Funakoshi Shotokan Karate Five-d

Rating:
Summary: Great instructional techniques, mediocre dvd
Review: I own a few of the Funakoshi videos and wholeheartedly agree that the kata demonstrations are practically awe-inspiring. I really like the way the kata is first demonstrated slowly, then at normal speed, then slowed down again. If you want to learn the "traditional" shotokan kata, these videos are the source.

With that being said, I would not encourage purchase of the DVD over the Tape version. The DVD is simply a "tape to DVD" copy, in which there are no chapters, menus, or anything else. It's simply a straight copy. What this means is that if you are using the dvd to learn a specific kata--which you likely will be, it's extremely difficult to save a certain spot on the video for repeating, practice later, etc.

Other than that the video quality is fairly good--in fact excellent as compared to many other MA videos. My only gripe is with the lack of any menuing system on the DVD version. Next set will definitely be the tapes.