Mark D Bishop
Writing and producing this book on self-defence against hand-held, bladed weapon attacks was not easy. This was for many reasons, but mainly from the perspective of not wanting to encourage violence; for there is enough of this on our streets, in dysfunctional countries, along with countless reproductions on film and other media outlets. Generally speaking, my books on Okinawan te, karate and weaponry have focused on the training and health aspects of these recreational arts. Yet, at the back of every trainee’s mind is the reality that we are martial artists. Its in our DNA. Our art form was derived from martial valour on the brutal battlefields of olden times, when we fought tooth and nail with hand-held weapons for the survival of what we treasured most - our loved ones.Running through the mind of every trainee then is the nagging karmic question, 'So how do I interpret what I am learning in the dojo into self-defence, if myself or my family come under attack?' In this respect, there are those of course who con themselves into thinking that learning a few ’tricks’ will give them protection and question why they should invest in hard workouts and sweat, not realising the euphoria that comes at the relaxing end of a good workout; the zen aspects. The answers are simple enough though because, in order to protect oneself from the most prevalent dangers of life, namely ill health and disease, keeping fit with martial-art based body conditioning and training within a brotherhood of respectful, fellow trainees, has proven itself throughout the centuries. Te training has these necessary tools to both boost the immune system and develop the skills that are necessary to protect oneself physically and emotionally in all situations.If health and longevity form the hidden aspect of a dormant volcano, self-defence represents the fierceness of the erupting force, the explosive magma that, when brought to the surface, will destroy anything in its path. This book then, while representing a balanced format of explaining the moral implications of retaliatory violence and justice in how-to-do self-defence, deals directly with these aspects as they pertain to Okinawan te. It contains the cold, hard facts of how to hold back and control, or conversely how to maim and kill an adversary. 3
