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
PREFACE
KARATE is a martial art developed by people who were prohibited the use of weapons, thus making it a defensive art When one is attacked, the empty hands (which the word karate implies) are quite sufficient to defend oneself if one is highly skilled in the art. However, to become highly skilled takes exacting discipline, both mental and physical. The main purpose of this series of six books is to avoid the advanced techniques of karate which require many years of study and instead to describe simplified karate technique as easy-to-learn responses to typical self-defense situations.
Karate is highly esteemed as a sport, self-defense, and as a physical attribute for athletics in general. It is becoming increasingly popular in schools, offices, factories, law enforcement agencies and the armed services, varying in degree as required by the respective wants and needs.
In response to the many requests for treatment of karate purely as a defensive system, it is hoped that the information contained in this series of six books will be more than sufficient to meet these requests. In conclusion, if readers of this series of books will fully understand the principles and ideals of karate, taking care to use its techniques with discretion, they will reflect great credit to this magnificent art.
THE FIRST and most complete and authoritative text on karate in the English language, titled Karate: The Art of "Empty Hand" Fighting, by Hidetaka Nishiyama and Richard C. Brown, instructor and member of the Japan Karate Association respectively, made its appearance in 1960. It presents karate in its three main aspects—a healthful physical art, an exciting sport, arid an effective form of self-defense. As such, it is considered the standard textbook of the Japan Karate Association and adequately serves both as a reference and instructional manual for novice and expert alike.
Many students of karate find the study of classical karate somewhat impractical in modern Western society, chiefly because time limitations prohibit sufficient practice. These students generally desire to limit their interpretations of karate to self-defense aspects. With this sole training objective in mind, a series of six books is being prepared which describes in simplified form the necessary karate movements for personal defense that can be learned by anybody of average physical abilities.
The authors, Mr. Nakayama, Chief Instructor of the Japan Karate Association and Donn F. Draeger, a well-known instructor of combative arts, bring a balanced, practical, and functional approach to karate, based on the needs of Western society. As a specialized series of karate texts, these are authentic books giving full and minute explanations of the practical art of self-defense. All movements are performed in normal daily dress and bring the performer closer to reality.
Today, karate is attracting the attention of the whole world and is being popularized at an amazing rate. I sincerely hope that this series of books will be widely read as a useful reference for the lovers of karate all over the world. It is further hoped that the techniques shown in this series of books need never be used by any reader, but should an emergency arise making their use unavoidable, discretion in application should be the keynote.
Practical
Karate
Defense Against
Armed Assailant
ESSENTIAL POINTS
1 Never underestimate your assailant. Always assume he is dangerous.
2 Stepping, weight shifting, and body turning are the keys to avoiding an assailant's attack and bringing him into position for your counterattack.
3 Turn your body as. a unit, not in isolated parts, for maximum effect.
4 If the ground is rough, bumpy, or slick, you may be unable to maneuver as you would like. Simple weight shifting and twisting of your hips may be all that is possible. Don't get too fancy in your footwork.
5 Your body can only act efficiently in karate techniques if you make it a stable foundation, working from braced feet and a balanced position as you deliver your blow.
6 Coordinate your blocking or striking action to the assailant's target area with your stepping, weight shifting, and body turning for maximum effect.
7 Do not oppose superior power with power, but seek to harmonize it with your body action and direct it to your advantage.
