Karate Science

Dynamics, motion, sensation...they are karate's connective tissue―and they are the heart of this book.

Karate Science: Dynamic Movement will help you understand the mechanics of the human body. Swanson describes these principles in incredible detail, drawing on examples from several styles of karate, as well as aikido, taekwondo, and judo. Whatever your martial background, applying this knowledge will make your techniques better, stronger, and faster.

• Understand the major types of techniques, including their outward appearances and internal feelings.
• Master the core principles behind these feelings.
• Learn the biomechanics and dynamics of core movement.

Karate Science: Dynamic Movement is filled with examples, anecdotes, and beautiful illustrations. Although Shotokan karate is the author's frame of reference, the principles of human mechanics translate to all martial styles.

This book features

• Clear and insightful explanations of dynamic movement.
• Over 100 illustrations.
• Profound but accessible analysis of the kihon, or fundamentals of Shotokan karate.

As a lifelong student of martial arts, J. D. Swanson, Ph.D., had searched through piles of books on form and function. "Stand here, step there" they said. But where movement was concerned, none went deep enough. No one was discussing the dynamics―the actual feeling of the moves. Both in print and in live teaching, karate instruction tends to focus on stances and finishing positions. But dynamics, motion, sensation...they are karate's connective tissue―and they are the heart of this book.

“Karate Science: Dynamic Movement is rooted in the teachings of the masters,” Swanson says. “This book nucleates that knowledge, clarifying and distilling the key principles behind movement dynamics. This is the next evolution of karate books.”

J.D. Swanson holds a PhD in Integrative Biosciences from The Pennsylvania State University and is a sixth-degree black belt in Shotokan Karate. A graduate of the official ISKF Instructor Trainee Program, he is qualified as an instructor, examiner, and judge, and has trained under Okazaki, Yaguchi, Rielly, and Ubl Sensei. He currently serves as Technical Director for Hombu Dojo Karate International–USA (HDKI-USA) and is regularly invited to teach karate both in the Unted States and internationally.

Swanson began his martial arts training in 1980 in his native New Zealand and later moved to the United States. Alongside his martial career, he has built a distinguished professional life in higher education and public service. Professionally, Swanson is a Professorial Lecturer in the School of Public Affairs at American University, where he teaches executive leadership. Beyond the classroom, he is a scientist and organizational leader whose work focuses on building research and innovation capacity at the national level. He previously spent fifteen years as a tenured professor, teaching across the biological sciences and mentoring students in both academic and extracurricular settings. J.D. Swanson resides in Northern Virginia.