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Waking Dragons: A Martial Artist Faces His Ultimate Test
The 30 Man Kumite is one of karate's toughest tests, reserved for senior black belts with years of experience. One person fights a line-up of thirty fighters, one after another, full contact, moving up the grades to face the strongest, most dangerous fighters last. Waking Dragons is a true account of Goran Powell's 30 Man Kumite and the lifetime of martial arts that led up to it. He covers the fitness training and mental preparations required for such a brutal test, talking openly of the conquest of fear and the spiritual growth that is at the heart of the traditional martial arts. REVIEWS: "It inspired me, and I know it will inspire you" Geoff Thompson. "The author's journey is one in which we can find great wisdom, information that all martial artists should know" Lawrence Kane. "Quite simply, this book is impossible to put down" Matthew Sylvester, Traditional Karate and Combat Magazine. "One of those rare books you want to keep reading because it's so good, but fear reaching the end because then it will be over" Richard Revell, Waterstones, "An exciting and tense read with lots of action" Martial Arts Magazine, August 2007. "I only wish I'd written the damned thing myself" Nick Hughes, Fight Survival Training.
264 pages, Paperback
First published April 3, 2007
About the author
Goran Powell
12 books62 followersGoran is a writer who holds a 5th Dan in Goju Ryu Karate. He lives in London and teaches and trains at Daigaku Karate Kai, one of the UK's strongest clubs. In 2006 his first book Waking Dragons was an instant bestseller on Amazon's martial arts listing and is now in its second edition. In 2008 he co-produced the highly acclaimed Four Shades of Black written by his Sensei Gavin Mulholland.
Goran's first novel 'A Sudden Dawn' tells the story of Bodhidharma (Da Mo / Daruma) who founded Zen and Martial Arts in the Shaolin Temple. His second novel CHOJUN is historical fiction set on Okinawa around the time of WW2 and tells the story of young man training in karate with the renowned master Chojun Miyagi (the 'real' Mr Miyagi).
Goran’s martial arts experience began in 1972 when he took up Judo In 1984 he moved to London and trained in Shotokan karate, Kyokushinkai and Taekwondo before settling on Goju Ryu karate. In 2002 he completed the gruelling 30 Man Kumite, writing up the experience in his bestselling book Waking Dragons.
In 2007 he achieved the rank of 4th Dan after demonstating skill in modern and traditional weaponry. Goran still teaches and trains regularly and is assistant coach to the MMA team DKK Fighters.
Goran's first novel 'A Sudden Dawn' tells the story of Bodhidharma (Da Mo / Daruma) who founded Zen and Martial Arts in the Shaolin Temple. His second novel CHOJUN is historical fiction set on Okinawa around the time of WW2 and tells the story of young man training in karate with the renowned master Chojun Miyagi (the 'real' Mr Miyagi).
Goran’s martial arts experience began in 1972 when he took up Judo In 1984 he moved to London and trained in Shotokan karate, Kyokushinkai and Taekwondo before settling on Goju Ryu karate. In 2002 he completed the gruelling 30 Man Kumite, writing up the experience in his bestselling book Waking Dragons.
In 2007 he achieved the rank of 4th Dan after demonstating skill in modern and traditional weaponry. Goran still teaches and trains regularly and is assistant coach to the MMA team DKK Fighters.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 21, 2009
I'm the author of this book so rather than review it, I'll just tell you what it's about.
In karate, the 30 Man Kumite is a test that involves fighting 30 people in a row for one minute each in a full contact bout. The book is my own experience of the test. It includes the lifetime of martial arts training that went into it and the experiences and lessons learned from it. You don't need to know anything about martial arts to understand it - and hopefully enjoy it!
In karate, the 30 Man Kumite is a test that involves fighting 30 people in a row for one minute each in a full contact bout. The book is my own experience of the test. It includes the lifetime of martial arts training that went into it and the experiences and lessons learned from it. You don't need to know anything about martial arts to understand it - and hopefully enjoy it!
January 12, 2026
Fantastic read and very insightful.
February 11, 2010
Waking Dragons originally captured my attention since it is about the martial arts and I am a student of Moo Duk Kwan. The author, Goran Powell, a lifelong devotee of the martial arts, tells his story from starting Judo as a young boy to facing his ultimate challenge... a 30-man kumite. (A 30-man kumite is a test in which one person, Powell, fights 30 fresh well-trained black belts one after the other.)
