Product Description

"The Beginner's Guide to Shotokan Karate", the best selling beginner's book on Karate in the world, was first published in 1983 to fulfil the need for an elementary instruction manual, written by a Westerner for Westerners. The book contains over 1500 photographs and is divided into four sections. It has stood the test of time, and is probably the world's most comprehensive beginner's manual. Now in its 18th reprint, this latest and complete edition contains answers to the countless questions raised by beginners and advanced students alike, in their quest for knowledge of this fascinating martial art.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #368334 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 532 pages

Traditional Karate Magazine
Essential reading for all Shotokan practitioners.

From the Publisher
Totally revised May 2006. 532 action packed pages.

From the Author
As complete as it possibly could be. Simple yet comprehensive.

Customer Reviews

Excellent reading and learning
This book started my journey in learning Traditional Shotokan karate and has proved to be vital in my personal development acompanied with instruction.
Prior to training and gradings it helps provide a structure to analysing your own technique through Sensei John Van Weeenen's step by step guide and helps develops the karateka from basics to Kumite and kata!
Excellent reading and learning.

Excellent. Allows one to practice techniques/Kata at Home
As a mature begginer to Shotokan Karate, along with my 10yr old son, I found the book is invaluable in showing the techniques and Kata one requires to advance in this discipline. Eveything is clearly photographed and easy to follow. As a complete beginner it is sometimes difficult to remember the Japanese Terms used in Karate and this book should be standard essential reading for all beginners and parents of young exponents of this art. I found that it helps to reinforce everything I had been taught in the two, two hour period of instruction I had each week and have shown and recommended the book to other members of my club, who are equally impressed with the content. A Must Buy!

Invaluable for beginners
I disagree with some other reviewers as they have missed the point of karate.It is essentially a way of life, which has as part of it aspects of self-discipline (missing in the UK at present as far as I can see), humility (definitely missing) but with a resolute and steely resolve to defend oneself. This book covers all aspects of basic karate and I think John Van Weenen is to be congratulated.
Beginners to karate may be bewildered by the Japanese terms and the movements required in the katas, this book offers an easy and invaluable reference to most of what is needed up to purple/white belt. It is NOT perfect, but certainly when I returned from my dojo I found it helpful to go through my katas with the book and am now onto his next book. Certainly trying to remember the katas/moves without a reference is difficult enough and I haven't found a book that does it better.

Karate is not about beating people senseless, it's giving yourself a better chance. The idiot who wrote that JvW would not stand a chance against the average pub "Joe", is typical of why some of us choose to study karate. I know whose side I'd rather be on.