Do you guys make notes and diagrams for your martial arts and have reference books? I have been thinking about getting the Kodokan book since I won't be doing judo for the foreseeable future and also making notes for my karate and judo.
00
Anonymous05/14/26(Thu)21:18:48
Nah It's a rookie mistake to try and turn a physical activity into an academic one This in the literature is exactly what causes people to choke, They spend too much time thinking about what to do and not enough time just doing it reflexively
You can't summon skill through a cognitive process, you have to just move and let your nervous system go on autopilot You can't think faster than your senses
00
Anonymous05/16/26(Sat)03:22:56
>>261823(OP) Just watch footage. You can find videos on any particular fight/technique/martial art, helps a lot with development and applying skills. Plus I feel like visuals work much better then a book or something.
00
Anonymous05/17/26(Sun)21:53:37
>>261831 >>261872 Fair points. Though do you ever keep diagrams for reference or have a playlist of videos? I tend to save videos and rewatch ones that I feel I need more practice on and mimic what I see. For diagrams I pretty much just use for kata
00
Anonymous05/25/26(Mon)01:46:23
>>261823(OP) Ive made an effort to incorporate reading books from old masters and modern academics as part of my training which has helped me greatly in advancing my skill. Just like the first anon said though if all you do is read and dont get dirty on the floor then all of the information is still useless
>>262207 Thanks for the advice. I was thinking of getting pic related for my judo and maybe "Best karate" for my Shotokan training or even "Karate-do my way of life". What have you read/recommend?
00
Anonymous06/01/26(Mon)02:21:21
>>262360 I can't give any thoughts on Kano's books but I think Funakoshi's book is a great book for looking into his philosophy and methods on Shotokan pre complete Japanization. From what I've heard Nakayama's Best Karate book series are mainly for fundamentals and the technicality of kata.
Most of the reading I've done is for Goju Ryu but I think the concepts that they teach can still be applied to other styles. Iain Abernathy and Lawrence Kane are good if your goal is raw self defence but there are many other good authors as well.
>>262850 Is it safe to assume Funakoshi's book deals more with history and philosophy rather than being a "textbook" on pre Japanisation-Shotokan? Either way that seems interesting. Weird question, but, did you feel you were a better karateka after reading the book?
00
Anonymous06/03/26(Wed)05:51:59
>>262966 Pretty much. Most old Karate authors books are like that. Reading the book won't suddenly imbue you with some ancient secret though. In my view books are there to aid you when analyzing or critiquing your Karate. In the end it all falls on you to come to an answer that makes sense and works for you.