If you think the links and recommendations here are in the wrong order, they
are not. Without a strong mind, you cannot develop a strong karate.
Further reading for the mind
Gichin Funakoshi's own autobiography Karate-Do: My way
of life is a must to read for any serious kareteka.
So is his The twenty guiding principles of karate
and The essence of karate.
One has to try and understand a little bit about the Japanese society
during the time these books were written. It was a society with many layers of
etiquette, and the books are written with at least two meanings of everything
that are written there: The form and the message. Most important was
the form, so to not upset anyone in the Japanese society. So some times the
writing can feel high-drawn and a bit too polite. But remember, these texts are old.
Maybe there is something for us to learn from the form as well as the actual
message?
A bit more esoteric maybe, but very interesting, is Dave Lowry's
book Moving toward stillness.
Extra-curricular reading for those who has already finished all of the books
above: The karate way - discovering the way of practice also by Dave Lowry.
Further reading for the body
Again, starting with the old grand master Gichin Funakoshi, his
Karate-Do Kyohan: The master text is a great source of
inspiration for the what and how to train. Just like the
books in the previous section is giving you insights to
why.
After that Karate: The Complete Kata by
Hirokazu Kanazawa is a good source to look at the moves in any kata. There might be details that differ from the way we do the
katas. But the general concept is the same.
The book 25 Shoto-Kan Kata by Shojiro
Sugiyama is a really good complement to the above books. Same note here: Details might differ slightly.
Also entertaining and interesting reading / watching is almost anything anything by Iain Abernethy or Johnny van Weenen
Katas on YouTube
Note: The links here are only to be considered as a help for you to jolt
your memory. There might be details in the video that differ from the way we do the
katas. But the general concept is the same.
9th kyu, orange belt
Kihon (here called
Taikyoku shodan, which is the same kata.)
8th kyu, red belt
Heian Shodan
7th kyu, yellow belt
Heian Nidan
6th kyu, green belt
Heian Sandan
5th kyu, 1st purple belt
Heian Yondan
4th kyu, 2nd purple belt
Heian Godan
3rd kyu, 1st brown belt
Tekki Shodan
2nd kyu, 2nd brown belt
Bassai Dai
1st kyu, 3rd brown belt belt
All of the above. No, I am not joking.
Dan grade katas
Bassai Sho
Kanku Dai
Kanku Sho
Empi (Enpi)
Jiin
Jion
Jitte
Tekki Nidan
Hangetsu
Chinte
Nijushiho
Sochin
Meikyo
Unsu
Wankan