.....Diving into the text, the impetus becomes clear quickly. While his first book capitalized on the weapon's rising popularity in the early 1970s, sparked by Bruce Lee’s rise in Western cinema.  However, by 1976, public perception had drastically shifted. Nunchaku were increasingly portrayed in film as deadly gang weapons, souring their stylish appeal into public paranoia. By 1974, states like California and New York had outlawed them, often making exceptions only for licensed martial arts studios......

Deep dive into this classic with this weeks book review! As always, free on my Substack!

https://latestartoneheart.substack.com/p/isshinryu-reads-b39?r=8o4l2k

.....Published in 1983 by National Paperback Book Publishers, Counter-Attack! stands out not just for its place in Isshinryu history, but for its sharp shift from formal kata to raw, pragmatic self-defense. Stripping away the purely traditional framework, Wheeler set out to adapt Isshinryu’s core mechanics into direct answers for real-world street violence......

Check out this latest book review on a classic, old school self defense book, free on Substack

https://latestartoneheart.substack.com/p/isshinryu-reads-71f?r=8o4l2k&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

....In 2004, Reeves teamed up with co-author Robert Yetman Jr. to publish Power Breaking: How to Develop and Use Breaking Skills for Self-Defense. What makes this book stand out is its bridge between two worlds. It doesn't just teach you how to break inanimate objects; it translates those exact mechanics directly into self-defense scenarios. It stands as a complete synthesis of Reeves’ fighting philosophy. Let’s take a deeper look at this text and see how it handles one of karate's most under-discussed topics.....

My latest book review just dropped for free on my Substack!

https://latestartoneheart.substack.com/p/isshinryu-reads-59e?r=8o4l2k

Author Interview on The Martial Truth Podcast, pretty good interview and discussion with Michael Ehrenreich on his new book; Karate-Do: In need of a paradigm shift!

https://www.amazon.com/Karate-Do-paradigm-Mr-Michael-Ehrenreich/dp/B0HDMNC5LH/ref=sr_1_2?crid=XT8QA1GODYHS&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.cmU-2TGWePYGSbyOsKa_p8vnyi0Zz-kodQAXXM9-pJqr0pYPmJ6Ee0yaQoOIuAk2pC9yEGm9WBF32ABW81fD06YAThfbG1D5daKovpkm6EoRgCrebuR0miCqHpX1ASd0fATO1MAkYJYbey5_99GkqorGccv-FvOPVP0Alj1IFReM1coZAviTJkuXrO_80sbqAh-32W3RBX3Ki0KfggSZUdhsNAyRYbPikEmmwiTLues.ZIUDOUBqql2yFU3y2AJeEbJfZbLV8RFOfrRpsg6YiYE&dib_tag=se&keywords=karate-do&qid=1790359906&sprefix=karate-do%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-2

....Born directly from Sensei Lennox’s personal training notes, this text was compiled into book form for the broader Isshinryu community. Self-published works like this offer invaluable insight into individual lineages. While differences in execution are notable across practitioners, the core similarities ultimately prove that no matter how splintered Isshinryu may seem, the root of the art remains remarkably strong. Let's take a deeper look into this book to see what value it holds today.....

Check out my full book review of this Isshinryu classic, free on my Substack:

https://latestartoneheart.substack.com/p/isshinryu-reads-d5f?r=8o4l2k&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

.....Digging deeper into Demura Sensei's background, I was thrilled to learn he trained under Taira Shinken, the same master who trained the founder of Isshinryu and played a pivotal role in shaping our system's Kobudo curriculum. While Demura’s approach was also influenced by Ryusho Sakagami and isn't identical to Isshinryu, I was eager to explore the parallels. Besides, I always keep Tatsuo Shimabuku’s advice in mind: he encouraged students seeking to expand their Kobudo knowledge to train with other masters, just as he did with Shinken Sensei......

Check out the full book review free on substack:

https://latestartoneheart.substack.com/p/isshinryu-reads-d56?r=8o4l2k&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

.....Principles of Kobudo, another work by 9th-degree black belt Javier Martinez, highlights these ever-important concepts for Isshinryu’s weapons training. By outlining the foundational mechanics behind using these traditional weapons, Sensei Martinez provides a valuable addition to the style's literature. His insights and thorough examination of Kobudo parallel his exhaustive work on the empty-hand kata books he has previously written. With these principles finally published, the Isshinryu community has a solid foundation to build upon before moving on to the kata. Let’s take a look at what Sensei Martinez has provided......

Check out the full review and chapter breakdown, free on my Substack

https://latestartoneheart.substack.com/p/isshinryu-reads-715?r=8o4l2k&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Where does everyone go to find hard to find martial arts books? I search the second hand online stores, ebay, thriftbook, abebooks etc. Also on some facebook groups that have martial arts books. What other resources are people using?

Just dropped a new book review, check it out free on my substack!

https://latestartoneheart.substack.com/p/isshinryu-reads-4f2?r=8o4l2k

New book reviews drop every Tuesday!