Sai: Karate Weapon of Self-Defense

_Sai-Karate_Weapon_of_Self-Defense_, by Fumio Demura, is a very good introductory text for the sai. Sai are a handheld karate weapon that looks like a 18-20 inch metal rod with two side prongs. I started some sai training in my karate class during the last year, and prior to that I had heard mixed reviews of the sai. After training in class and reading this book, I like them quite a bit and realize there are a lot more uses for them than the obvious stabbing techniques. Demura starts out the book with a brief history of the sai and some notes about construction and how to choose a sai that is the proper size for the user. There is a fairly long section on different flipping, rotating and striking techniques -- I was glad to see this and am also glad to see the emphasis Demura places on these beginning drills. Demura emphasizes numerous times that using a sai involves wrist and forearm movements which are not really found elsewhere in karate, as well as a awareness of rotational forces that is also not found elsewhere in karate. My first weapons training was in fencing, and I was in a historical swordsmanship class when I met my current karate instructor, and I agree that YES, most people with a strictly hand-to-hand background find the rotating movements of sai (or dagger or even sabre and singlestick) to be very different from anything they've done before. While the drills Demura presents can be very boring, they really are essential to building good weapon control. Demura also includes a sections on how the sai can be used with almost any type of standard karate attack or block, some multi-step striking sequences, and some multi-step partner drills to show how to use the sai against bo or nunchaku. I agree with another reviewer in being somewhat skeptical of the ability of the sai to block a full-strength bo attack. And there are no kata in this book (although it is possible to incorporate sai into standard kata once you look at the section that compares sai to standard karate strikes and blocks). But those are really the only complaints I have. Overall, an excellent introductory and reference book about sai.

This fully illustrated book showed me the proper ways of gripping, stances, blocking, karate and sai similarities, movements, footwork and sparring. For me, this book was basically my teacher on learning the sai. This book is great for people who want to go to the extreme of tournament fighting or for those who just want to learn it just for the sake of knowing how it use the sai. Great book!

Karate Weapon of self defense:SAI is a great book! After I bought my first pair of sai's I wanted to find out more then what i already know and this book explains proper handling, history and clearly shows why this beautiful ancient weapon is still a respected and dangerous artform. Lots of different ways to avoid attacks from barehanded attackers to nunchuka's, and some proper methods of moving to attack. Great work!

This is an excellent book for those who are just starting their training with the sai. It offers everything from the history of the weapon to its application in combat. The book is easy to follow, including good quality photographs of Fumio Demura. It would have been nice to see full katas, but the basic routines are certainly suitable for beginners. In short, whether you want a book to support sai training in a school, or you simply want to learn the basics on your own, this is the book to choose

Sai, karate weapon of self defence is a very well setup book with many images with about 8 for just flipping the sai, with many different attacks and defences for attackers with other weapons such as the nunchaku, or the bo it is an interesting book for the novice or the advanced sai user.the only problem i have with the book is that it does not contain any sai kata. just short excersices of 10-15 different moves.