The Essence of Okinawan Karate-do – Shoshin Nagamine

The complete and comprehensive guide of our style of karate, written by the late founder Shoshin Nagamine.  With over a 1,000 photos, this books is a must for all serious practitioners of Shorin-ryu.  Master Nagamine gives you a history of karate and the instructors that influenced his karate training.  Master Nagamine also clearly illustrates with words and photos all the techniques and katas found in our style.  I have read this book several times and find something new each time I read it.  I highly recommend this book, as it is a invaluable resource for your training.  Please visit our pro-shop if you haven't picked up a copy yet.

Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters – Shoshin Nagamine

Another great book written by our founder Shoshin Nagamine. Tales features accurate historical accounts, as well as popular legends, of many great masters of karate. The thing I like most about this book is that it shows us that all these great masters were regular people like you and me, who like you and me, had faults and real-life problems of their own. I also liked all the stories about their karate "feats of strength and power."

Okinawan Karate – Mark Bishop

The author Bishop presents an interesting view on how karate changed from events that were happening around Okinawa, i.e. World War II and more interaction with mainland Japan. A very interesting read about the origins and dynamics of karate's development in Okinawa. I do, however, feel that the author Bishop, at times, speaks down on how karate practitioners trained in the past. If you can ignore this sometimes distracting piece, the book gives you more detail about karate's origins.

The Weaponless Warriors – Richard Kim

The author Kim gives you some more stories about the karate masters of Okinawa. This book is a quick read, filled with stories about "old school" karate masters. I liked how quickly you could read this book and how it had some more stories that I had not found in other readings.

Karate-Do: My Way of Life – Gichin Funakoshi

Master Funakoshi was the founder of the Shotokan style of karate and also the person responsible for bringing karate to mainland Japan. This book is written by Master Funaskoshi; it dives into how karate shaped his life, while also explaining how karate helped him deal with the daily struggles he faced. I really liked this book because you can see Master Funakoshi's passion for his training. I highly recommend this book for any serious martial artist.

The 20 Guiding Principles of Karate – Gichin Funakoshi

Another book written by Master Funakoshi. This book is a really quick read. Master Funakoshi presents his philosophical view on how you should go about your training. With all the years Master Funakoshi trained, we all can find little pearls of wisdom in his advice.

The Code of The Samurai – Thomas Cleary

This is a great book for anyone interested in the history, teachings, and philosophies of the most popular warrior: the samurai. This book is a really quick read and will give you insight into how the samurai conducted themselves. As serious martial artists, we can use some of the teachings in this book to apply to our modern-day training. Please visit our pro-shop, as the Academy has this book in stock.

The Soul of The Samurai – Thomas Cleary

This book is also interesting and focuses more on how Zen and Bushido played a role in samurai life and training. Please visit our pro-shop, as the Academy has this book in stock.

The Bible of Karate: Bubishi – Patrick McCarthy

The Bubishi is an old text which originated in China. The author McCarthy translates this text, which is filled with writings on martial art strategies, origins, medicine, and philosophies. This book, at times, can be a little technical. However, it is a must have for all serious martial artists, as a history of martial arts is revealed.

Book of Five Rings – Miyamoto Musashi

I first read this book in business school before I started karate training. It was a little over my head at the time. It is one of those books that you will read and find something new each time. The author, Musashi, was a famous samurai from Japan who had over a hundred duels to the death, without a single loss! His writings are a sort of how-to on martial strategy and perfection of technique. This is a truly classic martial arts book.

The Art of War – Sun Tzu

This book also speaks to martial strategy, technique, and is just as old as Five Rings. However, this book originated from China, and is believed to be written by several people. This is also a classic martial arts book.

Teaching Martial Arts – Sang H. Kim

A great resource for anyone coming out of the Academy's leadership program or for anyone that has any interest in teaching. This book will give you easy-to-understand principles and techniques that go hand and hand with what you learn here at the Academy. Please visit our pro-shop, as we have this book in stock.

Martial Arts Teaching Tales of Power & Paradox – Pascal Fauliot

This book is filled with entertaining stories about martial arts teachers and their exploits. There are stories about their "superhuman power" and how they learned the "true" secrets of martial arts to reach legendary status. It's a goal we should all be so lucky to achieve as students and instructors.

Myths and Legends of Martial Arts – Peter Lewis

This book is highly entertaining and speaks to the more popular and fun stories of the martial arts. It is a quick read and will give you little martial arts anecdotes that you can use in classes and in daily life.

Traditions: Essays on the Japanese Martial Arts & Ways
Dave Lowery

The author Lowery has spent a lifetime training in Japanese martial arts. He even traveled to Japan and studied abroad for a period of time. He is an "old school" type of martial artist. This books provides deep insights into the Japanese martial arts and the benefits that a life-long training can provide. The author implores you to look deeper into your training. This is a great book for all interested in martial arts.

