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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Ninja Secrets Exposed at Last!,
By
This review is from: Secrets Of The Ninja (Paperback)
Author Radford Davis (who prefers the multicultural nom-de-plume Ashida Kim for PC reasons), is one of the fewer than 600 American men who, as teens, managed to find authentic secret ninja teachers here in the United States. Apparently during the late 1970's and '80's hundreds of Ninja from the Koga district of Japan flooded the United States to try out for parts in various ninja films and television programs. Hollywood being as cutthroat as it is (and was then, let me tell you!), most of these Ninja had to go out and take non-ninja jobs while waiting for calls from their agents which, sadly, never came. Imagine if you will the ninja fast-food worker, the ninja landscaper, the ninja janitor, the ninja waiter. It couldn't have been easy! Many of them had to overcome discrimination because of their preferred cultural mode of dress (ninja costume). A rather sad testiment to our modern so-called "inclusive" society, indeed!
Thankfully, a good number of these undocumented Ninja immigrants were able to find work as Secret Teachers to teenage boys in the United States, who they carefully groomed as their protegees. As with Radford Davis's Secret Teacher, they eventually disapeared when their youthful charge has mastered the elements of ninja-craft. In true ninja fashion, to date none of these Secret Teachers have left a trace, not a photograph, document or family member...no change of address on file with the post office. It's secret stuff this ninja business, I tell you! Many of the authentic Koga Ninja techniques in this book are artfully disguised as modern neo-kenpo, and much of the theory presented here is surprisingly in line with that presented in respected documentaries such as the "American Ninja" series. This in and of itself screams, "AUTHENTICITY!". The author mixes in some kung fu mythology and modern kenpo techniques, along with some materials plageri--...er, borrowed from Stephen K Hayes ninja books (see Hayes 6 volume series). Davis/Kim doesn't seem to know much about the ~ACTUAL~ history of either Japan or Ninja, but if you enjoy seeing grown men dressed up as ninjas and striking stealthy poses in wide open spaces behind oblivious guard-sentry-dudes, this is the book for you! It is not known what became of Radford Davis's teacher. ONLY 2 STARS because he's EXPOSED the ~SECRETS~ of the *NINJA*, which will undoubtedly impact the market (AGAIN) and put a whole lot of Koga Ninja out of work (*AGAIN*) and back behind the counter of venues as vaunted as Taco Bell and The Krusty Krab (move over Spongebob!). Who needs a secret teacher after all, when you can learn to be a ninja from a book? Happy Stealthing! ;)
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A Sad Fantasy,
By Ian Robertson (Hinton, Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Secrets Of The Ninja (Paperback)
While I am not informed enough to comment on Kim's chapter on Shingon Tantric Buddhism, I can comment on the rest of this gong-show of a book. Throughout the book we see pictures of Kim hopping around, skulking about in the most unnatural positions possible, and crossing his feet (something that ANY martial arts instructor, anywhere, will tell you NEVER to do). A few other ill-concieved items; landing evenly on one's feet after dropping from atop a fence (pg. 53 - FIG. 50) instead of rolling to absorb the force and muffle the sound of impact, climbing a rope while facing the wall (pg. 67 - FIG. 73) instead of facing away from the wall, which would allow a would-be infiltrator to observe his surroundings and have a smaller profile, not to mention Kim's almost comical chapter "Positions of Concealment" and his chapters on sentry removal and attacking from ambush with 2 of the 5 illustrated techniques allowing the target ample time to scream or call out. My conclusion: follwing the examples in this book would get someone hurt or possibly killed (the gun-disarmament techniques in "The Art of Escaping" spring to mind). Ashida Kim must have a fine imagination, I'm sure, but he seems to be lacking in the common-sense department as well as, arguably, in the morality department as well. Publishing a book full of half baked methods and then teaching the to others as if they were practical is, in my opinion, ethically suspect. DO NOT BOTHER BUYING THIS BOOK.
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Secrets of the Fantasy Warrior,
By
This review is from: Secrets Of The Ninja (Paperback)
First, let me say that Ashida Kim is a real nut. If you don't believe me go to his site www.dojopress.com . He not only sells ninja books, but mail order black belt programs, books on Klingon Kung Fu and the Jedi religion. I wish I was joking.
I got this book when I was a kid. Even way back then I laughed at how stupid this book was. I learned better skills from climbing trees and playing hide-n-go-seek. A good amount of this book is about sneaking, climbing, and hiding. Most of the pictures are ridiculous. Things like Ashida hiding behind plants and hiding under a table because a cowboy with a gun is looking for him. There is another part about sentry removal. He shows things like sneaking behind a gunman and killing him with a knife, pulling out a sword and killing a unarmed man. There is even a part that shows how to fight 4 guys at once using nunchaku. Like from a bad Kung Fu movie each of the guys take turns trying to attack Ashida and he knocks them out. If you want to be a fantasy warrior, go on missions and kill your opponents get this book. If you want to be a REAL MARTIAL ARTIST then DON'T get this book, instead go to your local Boxing gym and learn how to fight honorably like a real man.
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