Part 1 | Let's Try Karate | 1 |
1 | Why Try Karate? | 3 |
| A Thousand Good Reasons, but These Are the Main Ones | 8 |
2 | The Roots and Branches of Karate-Do | 13 |
| The Roots and Branches | 13 |
| Kick Hard or Kick Soft | 15 |
| Going to Japan | 17 |
| Coming to America | 19 |
| Spread Throughout the World | 21 |
| Styles, Styles, Styles! | 21 |
3 | Karate Fitness Power: The Art of Contrast | 25 |
| Get Ready: Is Your Body Off-Balance? | 26 |
| Be Ready: Is Your Mind Off-Balance? | 29 |
| The Ki to Success: The Force Is with You | 33 |
| In This Corner, Karate: How It Stacks Up | 35 |
4 | Kick the Cobwebs Out of Your Head | 41 |
| Karate's Code: The Citizen Warrior | 42 |
| What's All the Shouting About? | 47 |
| Karate to the Rescue: Kids at Risk | 48 |
| No Teams, No Cuts, No Limits | 49 |
| Up the Academic Ladder | 50 |
Part 2 | Let's Get Started | 53 |
5 | Find the Right School | 55 |
| More Than Just Kicks and Punches | 55 |
| How Do I Know Which School Is Right for Me? | 56 |
| Watch and Decide | 60 |
| Is She a Good Instructor? | 61 |
| How Long Are the Classes? | 62 |
| How Much Should It Cost? | 63 |
| Will I Get Hurt? | 65 |
| Who Certifies Whom? | 65 |
6 | Welcome to the Dojo | 67 |
| The Stuff on the Walls | 67 |
| The Written Rules | 70 |
| The Unwritten Rules | 71 |
| Try Your Best | 73 |
| From the Dojo to the Street--Follow the Rules | 73 |
| Karate Do's | 74 |
| Karate Don'ts | 74 |
| Scared Stiff: Your First Class | 75 |
| Mental Notes and Written Quotes | 78 |
| The End | 78 |
7 | Dressed to Kill: The Uniform | 81 |
| Looking the Part | 82 |
| Wrapped and Tied | 84 |
| Going to and From | 89 |
| What About Size and Style? | 90 |
| What, No Colors? | 92 |
| Pins and Patches | 92 |
| Cleanliness Is Next to Enlightenment | 93 |
Part 3 | Let's Get Moving | 95 |
8 | How to Practice Karate | 97 |
| Open Eyes and Open Mind | 97 |
| Bowing 101 | 98 |
| My Body Won't Do That! | 102 |
| If Your Body Is a Temple Build a Good One! | 102 |
| Getting Looser: You Need to Stretch! | 103 |
| Getting Stronger | 105 |
| Getting Faster | 105 |
| Lasting Longer | 106 |
| It Takes a Spark | 106 |
| Okay, It's Time to Throw Your Weight Around | 107 |
| The Main Goal: Putting It All Together | 110 |
9 | Stand Up for Yourself: Stances | 113 |
| Stand and Deliver! | 113 |
| Ready for Anything: Shizen Tai, Natural Stances | 116 |
| Solid as a Rock: How Low Can You Go? | 117 |
| Stick and Move: High and Quick Stances | 122 |
10 | The Building Blocks of Self-Defense | 125 |
| In Defense of Yourself | 125 |
| Why Do We Block? No, It's Not What You Think | 126 |
| Incoming! Hard Blocks | 127 |
| Oops! Cover Your Head! | 129 |
| Hey! Protect Your Body! | 130 |
| Ouch! Protect Down There! | 131 |
| Smooth and Easy: Soft Blocks | 132 |
| Sweep It Past! | 133 |
| Guide It Around! | 134 |
| Three Keys | 134 |
| The Right Course | 134 |
| Your Right Position | 135 |
| Get It Right! Timing: The Fourth Dimension | 136 |
11 | Punching In | 137 |
| The Heart of Karate | 137 |
| A Solid Fist Is a Happy Fist | 139 |
| Straight In | 141 |
| Go Around | 144 |
| Up Close | 145 |
12 | Striking Out | 147 |
| Striking Forward | 147 |
| Closed-Hand Strikes | 151 |
| Open-Hand Strikes | 152 |
| Or Just Smash It: Elbow Strikes | 154 |
13 | Kicking Back | 157 |
| Setting Kicking Straight | 157 |
| Snap It or Lock It? | 160 |
| Let's Kick It Around | 162 |
| Make Them Work: It's the Momentum! | 168 |
Part 4 | Let's Put It All Together | 169 |
14 | Karate's Dynamic Deadly Dances of Death: Kata | 171 |
| What Is a Kata? | 171 |
| Name That Kata | 172 |
| Physical Kata Training | 174 |
| Mental Kata Training | 174 |
