I had heard about this book for sometime and thought it was high time I bought a copy. I already owned one of his other books on Tekki Kata, so I was expecting it to be quite good.
The first few pages contain some history about karate in general but it is not in-depth. The introduction also contains principals on the underlying karate techniques which have some interesting facts on the speed and power generated by a karate-ka.
After the introductory pages it launches straight into the fundamental techniques:
Stances/posture
Applying the power in the hips
Balance and gravity
Hands and feet as weapons
All these sections contain very good detailed information on the karate basics. Multiple pictures show exactly how the stances should be performed
After stances, striking, kicks and blocks follow. I was very impressed with this book. Each technique is broken down verbally with a detailed step-by-step description and with pictures shown in several intermediate stages - making it very easy to copy/perform the technique.
Following the basic technique chapters are some simple defence/attack combination moves.
The end chapters/appendices cover some basic training techniques and exercises.
Summary - Highly Recommended!
I was very impressed with the level of detail of this book. All the moves are shown in a clear & precise format. The book contains a good written description for all the principals behind the karate techniques. This book would make an invaluable guide/aid for someone learning karate up to black belt. For dan grades it makes a very useful reference for when you have one of those moments when you have doubts that you are performing a technique correctly! You can buy this in paperback now (a lot cheaper than the hardback copy) - definitely worth the money!
You can purchase this book from Amazon