Fundamentals of Enzymology: Rate Enhancement, Specificity, Control and Applications

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Detailed and technical

Starting point, but not really worth buying

A book as important as "Barefoot Zen" - Persuasive,Effective

A wealth of interesting ideas

75 Down Blocks: Refining Karate Techniques
Rick Clark
Manufacturer: Tuttle Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Martial Arts | Individual Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books
Karate | Martial Arts | Individual Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Sports | Subjects | Books
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Five Years, One Kata

The Way of Kata: A Comprehensive Guide for Deciphering Martial Applications

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Bunkai-Jutsu

ASIN: 0804832188

Customer Reviews:

Detailed and technical.......2005-04-02

Prof. Rick Clark isn't your usual martial arts writer. For one thing, in this book he writes about the ideas of Wilfredo Pareto, the 19th century economist who invented the 80/20 rule, and how that idea applies to martial arts; crime statistics for violent attacks against police officers and their implication for martial arts training; and in the second appendix to the book, there is a brief history of the reintroduction of Japanese martial arts into their univerisity system and the contribution of a German doctor who became physician to the Meiji emperor's son in that regard by the name of Erwin Baelz.

The title of the book derives from the fact that the author uses the concept of the down block as a metaphor to examine similar motions and to compare different techniques across the martial arts. For example, he mentions how the nikyu technique in aikido resembles the down block in many respects. Also, the book contains 75 different self-defense techniques against various kinds of attacks.

The techniques also follow the rationale of being designed around the kinds of attacks one can expect based on the aforementioned crime statistics. According to the statistics, most percussive attacks involve either a simple front kick or punch, kicks being about 10% more likely than punches. Grabs at one's wrist or lapel are also very common, along with the attempt to twist the arm, but rarely does anyone try a specific choke or arm hold or technique.

So as I said, although the technques run the full gamut in terms of responses, from holds and locks to takedowns and the usual karate techniques, they are organized around and seleted according to the critieria of probability of occurrence. I liked this aspect of the book and thought it made a lot of sense. The author's crime statistics are based on FBI crime figures from past decades.

Another strong point of the book is that the percussion techniques are directed at the Chinese dim mak or vulnerable points, so you learn some of that too. I'm not going to debate the validity or efficacy of those theories of Chinese medicine here, I just mention it for accuracy's sake. The self-defense techniques in this book are more hold and lock oriented than karate oriented, so they take more skill to execute. Some of these techniques would qualify as very advanced and probably the average martial artist wouldn't be able to perform it in a real street situation. In that sense many of the techniques are more suitable for the advanced practitioner.

One of the more advanced aspects of the techniques is that reversals against a wrist lock and arm bar are shown. These technqiues won't work, however, if you wait until the last minute to execute them, and the best reversal techiques aren't the ones actually illustrated, but they are the simplest. However, the author mentions the first point in the text.

That having been said, most self-defense is pretty much the same whether one is talking about judo, BJJ, karate, or kung fu. They all invaribly involve how to escape from such things as wrist graps, chokes, and how to respond to kicks and punches. So the techniques illustrated here run the full gamut from basic to very advanced. Another reviewer here said some of the techniques are unrealistic in that they require grabbing a punch out of mid-air, but then that's no different from what many martial arts and artists teach. One has to take the good and useful along with less than useful and filter the techniques accordingly, although that takes some experience and skill.

Some of the photo sequences are a bit unclear and required more photos to show the complete transition in the technique, but then, that's also a common problem in martial arts books on the grappling arts. The only real cure here is to use a book like this in conjunction with a video illustrating the holds and locks if one doesn't have access to a real teacher.

So despite the above flaws, overall, an excellent book with a self-defense oriented theme from Prof. Clark.

Starting point, but not really worth buying.......2004-09-08

It's becoming a trend in martial arts nonfiction writing to do a lot of overly-analytic psuedo-scholarship. This is not a fault in and of itself, and when well-written, is no worse than other such nonfiction. However, this is not well-written. Yes, Mr. Clark does quote Pareto (in the same way that many psuedo-scholars do), and uses the 80/20 rule used in economics incorrectly to support his theory that 80% of what you train in in traditional martial arts isn't useful. He goes on to say that this can be changed if moves are critically analyzed in light of your purpose for training. He also does a lot of analysis about HAOV (Habitual acts of violence) to show that often the moves traditional martial arts train to counter aren't often seen in modern confrontations. This book could have skipped about a hundred pages if he had begun with an introduction that said this much more clearly. Bill Burgar does a much better analysis of HAOV and the so-called Pareto rule in "Five Years, One Kata."

