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5/2/04 8:26 PM bounce Edited: 5/2/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 01/01/2001 Posts: 1118 I dont know if this belongs here, but what are the best self-defense and street figthing books on the market? Also, does anyone have the book "Hardcore Self Defense?" Its by an author who runs the righteous warrior temple.org website and its on amazon. Supposedly its really good, but wanted to hear your opinions. Heard there is no pictures, just text.
5/3/04 1:31 PM FlashGordon2002 Edited: 5/3/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 05/23/2002 Posts: 3791 Get Tough by W. E. Fairbairn.
5/3/04 1:37 PM Swifty26 Edited: 5/3/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 08/15/2003 Posts: 66 I got "Hardcore Self Defense". Its a good book. Alot of cool tricks like putting fish hooks in your hat, etc. Interesting enough to buy just for its originality. But it downplays the effectiveness of 3 inch folders. And I disagree with the author on that point. Ever book Shen named is a must have. Good taste. I would add "Real World Self Defense" by Jerry Vancook, "Street Karate" and "Battleaxe" by John McSweeney(Lee Wedlake still sells them), "Cold Steel" by John Steyers is a good look at WW2 combatives. I'll post a longer review about "Hardcore Self Defense" this evening. Ill tell you whats in it. When I get back from work.
5/3/04 4:23 PM SchillingsSchmegma Edited: 5/3/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 01/01/2001 Posts: 6375 Wait, where can I get a copy of battle axe?!?! I have been looking for that book for like 3 years! (GM McSweeney is the kenpo part of my family tree)
5/3/04 5:19 PM Swifty26 Edited: 5/3/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 08/15/2003 Posts: 68 http://www.lwkarate.com/ Go to the sites online store. Only 10 copies left, probably the only place still selling this masterpiece. I orderded it and got it within a week.
5/3/04 5:28 PM NowhereMan22000 Edited: 5/3/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 08/05/2001 Posts: 724 'Dead or Alive' by Geoff Thompson is very good (but is not a technique book). "Taking it to the Streets: Making your Martial Arts Street Effective" by Marc MacYoung is ok.
5/4/04 9:06 AM SchillingsSchmegma Edited: 5/4/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 01/01/2001 Posts: 6377 swifty, I ordered it yesterday. I really hope I get it, I have been looking for this book for so long.
5/6/04 9:23 AM Stickgrappler Edited: 5/6/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 01/01/2001 Posts: 18677 i agree with pretty much what shen posted. i've read most of them. have not heard about HARDCORE SELF DEFENSE. i would add that www.mma.tv member GrandpaB has a booklet out. $6. can be found on Scrapper's site. despite it being a booklet there is a lot of info. GrandpaB (Bill Bryant Sr.) adds his real-life annecdotes in which spices up the booklet. cannot go wrong with this one. i would also add to the list of excellent recommendations so far Tony Blauer's PERSONAL DEFENSE READINESS manual. www.tonyblauer.com. he also has an expert Q&A here on www.mma.tv. another member of www.mma.tv, Ausgepicht, recommended a book, which i've not read yet, but plan on picking up soon, a book cowritten by Marc Animal MacYoung and i cannot remember the other author at the moment. SAFE IN THE STREETS i believe is the name of the book. Animal writes about stuff which happens on the streets in LA while the coauthor writes about stuff that happens onthe streets of NY.
5/6/04 3:50 PM bounce Edited: 5/6/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 01/01/2001 Posts: 1143 cool. thanks stickgrappler.
5/6/04 6:42 PM Swifty26 Edited: 5/6/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 08/15/2003 Posts: 76 Small "Hardcore Self Defense" review. Written by C.R. Jahn of the Righteous Warrior Temple. I almost didnt buy the book because I thought it might be corny. And while I didnt agree with everything in this book, Im glad I got it. Ive read alot of self defense books. And this book had alot more original thought than most. Not saying its the best book Ive ever read. Just saying that it has alot of stuff in it that I had not seen before. The first part of the book is about Mental Preparation. It was different mental exercises that are used to prepare the mind for pain, violence, and possiblly death. It reminded me of Psycho Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz. But instead of using mental movies of success, goals, etc. You picture yourself hurt, bleeding, overcoming, etc. Also discusses dehumanizing your opponent. Thinking of him as a Goblin, Zombie, or Caveman. Basically trying to shut off any thoughts of him being a human just like you. Then the book goes into some war examples. And how soldiers kill more if they dont identify with their enemy. And how it helps armies to use derogatory words to describe the enemy (Krauts, gooks, ragheads). And basically programming them selves to look down on the enemy. The second part is about Invulnerability. Which goes into wearing armor. Things to help you survive a violent attack. Turtleneck sweaters, Motorcycle gloves, weightlifting belt(To help survive a kidney attack) These are a few examples for the jist of it. Hypervigilance was some awareness things. Some taken to the extreme like putting a bell on your bedroom door so that if someone comes in it will awake you. And how to have a weapon in hand when your taking a shit in a public bathroom. Im not saying that I do this, just trying to show some of whats in the book. How soap on the rope is the preferred weapon in a public shower, because its a good blugeon. A bunch of improvised weapons toothpaste, razors, how to make a black jack with a sock, etc. Why to not use to much shampoo so that your vision wont be impaired by the suds. The next part is on rape prevention. How to leave the scence with your attackers pecker in your pocket according to the book. LOL! A bunch of writing on how to get the jump on an attacker. For both men and women. But to be honest I didnt read this part. I dont think I have to worry about that unless sentenced to prison :) Then we get to Unarmed Combat. Pretty good stuff. Debunks Kung Fu myths. Talks about the importance of sparring. But also seems to line up with WW2 combatives. Goes into a bunch of different strikes that are easy on the hand and some potential targets. But stresses its better to have a weapon. Invisible Weapons section goes into alot of improvised weapons with everyday stuff. Name it and its probably in there from combs to motorcycle helmets. Alot of this is common sense but its dealt with in an exhaustive manner. Then there is a section dedicated to Beltfighting. Then a section on Knife fighting. alot of tips, but here is where I personally disagree with the author. He thinks any knife less than 6 inches sucks. This is from the same guy thats big on soap on a rope. But there is still some good stuff in this section. Next is a gun chapter, Then savage home defense weapons swords, spears, and battleaxes (cool reading, this guys a nut) Then a nice section on how to dispose of a human body. This is a crazy chapter but I guess necessary if your going to take self defense to the extreme over every little thing. Im glad I bought this book. Very original and very entertaining. The guy is a good writer and I will probably buy anything else he comes out with. There is alot of info in the book. Some good, some wack. Check it out.
