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A Brief Word from Colin Wee

Praise for Colin Wee's Breaking Through: The Secrets of Bassai Dai Kata

Master Wee has written a book I would recommend for every martial artist regardless of their style. It is a timely reminder that the martial arts by its collective nature embodies culture, tradition as well as ongoing empirical research and refinement. Concepts are clearly explained and based on research and testing that the theory is sound. Each chapter concisely describes and dissects movement and application but more importantly, goes beyond literal translation and emphasizes analysis and extrapolation for application and improvement. I have no doubt that any practitioner reading Master Wee's book will be reflecting on their own style through a different lens forged from knowledge from this book.

~ Dr Prakash Menon, Brown Belt 2nd Degree
Northern Shaolin Cheun Fa, Singapore

In a world where so many rush to criticize and divide, Master Wee stands tall as a leader who seeks to celebrate and connect. In Breaking Through, Master Wee builds bridges of respect and value between the traditional and modern, external and internal, and hard and soft. I recommend that all students and teachers of the martial arts follow Master Wee’s example of exploring the “Middle Way,” as his methodology clearly results in a high degree of both skill and wisdom.

~ Ando Mierzwa, 8th Degree, Kung Fu San Soo
Owner & Instructor at Happy Life Martial Arts
Founder of Fight for a Happy Life martial arts podcast

I do not study Bassai Dai but can see many of its movements within our Ch'ang Hon Taekwon-do tul. Therefore, the applications Sabumnin Wee shares in this excellent book will be of benefit to both Karateka and Taekwondoin alike. Highly recommended.

~ Stuart Anslow, 6th Dan
Editor of Totally Tae Kwon Do &
Author of seven popular books about Taekwon-do

What makes a good teacher? It is the ability to change the way people look at their chosen area of study, bring it to life and provide students with tools to make their own way. That is what I see in this book. Colin has developed a methodology that can be applied to this kata, to other forms and to other endeavours beyond martial arts. I am thoroughly impressed.

~ Simon O’Neill, 4th Dan
Author of The Taegeuk Cipher

Master Colin Wee's book has given me fresh new insights into the kata which I have practiced since the 1990s, in both the Shitoryu style in Singapore and the Shotokan style in England. Colin is my favourite brother-in-arms and among the first of my friends in the martial arts. His passion and dedication to self-defence is both admirable and impressive!

~ Ying Perrett
2nd Dan, Ching Woo Karate (Hong Kong)
1st Dan, Shitoryu Karate Association

I have always thought that Master Wee is unique in his approach to martial arts research. This book also shows he’s an outstanding communicator. He does a wonderful job at dissecting a classical Karate form (kata), transcending “technique” to enter the realm of “concept.” If you thought that kata is something fixed and incompatible with the everchanging and unpredictable nature of combat, be ready for a big surprise. Colin has added an innovative and deep contribution to martial art forms interpretation.

~ Manuel Adrogué, 8th Dan
Mudo Jongshin Taekwon-Do Won

As a martial artist with more than 40 years of experience and roots in three styles of Karate, 30 of those years spent teaching Taekwon-do, I am excited to see that this book takes to heart the “do,” or way, of Karate and Taekwon-do. In Breaking Through: The Secrets of Bassai Dai Kata, Colin is a not just a martial instructor but a teacher in every sense of the word. In these pages, he at once exercises and demonstrates the “do” of the path he has chosen to best teach martial arts. Colin in this case uses Bassai, a commonplace pattern in many styles of Karate and Taekwondo, to teach advanced combat skills which all students of the martial arts will find not only interesting and insightful but useful as well.

~ Master John McNally, 7th Dan, Ch’ang Hon Taekwon-do
Founder & Chairman, International Taekwondo Council
Founder & Chairman, Absolute Taekwondo Association (UK)

I was always impressed by Colin’s take on forms training and applications on his well-established YouTube channel. His idea of using the biomechanics of specific techniques and sequences in kata/hyung/tul shows an insightful understanding of the martial arts. Today, many practitioniers unfortunately stick to a sole "what you see is what you get“ interpretation of techniques and sequences shown in forms. Colin's approach to use underlying principles of movement introduces sheer endless possibilities to apply the techniques in various useful and sundry manners. I would even say that this brings back the "martial" to the "art." In the words of famous Karate pioneer Motobu Choki: “Nothing is more harmful to the world than a martial art that is not effective in actual self-defense." Colin, however, does not limit this masterpiece by showing just technical skills. There’s also a fair share of historical and philosophical commentary, which aids in understanding the training methods in general and the main topic of Bassai Dai kata. It´s common knowledge that a lot of Karate techniques found their way into Taekwondo. So as Taekwondo practitioners we are tracing back our roots by studying this form.

