by Bill Handren

"The two year old child is furious and coming at you with a hammer meaning to get revenge.  Without thought, you take away the hammer. To do it with the big, angry twenty year old without thought, is mushin"......Rich Stamper.
 
I started reading Watch My Back by Geoff Thompson and could not put it down.  Not an exaggeration.  It was almost like he was writing to me.  Mr. Thompson had also been looking for the elusive mushin and had huge self doubts about himself.  However, he did what few are willing to do.  He took a job as a nightclub doorman in the worst, most violent area in England to find the answers.  He eventually became a living legend and one of the most sought out self-defense teachers in the world.

by Bill Handren                      

"How come you let him talk like that to you, Joe? Why didn't you teach him a lesson?"

"Listen, if I were an opera singer, would you expect me to sing him an aria?"...Joe Louis, The Brown Bomber.

It was 1979.  My town was having its first all town celebration, called Harvest Days.  A 10 k race was being held and I was coerced to run in it.  My nephew sort of looked up to me and had been telling everyone how his karate uncle was going to not only enter, but win.  Yes, I ran three miles every morning, but I was a horrible runner. Gumby like. But, I thought, "what the heck".

by Angie Monday

I just read Mr. Stamper's book, and really enjoyed it! It made me laugh at times, but mostly made me think! I kind of feel like someone who was brainwashed, so to speak and Mr. Stamper's book is deprogramming me. To tell the truth he hit the hammer on my head. I thought some of the same things he mentions in the book, like trying to use blocks as blocks instead of a strike or just get out of the way. That hurts! When I spar, I get in close and personal; most people don't expect that of females. I think this might stem from having seven - count them, seven brothers! We do practice a variety of things in class that are similar to classical karate. I had to read it a few times, but I think I got it in my head.

The theme of the book revolves around how to understand what Goju-Ryu kata have to teach, and to provide a methodology intended to help us learn how to learn from the kata – not just learn the kata.

As the title indicates, the book is intended for experienced practitioners (ni-dan and above) and assumes that competence in kata performance exists.  It is not a book about learning the kata or how to perform them – we already have excellent examples for that.

For those who seek an understanding of the lessons of kata the book should be a valuable resource.  Because of the limited audience, only a minimum quantity will be printed

Written by Rich Stamper over the course of many years and containing 392 pages, the book can be obtained from GKK HQ's for $24.95 (GKK members) with free shipping in the USA .  Price for non-members is $34.95 plus shipping.

Send orders to: GKK Publications, P.O. Box 8402, Toledo, OH 43623, or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .