Black Belt Karate: The Intensive Course

I wish I had this book 40 years ago, when I was falling in love with karate in a closed Eastern European Communist country where practicing this specific martial art was for all practical purposes forbidden and illegal, while books on it where nowhere to be found... Even the best Western karate texts emphasize technique and the physical aspect of the "sport." After spending a number of years in Japan, I realized that this is in sharp contrast with the Eastern attitude, which treats karate not as a sport, but a "do," or "way"--way of approaching (through a strenuous effort to reach perfect technique) not only one's opponent or one's fellow men, but also (if not foremost) oneself, the world and life itself. Kanazawa understands that perfectly, giving a great exposition of the concept in the Introduction. Sadly, the English translation of this part of the book falls short of the mark, as the difficulty of conveying Eastern esoteric ideas to Western audiences are undeniably enormous. Kanazawa lives up to his own lofty principles in the remainder of the book, in which he presents the technical aspects of Shotokan karate. When it comes to step-by-step instructions, it does not get better than that. Admittedly, there are other great books on Shotokan and other styles of karate, but this one is surely among the best.

This book is a good guide, into the World Shotokan Karate. It has all of the basics to reach the rank of Shodan, or 1st degree. This is the beginning, and means you are now ready to learn the Art of Karate. It's also great to use to condition your body as well. Kanazawa was the last of the old school teachers, sent from Japan, in the early 60"s, worldwide, to spread the art. Sadly, he passed away last year. He was a great fighter and champion, winning the 1957 world Karate championship, using only one hand! He injured his right hand,and had to use his kicking techniques to take the title. A very remarkable man! I recommend this book to those, seeking the true k owledge of "How it used to be"!

Love it !

Whether one can learn well enough from books to acheive "Black Belt" level knowledge and skills is very debateable, to be sure. A lot I think depends on the person, how perceptive they are, how much previous training/experience in martial arts they might of had, and so on (even black belt practitioners from a school can vary a lot in quality). Generally, I feel the best use of books like this is as a reference and aid to one who is in a class already, or to one who is looking for a good overview of Shotokan Karate. This book will serve as an authoritative depiction of what is the "kihon," or individual techniques of Shotokan (punches, kicks, blocks, etc.), along with a few kata (forms), an introduction to basic kumite (sparring), and an overview of some training techniques, etc. Thus, all by itself this book will not provide all the knowledge one needs as a "black belt" practitioner. One will also need a lot more in the way of kata and kumite. These latter two can be aquired in Kanazawas other two titles, "Karate: The Complete Kata," and "Karate Fighting Techniques." Also, it's really important to see the techniques in motion, either live (preferable) and/or in video (try Youtube) to get an accurate idea of how the techniques work dynamically. Then it's important to take all the information you have acquired and to practice, practice, practice in a very conscientious way. A teacher can be very important to give objective feedback, but whether one has a teacher or not, there is no substitute for ones own careful attention to detail and diligent practice. I wanted to note also, that although the title says that this book is an "intensive course," one must be careful not to progress through the material too quickly. In the real world most people need to be very patient with themselves, and should not rush their training; it very important to give oneself the amount of time one needs to build a strong foundation before one progresses further. Failure to do this will result in injury and poor quality technique. Thus, one should not take this book too literally as a do-it-yourself guide to black belt in a year. Keeping this in mind, I feel that this book can be very useful as an overview and an aid in ones overall effort to acquire mastery in Karate-do; that is, if one does not rely on it exclusively.

It is important to note that the title can be a little misleading. This book is more for beginners and intermediate Shotokan Karate students. The lessons and photos are clear and easy to understand; however, one cannot learn true Shotokan Karate without actually training under an instructor. The real value of this excellent book is that if it is used in conjunction with hands-on training under a Shotokan Karate teacher, this volume will be of great value. There are six detailed chapters in this text. In conclusion, this is a book any Shotokan Karate student and/or teacher who wants to further understand the techniques and tactics of Shotokan Karate. Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Shotokan Karate Self-Defense Techniques: Combat Karate for the street).

An excellent technical beginning instructional course! As a former Educational Teacher and Shotokan Yondan (4th degree black belt). I highly endorse this book's teaching methods and Japanese vocabulary to achieve technical excellence, eliminates short-cutting (follow-me) teaching demonstrations, that will "no doubt" develop one to become a true complete Japanese Shodan (1st degree black belt). "Be technical", develop strength and speed as you progress is ultimately a perfect goal ! Now apply it to Kata!

From my point of view, Mr. Kanazawa is the greatest karate master alive. I never had the chance to see him "live" on a training course, but lots of video tapes fell into my hand throughout the years. As I love books, I always wanted to read his work, so I've chosen this one to start with. It was not a surprise for me that the book is as good as its author, professionally written and illustrated, in a high quality print.

I bought the book for my children to use as reference for their Karate class. The book has a lot of materials for a serious Karate student to have.

This is an excellent kataté book. The basic and dept (for advance) is true to traditional karate-do... the lesson is progressing very fast, but is an excellent tool to supplement any style of karate. This is refering to shotokan kata.

In my opinion this is a great book, but it isn't for beginners. I already have a 1st degree black belt in Shotokan Karate and I bought this book because of sentimental reasons.

After being away from Shotokan for almost 40 years and coming back to the sport of karate with my granddaughter Rebecca, I am completely blown away by all of the thorough and impressive coverage and detail to be gleaned on YouTube for example! This includes demonstrations by many of the greatest exponents of karate in the world, one of the most outstanding being the living legend of Shotokan who is Hirokazu Kanazawa! This book, like his other publications, is beautifully printed and the many photographs of routines, sets and katas are fairly easy to follow and reproduce, although I feel there is a definite need to "tweak" these routines by training with experienced instructors who will be more able to fine-tune your moves. Overall, an excellent book ... well worth the price!

After so many years of isolation from this martial art which one had learnt in his younger days, it is really refreshing and a relief to be able to re-learn karate in his older years as if his instructor is at his side to guide him. My many thanks to the author who have taken much of his time to put the instructions and his experiemce on records for our benefits. Aregeto gozimas!

A great source of Shotokan karate knowledge.