Pros: Conceptually, an interesting approach. Rather than waste time trying to determine exactly what the original application of a down block is (almost impossible to do in even one art, let alone when addressing the down block among many arts), Clark has expanded the idea of determining sensible applications that work for the individual. A martial artist can determine what application the down block seems to resonate with, without worrying about the "proper" down block application.

Cons: The applications themselves seem very unrealistic. About four-fifths of the techniques he uses seem to be useless, many of them beginning with the defender rather impossibly catching the punch in mid-air. Many of the others involve small-joint manipulation that seems very unrealistic; for example, in one sequence the attacker has grabbed Clark's hand, and in the next photo, Clark suddenly has a wrist lock on the attacker, with no transition or explanation. Most of the 75 down block applications Clark does are simply unworkable.

Cons also include the fact that he uses the confusing terminology of pressure points like "spleen 32" that is not at all helpful.

Cons additionally include Clark's appearance. In the photos he seems to be terribly flabby and out of shape. A small thing, perhaps, but it gives him less credibility.

Cons also include the photography, which is dark and often difficult to see.

Overall, just a starting point to see how one can find out applications for oneself. Clark himself admits that it would be more helpful to think of the book's applications as a starting point for one's own research, and I concur, since most of the applications he suggests are unworkable. Between 12 and 15 of the 75 applications Clark gives might actually be workable, with some modification, so the ratio may not be high enough for some readers who might expect the number to be closer to the 75 in the title. Conceptually, though, his approach does give food for thought, although the book is a little pricey for what you get. An expansion of some of his theories on kata applications, and a much more realistic set of them, is included in Bill Burgar's "Five Years, One Kata," which I would recommend greatly over this book. In summary, rent this book from the library, don't buy it.

A book as important as "Barefoot Zen" - Persuasive,Effective.......2004-05-03

"The down block is perhaps the most common technique used in martial arts. The down block motion is found in virtually all kata and is utilized in various stances.

One hand comes up toward the opposite side of the head then moves down to groin level, while the opposite hand is brought back to one's side.

The inclusion of this movement in so many kata is a clear indication of how important this movement must have been in the eyes of the old masters.

So, why are we taught such simplistic bunkai if kata are so important to our understanding of the martial arts? When I began to look at explanations for the various movements in the kata, I became very interested in the answer to this question. I began looking into the history of the martial arts and, in doing so, I discovered a number of reasons why we have been taught this way.

* Knowledge of more esoteric aspects of the martial arts has been kept secret from the general population, so those in the upper ranks can maintain their position of authority
* Historical developments in Japan-specifically, the western "opening" of Japan in the mid-nineteenth century-made it necessary for the nation to move beyond the martial arts as part of its military culture.
* When combat techniques, which had been restricted to the warrior class, began to be taught to the general public, they were often to be less dangerous-or less effective, depending on how you look at it.
* These techniques were further simplified when the martial artist were introduced into school system, more formalized aspects of the martial art forms began to dominate.

Here are the types of attacks most likely to occur in a self-defense situation:

1. A grab
2. A push
3. A punch
4. A kick

A grab will probably be for your wrist, forearm, upper arm, lapel, or throat.

Technique 1

1. Your Opponent strikes long distance with a L back snap kick
2. L downward block

Technique 2

1. Your opponent kicks at your chest with the right foot, medium distance away
2. Shift your weight to the rear, sweep deflect with the left hand
3. Punch to the ankle (spleen 6), pressing with the left hand on the other side of the ankle

Additional thoughts: Reach with the right hand over and grab the heel, full circle of your head flipping while stepping back into a horse stance, the opponent flips onto his face, left stomp to the tail bone.

Technique 3

1. Your opponent prepares a R thrusting side kick at solar plex level.
2. You are in a L cover, shift weight into a cat stance, Draw your hand up and under the opponent leg (spleen 6) and grab the ankle with the L hand
3. R elbow down on upper thigh (gall bladder 31)
4. R downward hammer strike to groin or tail bone

Technique 4
1. Your opponent prepares to deliver a R front snap kick with R punch combination
2. L 45, sidestep movement, deflect R punch with L inward block, right scoop his ankle with the R hand and pull to the R hip. You now have the opponent center control at the most powerful leverage point on your body.
3. L downward sweep knocking him down over your left knee.

