Modern Sports Karate: Basics of Techniques and Tactics

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Summary: Modern Sports Karate: Basics of Techniques and Tactics
Review: Enlightening, convincing, useful.
The overall estimation: this is an extraordinary reference book on technical and tactical foundations of karate sport. Its only weakness might lay with the complexity of the issue that doesn't always allow explanations in simple words. Consequently, the textual part of the book is sporadically as condensed as usual in reference books. It requires, hence, a rather high concentration and persistence on the side of a reader.
But exactly this makes it obvious that this book has been actually written for karate people who don't use their heads for breaking bricks. Instead, it will rather help them breaking walls of the still remaining orthodoxy in karate.
The statements in this book are based on one side on deductions from common experience in sports fighting, and on the other on the transparency in accordance with human kinetics. The visual part of the book plays, then, a very important function. It is not meant for illustrations, but as evidence instead. The series of photographs, for instance, showing sequences of movements of fighting techniques are made on marked lines and points. In this way, the correctness of distances and angles with demonstrated actions becomes self-evident. Further example: the mutual relationship of presented basic combinations becomes visually easy to grasp when the interested reader cuts out parts of photographs as designated in the book. Thumbing then the pages with combinations quickly through results in a cinematic, much enlightening didactic effect.
A reader who accepts pregnant statements and doesn't just glance over but study photographs, figures, and tables carefully will be much rewarded. She or he will not just gain a completely new, convincing, and very useful insight into the basics of sports karate. He or she will for sure re-open the book Modern Sports Karate every time when wondering how to improve on the fluency and/or speed of a certain karate technique, or how to move more efficiently in a certain tactical situation.
The author as sports scientist doesn't favour, logically, any of the established karate schools. Regretfully, such style-neutral, objectively written books are really rare on the karate book market - but for that reason all the more precious.

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Summary: Potentials for everyone
Review: Reading the book Modern Sports Karate appears like a discovery journey. The author constrains one to think with him consequently through the most important technical and tactical facets of sports fighting in karate. Such value neutral, logical approach is opening new ways for improvements in exercising karate as a sport. One doesn't need necessarily to accept the presented system as a whole. A multitude of potentials is comprised in this book. Thus, everyone can find some interesting details to improve his own fighting repertory; regardless of his karate school or style and regardless of the degree he has so far reached.

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Summary: Sport Science meets Tradition!
Review: This is the future for Karate!... were my first thoughts after reading this book. It is obvious to me now where karate is heading, and I think it is the most obvious direction. The mystique of traditional formats, is now not so mysterious and more transparent, and with the advent of multi style formats the choices are boundless, this leads us to a fresh way of presenting karate in a model which suits modern society.
The book and the author have presented us with a very enlightened view to karate through sport science and the observation of kumite at black belt level. From this evolves a teaching method which appears very simplistic. The time frame for achievement is quicker, the end result just as effective. This also appears to be something that will offer a direction to karate without the numerous detours as in traditional teachings.
The practices in this book could be the model for a teaching system which could be practised in any part of the globe, and not be affected by political or religous beliefs.
The only criticism I have with book is that someone who is looking for a informative book on how to, or why to get into karate will struggle to comprehend this book, it does appear quite technical and wordy. Whereas on the other hand someone accomplished in the art will find it answers a lot of questions, and want to know more.
In summary watch this space. I think this book and its information may just start to make a difference.

Rating:
Summary: Sport Science meets Tradition!
Review: This is the future for Karate!... were my first thoughts after reading this book. It is obvious to me now where karate is heading, and I think it is the most obvious direction. The mystique of traditional formats, is now not so mysterious and more transparent, and with the advent of multi style formats the choices are boundless, this leads us to a fresh way of presenting karate in a model which suits modern society.
The book and the author have presented us with a very enlightened view to karate through sport science and the observation of kumite at black belt level. From this evolves a teaching method which appears very simplistic. The time frame for achievement is quicker, the end result just as effective. This also appears to be something that will offer a direction to karate without the numerous detours as in traditional teachings.
The practices in this book could be the model for a teaching system which could be practised in any part of the globe, and not be affected by political or religous beliefs.
The only criticism I have with book is that someone who is looking for a informative book on how to, or why to get into karate will struggle to comprehend this book, it does appear quite technical and wordy. Whereas on the other hand someone accomplished in the art will find it answers a lot of questions, and want to know more.
In summary watch this space. I think this book and its information may just start to make a difference.

Rating:
Summary: A thorough explanation of sports karate
Review: Traditionally trained karateka must have problems with accepting the rational statements and revelations contained in the book Modern Sports Karate. But the clearness of the authors deductions supported by hundreds of functional photographs, tables and schemes, as well as the simplicity of his concept are firm. The message of this book is very clear: anyone wishing to engage in sports fighting kumite has to adapt his or her technical and tactical repertory to the requirements of sports fighting, regardless of what he or she has been learning in the basic karate schooling. The author offers a transparent presentation how the techniques we see in kumite can be logically reduced just to six basic types. This reduction and systemisation constitutes than a base for optimisation of training oriented toward sporting results.