About the Author

Harold ( Hal) Sharp, 9TH Dan, is an internationally renowned historian and author of judo books and videos. His books "Sport of Judo" and "Techniques of Judo" were published in the late 1950s and have sold over 250,000 copies. Between the ages of 18 to 29 Hal spent seven years in Japan. In 1945 at the end of WWII he served in the Army of Occupation in Japan. At one point he served as a bodyguard to the Emperor of Japan. Later as an Air Force civilian he began serious training in judo and became the "1954 All - Japan Foreignor Judo Champion". At the Kodokan Judo Institute, he earned the rank of 4TH Dan as a competitor. Now, at the age of 87, Hal continues his efforts in judo education as Pres. of the newly formed" Hal Sharp Judo Teachers Foundation".