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[AXG]⋙ Descargar Gratis Four Shades of Black The Traditional Path to Building The Complete Fighter eBook Gavin Mulholland

Four Shades of Black The Traditional Path to Building The Complete Fighter eBook Gavin Mulholland



Download As PDF : Four Shades of Black The Traditional Path to Building The Complete Fighter eBook Gavin Mulholland

Download PDF  Four Shades of Black The Traditional Path to Building The Complete Fighter eBook Gavin Mulholland

‘The secrets of karate are contained in the kata,’ said the masters of old. What did they mean? For many years, people have struggled to understand where padwork, grappling, ground-fighting and even high kicks fit into traditional karate.

While many people understand the purpose of individual kata, this book demonstrates how the various kata work together to create a logical fight progression from stand-up striking to close-quarter grappling and groundfighting. Four Shades of Black decodes the kata in a radically different way, revealing how the traditional arts set out to develop a complete and rounded fighter. If you think you know karate, think again.

Four Shades of Black The Traditional Path to Building The Complete Fighter eBook Gavin Mulholland

With the popularity of UFC around the world it's easy to think that martial arts are at their pinnacle. It's also popular among armchair quarterbacks and young martial artists to dismiss the training methods of the past. Warriors of the past trained for life and death and the option of tapping out or throwing in the towel were nonexistent. There must have been a reason that early fighters trained the way they did, and this book clearly outlines it.

Gavin Mulholland unveils the mystery of kata and it's value to warriors both old and new. Mulholland explains that the kata are guides to what needs to be studied and practiced, bringing a whole new meaning to "the secret is contained in the kata". Each kata is broken down and the essence of the lesson passed on along with what the student should be practicing at each level.

The photography and layout is gorgeous and the training methods including sparring, hojo undo (supplimental training) are basic and effective. This is an enlightening read from anyone interested in the traditional method of developing a fighter.

Product details

  • File Size 10159 KB
  • Print Length 192 pages
  • Publisher Summersdale Publishers Ltd (October 14, 2011)
  • Publication Date October 14, 2011
  • Sold by  Digital Services LLC
  • Language English
  • ASIN B0072MQ418

Read  Four Shades of Black The Traditional Path to Building The Complete Fighter eBook Gavin Mulholland

Tags : Buy Four Shades of Black: The Traditional Path to Building The Complete Fighter: Read 11 Kindle Store Reviews - Amazon.com,ebook,Gavin Mulholland,Four Shades of Black: The Traditional Path to Building The Complete Fighter,Summersdale Publishers Ltd,SPORTS & RECREATION Martial Arts & Self-Defense
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Four Shades of Black The Traditional Path to Building The Complete Fighter eBook Gavin Mulholland Reviews


Four Shades of Black is a feast for the eyes. Stark black pages with brilliant white text and lush monochrome photography worthy of any coffee table "art" volume aren't exactly what you'd expect to find in an ordinary martial arts book, but then again this tome is no commonplace karate book either. It illuminates the traditional path to becoming a complete fighter in a unique and very exciting way.

British Combat Association Hall of Fame member Gavin Mulholland does a fantastic job of showing how karate was developed as a complete and comprehensive fighting system, with kata (formal exercises) as the map and gradings as the compass to develop real-life fighting skills in a logical progression that builds from kata to kata throughout the curriculum. He ties seemingly disparate kihon (fundamental basics), bunkai (fighting applications), conditioning exercises, padwork, and partner drills together to demonstrate a complete package that helps practitioners ingrain the essential teachings of four Goju Ryu karate kata.

Goju Ryu is an Okinawan empty-hand fighting style that blends both hard and soft techniques. The key to learning this system is understanding its kata, four of which are explained in the book gekisai dai ichi, gekisai dai ni, saifa, and seiyunchin. Gekisai dai ichi roughly translates as "attack and smash number one." It is generally the first form taught to new practitioners, hence utilizes a straightforward blitzing-style approach. Gekisai dai ni is the second kata of this series, showing more refined, non-linear movements and advanced open-hand techniques. While gekisai is a fairly modern kata, saifa is an ancient form that essentially means "smash and tear." Seiyunchin can be translated as "trapping battle," a grappling/close-quarter fighting form.

