Lessons from the Japanese Masters

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-Two martial arts titles aimed at upper-level beginners. Each has a couple of introductory pages on its specific topic-e.g., who were the fighting commandos? And what is the Japanese philosophy of fighting? But the strong point of each presentation is its collection of fighting techniques and self-defense routines. Students learn defense at different ranges and how to react against aggressors with specific body types and skill levels. The information is good, but it's hard to know how effectively one could learn techniques from still, black-and-white photographs and written descriptions. There's lots of potential for injury if these moves are misused or performed incorrectly. Neff includes plenty of warnings, but they appear in the last chapter of each volume. Take-down exercises are often shown performed on mats, but readers aren't warned that the exercises could be dangerous if done on unpadded floors. The models in the photos are all adults. Serious books, definitely not meant for youngsters who want to playact ``Karate Kid'' or to horse around unsupervised.-Cathryn A. Camper, Minneapolis Public Library