Martial History Team

  Welcome to the December 2022 book survey, part one. I decided to break this month's survey into three posts. This is the first part. Introduction In December 2022, I (Richard) continued my reading plan. The major theme for this month is Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA). Some of my favorite books appear in this collection of posts.  Alta Armatur und Ringkunst [Old Armament and Art of Fight] (Ms. Thott 290 2°), Hans Tolhoffer, Michael Chidester, 2019/1459 My copy of  Alta Armatur und Ringkunst is a facsimile produced by Michael Chidester and his HEMA Bookshelf . I did not really know what to expect from this project, but I supported it on Indiegogo . The original text is known as Royal Danish Library MS Thott.290.2º . Some also call it the "Copenhagen Talhoffer." It dates to 1459 and is attributed to Hans Talhoffer (fl. 1433-67). ("fl." is shorthand for "flourished," meaning the dates when the author was most active. Otherwise, we have no estim...

 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 (...