Each of these four kata is examined thematically, showing the principle, mindset, and applicable area of combat stressed by the form. Fascinating vignettes at the beginning of these sections give readers a real-life image of their utility as well. This approach breathes life into the text, helping readers visualize all the essential elements in a way that makes it easier to turn-around and practice them on the dojo (training hall) floor.

Although some of the examples used to demonstrate the bunkai are not necessarily the optimum applications for use in a street fight, they do serve to highlight the themes and principles of the kata they represent. Since the goal of the book is not so much deciphering fighting applications from kata, but rather demonstrating the holistic fighting system and logical progression of the art, this is easily forgiven.

Mulholland is an extraordinarily skillful practitioner, a guy with more than 30 years of training under his belt who has honed his fighting prowess working the doors of pubs and clubs throughout the United Kingdom. Readers can truly feel this experience in his writing. The book transcends the training hall bringing modern utility to the ancient art of karate. It is a well-written, unique, and interesting tome that should appeal to most any karateka, but especially Goju Ryu practitioners.

Lawrence Kane
Author of Blinded by the Night, among other titles
Great book for an advanced karateka. Eye opener.
I've been studying Goju Ryu for the past 9 years and read this book recently as a 2nd Dan. I was thrilled with my purchase! At first appearance, this book is a beautiful piece of art, filled with stunning pictures of martial artists, throughout. The black pages with white text, provide an elegant and rich look perfect for a coffee table, as others have said here. However, not only was this book a great on the eyes, the information that Gavin Mulholland has packed into this book is astounding! He talks about the importance of kata in the traditional martial arts and reviews various concepts such as striking, blocking, and stances, setting the scene for an in-depth analysis of the 4 primary beginner katas in traditional Goju Ryu schools Gekisai dai ichi, Gekisai dai ni, Seifa, and Seiyunchin. The importance of the katas' names and origins were stressed as a key factor in determining their applications and overriding principles. Detail was also given to the training exercises that would accompany each katas' lesson, providing a great understanding of how to fully utilize the applications once you uncover them. Because the kata analysis was not focused on specific techniques, but discovering the principles behind them, the same process of dissecting each kata can be repeated for various other kata, making this a worthwhile read to all styles. I would highly recommend this book to any and all martial arts practioners wanting to further their understanding of kata, especially anyone who has studied the beginning Goju Ryu katas. A basic understanding of the katas is required as the author does not aim to teach the kata here, only to further your understanding.
Not many books about martial arts, particularly karate, answer the question of both "how" AND "why" in a convincing manner; "Four Shades of Black" does so in a convincing manner. Explaining Goju-ryu karate's system of progression from white belt to black belt unveils so much of the intent built within the technique and kata of the system, and Mr. Mulholland does so in an exceedingly clear way. Even if your root style is not Goju-ryu (mine is Shotokan karate), Mr. Mulholland's text can serve as a blueprint that any karateka can then use to start mapping their own particular ryu. And this is the real brilliance of this text an explication of the particular that serves to shed light on the universal. Highly, highly recommended for any practitioner of a kata-based system who is looking to understand the broader process of development within a style's structure. The only thing that could make this text more complete would be a companion text that discusses the steps from junior dan rank to the senior/instructor ranks.
With the popularity of UFC around the world it's easy to think that martial arts are at their pinnacle. It's also popular among armchair quarterbacks and young martial artists to dismiss the training methods of the past. Warriors of the past trained for life and death and the option of tapping out or throwing in the towel were nonexistent. There must have been a reason that early fighters trained the way they did, and this book clearly outlines it.

Gavin Mulholland unveils the mystery of kata and it's value to warriors both old and new. Mulholland explains that the kata are guides to what needs to be studied and practiced, bringing a whole new meaning to "the secret is contained in the kata". Each kata is broken down and the essence of the lesson passed on along with what the student should be practicing at each level.

The photography and layout is gorgeous and the training methods including sparring, hojo undo (supplimental training) are basic and effective. This is an enlightening read from anyone interested in the traditional method of developing a fighter.
Ebook PDF  Four Shades of Black The Traditional Path to Building The Complete Fighter eBook Gavin Mulholland

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