Books published by publisher Empire Books

This introduction to sport competition teaches you in detail how to use your potential and your technical skills to defeat your opponents in Karate competition. Master Miyake shows hundred of basic, intermediate, and advanced sparring combinations used by the great karate champions in the sport. This is the perfect guide to understand offensive and defensive tactics as used in elite competition, making it the most authoritative handbook of its kind about the subject of kumite. This book is for all students attempting to bridge the gap between Karate basics and winning tournament competition. It is heavily illustrated with sequential photographs of Miyake Sensei in action.

Drawing from his personal experience with legendary Karate masters, the author presents for the first time in martial arts literature a single volume providing hundreds of quotations from the greatest Karate masters in history. Divided into eight chapters for easier comprehension, this work will give you many insightful words of help and wisdom for your martial arts journey. A classic collection of inspiring knowledge in philosophy, tradition, training, combat, kata, and weaponry as taught and developed by masters like Gichin Funakoshi, Gogen Yamaguchi, Mas Oyama, Kenwa Mabuni, Masatoshi Nakayama, and other Karate legends. Let this book inspire and guide you in your martial arts training and life.

With the wisdom, curiosity and sharp insights that have brought thousands of readers to his "Karate Series", the au- thor looks at some of the world's greatest Shito Ryu masters and inspiring leaders going through internal struggles and own limitations to finally build a strong inner character through the practice of the art of Karate-do. This volume includes a repertoire of exclusive interviews with legendary figures of the different branches of the Shito Ryu style such as the sons of the founder, Kenei Mabuni and Kenzo Mabuni, Shigeru Sawabe, Yashunari Ishimi, Shoko Sato, Genzo Iwata, Sadaaki Sakagami, Yuishi Negishi, Fumio Demura, Kunio Murayama, and legendary masters like Ryusho Sakagami, Teruo Hayashi, Yoshimine Inoue and Yoshinao Nanbu, amongst many others. The many threads of traditional Shito Ryu karate technique, philosophy and tradition are woven together in this classic work. In this definitive book about the greatest Shito Ryu masters, old and new interviews have been gathered to present an integrated and com- plete view of the of the system developed by the late Grandmaster Kenwa Mabuni. This book contains intriguing thoughts, fascinating personal details, hidden histories, and inspiring philosophies, as each master reveals his true love for the art and a deep understanding of every facet associated with the practice and spirit of Shito Ryu Karate-do as a way of life.

This volume collects two of Melville’s most memorable and celebrated short fiction pieces, “Bartleby, the Scrivener” and “Benito Cereno.” A short story that largely reflected Melville’s own frustrations as a writer, “Bartleby, the Scrivener” tells the story of a Manhattan-based clerk and copyist who is driven by depression and self-determination to renounce the writing assignments and expectations demanded of him by his superiors. “Benito Cereno,” on the other hand, is a harrowing novella that revolves around a slave rebellion aboard a Spanish merchant ship and the utter depravity of the circumstances preceding it. Both works of extraordinary literary significance, they continue to showcase Melville at the peak of his creativity.

A classic text to be treasured by karate practitioner and martial artist, Karate Spirit is recognized as the most authoritative source on karate’s philosophy. Randall Hassell, historian and well-known Karate master, has updated this rich source to reflect changes that have taken place in the last two decades. In the many essays included in this book, you will find the proper elements and philosophical teachings of the art of Karate from antiquity to modern times, and answers to many of the questions currently being debated by martial artists around the world. This book has a great deal to offer to all Karate students, from beginner to black belt level, as well as being a unique and enjoyable way to learn about the true spirit of Budo.

Karate master Tom Muzila, a direct student of the great Tsutomu Ohshima, presents for the first time a complete series analyzing the mental aspects of combat. This book is a through study of the theory and practice of the mental elements used by the great and legendary masters in Karate-do history. The author discusses in-depth many of the different psychological elements necessary for combat as used by the legendary Samurai warriors. This book is for all practitioners of martial arts and combat sports, like Thai Boxing, Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts, and other mainstream arts who wish to tap into their mental resources and improve their level of performance in competition and fighting. It is a retrospective step back into the warrior’s psychology, rediscovering the ancient ways of combat and applying it to modern day martial arts.

