Customer Reviews

Steady Training

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Antonio Bustillo is like a character in an Elmore Leonard book.

Leonard is perhaps the finest living practitioner of the crime novel, that pedestrian form brought to celestial heights by Leonard and his predecessors Chandler, Cain, and Hammett. Among precious few others.

Bustillo's like a Leonard protagonist because he's ornery, honest to a fault, a modest but proud man whose girlfriend's seat in a bar he will not allow a rude person to usurp; in a word, a stand-up guy. One key to Bustillo's character, he's not really American (he was naturalized), he's Cuban. His grandfather was a beloved pharmacist in Guantanamo. His parents fled Castro's totalitarian regime when Antonio was five. At twelve, slight of stature and going to junior high school in Miami, he kept a lead pipe wrapped with newspaper in his locker. At thirteen, he started studying karate. It was his enormous good fortune that two students of the great Kenkojuku sensei Tomasaburo Okano, Koji Sugimoto and Takashi Akusawa, were teaching in Miami during the years of his early training. (He made black belt at sixteen in the days when rank wasn't given lightly.)

In this day when Chuck Norris poses in catalogs in a stars-and-stripes karate outfit, it's thrilling to read Bustillo's account of what it was like for him, as a teenager, to train with the incomparable Akusawa (or Akazawa), whom Bustillo calls "to date the best karate man I have seen," adding, "Akazawa would hit everyone 99.9% of the time."

This is only the beginning! This book is like "Huckleberry Finn," if Huck, not Mark Twain, were doing the actual writing -- don't look for smooth flawless style -- and if Huck were a serious martial artist exiled from the nearest Communist satellite. There's a movie in this book. Bustillo becomes a Miami police officer! Thrills, chills, and spills! And the most amazing thing about it is that Bustillo, whose thinking has altered greatly since he endured the many thousands of drills as a teenager -- has written this book not in praise of himself (well, maybe a bit, but never directly, and only when it's due) -- but in praise of the worthiness of the martial arts when properly viewed by one whose vision is that of service rather than self-promotion.

Martial artists will devour it; so will anybody who wants to read about some true-life adventures among the toughest of the tough.

Rarely does one find the time to read a book. It is even more rare to start a book and not want to put it down. Such was the case when I first started reading "Steady Training" by Antonio Bustillo.

I've been fortunate to meet the author and to enjoy a training session with him prior to the Publication of this book. The guy was so sneaky as to not even let us know he was busy writing a book.

I really enjoyed the book - many of the incidents were so similar to what I had experienced that it brought a good feeling to me knowing that the author wrote from within himself. This is a no-frills book which clearly highlights the author's travel from beginner level to where he is today.

I certainly encourage you to read this book as it can only be of benefit.

Sincerely

Hoosain Narker

Antonio Bustillo's autobiographical book is a virtual ballet of leaps and throws, a choreographed display of unbound energy. The reader is overcome by its cinematic frenzy, literally swept up by the superimposed images of the body in a burst of thunder. The pace is quick indeed and, lack of good editing notwithstanding, the language flows as if from the hand of a seasoned writer. In this, his first book, Mr. Bustillo shows that he is as comfortable with the pen as he is practicing a flawless kata. His attention to detail is meticulous to a fault and, to a female tyro in this ancient manly art, Mr. Bustillo's eloquent descriptions, always tinged with a sense of humor, are both didactic and entertaining. The dramatic suspense of competitive sports is played out to the fullest in his thrilling accounts of the tournaments and stand-offs. Then there are the frozen frames, so vividly depicted that they linger in the mind long after the last page has been turned: the upthrust of a solid kick, a sudden rush of jabs... Yet Steady Training is much more than that. On the surface, it is the journey of a martial artist from an aspiring adolescent to a wise and sturdy Sensei; on a deeper level, it is a case study of the human condition, seen through the penetrating gaze of one whose physical prowess and mental endurance have been constantly tested. At times, the training seems unnecessarily brutal, like a primal yearning for the sight of blood. Yet it is this forced intensity that prepares the author for the jungle-like encounters in the streets, whether as a policeman or as a debonair gentleman taking his girlfriend out on the town. After reading this book, I would visit Antonio Bustillo's dojo anytime, if only to hire him as my bodyguard.

Antonio Bustillo is like a character in an Elmore Leonard book.

Leonard is perhaps the finest living practitioner of the crime novel, that pedestrian form brought to celestial heights by Leonard and his predecessors Chandler, Cain, and Hammett. Among precious few others.

Bustillo's like a Leonard protagonist because he's ornery, honest to a fault, a modest but proud man whose girlfriend's seat in a bar he will not allow a rude person to usurp; in a word, a stand-up guy. One key to Bustillo's character, he's not really American (he was naturalized), he's Cuban. His grandfather was a beloved pharmacist in Guantanamo. His parents fled Castro's totalitarian regime when Antonio was five. At twelve, slight of stature and going to junior high school in Miami, he kept a lead pipe wrapped with newspaper in his locker. At thirteen, he started studying karate. It was his enormous good fortune that two students of the great Kenkojuku sensei Tomasaburo Okano, Koji Sugimoto and Takashi Akusawa, were teaching in Miami during the years of his early training. (He made black belt at sixteen in the days when rank wasn't given lightly.)

In this day when Chuck Norris poses in catalogs in a stars-and-stripes karate outfit, it's thrilling to read Bustillo's account of what it was like for him, as a teenager, to train with the incomparable Akusawa (or Akazawa), whom Bustillo calls "to date the best karate man I have seen," adding, "Akazawa would hit everyone 99.9% of the time."

