Okinawan Shuri-te: An In-depth Study of the Origins, Purpose & Technique of Shotokan Karate (2nd Ed.)

This book is the culmination of many years of research into the origins of what is known today as Shotokan Karate. It focuses on two aspects, firstly building on the work of famous past masters (and a few present ones) to explore the historical origins and the main people involved in its development.

Secondly, it opens up the 5 kata of Heian/Pinan to full scrutiny and examination, through the use of detailed and step by step exploration of every part of the Heian kata, providing numerous fully explained and discussed applications.

This 2nd edition provides numerous specially commissioned illustrations to enable the reader to better follow the applications.

You will see how this often overlooked part of Karate training (namely kata) is in fact the backbone of Karate study, and should in fact take pride of place in any Karate syllabus. But it's the application of kata that is the real star. Such 'bunkai' will invariably be a personal and individual discovery, just as it was for me. However, this book provides you with new ideas which uncover many hidden aspects of Karate, allowing you to become open to new possibilities in your training.

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I began this book around 2005. I had the help and assistance of a few good men (namely Iain Abernethy , Prof. Rick Clark and Bruce Clayton) who were all instructive and supportive. My thanks to them).

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Read it, tell your friends and get stuck in to working through my discoveries. Half the fun is making them work for you!