The Elite Fighter by Hanshi Gary Legacy

This is a great book. Hanshi Legacy has provided content for beginner and veteran martial artists alike. The book does a deep dive into the physical and mental aspects of fighting, as well as the spiritual. Hanshi covers everything from how to maximize your power when

throwing a punch through fighting strategies, including closing distances and managing angles. It covers ‘looking vs seeing’, mushin no shin, when and why to hold your hands low, and so many other fundamental fighting strategies. The book even ends with some tales of old Okinawa. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Through my time while reading, I found myself incorporating many of the book’s concepts into our karate classes. Regardless of the rank you earn, it is always important to have a sensei and to continue training. The other week I was training with Hanshi, and after a particular correction he suggested, I smiled. When he asked why, I said I’ve made this very correction to many of my students, some as recently as that week. It is for examples such as this that continuous training and study are essential to not only maintain, but to refine one’s craft. Books such as the ‘The Elite Fighter’ summarizes so many martial concepts. It is a great reference that can be turned to again, and again.