Book Review: Best Karate Vol 2- Fundamentals

In volume 2 of Best Karate - Fundamentals, Masatoshi Nakayama describes the more of the basic of the art of karate that all students need to have a strong foundation in. these include stances, hitting, kicking, movement, timing and distance. They may sound very basic to a seasoned students, but rest assured that Nakayama presents them with training and exercises that everyone can benefit from.

Nakayama start by describing the importance of hip and should placement. The origin of all power is generated from the hips. Therefore there is a great deal of emphasis placed on hip alignment while the karate-ka is moving forward, sideways and backwards.

Master Nakayama shares some well seasoned training methods for switching stances and moving with the reader. These practices are very valuable for even the season karate instructor.

Lastly Nakayama discusses the proper movements of hands, arms, legs and feet while striking and blocking. While this may sound elementary, Nakayama displays the common mistakes of improper blocking and striking and what can happen due to this. Anyone that did not block a punch properly can relate after receiving a punch to the face.

This is the second book in the Best Karate series by Nakayama and it never ceases to amaze me by his completeness and ease of reading. These are timeless classics that all students of karate should have, regardless of the style of karate that is being practiced.