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CEB
16th January 2002, 23:36
Hello Everyone

I have an old copy of Kodokan Judo. It is the only Judo book I have ( I think it is a good one though. ). I want to get a 2 or 3 more books. I know I know, you can’t teach an old dog , but I do like to read. I’m thinking of ordering Best Judo.

I would like a book that covers combinations and counters in some depth, any suggestions?

I would also like a good book on newaza. I guess it wouldn’t necessarily have to be a Judo book, maybe a BJJ or wrestling book? Does anybody have any suggestions?

The 'Judo Masterclass Techniques' series looks like a cool concept. 100 pages ,give or take a few, on just one thing. There is a one called ‘Osaekomi’. Anybody read this one. I would also be interested in any comments regarding the Tai Otoshi , Grips, and Ashiwaza books.

Thank you for your input and your support of Judo.

Ed Boyd

Scanderson
17th January 2002, 00:50
Ed - the best resource for Judo book reviews, possibly in the world, is Ben Holmes bestjudo site at (of course):

http://www.bestjudo.com

The site uses a 5-star rating method. Most, if not all, of the best available (as well as unavailable) judo books are reviewed, including a jpeg of the book cover and the index.

Check out his "essential recommendations" section or search by rating to limit your pool of choices.

S. Anderson

BtC
17th January 2002, 00:56
hi

I have a few of the masterclass books. I have seoinage, shimewaza, both ashiwazas, pickups and grips. My favourites are shimewaza, seoinage and ashiwaza 2, the others are good reads. I cant say you'll like every book - it really depends on the

Grips is a really hard read - its hard to absorb because of the volume of information packed into the 100 pages.

Ashi waza 2 is excellent - jam packed with information but its absorbed very easily.

Ashi waza is a good book but I dont really use ashi barai that much so it wasnt of much use to me.

Pickups wasnt of much use to me beacause the techniques are really power oriented and im quite small (110 pounds) - its not the book's fault

I loved Seoi nage! - the best book ever - informative, absorb the information quickly and still have things to look up months after you are done with it.

Shimewaza is quite good - very in depth - improved my newaza alot.

what im trying to say is, I think any of the masterclass books would be a good buy.

I'm interested in getting osaekomi, uchimata and tai otoshi.

Conner Bond

MarkF
18th January 2002, 07:39
While Ben Holmes web site is a good source of reommended reading, I'd also recommend Kim Sol and Big Sky Judo at U of Montana: http://www.bstkd.com/judo.htm as well. They also have a good history of Kodokan Judo, one of the better web sites for that purpose.

Best Judo is a great book for techniques, particularly those for shiai. It is a "how-to" but is excellent for that purpose as well as giving some great suggestions for improving your technique, or to use it successfully. It also gives the full, true names of waza so your word "kata" gets a shot in the arm.

Syd Hoare's Judo A-Z is probably the most complete when it comes to the judo curriculum. While all sites and books mentiones are good, I've found specialty books to be somewhat one-sided though they do give some excellent instructional tips which may or may not be of value. If you know what your tokui waza are (favorite or best techniques), those are the ones you should concentrate your efforts.

I was close to your weight when I was fighting, and only 5' 3" to boot. Since you are probably on the short side as well, look for those which serve the shorter competitor. There are more books out there for that purpose alone.

The Kodokan has a good tape called Nage-waza in which throws are demonstrated and are shown in various manner of performing the throws. They show certain entries which one may want to do in randori while also showing the other entries more suitable for shiai, mainly the 1980s to include Yasuhiro Yamashita (incredible technique). M. Koga (for seoi nage, there isn't one better than Koga) and even includes some footage of Kyuzo Mifune.

Check the Kodokan.org (http://www.kodokan.org) and go to the store page for videos. Careful is the word on those on VHS format, but in general, if they are in English, you should have no problem. Also, if you can't find something, those who run the store are very helpful.

Good Luck.

Mark

CEB
18th January 2002, 15:04
Thanks everybody for your input and thanks for the links. I see Ben Holmes posts here so I would like to thank him for the bestjudo site. The book reviews and articles are a great service to the Judo community. The short article on integrated attack systems at www.bestjudo.com gave me a lot to think about. I never thought that much about judo. I have a handful of combinations and specialize in counter attacks and for the most part I just wing it. Once I do some homework and gather up some coherent thoughts on the subject matter I may start a thread on the developing an integrated attacking systems. When I think of all the different ways an opponent can defend against a tokui waza it would seem the integrated attacking systems could become quite large if the system is to encompass all contingencies. Good stuff. Take care.

