Complete Kendo

Rating:
Summary: The best book for beginers and intermediate students
Review: I appreciate how John tries to express the meaning that Kendo can have for people but I'm afraid that after reading the book and taking up Kendo it's not as formal as said in the book. There are also a few mistake I have found in the glossary like Shimpan which is actually Shinpan. (referee) But overall this was a very informative book.

Rating:
Summary: Very good for begginers
Review: I appreciate how John tries to express the meaning that Kendo can have for people but I'm afraid that after reading the book and taking up Kendo it's not as formal as said in the book. There are also a few mistake I have found in the glossary like Shimpan which is actually Shinpan. (referee) But overall this was a very informative book.

Rating:
Summary: The best book for beginers and intermediate students
Review: This book is an excellent companion to Kendo: The Definitive Guide (KDG). While KDG cover ALL of the technical aspects down to the last detail, this book's focus is aesthetics and beginners Kendo. It was recommended to me by one of my school's Sensei who felt it covered ideas and concepts that you would normally only hear through the spoken word: the relevance of Kata, the formal apsects of the dojo, and why there is no defence in Kendo. The author is an antropoligist in NY, and I believe it gives him a nice perspective on the aesthics and ideas behind Kendo that you will not find in most other books, especially those translated from the east. I think begginers and advanced students will learn a lot from this book and I believe it is the perfect companion to Kendo: The Definitive Guide.

Rating:
Summary: A decent book for beginners
Review: This book is slightly better for the beginner than the Heart of Kendo book because it presents materials in the order that most beginners would engage the sport/Way. Ie you learn etiquette, then foot motion, then how to hold a shinai, then basic exercises.

The weakness of this book is it's lack of pictures or pictures that are too small or unclear. I have often found myself ignoring the pictures and simply reading the text and envisioning it in my head because the pictures were so poorly depicted. Furthermore, the pictures are numbered but there is no reference to the numbering within the text.

In general I don't know why Kendo books don't do a better job at presenting technical material. For example, why are movements explained in long paragraphs rather than as enumerated lists that say: Step 1- do this.... Step 2- do this....
If they would just present, for example, the Katas (which involves the actions of 2 people) as tables with 3 columns, where column 1 is what the Uchidachi does; column 2 is what the Shidachi does; and column 3 is the representative photograph; that would make the study of technique so much easier!

Comparing this book against the Heart of Kendo book, I'd recommend the Heart of Kendo book in its descriptions of technique. Complete Kendo presents the material in a more logical order for beginners. Neither books have an index which means you have to hunt thru the book to find something.