Book Review

Sep 82 min read

Fumio Demura’s ‘Karate Weapon of Self-Defense’ Book Series

Book review by Sensei Dan Young. This book series was written by 9th dan Shito-Ryu instructor Fumio Demura Sensei, who sadly passed away...

Sensei Dan Young

Oct 29, 20232 min read

'The Weaponless Warriors' - Book Review

At the start of 2023, I began attending seminars with Sensei Simon Oliver and then attending as a guest in his dojo on Friday night....

Sensei Dan Young

Feb 18, 20232 min read

Five Years One Kata Book Review

This book was recommended to me by Sensei Andi Kidd and is without a doubt one of the best kata books I have read and those of you that...

Sensei Dan Young

May 12, 20212 min read

Wrong Fu - A Book Review

Now that we are slowly (hopefully) coming out of this awful pandemic, which has allowed plenty of time for reading, I would like to share...

Sensei Barry Nelson

May 25, 20171 min read

Shotokan Karate Dictionary - Schlatt

Sensei Kidby very kindly loaned me this book to help me with the construction of this web site. The author is a German Karate-ka who has...

Sensei Barry Nelson

Dec 23, 20161 min read

Bubishi

The Bubishi is a reference book secretly passed down from master to master over many centuries. It has been refined/edited by many...

Dynamic Karate - Sensei Masatoshi Nakayama

Sensei Barry Nelson

Dec 21, 20162 min read

Dynamic Karate - Sensei Masatoshi Nakayama

I had heard about this book for sometime and thought it was high time I bought a copy. I already owned one of his other books on Tekki...

A Shotokan Karate Book of Facts - Leyton, Nursey and Randall

Renshi Kidby

May 19, 20162 min read

A Shotokan Karate Book of Facts - Leyton, Nursey and Randall

A Shotokan Karate Book of Facts: Volume I by Leyton, Nursey and Randall This book is exactly what it says on the label. It is an...

Sensei Barry Nelson

Oct 28, 20151 min read

Karate - My Life - Kanazawa Hirokazu

This book covers Sensei Kanazawa’s early life before karate which was certainly busy. The book charts his progress through school, family...

The Advanced Shotokan Handbook - Gurshuran Sahota

Renshi Kidby

Sep 22, 20151 min read

The Advanced Shotokan Handbook - Gurshuran Sahota

This book continues where volume one leaves off and is an ideal sequel. All remaining Shotokan Kata are detailed in this edition...

A Shotokan Karate Book of Dates - Leyton and Randall

Renshi Kidby

Jan 23, 20151 min read

A Shotokan Karate Book of Dates - Leyton and Randall

This book is definitely not a riveting bedtime read! None-the-less it is a very easily read reference book. It has over 500 Shotokan...

Martial Arts of the Orient - Peter Lewis, and The Ultimate Book of Martial Arts - Fay Goodman

Renshi Kidby

Aug 16, 20141 min read

Martial Arts of the Orient - Peter Lewis, and The Ultimate Book of Martial Arts - Fay Goodman

To understand karate a little knowledge of other martial arts is essential, indeed for CFTS dan grades (as in some other associations...

Renshi Kidby

Aug 17, 20131 min read

Karate Do - My Way of Life - Gichin Funakoshi

An absolutely compulsive read essential for all karate-ka, compulsory for any potential CFTS Dan grade. This is a book I first read in...

The Kanazawa Years: Reminiscence by Sensei Randall (8th Dan) - Dr. Clive Layton

Renshi Kidby

Aug 12, 20132 min read

The Kanazawa Years: Reminiscence by Sensei Randall (8th Dan) - Dr. Clive Layton

It is almost impossible for someone taking up karate today to understand what karate was like in the early days, what training was like...

The Shotokan Handbook, or Beginning to Black Belt - Gurshuran Sahota

Renshi Kidby

Mar 12, 20131 min read

The Shotokan Handbook, or Beginning to Black Belt - Gurshuran Sahota

This book introduced by 6th Dan Sensei Mick Billman is an important book for all early students of Shotokan. Sahota Sensei's book begins...

Okinawan Karate - A History of Styles and Masters - Christopher Clarke

Renshi Kidby

Oct 8, 20111 min read

Okinawan Karate - A History of Styles and Masters - Christopher Clarke

Okinawan Karate - A History of Styles and Masters - Vol 1 - Shuri-te and Shorin-ryu by Christopher Clarke For an eye-opening view of our...

Renshi Kidby

Sep 24, 20102 min read

Moving Zen

I can strongly recommend this book to any serious martial artist. I first read it about twenty years ago but have been back and re-read...

In Funakoshi's Footsteps by John Van-Weenen

Graham Wakley

Jun 21, 20102 min read

In Funakoshi's Footsteps by John Van-Weenen

I was a blue-belt (which seems quite a while ago, but is in fact just a year) I, like a lot of my fellow Karate-Ka, was a little confused...

CFTS KARATE

The Central Federation of Traditional Shotokan