Ed Boyd

Steven Malanosk
18th January 2002, 23:27
When you have been in the arts as long as I have, and read as everything available throughout a 36 year involvement, its hard to find a book that really impresses you, but...........................

Martial Musings, by Robert W. Smith, is simply a must.

Not a how to, but a why and wherefore.

An historic perspective, of one who has been there, before most of you where born.

The book contains much JuDo historic info from Japan and early USA JuDo, from Smiths recolection, as well as other experiences in various martial arts with friends like Don Draeger and Jon Bluming among countless others.

www.goviamedia.com

Other than respect for the author, I have no vested interest in this book, just recomending.

MarkF
19th January 2002, 11:08
BTW: Since you mentioned osaekomi, here are a couple of absolute musts for the competitor. They are in Japanese, but you can see the groundwork and enties to it very well. You must have them.


Kosen Judo vSPA-3528
Kosen Judo-Newaza no Densho -- Kosaka Konosuke - vSPA-3539


They are not just pins (osae) but include chokes, kansetzu-waza, and the escapes. I was weaned on this stuff, but I'd never been that interested until a good friend sent a copy of kosen judo. For strange people like us, it, ahh, well, you get up for it.:o

They aren't that expensive, either, at least from camparisons, it isn't. The link is: http://budogu.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/page18.html . The kosen judo tapes (and another concerning Mifune Kyuzo) are about two-thirds down the page.

And Yes, Martial Musings is a great book. It reads more like "non-fiction fiction, but I couldn't put it down until I finished it.

I didn't mention it before, as you mentioned techniques. Another btw, "go no sen" judo is not a bad thing to specialize, but you do need a "sen" assortment as well. Hell, you may as well go all the way with "sen sen no sen" meaning first strike, commonly.

Mark

Tony Peters
20th January 2002, 08:02
I keep 3 books handy for regular perusal Kodokan Jodo, Best Jodo and Brazillian Jui Jitsu (by Renzo & Rolyer Gracie). Between these three I can find almost anything I need. The last book is likely to wake waves but it really is well done. Any open minded Judoka should take a look at it.

Ben_Holmes
20th January 2002, 20:03
I keep 3 books handy for regular perusal Kodokan Jodo, Best Jodo and Brazillian Jui Jitsu

I'm surprised that Syd Hoare's "Judo A-Z" isn't in there. It's become the one book I keep handy and use even more often than Kodokan Judo.

JimmyCrow
21st January 2002, 05:28
I have to agree with Ben that Syd Hoare's "Judo A-Z" is a must have for all Judoka. I have one other book that I find invaluable, “The Newaza of Kashiwaza”. I found this book in San Francisco last year and I think it is the best resources for Newaza I have ever seen. It is written in Japanese and contains about 90 different techniques and escapes. The fact that it is not in english makes no difference because there are 8-10 pictures of each technique. I'm sure anyone who can read Japanese would get even more out of this book than people like me that can't. If you have a Japanese bookstore near you I suggest you pick one up.

Jimmy Crow:smilejapa

Tony Peters
22nd January 2002, 05:33
Originally posted by Ben_Holmes


I'm surprised that Syd Hoare's "Judo A-Z" isn't in there. It's become the one book I keep handy and use even more often than Kodokan Judo.

Yea I've been told that book is quite good and I'll likely pick it up oneday. I have a thing about buying books online. I like to hold and look through a book before I buy it.

MarkF
22nd January 2002, 08:50
Yea I've been told that book is quite good and I'll likely pick it up oneday. I have a thing about buying books online. I like to hold and look through a book before I buy it.

That is the smart thing to do, and I had the same reservations. The funny thing is, of all the books I bought before the Internet was opened as a store, I have bought the worst of those available, and the better ones I have purchased online. But then I bought just about anything then, and even if you enter Judo book as search words on E-bay, you do get some junk, but there is always at least a couple worth having.

That's my experience. I wasn't a good shopper for a long while.

Mark

Bob Steinkraus
23rd January 2002, 20:27
Good day to all -

Has anyone read or owns a copy of The Fighter's Notebook ? I am saving up my money, and I want to get a really good manual of grappling-oriented combat.

If anyone is willing to share his or her thoughts on this book, or any other, I would be glad to read them.

For my money, the Ippon Masterclass series is the best judo technical series ever written. Second to that is a work that Syd Hoare wrote many years ago called O-Soto-Gari , which is better than Yamashita's work of the same name in the Masterclass series. I am told that Hoare wrote two other books in the same series (I believe the series name is Leisure Learning, and was apparently published in Great Britain), one on Seoi-nage and one on Harai-goshi, but I have never been able to locate a copy of either. If the Harai-goshi one is superior to Rouge's book on harai-goshi in the Masterclass series, it must be one hell of a book. Harai-goshi is/was my tokui-waza, and I wish with all my heart I had had the Ippon Masterclass back when I was competing.

