Karata Kata: For the Transmission of High-Level Combative Skills, Vol. 1

Karata Kata: For the Transmission of High-Level Combative Skills, Vol. 1
Author: Michael DeMarco, M.A. et al.
Publisher: Via Media Publishing
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2015-08-31
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 189376513X

We all know the meaning of the word kata. Even to nonpractitioners it is a familiar karate practice. Plus, the word has long been incorporated into the English language. For this reason I choose to write the plural as “katas,” and not follow the Japanese tradition where “kata” can be both singular or plural. By doing this I’ve ruffled feathers already, since many hold such a sacred bond with the time and place where karate took shape. Trouble with one word? Now how about the whole Okinawan martial tradition as passed on through katas? A kata is much like a family jewel that has passed down through generations. It holds a significance that is difficult to decipher, and many dispute the meaning of every micromovement it contains. Who created it? What are the applications? Is kata practice outdated? Is there more than we can see and understand? You bet. It is precisely because of the confusion and misunderstandings regarding the place of kata in the karate tradition that we are thrilled to present a two-volume e-book on this subject. If katas are learning tools that pass down knowledge of a valued art, then the authors included in this anthology can certainly facilitate the learning process for all interested in karate. Each author has excellent experience in the field, having studied directly under masters, often on the largest island in the Ryukyu island chain. In addition to their long years of physical participation in the school of hard knocks, their depth of scholarly research into the encompassing culture allows their writings to illuminate many aspects of kata practice that normally go unnoticed. In our quest to better understand the full significance of kata practice, we must take a serious look at why old masters formulated the routines. How can kata practice better our health and promise to hone our self-defense skills? Each chapter in this anthology deals with the principles that guide kata practice. Hopefully the reading will reveal some of the secrets to improving techniques. As with other martial traditions, some insights cannot be shared through written word. Like good teachers, may the chapters here inspire you to look deeper into kata practice.

Karate Kata: For the Transmission of High-Level Combative Skills, Vol. 2

Karate Kata: For the Transmission of High-Level Combative Skills, Vol. 2
Author: Michael DeMarco, M.A., et al.
Publisher: Via Media Publishing
Total Pages: 199
Release: 2015-09-05
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1893765148

We all know the meaning of the word kata. Even to nonpractitioners it is a familiar karate practice. Plus, the word has long been incorporated into the English language. For this reason I choose to write the plural as “katas,” and not follow the Japanese tradition where “kata” can be both singular or plural. By doing this I’ve ruffled feathers already, since many hold such a sacred bond with the time and place where karate took shape. Trouble with one word? Now how about the whole Okinawan martial tradition as passed on through katas? A kata is much like a family jewel that has passed down through generations. It holds a significance that is difficult to decipher, and many dispute the meaning of every micromovement it contains. Who created it? What are the applications? Is kata practice outdated? Is there more than we can see and understand? You bet. It is precisely because of the confusion and misunderstandings regarding the place of kata in the karate tradition that we are thrilled to present a two-volume e-book on this subject. If katas are learning tools that pass down knowledge of a valued art, then the authors included in this anthology can certainly facilitate the learning process for all interested in karate. Each author has excellent experience in the field, having studied directly under masters, often on the largest island in the Ryukyu island chain. In addition to their long years of physical participation in the school of hard knocks, their depth of scholarly research into the encompassing culture allows their writings to illuminate many aspects of kata practice that normally go unnoticed. In our quest to better understand the full significance of kata practice, we must take a serious look at why old masters formulated the routines. How can kata practice better our health and promise to hone our self-defense skills? Each chapter in this anthology deals with the principles that guide kata practice. Hopefully the reading will reveal some of the secrets to improving techniques. As with other martial traditions, some insights cannot be shared through written word. Like good teachers, may the chapters here inspire you to look deeper into kata practice.

