was an illustrated glossary of karate terms (for those of us who don't speak Japanese).
I have two major complaints about this book. The first is that if the reader is unfamiliar with Goju-Ryu kata (like me) there are ample opportunities to get lost. Entire kata are not presented at any time, which I think would have added to the book. Since most of my kata come from a different lineage, I was left scratching my head whenever they tried to give examples; chapter 7 wasn't really useful in helping me understand the kata of my system. My second big complaint is that the authors fall into the trap of assuming maximum (and at times, unrealistic) damage or results from a particular technique. Every backfist to the temple is assumed to end in death; every stomp to the ankle or instep is assumed to be a fight-ender. It seems that a little dose of reality has been left out of some of these interpretations.
Overall, this book was written as a guide to help karateka interpret the movements found in their kata; I think it accomplished that. The chapters laid out their agenda very well, and a summary at the end of every chapter reitterated the lessons. I had only a few important complaints, but I'd recomend this to any karateka interested in exploring their kata more deeply, or even to non-traditionalists for some of the principles and ideas included inside.
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