As I have mentioned before in other reviews, one of the (numerous) martial arts podcasts that I listen to is “Martial Arts and Life,” hosted by Lawrence Kane and Kris Wilder. Because I enjoy listening to their podcast, I have also read a number of their books. I even reviewed one of them in a previous Martial Journal post. Due to the magic of the internet, Amazon was aware of my reading preferences. One day, I saw The Problem of Practical Karate in my “recommendation” section. I decided to check it out since I am always on the look-out for new and interesting books to read and review.
To begin with, as I’m sure the title makes clear, this book focuses exclusively on karate. In the interest of full disclosure, I am not a karateka, although I have nothing but respect for the art (I actually practice tae kwon do.) As such, I do not have a concrete knowledge of the intricacies of karate or its kata. I am, however, familiar with the idea of practical karate as a concept. In fact, I have even listened to a number of podcasts by its proponents, especially Iain Abernathy. However, I approached this book with a completely open mind, as I did not have any preconceived notions about what practical karate is (or should be.)
Now with that disclaimer out of the way, for the book itself, I have to say that I really enjoyed the concept behind it. It was actually unlike any other martial arts book that I have ever read. This book is not one continuous piece or even a collection of shorter pieces by the same author. Rather, this book is a compilation of fifteen different essays from fifteen different authors. They each try to answer, in their own words, “what is practical karate”. While I was not familiar with all fifteen authors, I was familiar with some of them, including the aforementioned Iain Abernathy, as well as Lawrence Kane, and Kris Wilder.
What the editor Andi Kidd did with this book, however, was to not name the authors with the pieces they wrote. The editors identified each of the essays only by number. Only at the end of the book did the editors list each of the authors with a short biography. In this manner, the reader only discovers the author once he or she has finished the book. I thought this was a fantastic method that would allow the reader to leave any pre-conceived prejudices they might have at the door and really examine each piece on its own merits. By not revealing the author, the editors allow the reader to focus on the material rather than the source.
As someone with no practical karate experience, I actually found each person’s insight and theories quite interesting. I certainly did notice a number of common themes throughout the book. I felt this brought more of a concrete idea to what seems to be a somewhat debatable topic. With this particular book, I found myself reading one or two essays at a time, and putting the book down to think about what that particular author said. It seems to me that there is a somewhat modern movement in at least a certain portion within the karate community to view karate as less of a sport and more of a complete self-defense system; something almost akin to the popular view of krav maga (again, this is just my take on things from reading this book.)
This movement also seems to coincide with a new interpretation of kata not as a pre-set series of motions to be practiced in isolation. Rather it imagines kata as almost a shorthand version of a complete system of self-defense. Learning the kata seems to be just the first step. Once the karateka memorizes the moves, he or she can then move on to a new world of applying these principles in any number of ways to real-world situations. While I had heard of this concept before, reading these essays opened my eyes to a new way to view forms in my own art. It also made me examine them in a new light. I always enjoy looking at things from a new viewpoint. This was my favorite aspect of the book.
The downside (to me) of this format, was that due to the fact that there seems to be some consensus as to what practical karate is, and what it means, by the sixth or seventh essay, certain portions of the book did begin to feel a little repetitive. This was another reason that I chose to read the book in smaller chunks rather than read it cover to cover in one sitting.
Based on the above, this book is definitely aimed at karateka. I believe that this target audience, especially those who practice “practical karate” are the ones who will derive the most benefit from this book. Nonetheless, anyone who enjoys thinking about the fundamentals of what a martial art “is,” will certainly get something out of this book, as I did.
Have you read this book? What are your thoughts about this book or my review? Please let me know in the comments section below.
If you enjoy my book reviews, you can read my previous one here.
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- #12 Seven Samurai vs. #13 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) (Votes Needed!) - May 13, 2019
- Enter the Dragon v. Game of Death - April 10, 2019
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