A fictionalized recounting of the Wilmington Race Riot of 1898, The Marrow of Tradition offers a powerful and harrowing look at many of the political and racial tensions looming in turn-of-the-century South Carolina. Largely drawing upon his own relatives’ first hand accounts of the massacre, Chesnutt used this historical novel to refute many of the misleading, sensationalized spins on the tragedy that were prevalent at the time. Notable for introducing the public to the nuances of propaganda and yellow journalism, The Marrow of Tradition remains one of the most poignant and historically accurate novels ever composed about the postbellum South.

A rare and definitive book featuring the top masters of the Filipino Martial Arts of Escrima, Kali and Arnis. This outstanding compilation gathers the best masters in one comprehensive volume. In their own words, they explain the philosophy, training and spirit of the art. This book gives rare insights into the physical, mental, and spiritual methods that have enabled these chosen few to reach the pinnacles of the Filipino Martial Arts. Dan Inosanto, Ben Largusa, Leo Giron, Edgar Sulite, Cacoy Canete, Rene Latosa – just to name a few – share thoughts and experiences in rare interviews that define the essence of their martial arts mastery. For the first time, interviews with some of the world’s top Escrima/Kali/Arnis masters have been gathered together in one book. No matter how well you think you know these masters, you haven’t truly experienced their wit, wisdom, and insight until you have read “Escrima Masters”!

“KARATE INSIGHTS” is sum of essential components of karate-do that direct the intensity and implementation of all physical activity. The calm, disciplined, everyday-spirit outlined in the Dojo Kun and 20 Precepts of Master Gichin Funakoshi, is meshed with the ever-aware, split- second, explosive, subconscious-directed actions that would nullify even the most ferocious animal. There is the peaceful spirit of disposition and conviction that Funakoshi stressed as the essence and necessity true karate-do. And there is Musashi’s “void,” the highest stage of karate-do described by Masatoshi Nakayama, where accumulated training is internalized to the extent that the martial artist can react with perfection, with no prior indication of danger, at any time or place. What all have in common is the dedicated and disciplined daily study of our conscious thought streams and subconscious mind, coupled with “internalized” karate skills... Or, the sum could be described as “Spirit Training.” Webster’s defines “spirit” as the “life-giving force,” or the “animating component, or stimulant.” All of that is inseparable from karate-do. The “karate lifestyle” can support a healthy, disciplined, inquisitive and well-adjusted human being. It combines the strengths of character from traditional karate-ethics updated with the preparations for the rapidly growing complexities of today’s demands and challenges. Karate Spirit-Training supports strengths and fortifies weakness, stimulates growth and motivates. If you are a good karate teacher, you are a lifelong learner; always the “beginner’s mind.” Spirit training is about learning the tangible and the intangible. This book reflects that empowering process. It is meant to be an insightful lens of all that is easily over-looked, and to see what is too often missed.

What exactly is Jeet Kune Do? Is it simply a fighter's personal expression in combat? Is it a style? Is it a process? Is it a product? Can it be taught? Can it be learned? While the founder felt there should be no such thing as a “fixed” system or method of fighting, he did believe there is definitely a progressive approach to training. Let Asian boxing champion Dan Lee, leading instructors Bob Bremer, Ted Wong, and Dan Inosanto, and legendary scriptwriter Sterling Silliphant explain the many concepts and principles of the art in a clear manner that everyone can understand. Packed with dynamic photographs, this book presents the ins-and-outs of the philosophy of the art of Jeet Kune Do.

Karate is not only a means of self-defense; it is also a sport and philosophy, “A Way of Life.” This book examines each of these aspects and explains why educators and parents are becoming interested in karate as an educational tool. This book draws on the vast knowledge and skill of one of the foremost Karate masters in the world, Randall Hassell. The author, through a series of chapters, focuses on different philosophical themes, explaining many of the fundamental principles and telling how Karate can change the lives of those who practice it—giving them health, self-confidence, and both physical and mental discipline. This book will be one of the more sought-after works in decades to come; it adds insight for those karate practitioners interested in the philosophies of Budo and how they apply to the art of the “empty hand.” It is a quiet but powerful work that is one of the best ever written about the philosophical aspects of Karate.