A classic text treasured by martial artists for over twenty years, Karate's History & Traditions was long recognized as the most authoritative source on martial arts history and technique. Now Bruce Haines, historian and martial artist, has updated this rich source to reflect changes that have taken place in the last two decades.

This detailed but well-rounded work covers the history of the Asian fighting arts from antiquity to modern times, answering many of the questions currently being debated by martial artists around the world. It describes the fighting arts and masters of Okinawa, Japan, China, India, Indonessia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam; this time the work also includes additional research on Korea and the Philippines. Undertaking years of arduous research using the most reliable historical data, Haines has filled in many of the gaps in the histories of the fighting arts and has proven false many popular myths. Karate's History & Traditions is the last word on the history of the martial arts.

Bruce A. Haines is a retired college instructor who was one of the first Caucasian Americans to study karate in the United States in the 1950's. A graduate of the University of Hawaii with an MA in history, Haines brings to this work an extensive knowledge of East Asian history and culture gained through years of study and travel in Asia and the United States. The author is also one of the few non-Japanese 3rd Dan black belts in kendo.

208 pages. Softcover.