Download or read book The Secrets of Okinawan Karate written by Kiyoshi Arakaki and published by Kodansha Amer Incorporated. This book was released on 2002 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new perspective, going back to the essentials as developed in the island culture where karate began. Karate developed in the islands of Okinawa as a weaponless method of self-defense. In traditional Okinawan karate, kata (form) and kumite (fighting) were not divided, they were taught together as one art. Today, however, as a result of Western influences which treat it mainly as a sport, karate is taught quite differently. The author learned the secrets of karate from masters in Okinawa, fighting in full-contact karate matches, while also competing in Muay-Thai kickboxing in Thailand, and teaching hundreds of students at his dojo in the United States. Readers will find in this book the key to the fundamentals of an ancient martial art, before it was diluted by later interpretations, and will also discover a completely different perspective on karate than any they have ever seen or practiced before.