Breaking Through

Dive into the heart of a living, breathing, traditional martial art with Colin Wee’s award-winning book Breaking Through: The Secrets of Bassai Dai Kata. Master Colin Wee’s exploration of the Bassai Dai kata transcends the boundaries of traditional forms, illuminating a dynamic realm of practical applications and timeless wisdom.

What sets this book apart is its fusion of hard-style strikes and soft-style techniques, creating a comprehensive toolkit of twelve combative applications that unlock the mysteries within this martial system. Through over 200 vibrant photographs, the essence of traditional combat comes to life, encompassing traps, innovative striking angles, seamless takedowns, and nuanced principles often overlooked in modern martial arts training.

As a martial art practitioner for over four decades, Colin plumbs the depths of this traditional combative system, returning to it for inspiration time and again to deconstruct it and extract its most valuable lessons. When instructors and students link the applications from Breaking Through to how Colin and his students got there – the logic of why the applications work, and how they address a dynamic situation – you will be able to fill in the gaps left by traditional training.

By delving into this guide, readers discover how picture-perfect techniques evolve into combat-ready defense strategies, and how to apply this knowledge to any other form in any other system. This book equips you with the tools to explore body mechanics, acquire new combat strategies, and then drill them to expand your set of skills.

Breaking Through clinched Winner of 2023 Best Indie Book Awards in Non-fiction Martial Arts, and Sports Finalist in the 2023 International Book Awards. The book is not another how-to book nor a staid technical resource — it’s been celebrated as a gateway to enhancing skills, reimagining your pattern training, and embracing the timeless wisdom of martial arts pioneers.

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Colin Wee is a martial art master with over four decades of experience. His journey from South East Asia to the United States of America, and then to Australia, has woven an exceptional tapestry of expertise and innovation.

As the Principal of Joong Do Kwan, based in Perth, Western Australia, Colin has had a profound impact on the martial arts community, bringing heads of schools and enthusiasts together regularly to support networking opportunities, and to share the best of their practice with their peers.

Holding a 7th dan certification, Colin has been recognized with numerous accolades, including the 2016 Instructor of the Year Award from American Karate and Taekwondo Organization, and induction into the Australasian Martial Arts Hall of Fame Inc. in 2020.

Colin’s artistry lies in his ability to harmonize Taekwondo and Karate, crafting a dynamic fusion that’s nothing short of groundbreaking. This synergy is the impetus of ‘Breaking Through,’ a transformative exploration of martial arts and his school’s unique training methodology.

Beyond the accolades, Colin is a storyteller. His words bridge cultures and traditions, drawing you into the world of traditional martial arts with a rare blend of wisdom and accessibility. He imparts life lessons, mental tools, and fighting spirit on martial artists and non-practitioners alike.

If you’re interested in learning more about Colin’s unique approach to martial arts, check out his award-winning book, ‘Breaking Through: The Secrets of Bassai Dai Kata.’

In a former life, Colin was a National Representative and Assistant National Coach in Singapore. Professionally, he holds a BBA with Honors in Organization Behavior from Cox School of Business, and an MBT from University of New South Wales.

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