This is only the beginning! This book is like "Huckleberry Finn," if Huck, not Mark Twain, were doing the actual writing -- don't look for smooth flawless style -- and if Huck were a serious martial artist exiled from the nearest Communist satellite. There's a movie in this book. Bustillo becomes a Miami police officer! Thrills, chills, and spills! And the most amazing thing about it is that Bustillo, whose thinking has altered greatly since he endured the many thousands of drills as a teenager -- has written this book not in praise of himself (well, maybe a bit, but never directly, and only when it's due) -- but in praise of the worthiness of the martial arts when properly viewed by one whose vision is that of service rather than self-promotion.

Martial artists will devour it; so will anybody who wants to read about some true-life adventures among the toughest of the tough.

With its plain yellow jacket and simple title, "Steady Training" by Antonio Bustillo seemed that it would be a drowsy wandering through a long list of the author's techniques and teachers. My presumption was quickly negated by the third paragraph in the preface - this book is an exciting ride through the different emotions that can drive a man to dedicate his life to training in the martial arts and some of the resultant experiences.

This book start out describing Antonio's early days of "blood and guts" training in Shotokan. The first few chapters are reminiscent of the "Empty Hand" books by Stan Schmidt. The autobiography takes an appealing turn as the author describes some of the dangers that can arise while venturing into a foreign school with the honest goal of joining. He and his brother were intending to train at a local karate school after moving to Venezuela. Antonio made the initial blunder of declaring and asserting his black belt rank at this new school, which incurred the wrath of this self-righteous group. Over his few weeks there, he fought through the different challenges. After an encounter which left one of the group's brown-belts with a broken knee, Antonio was wisely advised by an acquaintance to stop training there. This was a lesson that seemed to have stuck very well, and Antonio gives many examples of similar "new guy" scenarios.

Along similar lines, we are presented with quite a few stories of braggarts with extravagant claims. I felt a satisfying warmth in my belly as he describes how some of these charlatans have their lies exposed, mostly by being trounced. In the opening story Antonio describes a trumpeter he met before a seminar that he was running with a friend at a kung-fu school. The student did not know them by name and so they were treated to a condescending description of the "bad-ass" instructors who would be presenting that day. Additionally, he waxed vauntingly about his own top ranking in the class as well as his innate ability to intimidate people. His superior attitude continued on through the seminar and this student found himself on the receiving end of dojo justice.

Some might be quick to dismiss the author as a belligerent lug-head who is hell-bent on establishing his superiority in the realm of physical combat, but I would beg to differ. Antonio clearly describes that there are many ways of administering discipline within the realms of a martial arts school. In the chapters outlining his time as a police officer, he gives examples which testify to his sensitivity to matching different levels of violence accordingly - as opposed to meeting each affront with ruthless cruelty.

At times, I found myself empathetic towards our author. At others I felt embarrassed, as his stories caused me to look contemplatively at my own thoughts, feelings, and expressions. I feel this book has helped me think more clearly about why I choose to train in the martial arts. If you are a martial artist or are considering venturing down this path, you should read this book.

Steady Training is an honest and entertaining account of one man's journey to find the truth through the martial arts. Mr. Bustillo is able to do something which is both very difficult and very rare; he has managed to combine the enthusiasm of a beginner with the experience of a seasoned and experienced martial artist; truely he exemplifies the virtue of Shoshin, or beginner's mind.
Buy this book, you won't regret it.
Harry Cook

Finally we can have a fresh breath of reality, which was about time. After reading this autobiography in which the author portrade himself as a human being, but not as someone which magic powers, the reader can have a new look at something that has been presented so mystical through the years, without being miss inform. I was reading different reviews about this book and it loooks like some people was reviewing another book. The main character never appeared to me as a vanity guy. Through the book we clearly can see a very simple approuch to reality when the main character even finds the time to laugh at himself. Congratulations for your contribuition in opening new views towards the martial arts.
Daniel Blezio.

As a Full contac/ street figther teacher with more than 25 years experience in martial arts, I can say the book i read: Steady Training is a very good book, one of the best I ever read, very realistic ( and I like that) with a good sense of humor about the people the author describe in the book, and about hem self.

I have the book in my dojo, and my students aked me many question about that book and the good think is ; some times I can anwser rigth away because I feel like Steady Trainig reflect parts of my own life, and my trainig sistem.

I would like to thanks to Mr. Antonio Bustillo to make me remember the first time I dress my dogi, the first time I tie my belt and my first kick.

This is one of the best books that I've read about martial arts/karate in recent years.I could not put the book down.It's a must read for all martial artist regardless of style or rank. The book was absolutely absorbing,opinionated,informative,funny and easy to read.The author is an old school karate ka with a modern and practical flavor to his training and teaching.I would buy the sequel to this book or any other book written by the author in a heart beat. Alex

This is not only a MUST READ, it's a WILL READ AGAIN book!

STEADY TRAINING chronicles and focuses on the author's 30-year experience as a Martial Arts student, teacher and devotee. It includes detailed stories about the world-famous instructors who have made their mark in his life and in the sport. The book is quite easy-to-read because it lacks the technical mumbo jumbo that other books on this subject are frequently bogged down with. Getting to know the author through his thoughts, reflections and experiences is an added bonus. Through experienced description and anecdote, the author shares comprehensive, practical information about his life and how he came to discover and love the martial arts. He freely shares what he has learned because of the sport, also. The book is rich in nuance and critical sensibility. In his own, personal way Antonio Bustillo effectively communicates what students often may have wanted to know, but have never read. Frequent humorous stories dot this thoroughly entertaining "can't-put-it-down" book which contribute to making the reading fun, educational and informative. "Steady Training" is one of the better books on the market about life, discipline, people and martial arts which also includes a peek into the author's past job as a City of Miami police officer. Antonio Bustillo is an incredibly gifted writer who no doubt, will not stop at this, his debut publication. Hats off to you, Kahuna. You done good!