Additional thoughts: follow through with a pivot 90 degrees to the L, shuffle downward with the knee about 3 inches above the ground and finish with a R punch to his L ribs.

A wealth of interesting ideas.......2003-08-22

In recent years we have learnt that to understand our style thoroughly we have to go beyond our style; but in so doing we can find the effective self defence principles that were there all along. So practitioners of karate, tae kwon do, kung fu and so on are realizing that their kata and even basic kihon can make sense as self defence -in a way they never did as "traditionally" taught - if we have the eyes to see what they could be. Because at this stage in the evolution of our arts this is largely a process of reverse engineering, the sticking point is having the range of conceptual tools to see what the moves could be. Having trained with Rick Clark regularly on his seminars in the UK, I was always struck by how someone could show him some piece of kata from their style, and Rick could see immediately a number of interesting and worthwhile applications. He has taken that vision of his and inspected one of the most basic movements in many styles - the down block. What comes out is a wealth of ideas - just the inspiration the modern practitioner needs to understand his art. Any one person should reject many of the ideas and accept only a few for regular training, so that what they take fits in most coherently with what else they use for other movements in their kata etc. But each student will select something different, and so seeing a wide range of possiblities is invaluable for guiding one to create one's own personal self defence system. Presented here are many principles of jujutsu, arnis and kyusho jutsu applied to a simple move of karate, illustrating the fundamental unity of all styles. It's a book I will return to many times.

Book Description

This lively collection of fifty-six short, readable essays by both student and professional writers provides useful models of the rhetorical modes. Features 26 new essays on diverse subjects such as technology and the Internet, the events of September 11 and terrorism, college athletics, and medical research

Customer Reviews:

ENGLISH COMP CLASSES-WHAT ARE U GONNA DO?.......2004-03-02

I HAVE USED PROBABLY 30 DIFFERENT FRESHMEN COMP. CLASSES AND DEVELOPMENTAL WRITING. UNTIL I DISCOVERED THIS BOOK ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO, MY CLASSES ARE MUCH MORE LIVELY, AND QUIET STUDENTS SYDDENLY SPEAK OUT ABOUT SECTIONS OF THE TEXT THAT THEY DON'T AGREE WITH.

GREAT DIVERSE SECTIONS TO COVER IN CLASSROOM TALKS.

IF INTERESTED, I CAN SEND COLLEGE ENGLISH TEACHERS MY COURSE SYLLABI USING "SHORT TAKES."

short takes.......2000-05-04

As a student using this book as a text in class I find it most helpful and interesting. Not only does it vary in topic, but it also gives you insight on new methods of interesting writing. Antoher plus is the length of each story with makes for easy reading. It really does live up to its name short takes.

a fine freshman composition text that costs too much.......1998-11-11

It is sad that this book--and the comprable "Short Prose Reader" from McGraw-Hill--are seriously compromised by the greed of a publisher that prices a book in its 8th edition that could be marketed profitably for less than ten dollars and prices it out of the range of poor students.

Quick Takes: Short Model Essays for Basic Composition

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Quick Takes: Short Model Essays for Basic Composition
Elizabeth Penfield , and Theodora Hill
Manufacturer: Watson-Guptill Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Writing Skills | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0823050041

Quick Takes: Short Model Essays for Composition

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Quick Takes: Short Model Essays for Composition
Elizabeth; Hill, Theodora Penfield
Manufacturer: Harpercollins College Div
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OF8UH6

Scott Foresman Writer and Short Takes: Model Essays for Composition

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Scott Foresman Writer and Short Takes: Model Essays for Composition
John Ruszkiewicz , and Elizabeth Penfield
Manufacturer: Addison-Wesley Pub (Sd)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0201668068

Short Takes: Model Essays for Composition

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Short Takes: Model Essays for Composition
Elizabeth Penfield
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OUIJNQ

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Short Takes: Model Essays for Composition
Elizabeth Penfield
Manufacturer: Longman Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OUF6LY

Short Takes: Model Essays for Composition {SEVENTH EDITION}

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Short Takes: Model Essays for Composition {SEVENTH EDITION}
Elizabeth Penfield
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OUI1QG

Book Description

Creating a comic is more than just coming up with a powerful villain or gruesome alien: it requires a lot of thought and planning about the story line, weapons and props, modes of transportation, and setting (city, outer space, underwater, etc). Pulling all of this together may sound challenging, but with 3D Comic Design everything from how to create the story, characters, and text balloons, to page layout /design, adding special effects, and integrating 3D environments is clearly explained.