Shotokan's Secret's: The Hidden Truth Behind Karate's Fighting Origins – Bruce Clayton

This is one of the most enjoyable books I have read in relation to karate and the bunkai hidden in our kata. The author Clayton presents a picture based on historical evidence, that he feels was reality on the what, how, who, and where karate developed in Okinawa. It's part history, part detective story. Highly entertaining and informative about the possible origins of our style.

Bunkai Jutsu: The Practical Application of Karate Kata
Iain Abernethy

This is one of my favorite martial arts books. It is written by Iain Abernethy, a Shotokan martial artists from the U.K. Author Abernethy helps the reader begin to better understand the bunkai, hidden meaning, behind kata. With Shotokan being a close cousin of Shorin-ryu, a lot of the principles in this book can easily be related to our kata training. This is a great book for anybody looking to enhance their current knowledge of bunkai, with easy to follow principles and theories. A must read for any serious martial artists.

Karate's Grappling Methods – Iain Abernethy

Have you ever thought, "I wish I knew some ground fighting techniques?" Well if you have performed any kata in our system, then you do! Author Abernethy does it again, by writing a book that shows that our kata has limitless applications, including ground fighting. This book really makes you look at the kata we perform in a completely different light. It has easy to follow principles and helps you find those "hidden" grappling techniques.

The Way of Kata: A Comprehensive Guide for Deciphering Martial Applications – Kris Wilder & Lawrence Kane

Authors Wilder & Kane are Goju-ryu practitioners from Seattle, as well as having careers in law-enforcement and security. They, like Abernethy, implore you to take a deeper look at the kata you perform. This book is a quick read, and provides a different point view on bunaki application.

The Way of Sanchin Kata: The Application of Power – Kris Wilder

Author Wilder takes a deep look at the Sanchin kata. This book takes you on a step-by-step breakdown of each movement found in the kata Sanchin. I really good resource for one of the few Gojo-ryu kata we practice.

The Little Black Book of Violence – Kris Wilder & Lawrence Kane

Authors Wilder & Kane provide a no-nonsense view on what really happens in a real-life situation. The book is geared mostly to men aged 18-35, but in my opinion, it is for anyone that would like an idea of what can happen to you if you have a violent encounter. The books goes over all types of violent conflicts i.e. street fighting, gangs, and domestic violence. I really liked the message this book provided. It was broken up into three sections: before violence occurs, during violence, and aftermath of violence. The biggest section was on before violence occurs. As true martial artists, we should avoid conflict unless it is absolutely necessary. This book provides some of the consequences, even in justified violence, you will encounter. After reading this, the questions you will be asking, "is this really worth the fight?"

Essential Anatomy For Healing & Martial Arts – Marc Tedeschi

Author Tedeschi provides you a detailed and easy to understand view of human anatomy as it pertains to vital areas found in martial arts training. This book allows you to skip med-school and gives you a solid knowledge of what certain techniques affect in the human body, as well as healing theories. Very interesting.

Hapkido: Traditions, Philosophy, Technique – Marc Tedeschi

Hapkido is a Korean martial art that combines the kicking and punches of Tae Kwan Do and the joint locks and grappling of Aikido. In my opinion, it might as well be called karate, because the techniques are very similar. This book is filled with over 800 pages of techniques and pictures. It is fun to just flip through the pages.

Humane Pressure Point Self Defense – George A. Dillman

This is author Dillman's book about the pressure point art of Kyushu that our very own Renshi Merry is ranked in. It takes you through the interesting principles and applications of pressure point fighting. Great supplement to karate training.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory & Technique – Renzo Gracie

One of the most popular martial arts, especially since the UFC burst onto the scene, this book is written by one of the Gracie's. The curriculum is examined from white belt all the way to black belt. There are really colorful photos of all the techniques. This is a great resource to ground fighting and will help enhance your karate. SPECIAL NOTE: SEE SEMPAI DEAN D. ON HOW TO DO THE SWEEP AND ROLL FROM THE BOOK!

Tao of Jeet Kune Do – Bruce Lee

One of the most famous martial artists, Bruce Lee is known the world over. This book contains his theories on fighting, as well as the style he developed of Jeet Kune Do. This is a must-have for any martial arts fan.

The Anatomy of Motion: Combat Analysis of Traditional Karate Kata – Dan Anderson

From Dan's website: This book creates a setting by which every student of karate, whether novice or expert, can unlock the secrets of tradional karate kata. For many years the exact fighting applications of the kata actions have been guesswork. Now with this ground breaking work, the secrets of the oriental karate kata begin to unfold. As Professor Anderson's books on sparring have scientifically explained the art of kumite, this book now does the same for kata. Regardless of what discipline you study, this book is an invaluable aid to the study of the forms of your discipline.