No comments about THE BUDO KARATE OF MAS. OYAMA. Philosophical Foundations of Japan's Strongest Fighting Art..

No comments about MAS OYAMA'S ESSENTIAL KARATE.

No comments about Mas. Oyama"s Kyokushin Karate.

5 comments about Karate School.

1. This book is a great text for students of Kyokushin style of Karate-do, and great for any Karate-ka interested in the traditional styles of Okinawan Karate-do. Sosai Masutatsu Oyama imigrated to Japan From South Korea to learn the Japanese Martial Arts, he had studied boxing and Judo until he found his true love, Karate. He started learning Shotokan Karate from the Great Giko Funakoshi,son of Gichin Funakoshi. Oyama excelled quickly in the art and later created what he called Kyokushin. This book contains study aids to students of the art and facts for Karate lovers. It includes pictures of him and his students showing the precise movements,techniques and descriptions by Oyama him self. The Katas are precisely detailed and demostrated, it is a must have.



2. This book has a good (although short) topic about breathing. I guess it's the best you can take from it. In this book you'll also find some interesting warm-up routines. That's all I like from this book, really.

   Sure, you'll also see here several basic techniques, but blockings (uke) are barely explained and poorly illustrated. In addition, you won't find here any historical information, nor any phylosophical explanation about karate. Even, techniques are not explained very well: they're just presented. So, there's nothing (or very few) for intermediate/advanced students here. I thought to take this book as a reference for basics, but make yourself a favor and try to get something else instead of this -like "This Is Karate" from Mas Oyama, or the IFK Sylabus (kihons) from Shihan Steve Arneil. Also check the Shihan Steve Arneil's "Kyokushin Kata" book.

   In few words, "Karate School" has very few to offer if you're not a beginner: it's just another karate book, like many others over there.




3. I bought this book to see how Oyama's conditioning was done. I mean the man fought bulls with his bare hands. I don't care much for forms, and I didn't buy this for the fighting techniques. However, I can follow the techniques just fine. BUT, like any book on martial arts, the beginner will have a hard time following what is here, and someone formally trained in a traditional martial art will probably follow along fine. Also like any traditional martial arts book though, those who practice a traditional martial art probably knows most (not all) of this stuff.

   Overall I like the book and recommend it to anyone who wants to supplement their training, anyone who wants to know more about Mas Oyama, and anyone who wants to follow along as they formally learn Kyukushin Karate. Before Karate School it was named Mas Oyama's Complete Karate Course, so if you have that book, you don't need this one.




4. If you are truly serious about learning Kyokushinkai Karate then this is the book to buy.
   In my Opinion Mas Oyama was the Greatest Karateka who ever lived. He had awsome super human strength & His Martial Arts skills were second to none. He even killed Bulls with his bear hands. Buy this book you wont regret it.



5. While this book highlights the fundamentals of Kyokushinkai Karate, it could have provided more comprehensive diagrams for the Kata and the grading structure for moving through from Novice to Black Belt which is what the title of the book suggests. Nevertheless, this book is useful for the absolute beginner.

No comments about Mas Oyama's Karate as Practiced in Japan.

No comments about Essential Karate.

5 comments about Mas Oyama's Complete Karate Course.

1. Definitely a must-have for all karate-ka! This book was the first to give me a real insight into the intensity of the spirit of karate-do. I'm glad I read this one early on in my training; it helped me understand intensity much better durring my early years than I probably would have otherwise. If you practice kyokushin, then This book is a definite help if you like to practice your techniques on your own time, and I would also heartilly recommend this book for those who aren't from the kyokushin school. (I myself am not from their school, but I still found this book extremely helpful.) I first read this book a few years ago (then known as "Mas Oyama's essential karate," and I still come back to read it again and again frequently.



2. Any beginner student of karate and specially Kyokushin Karate can complement his initial studies with the use of this book. It is well illustrated and shows in good detail, the basic positions, punches, kicks and blocks the Kyokushin way. However it is not a substitute for actual classroom practice and learning. I definetely recommended for those who are taking their first steps in Kyokushin Kay Kan Karate.



3. The title of this book sounds really promising, Mas Oyama's Complete Karate Course, but I would actually prefer to use the word Complement instead of Complete. It's a really good book and is definitively mandatory reading for any student of Kyokushin, even if the previous title of this book (Mas Oyama's Essential Karate) more reflects what it's about. This book explains the importance of the basics of Kyokushin, and it gets understandable what makes this style so special and different from the more traditional Okinawa styles. The reader gets information and valuable points about techniques, training, taming for blocking, punching, and kicking. This book is recommended reading for all students of Kyokushin.



4. this is the same book previously titled "essential karate". i do owned the 2 books but this version "complete karate course" was on my martial arts library while the "essential karate" was on my own living room so that when i want to review some techniques i can look at them. great book from a great teacher. a five star rating for grandmaster oyama.



5. When I took up Karate as a kid in the 1970's there was not alot out there but the Oyama books were just coming in to the U.S. about this time and his books were the first to give me a real insight into the intensity of Japanes Karate and especially my own system of Go Ju Ryu.This is certaintly a hard style training and I was glad to have studied it as much as many at the time were turning up their noses at hard style systems for softer style martial arts systems that looked pretty but rarely survived contact for long at tournaments against this ultra hard no nonsense system.This book back in the 1970's was known as "Mas Oyama's essential karate," and I have come to see how timeless his system was and the man behind it. If you enjoy this book and have a kid in karate make sure you get them The Kumite dvd I have also reviewed.

