Trekkers everywhere can finally learn to do Captain Kirk's patented karate chop thanks to Insight Editions' Star Trek: Kirk Fu Manual: A Guide to Starfleet's Most Feared Martial Art by Dayton Ward. Whether you're a cadet in Starfleet Academy, a veteran Starfleet Officer exploring the galaxy on a starship, or just a die-hard Star Trek fan who dreams of being either, studying the unique fighting style of Captain Kirk is a must for surviving the perils of the final frontier.
Every Trekker knows that Captain James T. Kirk is the most celebrated Starfleet officer of the 23rd-century. As the captain of the Starship Enterprise, Kirk's legendary five-year mission has led to historic first contacts with numerous alien species and countless discoveries about the wonders of the galaxy. But outer space is a dangerous place and Kirk has also been in the thick of skirmishes against the United Federation of Planets' most devious enemies like the Klingons, the Romulans, and the reptilian Gorn. Even if he doesn't have a phaser handy, however, Captain Kirk is never helpless because he's the undisputed master of his own fighting style: Kirk Fu. Whether he takes on alien gladiators, genetically-engineered supermen, or even his loyal First Officer, Mr. Spock, Kirk's eyebrow-raising hand-to-hand combat prowess is second-to-none.
Thanks to Star Trek: Kirk Fu Manual (available to pre-order here), Trekkers can now study and learn to master Captain Kirk's unique unarmed fighting style. Combining Earth-based martial arts mixed with cruder forms of combat employed in seedy bars fights and back-alley brawls on planets throughout the galaxy, Kirk Fu is an unorthodox blend of combat styles that led Kirk to numerous victories against a wide variety of opponents. With excerpts from Kirk's own personal logs, the Captain details each of his moves and how to best utilize them to best any enemy. And it all starts with one of Kirk's most basic but effective attacks: the standard karate chop.
While it appears deceptively simple, Kirk's standard karate chop is an important move to master and will serve you well in any fight. The Captain emphasizes proper form, balance, and body positioning when executing the standard karate chop as well as striking the enemy with the proper amount of force and accuracy at the just the right body part, like the side of the neck, which should debilitate them. In Star Trek: Kirk Fu Manual, Kirk goes much deeper into the philosophy behind the standard karate chop and he describes how he utilized it against his old friend, Gary Mitchell, who was possessed by an energy being. In a witty aside, Kirk also proves that the standard karate chop is just as effective (and satisfying) to use on Nazis.
Star Trek: Kirk Fu Manual also contains the fascinating details on many of Captain Kirk's more esoteric moves, like the Box Lunch, which he used against the Gorn, and the Slippery Eel, which the Captain found success with when he faced the goateed Spock from the Mirror Universe. As the Star Trek: Kirk Fu Manual points out, some of Kirk's moves are so unorthodox that Starfleet's best combat trainers have been unable to duplicate them - but that only makes Kirk Fu more crucial to master. Trekkers who want to learn the secrets of Kirk Fu from the Captain himself should be sure to pick up Star Trek: Kirk Fu Manual: A Guide to Starfleet's Most Feared Martial Arts when it beams into bookstores all over the galaxy on Stardate: March 3, 2020.
Fans can preorder it here.