Robert Koga - The Man Behind the Legend Paperback – Illustrated, 7 April 2009

This book is well worth reading. I was once a student of Sensei Koga. I can honestly say, he changed my life.

Let me start by saying that this review is NOT an indictment of Robert Koga. His reputation in the law enforcement community is certainly deserved. However, the people who wrote this book should have seriously considered finding a proofreader. This book is so full of spelling, grammar and punctuation errors that I highly doubt it would have been accepted as a 6th grade book report. On top of that, the authors continually get very basic issues WRONG. A perfect example is the photo on page 133 of "Bob with son of O'Sensei". The picture is actually of Bob with Moriteru Ueshiba, the GRANDSON of the founder of aikido. They are standing under a photo of Kisshomaru Ueshiba, who was in fact the son of Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of aikido. A little fact checking goes a long way...The authors breathlessly tout Koga sensei's "mastery" of judo, even though it is very clear that Mr. Koga did not train in judo for any significant period of time. Talented? To be sure...but that is hardly mastery. Such statements only serve to mark the book as a masterpiece of hyperbole, not as a serious biography.For those looking to learn a little more about the man who has made such a name for himself in the police defensive tactics world, this book is worth reading. However, this book is hardly a serious piece of biographical research and I would suggest that San Jose State University and/or San Jose City College might want to consider remedial English for two of their professors.

Enjoyed reading about the beginnings of my teacher.

I like this man. He has done a lot for law enforcement training and martial arts.