Mr. Parker describes his arrival in Okinawa as a young man as a part of his military service and his subsequent training under Takamiyagi Sensei in traditional, old style Okinawan karate.
What young man hasn't dreamed of training intensively under a master teacher for a number of years? Mr. Parker certainly was able to live that dream. He trained under Takamiyagi Sensei directly for some six years, before he returned to the US.
Once back in his native Georgia, he was unable to find any form of karate training that resembled in any way the traditional training he enjoyed in Okinawa, so at the urging of his teacher, he opened his own dojo.
One of the unexpected consequences was that he became acquainted with others who were in basically the same boat; having tasted the real thing in Okinawa or Japan, individuals who either trained alone or in small groups.
Parker returned to Okinawa regularly for intensive personal training under his teacher and so advanced his own skills.
To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the opening of his dojo Takamiyagi Sensei came to Georgia to take part and visit. Parker's students had a chance to experience some of that authentic taste, direct from source as well.
The book also includes many short pieces by Parker on a wide variety of subjects that are related to his karate training.
I found this to be a most pleasurable read and I would recommend it to anyone.
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