~ Master Claus Moos, 5th Degree, Jae-Hwa Kwon Style Taekwondo
Head Instructor at KWON Martial Arts Center

Breaking Through: The Secrets of Bassai Dai Kata by Colin Wee is jammed-packed with essential tactical applications, biomechanical principles, and self-study probing questions that not only assists practitioners with this particular kata but also helps facilitate their own martial arts practice. I have been aware of Master Wee's work for years, and I support his continued evolution in the martial arts. This book is filled with golden nuggets of coaching and not only deep dives into the Bassai Dai form but also provides readers with universal tactical strategies, self-defense scenarios and solutions, coupled with amazing point of view photographs. I highly recommend that all students of the martial arts add this book to their martial library. I did!

~ Chris Hanson, 4th Dan, World Combat Association
Founder of Karate Unity

When I was asked to review Colin Wee’s book, Breaking Through: The Secrets of Bassai Dai Kata, I was hesitant. It is, after all, a bunkai-book. However, I quickly realized that this book is not about Bassai Dai kata. It is rather one martial art school’s journey of self-discovery. While the book indeed contains bunkai, the various applications in the book are not the goal; instead of trying to conform to the kata in ways that are contrived, the kata-movements are seen more as springboards from where to explore techniques, resulting in what Dan Djurdjevic calls, “dynamic context drills.” What I would criticize as forced applications in other bunkai-books is the very point of Wee’s book: creative and playful exploration that does not try to imitate the kata in unnatural and unrealistic ways. Rather, Wee offers strategic principles, illustrated through “applications” from Bassai Dai kata. Breaking Through’s real contribution to martial arts literature is not that it offers applications from Bassai Dai kata but that it instead inspires the reader to be more cognitive about their own martial arts practice and inspires every practitioner to be more experimental with their own martial arts tradition.

~ Dr. Sanko Lewis, Martial Arts Researcher, South Korea
SankoLewis.com

Breaking Through is a martial parable of sorts. On one hand, it is the story of Colin Wee’s journey, from Singapore to Texas to Australia to the establishment of the Joong Do Kwan. On the other hand, Wee takes the traditional practice of patterns found in the striking arts—such as Karate and Taekwondo to name only two—and repurposes them, not as extrinsic solo exercises but as intrinsic components in the study of combat. He demonstrates the process with Bassai Dai, a kata which has inspired him for decades, extracting twelve lessons—Wee calls them applications—that he has unearthed from his many years of study. Each application is inspired by sequences of movements found within the kata. While others often try to force applications to fit the form, the lessons in Breaking Through grow organically from Wee’s close and thorough study, an analysis which includes its creator, its history, its intended purpose, the socio political conditions in which it was developed, and an unprejudiced exploration of its techniques against an opponent. Wee’s method, which he has dubbed the JDK Method, can be applied to any form, no matter the style. Every martial artist who practices forms, whether novice or expert, can benefit from training and studying Master Wee’s applications in Breaking Through, before applying the same process to the other patterns in their arsenal to discover their secrets, too.

~ Mike Swope, 8th Dan
Writer for Totally Tae Kwon Do Magazine
Designer/Publisher of Taekwon-Do: Origins of the Art:
Bok Man Kim's Historic Photospective (1955-2015)

In the years that I have known Colin, I have come to realize the depth of his dedication to learning the martial arts and to passing along his knowledge to others. So, it is no surprise that his personality and ability to teach comes through in this book. This makes his book both informative and enjoyable to read, with content that is easy to digest, despite its complexities.

~ Vivica LaMarche, 5th Dan
Renbudo / American Karate & Taekwondo Organization (AKATO)

In a straightforward, honest, and creative way, Colin unravels the available practical knowledge contained in the various techniques of Bassai Dai which can be applied in any style of martial arts. Everyone can benefit from beginner to advanced from studying and applying Colin's JDK Method.

~ Mireille Clark
2nd Dan Kyokushin Karate
1st Dan Shotokan Karate

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