Martial History Team

 Welcome to the November 2022 book survey, part four. I decided to break this month's survey into four posts. Part one is  here . Part two is  here . Part three is here . Introduction In November 2022, I (Richard) continued my reading plan. The major theme for this month is American Kenpo Karate, with Okinawan karate as a sub-theme. I've practiced both, so I'm a sympathetic reader. This post focuses on a five books on karate. Tonfa: Karate Weapon of Self-Defense, Fumio Demura, 1982 I bought my copy of Tonfa in August 1995, according to the note I wrote on the first page. My version is a 6 inches by 9 inches black and white paperback with 142 pages. You can download a digital edition for free from the Internet Archive  although there is now a Kindle title for sale as well. There are pictures on every page of this book. It covers stances, similarities with empty hand karate, striking, and self-defense techniques. It's easy to follow and I used it back in the day befo...

   Welcome to the November 2022 book survey, part three. I decided to break this month's survey into four posts. Part one is  here . Part two is here . Introduction In November 2022, I (Richard) continued my reading plan. The major theme for this month is American Kenpo Karate, with Okinawan karate as a sub-theme. I've practiced both, so I'm a sympathetic reader. This post focuses on a five more books on American Kenpo Karate.   Kenpo Karate x01 Series, Lee Wedlake Jr, 2000-2008 From 2000 to 2008, one of the top American Kenpo Karate instructors, Lee Wedlake Jr, published a series of books. They each had a x01 number, similar to many college classes. I bought the first two, in 2000 and 2002, titled Kenpo Karate 101  and Kenpo Karate 201 . I did not buy the follow-on books, as I was not practicing Kenpo when they arrived.  Each book covered the following: 101: Introductory material 201: Short and long forms 1 and 2 301: Short and long form 3 401: Form 4...

 Welcome to the November 2022 book survey, part two. I decided to break this month's survey into four posts. Part one is here . Introduction In November 2022, I (Richard) continued my reading plan. The major theme for this month is American Kenpo Karate, with Okinawan karate as a sub-theme. I've practiced both, so I'm a sympathetic reader. This post focuses on a five volume set of books by Ed Parker Sr on American Kenpo Karate.   Infinite Insights Into Kenpo, Volumes 1-5, Ed Parker Sr, 1982-1987 Rather than address these books individually, I will treat them as a set. I see no reason why a Kenpo practitioner or fan would not buy all five of them, especially now that all five are available on Kindle .  The five volumes include the following: Mental Stimulation , 1982, 131 pages Physical Analyzation I [sic], 1983, 151 pages Physical Analyzation II [sic], 1985, 206 pages Mental & Physical Constituents , 1986, 189 pages Mental & Physical Applications , 1987, 24...

 Welcome to the November 2022 book survey, part one. I decided to break this month's survey into four posts. Introduction In November 2022, I (Richard) continued my reading plan. The major theme for this month is American Kenpo Karate, with Okinawan karate as a sub-theme. I've practiced both, so I'm a sympathetic reader. Read on to separate the wheat from the chaff.   Kenpo Karate: Law of the Fist and the Empty Hand, Ed Parker Sr, 1960/2010/2016 Kenpo Karate: Law of the Fist and the Empty Hand  appears to be Ed Parker Sr's first book, originally published in 1960. My copy is a print-on-demand black and white paperback measuring 5 1/2 inches by 8 1/2 inches, with 156 pages. Aside from missing original front matter, the book appears to be a faithful reprint of the original. The book includes sections on "history," "what is a gi?", a beginner's course, and an intermediate course. It appears to originate the practice of calling the art KENPO KARATE (...