Customer Reviews:

How does this guy get published?.......2005-09-29

Here is another truly bad book by Shamms Mortier. He obviously has no idea how comics are created, and how they look. The examples are terrible, and the writing is amateurish at best.

If you want to learn how to create a comic, just read some graphic novels instead of this waste of paper.

Another failed attempt at the subject by Mortier.......2001-07-22

Mortier already published one book on the subject. This time, he's given a bit more information on the creation of actual comics (rather than just creating figures) and how to add word balloons and such.

Sadly, he's still done very little that would help someone interested in using a computer to create comics. One peek at the cover should warn anyone off of the book: The art is amateurish in the extreme. The internal comics are of such poor quality that it's unbelievable that a publisher let them pass. And such a simple thing as leaving some white space between a word balloon outline and the letters within seems beyond Mortier (giving him away immediately as someone without any real experience or understanding of making good looking comics).

Again, I wonder why Mortier didn't team with a comics pro (or at least someone who had actually looked at comics with an artist's eye). Instead, he muddles through with his personal idea of what comics should be (thankfully, nothing published today matches this vision of comics... it would be laughed off the shelves).

I'm giving it one star since 1 and a half isn't possibly. It's definitely a step up from his earlier volume on comics, but a very small step. It's also cheaper, so you're not wasting as much money if you really want to give this book a look.

Average customer rating:
3D Comic Design (CyberRookies Series) (Cyberrookies)
R. Shamms Mortier
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MUIFHI

Book Description

An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet is the series to turn to when you want a basic reference that's reliable, up-to-date, and complete.

These guides feature:

Expert authors, plus renowned guest contributors on specialized topics
Full-color photos throughout
Basic information on the breed, species, or topic
Complete coverage of care, health, grooming, training, and more
Tips and techniques to make life with a pet more rewarding

Customer Reviews:

An Interesting and Reliable Guide.......2004-10-05

It may be out of date, I don't know. When it comes to important matters, everyone should consult with a trusted veterinarian. But for emergency care, interest, and a general guide, I've raised four cats on this book. Everything, from warnings on what and what not to feed your cat and what plants you can and cannot have in the house to when to call your vet, is covered, well, and easy to find. The book could use a more extensive index, but it was a very convenient and affordable helpmate for an anxious mother.

Tuxedo was four weeks old when we brought him home, which we didn't know, because he was a barn cat, and nobody really knew how old they were. Twenty-four hours after we got him settled in, we discovered that baby had no teeth. So, there we were, desperately going through the library and the pet store, frantic to figure out why baby didn't use the bathroom, didn't eat, and was losing weight at an alarming rate.

Some books were more helpful, but we were poor, and some just didn't cover enough, and some covered TOO much. I got lost in extemperanious information, and couldn't find what I needed. This one was "just right." ;-) It gave me just enough to quiet my new mother fears, and help me answer all of my questions, without losing me in technical terms, and kept me from calling the vet every ten minutes.

Tuxedo is now 16 solid pounds, healthy as an ox, and well trained. He has welcomed three women into his family, and they've all been at different stages of health, and different ages, but this book has helped us get through them all. I keep it handy, and still, after four years, turn to it about once a month when I'm in over my head.

Old Info Out of Date.......2002-02-23

In 1996 when this book first appeared it offered current information and was one of the first to address "training" in cats and to promote early-age neutering. It is written in an engaging style and remains a good basic reference for first-time kitten owners. But in the seven years since publication, much has changed in the world of feline health care, such as vaccination recommendations, and the understanding of behavior and feline diseases. DO NOT rely on this book for health care advice.

Shojai's latest book, "COMPLETE KITTEN CARE" is a much better choice. This is the author's 18th pet care title and it has up-to-date medical information and advice based on Shojai's interviews with hundreds of veterinary experts. The training and behavior material comes from Shojai's hands-on personal experience with shelter cats and kittens, as well as insights from professional breeders.

