The Advanced Shotokan Karate Bible introduces something that many books do not:
What to do if you’re already skilled in a martial art.
Written specifically for advanced Shotokan Karate students, this book has insights that can be of value to anyone looking to bring their training to the next level.
Ashley P. Martin
The author Ashley P. Martin is a Shotokan black belt, as well as an instructor and grading examiner.
While many books are written by students of a martial art, her unique perspective as an instructor and judge can help you perfect your techniques and practice, especially if you plan on grading or entering tournaments.
Something that impressed me was the author’s recommendation for advanced students to cross-train with other martial arts like Jiu-Jitsu. Many teachers believe that their art should be the only one practiced, and that they’ve got nothing missing in the way of training, particularly at an advanced level.
Ashley cites Bruce Lee:
“The best fighter is not a Boxer, Karate or Judo man. The best fighter is someone who can adapt to any style. He kicks too good for a Boxer, throws too good for a Karate man and punches too good for a Judo man.”
Format
The Advanced Shotokan Karate Bible is very easy to read. Chapters are broken down into easily read chunks, with enough pictures to illustrate points without seeming like filler.
The pictures are small, like thumbnails, and blend into the pages giving a quick visual reference, making the book easy to scan. Once you’ve read it once, there’s no difficulty finding that one thing you want to review. With martial arts, everyone has their own motivations for training, and every reader has different needs. With this book, you can easily find what you need and then read the rest when you’re ready.
Features of the Advanced Shotokan Karate Bible
A detailed history of Karate is given without becoming boring. Facts and background are given much the way a teacher would explain to new students of a martial art.
A visual cheat-sheet for the 6 patterns included in the book is given at the end, perfect for a student to review. Grading requirements from white belt to 1st Dan are given as well. These are things that most students will want to have handy, and is much easier to follow than the photocopied instructions given out by your sensei.
Kata
In short, the kata are recorded in one of the best ways I’ve seen.
Kata, which is an integral part of Karate practice, is discussed in depth, again without becoming tedious. Each kata touches on things such as its origins, why it is important, techniques that it introduces, and any variations that are common to that kata.
The self-defense aspect of techniques used in the kata are taught, showing the practical applications of each. This can help a student visualize during training.
Unique to this book, probably because the author is a grading instructor, is that tips on performing the kata in front of others are given, such as which techniques should follow each other as a combination.
Sparring and Competition
The Advanced Shotokan Karate Bible also touches on sparring drills to help students improve their form and techniques. Details on competition are given, including how they are organized, how points are awarded and a list of common commands and their translations.
Recommendations
This book can be of value to any martial artist, but it and Ashley P. Martin’s previous book The Shotokan Karate Bible are essential for anyone practicing Shotokan Karate. The books contain so much functional information in such an easily read book that there’s no reason to read them.
Buy The Advanced Shotokan Karate Bible on Amazon.com