I own a copy of Illustrated Kodokan Judo, but it frankly is of only historical interest to me. Nice to see Mifune demonstrating and all that, but nobody does throws like they demonstrate them for real.

They have also re-issued Draeger's Judo Training Methods, which I consider a must have for the serious or semi-serious competitor. I can remember as clearly as yesterday reading the proper protocol for receiving a trophy you won in a tournament, and practicing it in my room (I was young at the time). Then it actually happened for real, and I felt like Inokuma. :)

I also have some books that are good mostly for amusement purposes. Like my judo skills themselves.

Regards,
Bob Steinkraus

Kit LeBlanc
23rd January 2002, 22:23
How does the new Kashiwazaki book compare to his Fighting Judo? To the Osaekomi and Shimewaza books from Ippon?

Fighting Judo is out of print and hard to find at a reasonable price these days, though I hope to add it to my growing collection of classic judo/jujutsu books one day.

But mainly I am interested in looking at the techniques. Fighting Judo had some cool standing armlocks and standing entries to newaza that are pretty interesting, and I am wondering if the new Newaza book covers the same material.

A book I love dearly is EJ Harrison's Manual of Judo: Jujutsu and Self Defense. It is my favorite Judo book.

It has some very interesting anecdotes as well as technical explanations, and talks about some older "illegal" techniques and other stuff not commonly seen in regular dojo practice today. A lot of it is also related to self defense use of judo methods as well, like a lot of the spine locks and cranks seen in BJJ and submission wrestling today.

I have seen Judo on the Ground (Harrison as well) and didn't like it as much as I thought I would. A wide variety of newaza technique in there but it doesn't have the same flavor or flair as Manual of Judo.

BTW, which is the edition of Fighting Spirit of Japan that contains the pictures and info on Maeda of Gracie jujutsu fame? If I remember correctly it is a considerable expansion on the edition available now, no?

As for videos, the new Quest Kosen judo videos are really cool, much clearer and more instructional than the Budokan series.

Ben_Holmes
24th January 2002, 02:26
Yea I've been told that book is quite good and I'll likely pick it up oneday. I have a thing about buying books online. I like to hold and look through a book before I buy it.

Tony!! This is *exactly* the reason I put my website up! The Internet has changed the way we buy books, and IMO, for the better. Sure, it's nice to hold a book in your hands, and flip through it, but the problem with Judo books is that the vast majority of the good ones (or any of them!) are *out of print*.

They are, however, easy to find through http:www.bookfinder.com or any of the other book search sites. The problem of course, is exactly what you cite, is the book any good? I trust you've visited my site, as I believe that you can get a fairly good idea from my site as to whether any particular book is worth getting. Naturally, nobody's going to judge a book the same way, but my site will at least give you a clue!

By the way, I just picked up Jimmy Pedro's new book on Judo, and I can predict right now that it's going to get a disasterous review when I get to it. The only thing I see right now that's good about the book - is that it will encourage others to write their own Judo books... they'll read this one, and say to themselves: "I could write a better book than this..."

Bob!! Go to my website, and you will see a review of "Fighter's Notebook" listed under "Other Reviews"... I'd tell you what I think of the book right here, but then I'd lose another "hit" on my site! :laugh: (http://www.bestjudo.com/brfightersnotebook.shtml)

And, you're right on about Syd Hoare's Osotogari book. I'd love to get my hands on his other books... don't bid against me, I'm prepared to lay out some money for them!!

And, just to advertise my site one more time, it's http://www.bestjudo.com

MarkF
24th January 2002, 10:12
I'm on pins and needles waiting for your review on the Jimmy Pedro book. In advance, I also do not blame him totally for the quality (it is the one written with the Kiyojute guy?).

It is pretty difficult to get a one-hundred percent bad judo book, but I've got a few of them, and those were when you had to hold and flip through the pages.

But Ben is right, his site and others are the best way to find what you need. Much easier today to get feedback and is also one reason for high prices on the older books. And also the reason for lower prices on same.

Check out what you can get for just a few bucks on E-bay using "judo books" for a keyword search. Little items pop up like old AAU and USJF rule books, things of that nature are generally very cheap, and very interesting if you are or were a competitor.

What were called pamphlets many years ago are really short but interesing books.

Ben's reviews are also more up to date than other sites simply because it is still pretty new.

Mark