Black Belt Karate: The Intensive Course (Hardcover)

by Hirokazu Kanazawa (Author) "Being able to make a fist (kobushi in Japanese) properly and quickly is critical in karate..." (more)
Key Phrases: original ready position, round elbow strike, left front stance, Tekki Shodan, Heian Nidan, Heian Shodan (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A thoroughly "student friendly" and enthusiastically recommended addition to any personal or dojo martial arts reference collection." -The Midwest Book Review


Product Description
In Black Belt Karate, Hirokazu Kanazawa, the most respected figure in the karate world, offers a systematic approach to basic karate, and provides an intensive training course. Karate is a martial art that can be practiced by anyone, regardless of age or gender, and can be undertaken at any time during a persons life. The training system employed in karate comprises three main areas: kihon (basics), kumite (sparring), and kata (forms). Using meticulously detailed explanations and illustrative photos, Kanazawa provides readers with an intensive self-study training course designed to be accessible to beginners, as well as to those already at an intermediate level. If practiced continuously and diligently over the course of a year, a practitioner will be able to attain black-belt-level proficiency. Praise for Black Belt Karate: "By following each and every page of this book as if receiving instruction directly from Mr. Kanazawa, I believe that over time, with careful practice, gaining proficiency is all but guaranteed. For anyone setting out to master karate-do, you hold in your hands a fine book indeed.The late Masatoshi Nakayama, former chief instructor of the Japan Karate Association and author of Kodansha's Best Karate series

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha America (June 23, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4770027753
• ISBN-13: 978-4770027757
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #138,744 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #40 in

  Books > Sports > Individual Sports > Martial Arts > Karate

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The finest Karate, February 15, 2007

By	Odin Guirado Marcelo (Montevideo, Uruguay) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It is impossible to learn karate from a book. However, the finer points of basic techniques are much easier to grasp when you are not sweating at the dojo, but carfully perusing photographs of talented karateka performing those techniques.

Beside the wonderful pictures, one of the things I found most useful were the diagrams of the position of the hips and how to rotate them while executing the tecniques.

This book is a reprint of a previous book (originally published in 1978). This explains how the prologue could be written by late Masatoshi Nakayama, who passed away years ago.

I feel really proud of practicing Karate-do in the tradition of such great people as Gichin Funakoshi, Masatoshi Nakayama and Hirokazu Kanazawa. And I also feel thankful.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Loud Kia of Approval, January 4, 2007

By	T. Pray - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Having trained for twenty years in Karate I will have to say that this book is a must have for any serouse Karateka's library. It will help define good technique and training methods for all from white to Black Belt.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not the same as a school, August 13, 2008

By	star_dingo747 - See all my reviews

In east Asian martial arts circles it has long been known that some people have a "genius" for martial arts. People who can interpret and learn book information, and apply it well against untrained or poorly trained opponents. Thing is, against properly trained opponents it is also known, they were almost always defeated. In east Asia, martial arts manuals have historically been used to preserve knowledge, more than anything else.

It is not impossible to learn martial arts from a book; some people are intelligent, and some just have way too much time on their hands, so it isn't impossible. However, constantly using applications against flesh and blood human beings is the only way to sharpen skill. I took the time to eye this book at a book store not far from here, and as far as the basics are concerned this work is pretty complete. I have taken Karate before, and, there were training methods in this book some of which I had never even heard of. Then again I did Goju Ryu, not Shotokan.

Case in point though; it is not impossible, but since statistically speaking, and even by east Asian tradition, martial arts geniuses are only one in a million, it is better to learn from a school, or, to pick up a book title if you have already studied Karate before under formal instruction. Myself personally I study Katas as an "emergency" measure before I can find a school again. However, a word of warning, it would have been impossible for me to understand ANY of the Kata manual I own, if it hadn't been for the instruction I received prior to the fact, that is me owning the text. If you are one of those people whose school closed down, who has taken Karate before, and wants to continue by all means use manuals. If you have studied the art before then manuals are easy to understand; pugilism is not the same as grappling, in all things pugilistic, you can easily learn proper form from manuals if you train hard enough.

However for people who have never had a formal class, or even made it as far as yellow belt, this book is not for you. Myself I was about to test for green before the place I studied at closed. If you're like me, then by all means; get this primer. It is easily the most comprehensive work on basics made, the one problem being it lacks crucial movement arrows, hence the reason why you need instruction prior to owning this and hope you have a good memory. If you want a "complete" self taught training course you will need to purchase this book in conjunction with Sugiyama's work "25 Shotokan Kata," which I will say, is excellent.

However, sooner or later, you will have to sharpen your skills with a flesh and blood human being, and because Karate is not completely pugilistic in nature, you will need a well trained instructor to teach you the grappling techniques. The truth is the Shotokan style actually has almost as many grappling techniques as the likes of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, only, the emphasis is defense against strikes, tripping, locking, and almost all of it is "stand up." Indeed, skillful Karateka have, in the past, outgrappled Judoka and Catch Wrestlers; that is how comprehensive the stand up grappling training in Karate can be. However, genius or no, while I disagree if its with regards to the pugilistic nature of Karate, regarding the grappling moves I agree 100%; it is impossible, genius or no, to learn grappling from a book. And Karate, has quite an extensive library of throws, locks, trips and escapes. The Shotokan style, has some from Judo, some from Shaolin Chin Na, and some from indigenous wrestling forms of Okinawa. That much grappling, even if its only "stand up," you can not learn from a book.

However this title should be in the shelves of all instructors, students, or people whose schools closed on them. Good luck.