The Kids' Karate Book - Softcover

What a kick! American kids are crazy for karate. One of the fastest-growing kids' sports in the country, karate is taught to 2.5 million boys and girls in over 17,000 licensed karate schools, and the enrollment is increasing 20% a year. Now comes the first-ever book-and-belt set that teaches all the right moves for beginning and intermediate students. Written by Michael J. Dunphy, a sixth-degree black belt and USA Karate Federation hall-of-famer, "The Kids' Karate Book" features clear, safe, basic instruction in karate and tae kwon do. Here are the stances, the blocks, the punches -- including backfist, hammerfist, swordhand, and ridgehand. And the kicks -- front kick, side kick, flying kick, hook, wheel, and axe. There are breathing exercises, drills, even a section on the four "c's" -- courage, commitment, courtesy, and confidence. Black-and-white, step-by-step photographs clearly break down each move and are shot by Joe Smithberger, a photographer and black belt, using real karate students as models. Included with the book is a classic white cotton beginner's belt -- an obi to loop around the waist twice. Put it on and begin to feel not just the power, but the grace, discipline, fitness, and, irrepressible enthusiasm of karate kids.

FEEL THE POWER

The BOOK

The Cat Stance. The Hammerfist and the Swordhand-the classic karate "chop." A Roundhouse. The Front Kick, Back Kick, Side Kick. And each delivered with a kiai-the energy-generating yell. The Kid's Karate Book covers not only the physical building blocks of Karate and Tae Kwon Do (the Korean school of Karate) with dozens of instructional black-and white photographs, but encompasses the larger goals of this martial art-its ability to instill in every student the virtues of courage, discipline, fitness and grace.

The BELT

It's a genuine, heavy-duty white cotton beginner's belt to be looped twice around the waist. Called an obi in Japanese and a ti in Korean, the belt is the most important part of any Karate uniform.

The MASTER

Michael J. Dunphy holds a 7th-degree black belt. Inducted in 1997 into the U.S.A Karate Federation Hall of Fame, he is also Vice-Chairman of the USAKF Medical Committee and a USAKF referee. Mr. Dunphy runs the Center for the Martial Arts in North Canton, Ohio.