Masatoshi Nakayama - Practical Karate Volume 4: Defense Against Armed Assailants

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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 nation's armed might, or 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 colorful through the use of adjectives such as "super," "destructive," "terror tactics," and guarantees you mastery of an art that will make you "fear no man." All such get-skillful-quickly schemes should be carefully investigated before taking them seriously, 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 traditional, classical karate and require a liberal application of patience and regular training to develop expert karate skill. There are various schools that 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 that requires of him a heavy investment in time and energy in order to earn a living. Leisure time is generally at a minimum and it is spent at less enervating pursuits than classical karate practice, a demanding and rigorous "pastime." 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.

In self-defense situations involving armed assailants, either single or multiple, each situation is extremely dangerous and more complex than any type of unarmed attack. Accordingly, karate techniques must be learned thoroughly and executed as automatic responses to any series of happenings, if serious injury is to be avoided.

Like its predecessors, Books One, Two, and Three, this book is a categorized collection of self-defense situations and recommended karate responses. It is written for every male person and brings to him a chance to improve his personal self-defense abilities without engaging in the severe discipline and dedication to daily training required by classical karate. It is not an exhaustive survey of karate methods, but it contains methods that give direct consideration to easy learning for the average person. All methods described in this book are workable karate self-defense responses based on meeting single and multiple armed assailants. The responses are simplified, direct methods of self-defense. Because of their complexity and the inherent dangers connected thereto, razor and gun defenses have not been included in this volume. If you have already studied and practiced the necessary karate fundamentals found in Book One of this series, the situations in this volume will be easy to learn. Otherwise, after reading about the situations and responses herein you may find it necessary to turn to Book One, 'the fundamentals book, and find the necessary movements and practice exercises that are required to make these responses work effectively.

The reader is reminded that even complete mastery of what is outlined in this text will not give the possessor of that mastery invincibility in personal encounters. However, it will certainly better prepare him for common eventualities likely to be encountered in situations requiring the defense of his life or that of others. He is further reminded that mere reading and one or two rehearsals of each response in this book will not produce effectiveness.

The authors are indebted to the Japan Karate Association for the use of their facilities and hereby acknowledge with pleasure the assistance of those members and officials who have made this book possible. Additional thanks are due to Kazuo Obata, whose excellent photographic skills have contributed greatly towards the easy readability of this book; to Barclay Henderson, William A. Fuller, C. Nicol, and George Hoff, students of combative arts, whose posing for the "assailants" parts of this text has been invaluable.

Tokyo, Japan