or your life become necessary. Karate responses for women can be precisely these applied by the male sex, but, more often than not, modifications are required to ensure the success of the defense. The fundamentals described in Book One of this series hold true and should be practiced, but basic physiological differences in your female body and the lack of the ability to generate sufficient functional strength required for some of these male responses should be borne in mind. Further, limitations on movement imposed by female wearing apparel (high heels, tight skirts) cancel out much useful karate technique, and it must be modified accordingly.
It is not necessary to wait until you have practiced all the fundamentals of Book One before going on to the self-defense situations in this book. You may, with a minimum of practice of the fundamentals required for these situations of your choice, practice the situations and responses until you have an efficient working knowledge. Use Book One as a reference as you go step-by-step through the various situations in this book.
You are reminded that even mastery of what is contained in this text' will not make you invincible in personal encounters, and that mere reading with one or two rehearsals of each response in this book will not produce effective results.
The authors are indebted to the Japan Karate Association, Tokyo, Japan, 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 for her posing as the "victim"; and to George Hoff, a student of combative arts, whose realistic posing for the "assailant" part of this text is highly professional.
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, and 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
Self-Defense
for Women
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.
8 Seek to deliver your striking actions to the assailant's anatomical weak points (vital points) rather than to hard, resistant areas.
9 After delivering the striking action to your assailant's target area, you must never loose sight of him and you should be constantly alert for a continuation of his attack.
10 Use discretion in dealing out punishment to any assailant. Fit the degree of punishment to the situation.
Chapter One
SIMPLE HAND AND WRIST SEIZURES
THE lone male "animal" who molests and attacks a female by simple hand or wrist seizures does so for various purposes that include plain anger, robbery, or sexual lust for her bodily charms. Often these simple attacks are aimed only at restraint of the victim and develop into nothing more serious, but they can also involve follow-up actions of a serious nature which include slapping, searching, liberties with her body, punching or striking, and even kneeing or kicking. Often combinations of these methods are used until the intended object of the attack is gained, or the attack effectively stopped.
Self-defense situations which involve you with an unarmed, single male assailant, using these tactics against you in a standing position, are obviously all delicate situations in which an improper response by you may bring serious injury to you or perhaps the loss of your life.
Women highly trained in karate technique, though few, are able to face situations like these with a high degree of confidence, yet the difference between the highly trained female karate expert and you, an average woman, is great. The situations and the appropriate responses thereto shown in this chapter have been specially selected for the average woman and cover the necessary principles