Library's review
from dust jacket
Karate, the most essential of the arts of unarmed self-defenese, is, among many other things, a protective, not an aggressive, technique. It should never be used violently or with intent to maim. Though the full depth of the meaning of the word 'karate' is difficult to convey, in
Karate is a training of the mnd and body, but it is more. It calls for support on the deep and mysterious mental powers of man that are greater than modern science can comprehend. More than a sport, more than a system of defense, karate, in its most important aspect, is a way to serenity. The karate master and the trainee, who has worked for years with this semi-physical, semi-spiritual exercise, is a tranquil man. He is calm and unafraid in disaster because he has become accustomed to the idea that every step draws us closer to death. His whole being is concentrated on achieving serenity and on bringing others to that serene state with him.
What is Karate?, in a completely new edition with over 1,000 photographs, is a valuable manual for both the beginner and the advance student who would like to learn the real spirit of karate. In this book, Masutatsu Oyama, one of the world's most experienced karate experts and one of today's true karate authorities, explains thoroughly all of the karate fundamentals and actual techniques. When the former edition was first published, in 1958, it sold more than 150,000 copies to karate men and women everywhere. What Is Karate? now stands a s a 'must' book for anyone who intends to grasp the true meaning of karate.
Masutatsu Oyama, born in Korea in 1923, began studying Korean kempo at the age of nine. He graduated from middle school in Seoul and came to Japan to study at an aviation school, in 1938. He first undertook to master Kodokan judo, but later switched to karate, in which he made such amazing progress that at 17 he was second dan (grade) and a 22, fourth dan. While he was enrolled at the Takushoku University, he was drafted into the military.
In 1947, immediately after the War, Oyama won the All-Japan Karate Championship and then retired to the mountains where he lived alone practicing strict physical and psychological discipline. When he returned to civilization, for the want of sufficiently powerful opponents, he decided to do battle with wild animals.
In 1952, he traveled to America to represent the karate world of Japan. While there, he proved to thousands of people in over 200 exhibitions how astounding the power of karate is. He also set a new record for undefeated contests with some of America's most noted boxers and wrestlers. When he returned to Japan, in 1953, he engaged in unarmed battle with a bull sporting horns four inches in diameter. After a fierce struggle, Oyama snapped one of the bull's horns off at the root. This feat of strength amazed the entire world, but it was only the beginning of a long series of such thrilling contests for Oyama. In his lifetime, he has battled 52 bulls. He has dealt suddent death to 3 of them and has broken the horns off of 48. No other man has ever surpassed his record for smashing a stack of 30 roofing tiles or two bricks with a shingle blow.
Through writing books on the subject and through training young karate men all over the world Masutatsu Oyama has introduced this exciting martial art to over 350 thousand people in 180 training halls in 43 nations.
