http://www.gojuryustudyguide.com/ Anyone personally purchase this themselves or know someone who did? I'm a bit hesitant due to the price, but if it's actually worthwhile I would be interested in looking into it.
No idea about it sorry but, being from a Jundokan practitioner, I would hope it would be of fairly high quality. It's usefulness would depend on the focus of the content though, eg if it's simply supplying exercise ideas and schedules or content to enhance what you're already doing.
I saw that once before and ignored it because of the hard sell on the website. After taking a closer look, I'm actually tempted. I actually know the author and train with his group sometimes. I think I will be switching to full time there after next month (when my contract with my current place is up). I may ask him about it next time I see him.
Isn't it Steve Pinder from the Martial Art Masters of Texas show? Maybe I should just look at the site lol.
I think the problem here is the style of the website. As far as I can tell, the content looks pretty good. I'd love to have a training guide detailing the correct way to do things, as I would like to train more at home. It doesn't claim at any point to be a replacement for real training with a qualified teacher. Nor does it claim to teach The True Ancient Deadly Art Thousands Have Died To Learn (TM). It seems like a companion to real training to keep things fresh in your mind. I'm tempted, I have to say.
Yea, I've tried to make that same point TRK about a select couple video program training series and just get drowned out by strawman arguments. /boggles @people who just like to quarrel.
My point is that it doesn't claim to be a video training program. If it did, I would be uncomfortable with it. It is text and interviews with masters to be used as enrichment around real (read-in a dojo with real training partners and a real teacher) training. A former teacher of mine tries to do distance education with DVDs and video conferencing (and periodic visits). It makes me uncomfortable.
Pretty much sums it up. Does sound credible and relatively cheap. If you decide to go for it- post a review! When I trained in jkf go ju Kai- they had a book dubbed the green book- or te bible. It had every kata, and a whole host of other info in Japanese and English. I thought you were going to ask about that :s
I can only go on what i know of Bryson Keenan,and if he has put his name to it i would it may well be worth looking as he is a very respected Martial Artist in Australia. You may want to go on you tube and see what comes up under each of the names.
I bought it a bit over a year ago, but almost didn't because of the "hard-sell" of the site layout. My opinion is that I got value for money. I personally got value for money from the interviews alone; the texts were just so much gravy. Of the study guide itself, I think if I had purchased it as a coloured belt I would have got more from it - I found I already knew or did or had encountered most of what was discussed in it. That's not to detract from it; it is well written and laid out. It does read somewhat as an introductory manual for someone starting out in a dojo for the first time, and some areas such as the one on hojo undo seem to only be there to introduce the concept*. I found the section on each of the kata to be interesting and thought provoking (even though they are the shortest section in the guide, and too short for my tastes); and the largest section, on training principles, to be worth semi-regular re-reading as it contains some really good stuff. But for me, it seems to be aimed at kyu-level practitioners more than black belts (not that that's a bad thing!) Of the other three texts included, I personally have no use for the cardio- or supplemental training programs, so haven't looked at them. But I used the home training program text quite a bit as a guide and template for working out my daily and weekly training regimes last year and this year. It was really useful and contained quite a few things I hadn't thought of, and hadn't thought to think of. So, I didn't get ripped off, and a year down the track I reckon I got good value for money. The several hours of audio interviews with experienced, senior karateka from a variety of goju lineages (not just jundokan) sits on my ipod and gets listened to regularly. I found the guide itself to be well structured and to have worth for me personally (and would have more direct worth for someone starting out in their karate journey), and at least one of the supplemental texts was directly useful as well. *For a detailed examination of hojo undo, I would highly recommend Michael Clarke's book "Hojo Undo", for their history, construction and use.
Melbgoju, I am happy that you found value in what you purchased. The site, to me, looks questionable at best. I have seen too many sites with nearly an identical layout selling everything from "How to stop your divorce and get your spouse back!" to "How to get any girl to sleep with you" to various weight loss plans. The layout is always the same - claim that it works based on author's experience, appeals to authority without naming the authorities, a large number of (unverifiable, naturally) testimonials in support of the product, a long list of benefits, a price list showing high prices for each individual component, then more pressure to buy, followed by "All this for only...", and finally, more hard sell. Perhaps you found a rare gem among the refuse, but I have a hard time taking anything that uses that type of site seriously. It's like the ads for the car dealership that the ad sounds more like the ad for a monster truck rally or an ad for "WWE Smackdown". And, if it's such a wonderful resource, why is he selling it on his own site? Why won't bookstores carry it? Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, and others all have electronic distribution. (No, I've not purchased anything from any site like that.)
I understand your hesitancy, as it was that that kept me from purchasing it for more than half a year after first seeing it. It is the only site of that nature I have purchased from, and the only reason I did so was because of the interactions I had with its author on another forum over about a year. Otherwise I wouldn't have trusted it enough to part with my hard-earned. But if others don't have that personal reassurance, it makes sense for them to be wary based on the way it is presented.
