Budo, the way of the martial arts, is at heart a path of spiritual cultivation and self-realization whose aim is to develop a strategic mind that makes combat unnecessary. Kenji Tokitsu explains the philosophy of karate as budo and looks deeply at the key concepts that are essential for developing the budo mind in karate practice. These concepts are: • distance and timing, • rhythm, anticipation, and intuition, • and the cultivation of explosive but focused energy. These concepts are difficult to teach, but mastering them is the ultimate goal of any true martial artist. Tokitsu expertly guides the reader through these elusive ideas with clarity and a practical view.
Sabaki means staying open to the world at large and responding to others in a way that blends energies in new directions. Whether it is a question of repelling an attack or building relationships, the combined energy that comes from sabaki is an effort of cooperation, openness, and respect. Whether you are training for health, competition, or self-defense, The Sabaki Method can show you how to turn defense into offense, anticipate attacks, condition the body, and focus the mind. Kancho Ninomiya takes the mystery out of karate.
While technical prowess and physical power are essential characteristics of a martial artist, true mastery of the art comes by cultivating one's inner strength. Here, Kenji Tokitsu—an authority on Japanese and Chinese combat arts and a respected karate teacher—shows how cultivating ki (life force) and understanding the principles of budo (the martial path of self-development) can make training in martial arts more meaningful, effective, and personally and spiritually rewarding. Tokitsu emphasizes the mental aspects of martial arts practice including: • The importance of ki development • Seme, or capturing your opponent's mind • Understanding ma, the spatial relationship in combat Studying these concepts, he explains, gives martial artists the tools to train for a lifetime and at the very highest level. Tokitsu also gives a historical and cultural survey of budo, and explains how the Western view of budo training is different than the Japanese—a perspective rarely available to Western martial artists.
"A man who has attained mastery of an art reveals it in his every action."--Samurai Maximum. Under the guidance of such celebrated masters as Ed Parker and the immortal Bruce Lee, Joe Hyams vividly recounts his more than 25 years of experience in the martial arts. In his illuminating story, Hyams reveals to you how the daily application of Zen principles not only developed his physical expertise but gave him the mental discipline to control his personal problems-self-image, work pressure, competition. Indeed, mastering the spiritual goals in martial arts can dramatically alter the quality of your life-enriching your relationships with people, as well as helping you make use of all your abilities.
In many old martial arts films you often see a master capable of extraordinary supernormal feats such as being able to move with the speed of wind, throw incredibly heavy objects, destroy them with a strike, stride over water, or even fly through the air. Are such things possible? The Chinese Taoists say "yes" if the master practiced special exercises to cultivate their inner energy, or yang chi (qi). These practices to cultivate inner power are called nei-gong, or the internal martial arts, and are related to the mastery of the kundalini energies cited in Indian yogic and Buddhist literature, which also explains the various superpowers that become possible with its cultivation. Many people today want to be able to attain such supernormal skills, or they simply want to understand why and how these skills were cultivated so they might be duplicated as best possible. Some practitioners of Tai Chi Chuan, Hsing-Yi, Ba Gua Zhang, Five Animals, Aikido, Karate, Judo, Northern Shaolin, and other Kung Fu Wushu traditions have alternatively damaged their bodies from their practice, or have reached a training plateau, and want some sure methods to break their current limits and bring their martial arts skills to the next level. This book explains the major practices on how to properly cultivate nei-gong safely to achieve all these objectives. The information provided, because of its advance nature, was usually considered the high "secrets" of martial arts lineages made available only to the top students who also practiced breathing methods and meditation. It explains how to cultivate the mythical martial arts through the initial practice of qi-gong, and then inner nei-gong exercises involving anapana, pranayama, one-pointed visualization, kasina meditations, and sexual cultivation. It provides training information applicable to Iron Palm, Iron Shirt or Dim Mak techniques, which though incredible in themselves still fall far short of the special supernormal achievements possible after a martial arts student successfully opens up their chakras and chi channels, in particular their sushumna central channel and the macrocosmic chi circulation within the body. This is the only book in English offering detailed instructions on how to cultivate the Taoist concept of shen, which is the stage of awareness attained after cultivating your chi to a high level. For purposes of attaining inner gong-fu (kung fu), it also teaches how to cultivate the Six Yogas of Naropa and the Tibetan tantric mantras for opening up the body's central chi channel. In terms of specific long term nei-gong methods, it stresses visualization and anapana practices which are explained in conjunction with more advanced techniques for dissolving inner energy blockages. Rather than just focusing on internal martial arts kung fu, the authors go even a step further also bring forth many rarely discussed modern training principles for peak athletic performance that can be applied to martial arts, and provide practical information on various vitamin-mineral supplements, detoxification routines, and bodywork therapies that can help heal martial arts injuries and lead to improved skills even if the nei-gong route of internal martial arts energies and gong-fu is not mastered. This is a truly unique book, quite different than what's normally available for the martial arts tradition, because it provides full materials on topics raely covered elsewehre, and reveals not one, two or three but a plethora of inner training practices, even for qi-gong, along with what are normally considered their secret training details.
