Black Belt Essays and Research Papers

The following documents were written by their respective authors to fulfill one of the requirements to earn a Black Belt degree at the Okinawan Shorin-Ryu Karate-Do school in Orlando, Florida.

The papers cover karate history, martial arts, Okinawan and Japanese culture, and related subjects. They reflect the research and viewpoints of their individual authors.

Click a title below to view the PDF.

• A Brief History of Sumo Wrestling (By Spencer Geren)
• A Comparison of the Knight and the Samurai (by Ricky Buria)
• A History of Matsumura-seito Shorin-ryu - a Lineage of My Studies (by Jason Croy)
• Anko Itosu (by Mohamed Fahmy)
• Awamori - The Spirit of Okinawa (by Michael Castro MD)
• Beginners Guide to Visit Japan (by Jeremy West)
• Histology of Training (by Don Tanchin)
• History of Samurai Women (by Krista Force)
• Insights into Karate Do (by Robert Dellenger)
• Japan and Okinawa - A Comparison Study (by Matt Dean)
• Japanese Swordsmanship (by Nicholas Heintze)
• Japanese Wood Block Printing (by Mark Baird)
• Judo (by Craig Tidwell)
• Karate In The Courts (by John Darin)
• Karate-do and Japanese Reading & Writing (by R Omori)
• Kendo - The Way of the Sword (by Megan Westerman)
• Leadership (by Andrew Gaudoin)
• Martial Arts of the Orient (by Christopher Hagy)
• Masters of the Martial Arts (by James Link)
• Masters of the Shorin-Ryu System (by Frank Hagy)
• My Dojo Away From Dojo (by Austin Gordon)
• Okinawan Centenarians (by Andrea Quiles)
• Samurai - The Ancient Warrior Class (by Todd Hagy)
• Shoshin Nagamine and some of his teachers (by Geoffrey Gaudion)
• Taiko Drums (by Javier Herrero)
• Teaching Children Karate - Guide for New Shodans (by Mike Kleiman)
• The 1609 Satsuma Invasion Of Okinawa (by Jake Darin)
• The different Organizations of Shorin-RYU (by Mike Barnes)
• The Hidden Power in Karate (by Greg George Sr)
• The History of Shuri Castle and Related Historical Sites (by Jacquelyn Wiksten)
• The Impact of Other Countries on Okinawa (by Patricia Gaudoin)
• The Japanese Sword (by Caleb Carver)
• The Karate in The Karate Kid (By Connor Lion)
• The Kimono (by Joanna Heintze)
• The Life of Miyamoto Musashi (by Ralph Sanchez)
• The Masters who Made Shoshin Nagamine(by Austin Gordon)
• The Way of Shotokan (by David McCormick)
• Vital Points of the Human Body (by Chris Sherrod)
• Vovinam - The Way of the Vietnamese Martial Art (by Cynthia Nguyen Dang)
• Yasutsune (Anko) Itosu A look into his influences and those he influenced (by Mohamed Fahmy Jr)