Contents
Preface
Foreword
Photographic Prelude
Part I Basics
1 Introduction
Ancient combat technques in the west
Combat technques in ancient India
Chnese Fighting techniques
Karate and Resistance movements
Okinawa-te
Japanese Jujutsu
2 Karate Weapons
Principle Weapons: Hands
Forefist; Inverted fist; Inner knife hand; Palm Heel; Wrist; thumb one-finger fist; Spear hand; Chicken' beak; Half-clenched fist; Elbow
Principle Weapons: Feet
Knife foot; Instep; Heel; Knee; Ball of the foot
Principle Weapons: Head
Head thrust
3. Thrusts
Forefist middle thrust
Right-left inverted strike
Forefist strike to the chin
Forefist roundhouse strike
Front inverted strike
Knife-hand strike to the face
Inverted-fist strike to the spleen
Upper elbow strike
Knife-hand strike to the collarbone
Risng elbow strike
Two-hand thrust
Chinese thrustin methods-double-arm upward thrust; Upper thurst; Parrying thurst; Rofward thrust
4 Kicks
Front kick
Groin kick
Knee kick
Side kick
Side high kick
Ankle kick
Roundhouse kick
Roundhouse kick to the neck
Back kick
Heel kick
Jumping front kick
5 Blocks
Upper bolck
Middle outside block
Middle inside block
Lower parry
Palm-heel block
Cross block
Thigh block
6 Stances and breathing
Stance
Froward leaning stance
Back leaning stance
Sumo stance
Straddle stance
Sanchin stance
Cat stance
stable stance
Normal stance
Pigeon-toe stance
Open-toes stance
Parallel stance
Breathng-Ibuki; Nogare I; Nogare II; Nogare I and Nogare II
7 Daily training methods
Preparatory exercises-wrist exercisesp stomach exerscise; ankle exerscise; crotch stratch; finger joints exercise
Thrusts and kicks training
a Forefist; Dry-run thrust training; Padded-board training; sandbag training; punching-ball training
b Inverted fist-ddry-run thrust training; padded-board training
c Knife hand-ddry-run thrust training; Padded-board training; sandbag training
d fist edge-straw-sheaf training
e elbow-dry-run strike; staw-sheaf training; sandbag training
f spear hand-thrusting into beans
g kicking methods-dry-run kick; padded-board trainng; sandbag training; punching-mit training
Part II Formal exercises
8 Formal exercises-Pinan II, III, IV; Yantsu; Pinan V; Saiha
9 Basic formal practice fighting
Basic formal practice fighting
Free-style practice fight postures-two-hand position; knife-hand two-hand position; double-layer two-hand position; two-hand swing position; spear-hand two-hand position
Part III Applications
10 Self-Defense techniques
Protection against a knife
Protection against a pistol
Other attitudes and positions
Self-Defense for women
Part IV Appendix
11 New directions in karate
Into the supernatural
Preserving the spirit of the martial arts
Unification of Karate schools
Women and karate
New match methods Asian combat techniques
Author's note
Index
Karate, the most essential of the arts of unarmed self-defenese, is, among many other things, a protective, not an aggressive, technique. It should never be used violently or with intent to maim. Though the full depth of the meaning of the word 'karate' is difficult to convey, in
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general, we can say that it is a rigid trainng of both the mind and hte body. A developed karate techniques gives oower that should never be musused.Karate is a training of the mnd and body, but it is more. It calls for support on the deep and mysterious mental powers of man that are greater than modern science can comprehend. More than a sport, more than a system of defense, karate, in its most important aspect, is a way to serenity. The karate master and the trainee, who has worked for years with this semi-physical, semi-spiritual exercise, is a tranquil man. He is calm and unafraid in disaster because he has become accustomed to the idea that every step draws us closer to death. His whole being is concentrated on achieving serenity and on bringing others to that serene state with him.
What is Karate?, in a completely new edition with over 1,000 photographs, is a valuable manual for both the beginner and the advance student who would like to learn the real spirit of karate. In this book, Masutatsu Oyama, one of the world's most experienced karate experts and one of today's true karate authorities, explains thoroughly all of the karate fundamentals and actual techniques. When the former edition was first published, in 1958, it sold more than 150,000 copies to karate men and women everywhere. What Is Karate? now stands a s a 'must' book for anyone who intends to grasp the true meaning of karate.
Masutatsu Oyama, born in Korea in 1923, began studying Korean kempo at the age of nine. He graduated from middle school in Seoul and came to Japan to study at an aviation school, in 1938. He first undertook to master Kodokan judo, but later switched to karate, in which he made such amazing progress that at 17 he was second dan (grade) and a 22, fourth dan. While he was enrolled at the Takushoku University, he was drafted into the military.
In 1947, immediately after the War, Oyama won the All-Japan Karate Championship and then retired to the mountains where he lived alone practicing strict physical and psychological discipline. When he returned to civilization, for the want of sufficiently powerful opponents, he decided to do battle with wild animals.