Learn to harness your spiritual and mental energy to acquire the tools for survival and success in martial arts. In Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts, Kazumi Tabata, Grandmaster in the Shotokan and Shorinji styles of Karate, offers his personal teachings as to how martial arts students can reach the point where time seems to slow down, quick movements are seen in slow motion, and the full potential of one's inner power can be harnessed. Chapters include: Strategy--basic physical and mental approaches to combat Basic Laws of the Mind and Body--How to harness and maximize the power of one's mind and body Strategy of a Virtuous Man--How, with honorable approaches, to approach and win confrontations How to Interpret Your Mind--Insights into our mind's workings Words and Deeds of a Virtuous Man--Approaches and actions of a man seeking higher ground Strategy of the Mind--Best application of our cognitive instincts The Law of Anger and the Law of Snapping--How anger manifests and how to work with it How to Interpret Wavelengths--Insight into understanding others Strategy of Mu--How to build upon a very Eastern approach; the concept of emptiness The Pinnacle of Spiritual Attainment--Translations and interpretations of ancient writings The Heart of Sutra--Translations and interpretations of ancient writings
This invaluable martial arts philosophy handbook presents ancient wisdom for contemporary readers. Secrete Tactics contains brilliant new interpretations of fundamental works of strategy and martial arts tactics by Miyamoto Musashi, Gichin Funakoshi, Yamamoto Tsunetomo, and various martial arts tomes. It distills the important teachings on leadership, character and values found in those books. Readers will unlock the secrets of their art and of themselves. These and a dozen other essays on strategy, combat tactics, psychology, leadership, good character, and the exercise of power, make Secret Tactics an indispensable resource for students of Asian culture, martial artists, and corporate executives.
The Essential Karate Book is an informative, illustrated guide to the techniques, philosophy and practice of karate. With 20 chapters covering practically every aspect of karate, this in-depth reference will assist students and instructors as they plot their course through karate instruction, benefiting those at all levels. The Essential Karate Book contains 200 diagrams mapping out moves with 300 step-by-step photographs and companion videos, making it a comprehensive general karate reference for Western audiences. Readers of this karate guide will learn about: Stances, blocks, strikes and kicks Preparing your body through warm-ups, stretching, and conditioning through karate-specific exercises Kata grading and fighting (kumite) techniques and competition rules Martial arts weapons (kobudo), and MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) applications The origins and history of karate Required behavior, clothing and etiquette, as well as the fundamentals of karate and the different styles that share them The Essential Karate Book is a must-have for any martial arts enthusiast, from beginners to black belts!
Karate is not just a sport or a hobby—it’s a lifetime study toward perfection of character. Here, Dave Lowry, one of the best-known writers on the Japanese martial arts, illuminates the complete path of karate including practice, philosophy, and culture. He covers myriad subjects of interest to karate practitioners of all ages and levels, including: • The relationship between students and teachers • Cultivating the correct attitude during practice • The differences between karate in the East and West • Whether a karate student really needs to study in Japan to perfect the art • The meaning of rank and the black belt • Detailed descriptions of kicks, punches, evasions, and techniques and the philosophical concepts that they manifest • What practice means and looks like as one ages • How the practice of karate aims toward cultivating character and spiritual development After forty years studying karate and the budo arts, Lowry is an informative and reliable guide, highlighting aspects of the karate path that will surprise, entertain, and enlighten.