5 comments about Mas Oyama's Classic Karate.

1. This is an excellent book, but this book is a copy of mas oyama other book "karate school". If you have that book don't buy this because there is no difference. Oooh I almost forgot to tell you that there is difference. The book cover is not the same :)



2. I own this book under it'sother title, while I am not a kyukoshinkai guy, I do wonder when they started using Korean pullovers s uniforms...
   Otherwise, great book. Oyama has written exactly one book on karate, and gave it 37 different titles.
   Buy any of them, and you know what his other titles offer.



3. This book is yet another re-release of Masutatsu Oyamas book "Essential karate". It has also been released under the name "Complete karate course", and "Karate school".
   
   Only the name and cover has been changed (and the Taekwondo uniforms and practicioners on the cover on this latest version is the source of some amusement in kyokushin circles -probably the work of a editor that didnt know what he was doing and didnt know the difference), the contents are identical. If you already own any of its previous incarnations, dont bother with this one.
   Its annoying that they keep changing the name for every new release.
   
   If you ignore the name/edition confusion, it is a Good book on kyokushin karate basics. It is a bit dated with a 70ies feel and outdated techniques for grading purposes, but mostly it is a worthwile buy for any kyokushin karate practicioner.
   
   Mainly it is a walktrough of the basic karate techniques as done (back then) in the kyokushin style. There are also sections on warmups, breathing, self defense and more -mostly to short to be useful as anything but inspiration.
   It gets a bit confused and obscure occationaly. But it is still better than most books on karate released today.
   I rate it a 4, but for non-kyokushin karate stylist a 3 would probably be more appropriate.



4. Mas Oyama's book but with the cover showing a guy with Taekwondo Gi? I reckon it's the biggest mistake in the world. Are you sure it's Oyama's book? I don't think Oyama would be happy about this.



5. This book is a republication of one that came out in the seventies. The only difference is in the original there were pictures of him fighting and killing a bull with his bare hands. Some lightweight giving into some special interest obviously had it taken out. The facts are that Mas Oyama killed many bulls with a punch to the center of its head or by hacking off a horn with a shuto strike. I spent many years teaching Karate and studied his style of bare knuckle classic karate. This book has several katas and alot of sparring technics well illustrated. Whether you are just starting or been at it a long time, this book will benefit you.

2 comments about Mas Oyama's Karate.

1. This book, first written in 1965, is the essential reference text after Mas Oyama's 3 main books on Kyokushin Karate;"What is Karate?", "This is Karate.", and "Advanced Karate". The goshin jitsu and gyaku kumite in the book formed part of the basis for Shihan Lowe's early training with Oyama Sosai during the early 1950's in Japan. Any student of Kyokushin Karate must have a copy of this text to complete their reference library.



2. This is an outstanding book authored by world-renowned karate master Shihan Bobby Lowe. The photographs are excellent and the text is easy to understand. I would recommend it to anyone interested in true karate.

3 comments about Mas Oyama's Essential Karate.

1. Mas Oyama's book "The Essential Karate" is perhaps the easiest source for a beginning martial artist to use to gain knowledge about this interesting artform. KyokushinKai-Kan Karate, also known as the assocaition for the search in ultimate truth in Karate, was founded in the early 1950's. Matsutatsu Oyama, the founder, created a Karate style that is derived from Shotokan and Goju-Ryu. In doing so he started one of the most powerful and most widely respected martial forms. Kyokushin is extremely popular with over ten million practitioners in the world today. This book will enable the beginner and the expert to unravel Master Oyama's thoughts on how this art should be performed. It will explain in detail and with photos all of the basic manuevers. Each page is well illustrated with reasons why each attack or defense is done. Also included are basic self defenses and a history of martial arts. Due to both of Master Oyama's other book being out of print this manuel is a indespensable tool for any martial artist. Further more it is clearly the best available and affordable tool for the adherent to this style. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It will put the extra umph into each punch and kick that you do.



2. I do not think anyone could go wrong with this book. Also, for those who have not noticed. The new work out titled "Mas Oyama's Complete Karate Course" is in fact THIS book with a new title. Enjoy. It's worth every penny!



3. Back in the early 1970s when kung fu-mania was exploding and every layman on the street was naming Bruce Lee as the greatest martial artist who ever lived I would always ask them how they would rank Mas Oyama.And as laymen they had no idea about who I was talking about as that Oyama was not a movie star, though in later years there would be more than a few movies made about his life.Mas Oyama is an icon in the world of martial arts.The founder of kyokushin-kan karate Oyama was known for his super-human feats of strength and endurance such as his 100-man kumite and his unarmed battles against bulls.Kyokushinkai karate is known as the "fighting karate" and it's founder practiced what he preached.Mas Oyama's Essential Karate teaches the very basics of kyokushinkai demonstrating katas,setting-up excercises,self-defense and breaking techniques and is lavishly illustrated with photographs.I wish the book would have featured a mini-biography of Oyama himself,but it's still a great guide for a beginner to start off with.