In 1952, he traveled to America to represent the karate world of Japan. While there, he proved to thousands of people in over 200 exhibitions how astounding the power of karate is. He also set a new record for undefeated contests with some of America's most noted boxers and wrestlers. When he returned to Japan, in 1953, he engaged in unarmed battle with a bull sporting horns four inches in diameter. After a fierce struggle, Oyama snapped one of the bull's horns off at the root. This feat of strength amazed the entire world, but it was only the beginning of a long series of such thrilling contests for Oyama. In his lifetime, he has battled 52 bulls. He has dealt suddent death to 3 of them and has broken the horns off of 48. No other man has ever surpassed his record for smashing a stack of 30 roofing tiles or two bricks with a shingle blow.
Through writing books on the subject and through training young karate men all over the world Masutatsu Oyama has introduced this exciting martial art to over 350 thousand people in 180 training halls in 43 nations.
Contents
Preface
Foreword
Photographic Prelude
Part I Basics
1 Introduction
Ancient combat technques in the west
Combat technques in ancient India
Chnese Fighting techniques
Karate and Resistance movements
Okinawa-te
Japanese Jujutsu
2 Karate Weapons
Principle Weapons: Hands
Forefist; Inverted fist; Inner knife hand; Palm Heel; Wrist; thumb one-finger fist; Spear hand; Chicken' beak; Half-clenched fist; Elbow
Principle Weapons: Feet
Knife foot; Instep; Heel; Knee; Ball of the foot
Principle Weapons: Head
Head thrust
3. Thrusts
Forefist middle thrust
Right-left inverted strike
Forefist strike to the chin
Forefist roundhouse strike
Front inverted strike
Knife-hand strike to the face
Inverted-fist strike to the spleen
Upper elbow strike
Knife-hand strike to the collarbone
Risng elbow strike
Two-hand thrust
Chinese thrustin methods-double-arm upward thrust; Upper thurst; Parrying thurst; Rofward thrust
4 Kicks
Front kick
Groin kick
Knee kick
Side kick
Side high kick
Ankle kick
Roundhouse kick
Roundhouse kick to the neck
Back kick
Heel kick
Jumping front kick
5 Blocks
Upper bolck
Middle outside block
Middle inside block
Lower parry
Palm-heel block
Cross block
Thigh block
6 Stances and breathing
Stance
Froward leaning stance
Back leaning stance
Sumo stance
Straddle stance
Sanchin stance
Cat stance
stable stance
Normal stance
Pigeon-toe stance
Open-toes stance
Parallel stance
Breathng-Ibuki; Nogare I; Nogare II; Nogare I and Nogare II
7 Daily training methods
Preparatory exercises-wrist exercisesp stomach exerscise; ankle exerscise; crotch stratch; finger joints exercise
Thrusts and kicks training
a Forefist; Dry-run thrust training; Padded-board training; sandbag training; punching-ball training
b Inverted fist-ddry-run thrust training; padded-board training
c Knife hand-ddry-run thrust training; Padded-board training; sandbag training
d fist edge-straw-sheaf training
e elbow-dry-run strike; staw-sheaf training; sandbag training
f spear hand-thrusting into beans
g kicking methods-dry-run kick; padded-board trainng; sandbag training; punching-mit training
Part II Formal exercises
8 Formal exercises-Pinan II, III, IV; Yantsu; Pinan V; Saiha
9 Basic formal practice fighting
Basic formal practice fighting
Free-style practice fight postures-two-hand position; knife-hand two-hand position; double-layer two-hand position; two-hand swing position; spear-hand two-hand position
Part III Applications
10 Self-Defense techniques
Protection against a knife
Protection against a pistol
Other attitudes and positions
Self-Defense for women
Part IV Appendix
11 New directions in karate
Into the supernatural
Preserving the spirit of the martial arts
Unification of Karate schools
Women and karate
New match methods Asian combat techniques
Author's note
Index
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Genres
ISBN
870401475
Publication
Japan PublicationsTrading Company Tokyo San Francisco