Being the author of several books on the martial arts and fighting, I am always looking for books of exceptional quality to add to my library. If I have a book in my library, it’s definitely worth owning. One such book is N. Mashiro’s, “Black Medicine: The Dark Art of Death.”

This was one of the first books that I ever purchased years ago when I was in high school and starting to learn about the martial arts. This book gives you a very good overview on the vulnerable and vital points on the human body and is very informative. If you are interested in self-defense or any of the martial arts, I would definitely put this book on your too buy list.

Introduction:

1. The 3 Ways To Get Your Attacker To Stop Hurting You

a. Make him lose his concentration.
b. Interfere with his control over his body.
c. Destroy the integrity of his body.

2. The 3 Ways To Kill Your Opponent

a. Destroy the central nervous system.
b. Destroy or interfere with circulation.
c. Interfere with breathing.

What the author does with this book is to give you a fairly basic, yet detailed description of the locations of certain vulnerable and vital areas of the body, and the effects that certain blows can and will have when directed against these areas. This is done not only through accurate written descriptions, but also through the realistic and practical use of photographs and in some cases, illustrations.

The author breaks down the following chapters to vital points located in certain areas of the body and its extremities. They are as follows:

1. Vital Points of the Head
2. Vital Points of the Neck and Throat
3. Vital Points of the Upper Trunk
4. Vital Points of the Lower Trunk
5. Vital Points of the Hand and Arm
6. Vital Points of the Leg and Foot

The author concludes this book with a section on the vital points of pistol shooting. Which in and of itself is a remarkable section and one in which an entire book should be devoted.

This review is without a doubt the shortest one I have ever written, and on a book that should be a staple in the library of every martial artist and/or self-defense practitioner. Simply stated, “If you could only have a select number of books in your library, this book would definitely be one of them.”