Memoirs of a Karate Fighter
Novelist and
former karate champion Ralph Robb recounts his experiences at one of Europe’s
toughest dojos and provides an insight into the philosophy and training methods
of a club which produced national, European and world titleholders. In a
hard-hitting story, Ralph tells of the fights on and off the mat; his
experiences as one of a very few black residents in an area in which racist
members of the National Front were very active; and the tragic descent into
mental illness and premature death of the training partner who was also his
best friend.
My Thoughts
(SPOILER FREE)
Rating 3.5⭐
Favorite Quotes:
"Polish your wisdom, learn public justice, distinguish between good and evil and study ways of different arts one by one." Miyamoto Musashi-The Water Book
"The spirit of the warrior becomes like water. Water adopts the same shape as its container; Sometimes it is a trickle, sometimes it is a raging sea." Miyamoto Musashi - The Water Book.
After reading this memoir I now have a further appreciation for not only karate but for sport in general in terms of the impact it has on lives.
Mr. Robb, in this memoir, wrote about his experiences so skillfully that at some points in the story I felt like I was there witnessing the fights, experiencing the high points that come with winning and the low points as well.
I highly recommend this book to individuals who may want to understand karate as a sport because it was an educational read since it gave an in-depth explanation of techniques and through the writer's experience someone who is interested in karate can get some rich information.
I loved learning about the Wolverhampton YMCA Karate Club and the prominence it held during the 1970s and the 1980s. Apart from karate, this book spoke to issues such as race, discrimination, mental and physical health. The most impacting for me in this story was the sheer joy and love the writer felt about this sport. I enjoyed this very much. In all this was a wonderful story and I highly recommend this book.
Click below to purchase
UK - Amazon UK /US - Amazon US
Author Bio – Ralph Robb was born and raised in the industrial town of Wolverhampton, England and now lives in Ontario Canada with his wife, cat and dog. A proud father of four, Robb works as an engineering technician and loves rugby, martial arts and a good book. His world is balanced by quality TV, global events, great outdoors and of course his grand-daughter.
Social Media Links –
Facebook: www.facebook.com/RalphRobbBooks
Twitter: @RalphSRobb
Webpage: www.ralphrobb.com
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