| Kata and Kinesthesia | 175 |
| The Elements of Kata | 176 |
| Do Kata Techniques Work? | 178 |
| Who Makes Up the Kata? | 178 |
15 | Sparring: It's Different When You're Face to Face | 181 |
| What Is Sparring? | 181 |
| Start Simple | 183 |
| Step by Step for Self-Defense | 184 |
| Free for All | 188 |
| In the Nick of Time: Timing | 191 |
| Hey, Just Stand There for a Minute, Will Ya? | 192 |
| From Kissing Range to Kicking Range | 193 |
| R.E.S.P.E.C.T.--Find Out What It Means to Me | 193 |
| Safety's Great, but I Gotta Hit Something | 193 |
16 | The Ancient Weapons of Karate: Kobudo | 199 |
| History and Traditions | 199 |
| Modern Uses | 210 |
| Ancient Weapons and Modern Laws | 211 |
17 | Samurai Strategy: Defending Yourself | 213 |
| Common Sense First | 214 |
| Safety Tips | 217 |
| Defend Your Body, Not Your Ego | 218 |
| Talk Your Way out, but Stay Alert | 219 |
| The Company You Keep--It Isn't Always Strangers | 220 |
| Karate at Home: Domestic Violence | 221 |
| Do What Works | 222 |
| It's the Size of the Fight in the Dog | 222 |
| Law and Order | 223 |
Part 5 | Let's Test Ourselves: Belts, Rank, and Competition | 227 |
18 | All the Colors of the Rainbow | 229 |
| Why Belts? | 229 |
| What the Colors Mean | 230 |
| How Long Until I'm a Black Belt? | 231 |
| Why Can That Brown Belt Kick Higher Than That Black Belt? | 232 |
| When Can I Test? | 232 |
| Who Tests Me? | 233 |
| Who Tests Them? | 233 |
| The Kyus to Success: Up the Rank Ladder | 233 |
| The First Test | 234 |
| How Much Do I Need to Know? | 234 |
| Under the Microscope: Karate's Three Ks Plus the Kun | 235 |
| When Will I Get the Results? | 236 |
| What If I Don't Pass? | 236 |
| What If I Do Pass? | 237 |
| Typical Novice and Middle-Level Tests | 237 |
| Setting Goals in the Novice Ranks | 237 |
| Setting Goals in the Middle Ranks | 238 |
| Brown Belt: The Black Belt's Apprentice | 238 |
19 | The Point of the Pyramid: First-Degree Black Belt | 243 |
| The Real Question: What Is a Black Belt? | 243 |
| Not an Expert, but an Expert Beginner | 247 |
| Play the Percentages: Who Stays, Who Goes | 248 |
| Grandmaster Who? | 249 |
| The Upside-Down Pyramid: Advanced Dans and Mastery | 250 |
| Advanced Karate-Do Is About Obligation | 250 |
| What the Ranks Mean | 252 |
| Recommended Ranking | 256 |
| Honorary Ranking | 256 |
| School to School and Style to Style | 257 |
20 | Duel in the Sun | 259 |
| Types of Tournaments | 260 |
| Karate Tournaments Are Really Pretty New | 261 |
| It's Not a Free-for-All | 264 |
| If Your Body Goes Where a Foot or Fist Is | 265 |
| When Can I Compete? | 267 |
| Who Fights Whom? | 267 |
| Going Solo--or One of the Pack | 269 |
| Don't Burn Out: A Tournament a Week? | 270 |
| Family Feuds: Karate Politics 101 | 270 |
| The Bottom Line on Competition | 271 |
21 | Know the Score--There Are Many Ways to Compete | 273 |
| Sparring: The Basics | 273 |
| Sparring: Scoring Points | 274 |
| Pick Your Game: Reading Between the Lines | 280 |
| It's Not All Fighting: Competing with Kata | 281 |
| Kobudo Competition | 284 |
22 | Okay, Just Point Me in the Right Direction | 287 |
| How Much Is This Going to Cost? | 288 |
| It's Fun to Go with a Group | 288 |
| Aagghh! It's Tournament Day | 289 |
| Opponents Are Easy--It's the Butterflies That Get You! | 290 |
| Officials--the Toughest Job | 292 |
| A Short Conclusion | 293 |
| Appendixes | |
A | Associations and Federations | 295 |
B | Publications and Resources | 297 |
C | Glossary | 299 |
D | Elements of Technique Evaluation | 305 |
E | Novice and Middle-Level Rank Examinations | 309 |
F | Self-Defense Safety Tips | 313 |
| Index | 319 |