Masatoshi Nakayama - Practical Karate Volume 3: Defense Against Multiple Assailants

AUTHORS' FOREWORD

THERE IS, perhaps, no greater disservice to man than the creation of false confidence in his ability to defend himself. Whether this false confidence is manifested in his nations' armed might, or in his own personal ability, the result is the same, though of different proportions, when tested... DISASTER!

The current karate "boom" in the U.S.A. has instilled in many would-be "experts" a serious, false sense of security. This is the natural outgrowth of a human psychological weakness. Everyone wishes to be physically fit and able to defend himself and his loved ones from danger, and quickly turns to any sure-fire guarantee of such abilities.

Unscrupulous and unqualified self-appointed karate "experts" daily exploit this human weakness and prey on an innocent, unsuspecting public. This grossly perpetrated fraud is based on the quick learning of ancient mysterious Oriental combative forms such as karate, and almost always makes its appeal through colorful adjectives such as "super," destructive," "terror tactics," and guarantees you mastery which will make you "fear no man." All such "get skillful quickly" schemes should be carefully investigated before choosing, for true karate involves constant dedication to training and is never a "short course" method. Choose your instructor carefully.

On the other hand, authentic teachers of karate do exist in the U.S.A., and their teachings have full merit. These teachings are deeply rooted in tradition, classical karate and require a liberal application of patience and regular training to develop expert karate skill. There are various schools which stem from historic Oriental antiquity, all of which are legitimate and have both merits and shortcomings. The choice of which school to follow can be decided upon only by the interested party.

The average person is confined to a daily life which requires of him a heavy investment in time and energy in order to earn a living. Leisure time is generally at a minimum and spent at less enervating pursuits than demanded by classical karate practice. But the need for a practical system of self-defense designed for the average person is more evident than ever before. Police files give mute testimony to the increasing number.of robberies, assaults, and other vicious crimes.

Like its predecessor, Volume Two, this book is a categorized collection of self-defense situations and recommended karate responses. It is written for every male and brings to him a chance to improve his personal self-defense abilities without engaging in the daily training required by classical karate. It is not an exhaustive survey of karate methods, but chooses methods which are easy to learn. All methods described in this book are workable karate self-defense responses based on meeting multiple unarmed assailants.

If you have already studied and practiced the necessary karate fundamentals found in Volume One of this series, the situations in this volume will be easy to learn. Otherwise, after reading about the situation and response herein, you may find it necessary to turn to Volume One and study the required movements.

The reader is reminded that even mastery of the techniques in this text will not make him invincible in personal encounters, but it will certainly better prepare him for common eventualities should defense of his life or that of others become necessary.

The authors are indebted to the Japan Karate Association, Tokyo, for the use of their facilities and acknowledge with pleasure the assistance of their members who have made this book possible. Additional thanks is due Kazuo Obata and his excellent photographic skills, and to Kenneth L. Busch, William A. Fuller, C. Nicol, George Hoff, and Charles Marah, who have posed as the "assailants."