Cool!!!.......1998-03-12

VERY COOL!!!It'S Really Nice And Interesting!! Cat'S LOVER SHOULD HAVEE!!!Thats'Me!!HeHe!!

Kitten care & training (An Owner's guide to a happy healthy pet)

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Kitten care & training (An Owner's guide to a happy healthy pet)
Amy Shojai
Manufacturer: Howell Book House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Book Description

Johnny Appleseed was an important historical figure, well known for planting apple orchards across the new frontier. But he was also a master storyteller! In his own folksy voice, Johnny Appleseed tells his story to a couple of entranced children in this fictionalized Step 2 title. Readers learn how he started planting apple trees—and about some of the myths and true stories of his life.

Customer Reviews:

A good book.......2007-09-25

The only part I didn't like was "I packed up my gun." Many other stories about Johnny Appleseed state that he did not carry a gun.

Learn About Johnny & Practice Reading with "Johnny Applesee: My Story".......2006-02-03

This book is a Level 2 Reader which is defined as being for Grades 1 to 3. And despite being a reader it does as fine a job as any book we have read thus far in teaching young children about Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman).

The book begins with Johnny's arrival on a farm. Everyone is excited to see John again and they invite him to dinner. The two children, Will and Beth, want John to tell them one of this stories, and he says sure but not before he helps dad with the wood splitting.

When they do all settle down after dinner, Johnny tells of his own boisterous childhood family. How he found relief from the noise of ten siblings! in the woods and how the woods became like a second home to him.

The story goes on to describe how he set off from Massachusetts to go west, and how he fell into apple planting by accident when a cider mill gave him free apple seeds. The book covers the harsh winters in Pennsylvania and how John planted seeds there and in Indiana and Ohio too.

Five Stars. Very Good read-aloud. The book gives some history and explanation of how and why Johnny ended up traveling the wilderness. In addition, it points out in a fun, non condemning way that many of the stories told about John are more myth than truth.

Text is included below so you can judge reading levels for yourself.

"I sold sprouts to folks
heading west in their wagons.
I sold sprouts to settlers living in log cabins.
One sprout cost
six and a half cents.

"Sometimes I traded sprouts
for clothes or food.
Some folks were too poor
to trade.
I game them sprouts for free.
I knew how it felt
To be poor.

Johnny Appleseed: My Story.......2005-10-06

This book was very kid-friendly.
My first grade class enjoyed it very much.

A Delightful Story.......2002-12-13

This is an engaging story with wonderful illustrations!

Customer Reviews:

An excellent piece of work, stimulating and enlightening........1998-07-08

The Other Brahmins challenges us to find out more about our culture. It is a "must have" for every reader interested in an accurate account of the black experience in an American city. In almost every ethnic culture there is a group that steps to the forefront to set the standards of social leadership. Boston being one of the older cities in this country would be no better place to look at the rise of the black upper class. Adelaide Cromwell's work explores the life of upper class blacks in this old northern city from the end of the eighteenth century to the middle of the twentieth century. It is a well researched and fascinating profile of the activities of this often alluded to, but largely unknown class of Americans. The central focus is the comparison of black and white upper class woman in the 1940s. The author traces the early black leaders in Boston society; the social structure of the black upper class; factors in the lifestyle of Boston's black elite women; and race and the black upper class in Boston. I find it to be one of the finest examples of sociological scholarship. The author truly ranks among the great social historians of the day. This rare look at the black social establishment is very timely in that there had not been any resourceful books on the subject since the 1970s with the works of Gerri Majors and Stephen Birmingham. This work along with the works of Williard Gatewood( Aristocrats of Color) and William Dorsey's Philadelphia and Ours by Roger Lane were only books that I had seen published during the 1990s on the subject of the black upper class. During my own research the only article that I had read focusing on the black community of Boston was the 1948 article featured in Ebony entitled "Boston Elite Worships Ancestors". This work was a breakthrough for me and I am sure for those who have established an interest in the social history of Black America.

The Other Brahmins: Boston's Black Upper Class 1750-1950 (Black Community Studies)

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The Other Brahmins: Boston's Black Upper Class 1750-1950 (Black Community Studies)
Adelaide M. Cromwell
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MUAJP4

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