A New Dillman Book

Grandmaster George Dillman has a new pressure point book out. It is called Pressure Point Fighting Secrets of Ryukyu Kempo. I guess you could call it a new book, it is actually an upgrade from his second book "Advanced Pressure Point Fighting." When I got the book in the mail a couple of weeks ago, I just did a quick flip through taking a quick glance at the pictures to see which ones stood out. The first thing I noticed was illustrations for Kata Naihanchi and it's bunkai. Then I thought, George you've already done a Naihanchi book. Why do another? A little frustrated since I paid full price plus shipping off his website. But I decided to give it a go anyway.

I started at the beginning to see what this one had to offer. In the introduction Chris Thomas, Dillman's co-author, is up front that Dillman's second book was developed using technology that is no longer available. No wonder it has been "Sold Out" Duh! And since the publication of that book, so much more has been learned about kata that they decided to reissue the information in a new format using new and old photos. He even jokes about how young and thin some of them use to be. Makes perfect sense. Book #2 has always been my favorite. Probably because it was the first Dillman book I bought. I remember prepaying for the book and getting it just days before heading to Huston, Texas for a Big 3 seminar back in '94. I spent the entire plane ride there studying that book and all it had to offer. Can this book live up to its legacy?

This book opens up with a photo montage of Dillmanites of old and new. It has a two page spread honoring Professor Wally Jay who passed away earlier this year. Of course, there are also pictures of Professor Remy Presas too; both of who were Dillman's old friends and cohorts. However, there are some incorrect dates; They have Wally Jay's birthday as June 16, 1917 which it is actually June 15th and they have Remy Presas's death as August 2003, which he actually passed in 2001. I would think that these would be dates that people would remember, especially if they were friends.

Like previous Dillman books, this is setup in a similar fashion. There is detailed information on several pressure points. This one utilizes new and old photos and graphics along with some basic applications that a point might be used in. Then, just like in book #2 it outlines Kata Nihanchi so if you want to learn the kata you can do so from pictures, which are all new. After that, over 30 applications are covered which can be found within the kata. Some of the applications can be found in book #2 and some of them are new. Then there is a new section at the back of the book which covers stances and how each one has a different elemental value, giving another level to kata and bunkai.

Overall I think the book is worth getting, especially since you can't get book #2 anymore. I know that I will be stocking my shelves with them for students to purchase.