Martial arts ooze from the pages. But as we follow Powell on his amazing journey, something magical takes place. Yes, Waking Dragons is all about Powell but somewhere in there, it becomes about us, too. It becomes not just his story, but motivation that if he can do this then we can also do amazing things. It becomes our journey, too. We fall when he falls, get kicked when he does, and stand back up when he refuses to stay down. We feel glory when he triumphs and true grit and dtermination when he refuses to lose.
Powell tells his story in a conversational banter that makes me feel he is sitting down next to me knocking back a few pints, not across the pond in another country. I feel like I know him, I feel like he is my teacher on this journey.
I may never fight a 30-man kumite. But Powell's incredible story lets me know that if I try hard enough, I can do anything. And I gave this book the highest praise possible when, upon finishing Waking Dragons, I automatically turned it over and started reading it again. High praise indeed.
Martial arts ooze from the pages. But as we follow Powell on his amazing journey, something magical takes place. Yes, Waking Dragons is all about Powell but somewhere in there, it becomes about us, too. It becomes not just his story, but motivation that if he can do this then we can also do amazing things. It becomes our journey, too. We fall when he falls, get kicked when he does, and stand back up when he refuses to stay down. We feel glory when he triumphs and true grit and dtermination when he refuses to lose.
Powell tells his story in a conversational banter that makes me feel he is sitting down next to me knocking back a few pints, not across the pond in another country. I feel like I know him, I feel like he is my teacher on this journey.
I may never fight a 30-man kumite. But Powell's incredible story lets me know that if I try hard enough, I can do anything. And I gave this book the highest praise possible when, upon finishing Waking Dragons, I automatically turned it over and started reading it again. High praise indeed.
July 26, 2013
I read the entire book the same day I received in the mail. It's a great read. As a lifelong martial artist who has trained (though not extensively) in Shotokan Karate as a teenager and Goju Ryu Karate as an adult (as well as Tae Kwon Do, Tang Soo Do, Muay Thai, Ninjutsu, CHA-3 Kenpo, Doce Pares Eskrima, etc--and many of these arts extensively), I very much appreciated his narrative of lifelong training in martial arts--from his childhood and on through the decades of his life, along with the various perspectives he forms of Judo, then Kyoshukin, then Shotokan, then Tae Kwon Do, then Goju Ryu Karate. Almost every time, he thinks that the style he is training in is the best, and he comes to the new studio full of pride and bluster--only to be taught something about martial arts that he didn't know before. I love it. Most of us who have trained know exactly what he means. Driving the entire narrative is his quest to fight the 30 man Kumite,a full-contact fight where one faces a fresh opponent for a minute, then a new one, then a new one, etc., and it is a very effective plot mechanism. It left me as a reader wanting to fight the Kumite.
If you love martial arts/fighter's narrative, you will enjoy this book.
If you love martial arts/fighter's narrative, you will enjoy this book.
June 4, 2022
awesome courage and deep insights
This karate ja can fight and write- not always a combination we find in the martial arts world. Enjoyed the humble honesty - I am hugely impressed!
This karate ja can fight and write- not always a combination we find in the martial arts world. Enjoyed the humble honesty - I am hugely impressed!
September 17, 2025
A martial artist's must read
Regardless of which art you study this is an easy read and gives a glimpse into the temping of the spirit that the arts provide.
Regardless of which art you study this is an easy read and gives a glimpse into the temping of the spirit that the arts provide.
November 28, 2014
An autobiographical account of a martial artist, spanning about 30 years - from his judo training as a kid to the ultimate test of facing thirty opponents in Goju-ryu karate. A great read for those involved with martial arts, but I guess it can be enjoyed even by people who don't do sports - it shows that you can reach anything that is humanly possible if you are dedicated enough. Of course, strength, skill, talent count as well, but the most important thing is dedication.
March 9, 2012
Having been to a few of these events, and seen the punishment the Karateka go through, I can attest that this is a very accurate and honest account, well written and insightful.
December 6, 2013
One of my favourite personal journey, Martial arts reads.
A MUST have.
A MUST have.
June 15, 2015
A great karateka memoir. It is well-paced,honest,and--for me--interesting and inspiring.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews