Customer Reviews

The Classical Man

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What made O'Sensei Kim so truly unique and arguably the best teacher of our time was his friendly, matter of fact way of getting martial arts to reach into your life, heart and soul rather than just teaching how to fight. This book contains many of the lessons which makes one a TRUE martial artist as opposed to someone who simply knows the outside moves of karate. Without Zen and kata, karate has no structure and little benefit.

This is a nice collection of martial art stories. O'Sensei Richard Kim is my grandmaster, and I can say after attending seminars with him in my youth, that these stories shared reflect into who he really was. He generously shared his wisdom with all, and was the first to expose me to the incredible power of Bagua Zhang. Although he primarily taught Shorinji-Ryu Karate, he also studied and taught the internal systems. Also worth reading is his Weaponless Warriors book. Some came forward after his death to critisize him, and take credit for his work. This is a form of cowardice, which would never have been done when he was alive, and I can say that O'Sensei Kim was as kind as he was powerful. A never ending wealth of knowledge and wisdom, he changed the way I saw martial arts completely, and will always remain an inspiration for me. A true Master.

A must read for any Martial Artist! The book illustrates the true essence & morality of Karate.

The Classical Man by Richard Kim is simply one of those books that any traditional karate student must have in their library. While the historical accuracy is sometimes debated no-one can argue that the stories are entertaining classics and embody the spirit of "the way".

If you are a training and research nut, this book would fit well in your library. I think every Karateka should have this, the stories Sensei Kim relates in this book show a wealth of information we can learn from. It explains the importance of things that I have seen many students of the Martial Arts take for granted.

this book is a must have for any martial artist's library.