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A Goju Ryu Guidebook: The Kogen Kan Manual for Karate

by Michael Cogan

191 pages; black coil; catalogue #03-0209; ISBN 1-55395-846-2; US$21.50, C$28.95, EUR18.90, £13.10

A Goju Ryu Guidebook: The Kogen Kan Manual for Karate gives the reader a tool to navigate the history, exercises, equipment, techniques, kata (forms) and kumite (sparring) of Okinawan Goju Ryu Karatedo.

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about the book      about the author      sample excerpts or Table of Contents      catalogue info

About the Book A Goju Ryu Guidebook: The Kogen Kan Manual for Karate gives the reader a tool to navigate the history, exercises, equipment, techniques, kata (forms) and kumite (sparring) of Okinawan Goju Ryu Karatedo. The purpose of this guidebook is to serve as a training aid in furthering the development of karate students and instructors from the Kogen Kan specifically and all karate students generally; however, if it helps only one person, then I will consider it a success. Please keep in mind that much of this information is in notation form and may only make sense with proper instruction. This guidebook is only a tool to help in the retention of instruction and is not a substitute for it. Also, please keep in mind, that although others have assisted with this guidebook, all errors are my own. This guidebook is formatted in such a way as to be the beginnings of a filing and retrieval system. As each student collects more information, they can organize it by adding it to the "notes" area of the respective sections. It is hoped that all students will research, collect and share material about karate. It is this type of systematic approach that brings science to the art. It is also written so that a lesson plan can be developed quickly by choosing one or more activities from several sections. If more details are needed while teaching, they can quickly referenced in the rest of the manual. Each chapter is given a table of contents to further hasten referencing. It has a spiral coil binding so it will lay flat for easy viewing during training. Large font also helps in referencing the information from a distance. Much of this guidebook is written in Japanese. This is done for two reasons: first, it is important to learn Japanese, as it will help standardize everyone's martial arts training; and secondly, this will help keep this information in the purview of the serious. It is a barrier, which will hopefully weed out some who may not use the martial arts for purposes which they were intended, namely the protection of self and others. Thank you for reading this guidebook. Michael P. Cogan, MSE

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About the Author Michael P. Cogan, MSE is a Nidan in Okinawan Goju Ryu and has been a professional educator for 14 years. He has a Master's Degree in Special Education. He has received Letters of Commendation for meritorious conduct from Mary B. Perry High School of the California Department of the Youth Authority and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Neuropsychiatric Institute.

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Sample Excerpts

Forward

Since the early days of Te, To-De, or the later name of Karate, the art has been traditionally communicated and passed on in verbal form. This transmission has been conducted from one generation to another mainly from instructor to student, which included, in many cases, transmission from father to son. What was very important is that those instructors took their time and had the dedication to make sure that the knowledge that they possessed would not die with them. It is important to realize that each instructor that takes on this task also adds to his or her own research and training by doing so.

Not all martial arts practitioners become instructors, nor do all martial art instructors have the desire, energy and unselfish motivation to pass on their knowledge. It has been said that from one hundred practitioners that start the traditional training of Karate, only one will become a Black Belt. From those few who are privileged and dedicated to reach that level, even fewer will remain active in the arts for the rest of their lives. So, when I see someone like Sensei Michael Cogan spending time transmitting knowledge in a more modern media, providing others with a book for them to possess, which includes knowledge he has received as well as knowledge he has developed through years of dedicated training, I have nothing less to do than commend his unselfish and humble commitment to the martial arts community.

The years that I have known Sensei Cogan through his training in Karate and Kobudo has allowed me to know him not only as a budoka (practitioner of the martial arts), but most importantly, as a person. It is an honor for me to write this forward for this, A Goju Ryu Guidebook: The Kogen Kan Manual for Karate.

I can only say, "Job well done Sensei Cogan!"

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Catalogue Information

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