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The Art of War
\"One of the reasons I left traditional karate was because 90% of what we did in the Dojo was based upon a scripted scenario, or pre-arranged sparring. The 10% that was real – kumite – was hard, but still lacked the element of reality that you can only experience in a street fight, or when being violently attacked.
The only time I ever question that statement, is when I look at any one of my four volumes of The Art of War. These men from the KUGB could go toe to toe with anyone I’ve ever met, in the street or anywhere else. The principal physical aim of karate is to take your attacker out with one technique and the power that you see demonstrated in these clips is awesome and would certainly \'Take you out.\'
This principle is clearly demonstrated clearly in almost every clip and what’s also remarkable is the dignity and composure they always seem to have. A real street fight is very scruffy and usually ends up on the ground. However, there are exceptions and these guys would be such an exception based on their speed and power alone. Anyone who has doubts about karate’s ability as a fighting skill must take a look at Legend’s stuff, even though competition karate has been neutered by modern rules and \'politics\' this is vintage karate, maybe the last remaining vestige of the true art of empty hand combat.\"
Geoff Thompson
Japan Karate Association 3rd Dan
Best selling author and playwright – Self Defence Consultant.
Coventry 1999
\"I must have watched The Art of War dozens of times, and each time I feel like I’m watching it for the first time. The action is so fast and so strong. There’s nothing like it anywhere else. Nothing compares to this level of martial combat.\"
John Cheetham
Japan Karate Association 4th Dan
Editor Shotokan Magazine
\"These recordings pay tribute to Shotokan karate in so many ways. The nobility and fighting spirit of the Samurai are there for all to see, and I feel honoured to have been a part of British Shotokan during the years these sequences were recorded.
The Karate Union of Great Britain was, and in my personal opinion still is, the finest Shotokan organization in the world. Their proven ability to dominate European karate is shown in these programmes time and time again and yet even when subjected to the most partisan treatment and poor judging, their dignity and world class sportsmanship shines on through.
You will not see any instance of a KUGB fighter showing discontent or poor behaviour in these sequences, not because they have been edited out; they simply never happened.
If you really want to see what traditional Shotokan should look like, take a look at any Legend video programme – be prepared for none stop wall to wall kumite, fighting spirit of a magnitude you will never witness again.\"
Charles Gidley
Japan Karate Association 3rd Dan
Chief Instructor – British Shotokan Kyogi
\"After watching these KUGB guys, I’m just very glad my time with the USA National team followed their retirement! Seriously, even the women are very strong fighters and are better than many rated male fighters I’ve seen over the years.
These videos are the very best available, you can learn more from watching these top international fighters than any instructional video I’ve ever seen. The tapes are inspirational and you watch them over and over again, there’re so thrilling it’s like seeing your favourite thriller movie again and again. I must add that all the JKA stuff I ever looked at paled, in terms of excitement, compared to The Art of War. I would go as far as saying that some of the fight clips could be termed as \'clinical savagery.\'\"
Tommy Casale
Japan Karate Association 3rd Dan
Former United States of America National Team Member
Rating:  [5 of 5 Stars!] |
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