February 2023 Book Survey Part 3

 

 Welcome to the February 2023 book survey, part three. I decided to break this month's survey into three posts. This is the third. The first is here. The second is here.

Introduction

In February 2023, I (Richard) continued my reading plan. This month I surveyed grappling/striking/power, exotic arts, and kicking. This post covers the third topic -- kicking.

Dynamic Kicks: Essentials for Free Fighting, Chong Lee, 1975/1980

I only learned about Dynamic Kicks: Essentials for Free Fighting after finding it in the Internet Archive. This is a short book that is best thought of as introductory material for Mr. Lee's next title. 

The material makes good use of the page, as seen here:

Thanks to the Internet Archive, you can decide if this book is for you.

Advanced Explosive Kicks, Chong Lee, 1978

I bought my copy of Advanced Explosive Kicks in the late 1990s when I bought just about any martial arts book I found in a store. My copy is a 5 7/8 inches by 8 7/8 inches paperback with 144 black and white pages. You can also find this book at the Internet Archive.

Mr. Lee's kicking is amazing. I credit the photographer, working with analog materials, who could capture him mid-air so often.

I wish the format of this book was larger, but the digital edition sort of solves that problem.

If it looks cool to you, check it out from the Internet Archive.

Combat Kick Techniques, David Mitchell, 1989/1996

I bought Combat Kick Techniques around the same time as the previous title. My copy is a 7 1/4 inches by 9 1/2 inches paperback with 142 black and white pages. This book was published in the UK, so it seems to be rare in the US.

This book has great photos and layout for its size. This online auction has a few interior pages, like this:

There's probably no reason to hunt down this book, unless you have a connection to the author.

The Ultimate Kick, Bill Wallace, 1987

My copy of The Ultimate Kick also dates from the late 1990s. There appear to be many used copies of this book for sale in the secondary market. My copy is a 7 inches by 10 inches paperback with 134 black and white pages.

I found a few interior pictures online, like this one:

The pictures in this book are clear and often speak for themselves. I don't know if this is Mr. Wallace's best book, but I'm sure fans would want a copy. I love the cover too.

Tae Kwon Do, 3rd Ed, Yeon Hee Park, Yeon Hwan Park, Jon Gerrard, 2013/2014

I bought my copy of Tae Kwon Do, 3rd Edition when one of my kids started practicing then-WTF TKD. My copy is a paperback measuring 7 1/4 inches by 9 1/8 inches with 208 color pages.

The then-WTF endorsed this book. Pages 43-131, the bulk of the content, covers forms. 

There is a lot of content packed into this book, although pictures covering sparring and self defense seem too small. There is also some wasted space as shown below.

This is still a good book for beginners to TKD.

The Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do Patterns, Vol. 1, Stuart Anslow, 2010

I bought a copy of The Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do Patterns, Vol. 1 as a refresher from my ITF TKD days in San Angelo, TX. My copy is a paperback measuring 8 1/4 inches by 10 3/4 inches with 286 black and white pages.

The core of this book involves instructions for 15 TKD patterns. However, the history section was surprisingly honest about TKD's origins. 

Page 5 states "Contrary to popular belief, Taekwon-Do is not a 2000-year old Korean martial art and its connection to the ancient Korean are of Taek-Kyon is tenuous at best. It is in fact derived, for the most part, from Shotokan Karate. It also has other martial art (such as judo, hapkido, boxing, wrestling, and even Chinese) influences."

Pages 13-20 offers a fascinating comparison among TKD styles regarding chambering, stepping, and  horizontal wave vs natural motion vs sine wave.

I also liked the 30 page appendix by George Vitale on TKD history as "fabrication".

This book surprised to the upside. I did not anticipate the excellent focus on legitimate TKD history.

Complete Kickboxing: The Fighter's Ultimate Guide to Techniques, Concepts, and Strategy for Sparring and Competition, Martina Sprague, Keith Livingston, 2004

I bought my copy of Complete Kickboxing to help with the striking class in my old Krav Maga style. My copy is a paperback measuring 8 3/8 inches by 10 7/8 inches with 480 black and white pages.

There is a ton of content in this book, with way more text than one might expect. The pictures are rather small despite the large format. 

Conclusion

The The Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do Patterns, Vol. 1 is my favorite in this batch, but probably only if you are interested in TKD.

You may know about our Amazon Wish List. If you would like to help us get books to read and review from that list, then please consider supporting us via Buy Me a Coffee.

If you like this article, check out our Facebook page, Instagram account, Twitter feed, and Amazon Wish List. Be devoted!