The Way to Black Belt: A Comprehensive Guide to Rapid, Rock-Solid Results [Paperback]

Lawrence Kane (Author), Kris Wilder (Author), Dan Anderson (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2007

The Way to Black Belt, A Comprehensive Guide to Rapid Rock-Solid Results with foreword by Dan Anderson, 8th Degree. If you are serious about your marital arts training, The Way to Black Belt, will arm you with the information that you need to swiftly become a highly skilled, well qualified black belt. Earning a black belt can be the most rewarding experience of a lifetime, but getting there takes considerable planning. Cut to the very core of what it means to be successful in the martial arts. Whether your interests are in the classical styles of Asia or in today's mixed martial arts, this book prepares you to meet every challenge. Packed with actionable information, you will learn how to set goals, find a good instructor, monitor your progress, overcome plateaus in your training, take advantage of learning opportunities, and work through the inevitable injuries that come with rigorous martial arts training. Putting your skills to the test at each development stage of your training requires a certain mental clarity. The authors examine what this means, how to find it, and how to make sure that when the time comes you are 100 percent prepared. At any age or gender, you will benefit from the wisdom of master martial artists around the globe, who share more than 300 years of combined training experience. Benefit from their guidance during your development into a first-class black belt. The Wisdom of? ? Iain Abernethy ? Loren Christensen ? Dan Anderson ? Jeff Cooper ? Wim Demeere ? Aaron Fields ? Lawrence Kane ? Rory Miller ? Martina Sprague ? Phillip Starr ? Jeff Stevens ? Kris Wilder ..and many more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Kane and Wilder not only succeed in defining a functional path to attaining yudansha level they also effectively bring back meaning and lost value to this important journey. In fact, it is so good I wish I had written it myself." --Patrick McCarthy, Hanshi 8th dan black belt, International Ryukyu Karate-jitsu Research Society.

About the Author

Lawrence A. Kane began his martial arts training in 1970. He is the co-author The Way of Kata, and the author of Surviving Armed Assaults and Martial Arts Instruction. He has earned a black belt in Goju Ryu karate and has also studied traditional Asian martial arts, medieval European combat, and modern close-quarters weapons. Kane supervises security personnel at a Pac-10 football stadium where he has been involved in hundreds of armed and unarmed confrontations. Lawrence Kane lives and teaches Goju Ryu karate in Seattle, Washington.

Kris Wilder began his martial arts training in 1976. He is the co-author of The Way of Kata, and the author of The Way of Sanchin Kata, and Lessons from the Dojo Floor. He has earned black belts in Taekwondo, Kodokan judo, and Goju Ryu karate. Wilder has trained under world-class martial artists, including Kenji Yamada (back-to-back United States judo grand champion), John Roseberry (founder of Shorei-Shobukan karate), and Hiroo Ito (student of Kori Hisataka, the founder of Shorinji-Ryu Kenkokan karate). Kris Wilder lives and teaches Goju Ryu karate in Seattle, Washington.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ymaa Publication Center (November 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594390851
• ISBN-13: 978-1594390852
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #441,878 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important addition to your martial arts library, November 23, 2007

By 

Martina Sprague (Utah) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Way to Black Belt: A Comprehensive Guide to Rapid, Rock-Solid Results (Paperback)

This is an excellent book for those looking to get started in the martial arts. Perhaps even more importantly, it is a superb book for those who have studied for a year or two and feel that they are stuck in the ennui of everyday training. In order to drive home important points, the authors have included many real-life motivational examples of martial artists overcoming all sorts of barriers, ranging from physical and mental disabilities to short stature and light weight.

The book will prime the student for the journey toward black belt. While it provides excellent background information about the history and meaning of the martial arts, it is not long-winded. For example, the authors identify the difference between jutsu (fighting techniques) and do (martial ways), which all too often seem to get blurred or misunderstood. Moreover, we often try to classify people according to gender or age. This book, by contrast, will help you understand the individual that is you. By getting to know yourself, you will begin to understand how to tailor your training so that it will suit your particular characteristics and inclinations.

When considering the journey to black belt and beyond, you may at first feel like you are facing a bottomless pit. When this happens, remember that it is not the belt that gives you insight and knowledge. As the authors so eloquently state, trophies are the result of good training, not the goal. Every journey starts with a first step, and then another . . . and another. This book places the journey to black belt in perspective and offers something for everyone.

Martina Sprague, author of The Complete Martial Arts Student: The Master Guide to Basic and Advanced Classroom Strategies for Learning the Fighting Arts.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ESSENTIAL!!!, January 21, 2008

By 

Tyr Shadowblade (TM) (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Way to Black Belt: A Comprehensive Guide to Rapid, Rock-Solid Results (Paperback)

Let me begin by stating that I have been disappointed in one way or another with nearly every martial arts book I've read over the years: unclear instruction, unworkable techniques, too basic, too advanced, too much reliance upon foreign words and phrases, too much space devoted to katas, and a myriad of similar complaints -- this was not the case with THE WAY TO BLACK BELT by Kane and Wilder.

The front cover says, "A Comprehensive Guide to Rapid, Rock-Solid Results", and the back cover proclaims, "Cut to the very core of what it means to be successful in the martial arts" -- and to my surprise and pleasure this book delivers what has been promised.

There are no kata to be memorized here. No questionable responses to knife attacks. And no need to learn a bizarre vocabulary in order to understand the lessons. Indeed, atypical of most martial art books, very little time is spent addressing things like technique, terminology, or tactics. This book's focus is on training and mindset, which is far more valuable for the beginner to learn.

The authors have each spent a lifetime practicing the martial arts, and the chapters have introductions, excerpts, and commentary by over a dozen highly respected martial art instructors and authors. These folks have learned the hard way what works and what doesn't, and are willing to share these priceless insights with you the reader.

Outstanding advice on important subjects like: overcoming negative thinking, weeding out potential instructors who are not right for you, improving your technique, being a good student, dealing with injuries through common sense and pererverance, training aids, self study, and LOTS more. Best of all, this fine text does not limit itself to any particular style and can be implemented by practitioners of any martial art regardless of their age, ability, or rank.

This book NEEDS TO BE READ by all martial art students, and is quite possibly the BEST MARTIAL ART BOOK available at this time. I highly recommend purchasing this text as a gift for friends whom you know are students of any martial art . . . they will thank you for it, and refer to it for years to come. Destined to be a classic textbook for students of all styles.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars thought-provoking and inspirational, December 15, 2007

By 

Arthur Rosenfeld (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Way to Black Belt: A Comprehensive Guide to Rapid, Rock-Solid Results (Paperback)

I could write a long treatise on why this book should be on the shelf of every aspiring black belt, but you're better off spending the time reading the book than any review. Suffice it to say, many seasoned practitioners contributed to the insights here, and their thoughts have been beautifully organized and presented by Kane and Wilder. Even the photographs are excellent, especially the wonderful action shot near the front of the book. Each and every chapter is full of tips, strategies, and sage counsel, (injuries, technology, teacher-student relationships, motivation, linaments, styles, and much more--even movies). The martial path is as much about self-cultivation as skill building, as much about character as punches and kicks, and this book, chock full of practical information and profound, foundation-building concepts, helps in both regards. Savor it, refer to it, recommend it to a martial friend.