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Rating: 
Summary: Mind-expanding
Review: For those of you interested in a meaningful, reality-based analysis of kata, this is a book from heaven. Although Mr. Burgar is nominally a Shotokan practitioner, this book and the concepts contained therein are style-less. The book clearly demonstrates how anyone can analyze and develop a self-defense system from any kata. Many of the author's assertions and conclusions are challenging, to say the least; however,they are nevertheless carefully and logically explained utilizing researchable facts. I cannot remember the last time I read a martial art book that was laid out as rationally and logically with little unnecessary verbage. The book states clearly that its intended audience is upper-rank practioners and I would concurr. I would rate the book higher, but I don't give anything 5 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Getting back to the source
Review: I took a chance on buying this book without waiting for more reviews to come out on it. My interest was peeked by the study of one kata for five years. Why? Because this sounds like the original way in which Okinawans studied their kata. So I bought it and was not disappointed at all. I would like to start buy saying that I believe Mr. Burgar did an excellent job in his overall presentation of his material in this book. It is easy to follow and is laid out in a logical sequencial manner. By stating that one Kaishugata is in itself a fighting system takes a bold step in this modern day world of "sport and game" karate. Finally a Shotokan stylist is getting back to the roots! Those of us who have studied Okinawan Karate while always respecting Funakoshi, have needed an explanation as to why he changed so much of the kata when he introduced them to Japan. Here Mr. Burgar gives us the answer with Funakoshi's own words "that karate has changed so much from the way I learned it as a youth on Okinawa". Mr. Burgar then explains that karate was intended as a civilian self defense system. On studying one kata the reader comes to realize that the techniques (bunkai) within the kata were designed to handle various habitual acts of violence that a person will run into in the everyday life. By careful analysis one can study this way given the careful criteria that is easily followed by this experienced karate-ka. I applaud Mr. Burgar for writing for an advanced audience of practitioners. It is indeed refreshing to read something that may not be new to me but helps me to expound further into my own studies. I should mention that one can and should learn from any good book on karate. There can always be something taken away that is useful as well as learning what to leave behind. Self defense is a very personal thing. That's why it has to work for the practitioner first and then be researched again by the people that they teach it to. It must become your own. Yes you must own it. Mr. Burgar sheds light to the karate world in general and this reader believes to the Shotokan stylist imparticular, why students of the early karate known as "te" or "tote" learned only one or two kata from their teachers. The Okinawan expression "Three Year Sanchin" does mean something after all. I think a little more time could have been spent on speaking about the stances of karate and why they are practiced at all. Shedding light on that area would be helpful to students on different positioning of the body's center for balance purposes. After all, stances are what the karate-ka uses to learn balance while moving even if they may not be used in actual fighting. This was the only oversight that I could see. Over all I give this book 5 stars simply because it is that good and unique. It's nice to see a new author shine in the karate world with something good and of substance. I will use some of the material in your book for myself and for my students. I believe that that is the highest praise I can give you besides writing this review and reading this book. To the reader of this reveiw, buy it. I look for more from Mr. Burgar in the future. I only hope that the message in my traditional karate book "Nahashu Ryu Karate-Do" will impact one person as much as Mr. Burgar's book impacted me.
Rating:
Summary: Getting back to the source
Review: I took a chance on buying this book without waiting for more reviews to come out on it. My interest was peeked by the study of one kata for five years. Why? Because this sounds like the original way in which Okinawans studied their kata. So I bought it and was not disappointed at all. I would like to start buy saying that I believe Mr. Burgar did an excellent job in his overall presentation of his material in this book. It is easy to follow and is laid out in a logical sequencial manner. By stating that one Kaishugata is in itself a fighting system takes a bold step in this modern day world of "sport and game" karate. Finally a Shotokan stylist is getting back to the roots! Those of us who have studied Okinawan Karate while always respecting Funakoshi, have needed an explanation as to why he changed so much of the kata when he introduced them to Japan. Here Mr. Burgar gives us the answer with Funakoshi's own words "that karate has changed so much from the way I learned it as a youth on Okinawa". Mr. Burgar then explains that karate was intended as a civilian self defense system. On studying one kata the reader comes to realize that the techniques (bunkai) within the kata were designed to handle various habitual acts of violence that a person will run into in the everyday life. By careful analysis one can study this way given the careful criteria that is easily followed by this experienced karate-ka. I applaud Mr. Burgar for writing for an advanced audience of practitioners. It is indeed refreshing to read something that may not be new to me but helps me to expound further into my own studies. I should mention that one can and should learn from any good book on karate. There can always be something taken away that is useful as well as learning what to leave behind. Self defense is a very personal thing. That's why it has to work for the practitioner first and then be researched again by the people that they teach it to. It must become your own. Yes you must own it. Mr. Burgar sheds light to the karate world in general and this reader believes to the Shotokan stylist imparticular, why students of the early karate known as "te" or "tote" learned only one or two kata from their teachers. The Okinawan expression "Three Year Sanchin" does mean something after all. I think a little more time could have been spent on speaking about the stances of karate and why they are practiced at all. Shedding light on that area would be helpful to students on different positioning of the body's center for balance purposes. After all, stances are what the karate-ka uses to learn balance while moving even if they may not be used in actual fighting. This was the only oversight that I could see. Over all I give this book 5 stars simply because it is that good and unique. It's nice to see a new author shine in the karate world with something good and of substance. I will use some of the material in your book for myself and for my students. I believe that that is the highest praise I can give you besides writing this review and reading this book. To the reader of this reveiw, buy it. I look for more from Mr. Burgar in the future. I only hope that the message in my traditional karate book "Nahashu Ryu Karate-Do" will impact one person as much as Mr. Burgar's book impacted me.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding example of what kata training can be
Review: In recent years there has been a small revolution in the world of karate and cognate disciplines, as people have come to see that kata can really be useful for self defence. Thus it has become fashionable to develop bunkai or self defence applications for kata moves. This is a healthy development in my view, but sometimes the bigger picture is not clearly seen. What Bill Burgar has expertly done is show the bigger picture - how one kata can be a complete self defence system, not just a bag of random applications. An impressive amount of thought has gone into making the set of applications coherent and effective: Coherent in the sense that the set of applications as a whole provides responses to all of the most common acts of physical violence Bill believes he is likely to face, in the sense that there is balance in covering this set of likely attacks, and in the sense that the same moves can be used as likely continuations of outcomes of using the very same moves. Bill has thought about efficiency in terms of reducing the set of moves to as a small a set as possible to prevent complicated decisions, while maintaining flexiblity in responding effectively to different "what if" scenarios. Further, Bill points out that the problem these days is not in generating SOME application for a given kata move; it's in mercilessly throwing out applications that do not get through a strict filter. Bill provides a list of criteria to assess potential applications against; those that fail must be discarded.
In my view, the genius shown in the book lies not in any individual bunkai shown but in how they all fit together, how Bill satisfied many simultaneous constraints to create a lean efficient but flexible self defence system. Further, he showed how other martial artists could do the same themselves. This is a "must read" for black belts in karate and related disciplines; to read how Bill actually practices kata is an eye-opener that leaves one's view of kata completely transformed.
Rating:
Summary: Best book I've ever read
Review: There are a lot of books in my bookshelf and I read all of them. Some are good, some are bad. The "Burgar-Book" is an outstanding work because the author isn't a practitioner of a style. So, what's this book all about? This book is about an idea to train alone self defence through Kata, your own Kata. He points out how to make your own kata, how to use it. He gives you background information to history, self defence, pressure points and more. This book is worth every cent!!! Buy and enjoy!!!
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