Customer Reviews

Mas Oyama's Essential Karate

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Mas Oyama's book "The Essential Karate" is perhaps the easiest source for a beginning martial artist to use to gain knowledge about this interesting artform. KyokushinKai-Kan Karate, also known as the assocaition for the search in ultimate truth in Karate, was founded in the early 1950's. Matsutatsu Oyama, the founder, created a Karate style that is derived from Shotokan and Goju-Ryu. In doing so he started one of the most powerful and most widely respected martial forms. Kyokushin is extremely popular with over ten million practitioners in the world today. This book will enable the beginner and the expert to unravel Master Oyama's thoughts on how this art should be performed. It will explain in detail and with photos all of the basic manuevers. Each page is well illustrated with reasons why each attack or defense is done. Also included are basic self defenses and a history of martial arts. Due to both of Master Oyama's other book being out of print this manuel is a indespensable tool for any martial artist. Further more it is clearly the best available and affordable tool for the adherent to this style. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It will put the extra umph into each punch and kick that you do.

I do not think anyone could go wrong with this book. Also, for those who have not noticed. The new work out titled "Mas Oyama's Complete Karate Course" is in fact THIS book with a new title. Enjoy. It's worth every penny!

Back in the early 1970s when kung fu-mania was exploding and every layman on the street was naming Bruce Lee as the greatest martial artist who ever lived I would always ask them how they would rank Mas Oyama.And as laymen they had no idea about who I was talking about as that Oyama was not a movie star, though in later years there would be more than a few movies made about his life.Mas Oyama is an icon in the world of martial arts.The founder of kyokushin-kan karate Oyama was known for his super-human feats of strength and endurance such as his 100-man kumite and his unarmed battles against bulls.Kyokushinkai karate is known as the "fighting karate" and it's founder practiced what he preached.Mas Oyama's Essential Karate teaches the very basics of kyokushinkai demonstrating katas,setting-up excercises,self-defense and breaking techniques and is lavishly illustrated with photographs.I wish the book would have featured a mini-biography of Oyama himself,but it's still a great guide for a beginner to start off with.