The Best Fight: A Memoir of a Martial Art Practitioner, Publisher, and Author

The Best Fight: A Memoir of a Martial Art Practitioner, Publisher, and Author
Author: Michael DeMarco
Publisher: Via Media Publishing
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2023-10-10
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1893765520

A needle may draw a thread through printed pages to bind a book. In this little memoir, I feel like a needle that drew a common thread though a segment of martial art history. This book details three interrelated activities: (1) martial art studies, (2) involvement as founder of Via Media Publishing, producing a quarterly journal and books, and (3) teaching martial arts. Publishers, writers, researchers and serious martial art practitioners will benefit with the detailed overview of Via Media and its publications. Via Media produced the Journal of Asian Martial Arts, known for its high academic and aesthetic standards. Its contents reflect the history of two decades and provides rich information for practitioners and scholars, making The Best Fighta valuable reference work. In addition to reading, the primary way to learn a martial art is through instruction. In reading about my studies and teaching experience, readers can relate to their own involvement in martial arts. What is important here is the portrayal of my instructors, their teaching methods, and reasons for being involved in martial arts. Their accounts should offer insights and inspiration for others who study and practice any martial art.

The Balisong Manual

The Balisong Manual
Author: Jeff Imada
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 1984
Genre: Knife fighting
ISBN: 9780865681026

Jeff Imada, one of the most respected balisong practitioners in the world, presents the definitive work on the balisong knife. Everything you always wanted to know about the balisong is featured in this book, with concise text and hundreds of detailed photos showing: carrying, drawing and flipping manipulation techniques; self-defense techniques; the knife and the law; knife-fighting philosophy; care and maintenance; and striking areas.

Becoming a Complete Martial Artist

Becoming a Complete Martial Artist
Author: Tristan Sutrisno
Publisher: Globe Pequot
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2005
Genre: Martial arts
ISBN: 9781592283705

A high-level guide to martial arts tactics based on exploiting errors and weaknesses in an opponent while eliminating personal errors and weaknesses

Martial Arts Studies

Martial Arts Studies
Author: Paul Bowman
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 205
Release: 2015-04-09
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1783481293

The phrase “martial arts studies” is increasingly circulating as a term to describe a new field of interest. But many academic fields including history, philosophy, anthropology, and Area studies already engage with martial arts in their own particular way. Therefore, is there really such a thing as a unique field of martial arts studies? Martial Arts Studies is the first book to engage directly with these questions. It assesses the multiplicity and heterogeneity of possible approaches to martial arts studies, exploring orientations and limitations of existing approaches. It makes a case for constructing the field of martial arts studies in terms of key coordinates from post-structuralism, cultural studies, media studies, and post-colonialism. By using these anti-disciplinary approaches to disrupt the approaches of other disciplines, Martial Arts Studies proposes a field that both emerges out of and differs from its many disciplinary locations.

Bubishi

Bubishi
Author:
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2016-05-31
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1462918530

Treasured for centuries by karate's top masters, the Bubishi is a classic Chinese work on philosophy, strategy, medicine, and technique as they relate to the martial arts. Referred to as the "bible of karate" by famous master Chojun Miyagi, for hundreds of years the Bubishiwas a secret text passed from master to student in China and later in Okinawa. All of karate's legendary masters have studied it, applied its teachings, or copied passages from it. No other classic work has had as dramatic an impact on the shaping and development of karate as the Bubishi. Karate historian and authority Patrick McCarthy spent over ten years researching and studying the Bubishi and the arts associated with it. The first English translation of this remarkable martial arts manual includes numerous explanations and notes. McCarthy's work also includes groundbreaking research on Okinawan and Chinese history, as well as the fighting and healing traditions that developed in those countries, making it a gold mine for researchers and practitioners alike. For the final word on the true origins and spirit of classic Okinawan martial arts, one need look no further. This karate book is one of the best karate training supplements available.

Krav Maga

Krav Maga
Author: Imi Sde-Or
Publisher:
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2000-11
Genre: Hand-to-hand fighting
ISBN: 9789657178003

How to Defend Yourself against Armed Assault.

Shadows of the Prophet

Shadows of the Prophet
Author: Douglas S. Farrer
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2009-06-05
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 140209356X

This is the first in-depth study of the Malay martial art, silat, and the first ethnographic account of the Haqqani Islamic Sufi Order. Drawing on 12 years of research and practice, the author provides a major contribution to the study of Malay culture.