5/7/04 1:28 AM bounce Edited: 5/7/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 01/01/2001 Posts: 1146 Thanks Swift, I'll definately check it out. Sounds interesting. I'm a bit discourage of their being no pictures, are the descriptions suffiicient?
5/7/04 4:13 PM rene.r Edited: 5/7/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 01/01/2001 Posts: 3493 Strong on Defense. I bought a bunch when Amazon had a clearance and gave them out to relatives, friends, etc.
5/7/04 5:18 PM Swifty26 Edited: 5/7/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 08/15/2003 Posts: 78 Its correct that there are no pictures in the book. But the book does go into great detail. But as far as the unarmed striking goes it would be best to see a video of similar striking methods. I would recommend Dave Walmsley's Canadian Combato videos. Or Carl Cestari's Close Combat videos. I also hear Jim Grover's videos are good.
6/12/04 7:45 PM GrandpaB Edited: 6/12/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 01/01/2001 Posts: 529 Thanks for the recommendation Stickgrappler. Everyone who has tried my little booklet seems to really like it. A few groups are now using it as a training manual. You gan get it with paypal by going to Scrappers site www.trainforstrength.com or send me a check or money order at Bryant Enterprises, P.O.Box 518, San Luis Rey, CA 92068. It is $6 for the book and $2 S&H if you are in North America (USA, Canada, Mexico) or $4 S&H if you are outside North America. All books are signed so if you are buying it for a gift let me know the name you want it signed to. Grandpab
6/16/04 12:16 AM Bull_in_chinashop
Edited: 6/16/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 01/01/2001 Posts: 16572 Kill or Get Killed
6/29/04 1:37 AM unapologetic Edited: 6/29/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 04/01/2004 Posts: 18 Everyone has their own favorite books for their own personal reasons, and each of them will be correct in their assessment of them. I've read numerous realistic self defense books over the years, including many of those listed here. My own hands down personal favorites are, "Sudden Violence" and also "Predator Training". Both books are written by Master Greg Jones, and published by Paladin Press. These books have solid information I can put to use immediately, and offer me food for thought about problem solving; spontaneity; and having the resolve to commit to an attack with ferocity, while having the ability to become ruthless. They're also pretty witty.
7/8/04 7:40 AM BaldTony Edited: 7/8/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 12/12/2002 Posts: 4109 IMO the best books are those that deal mainly with the non fighting parts. Maybe its due to all those awful wrist lock and finger strike to the throat "deadly technique" books I devoured as a youngster, but I feel you learn far more valuable lessons about attacker rituals, adrenalin control, dealing with the law etc than any technique book will give. Dead or Alive by Geoff Thompson is my favourite book of this type
7/14/04 11:53 AM Baghwan Edited: 7/14/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 12/08/2003 Posts: 0 UNAPOLOGETIC!!!! My GOD man, I thought I was the only one to have read both of those books by Master Greg Jones. It's so frustrating hearing all of the same old titles as favorites (I guess that's why they're favorites..). Anyhow - I particularly enjoyed the psychological challenges presented in "Predator Training" and have utilized the principles (not techniques)offered in "Sudden Violence". You cannot go wrong with either or especially both of these titles - I wish there were videos to support.... Those books are easy to read and can be digested in small pieces or all at once. Paladin Press offers both "Sudden Violence" and "Predator Training" My 2 cents.
7/25/04 7:43 PM Dogbert Edited: 7/25/04 7:29 PM Member Since: 01/01/2001 Posts: 13446 Kill or get Killed (17mb, PDF) (http://www.gutterfighting.org/files/Kill_or_Get_Killed.pdf) by Col. Rex Applegate is worth reading. Not everything is of use for civilians, but it's a great intro to combatives.
7/27/04 9:46 AM Stickgrappler Edited: 7/30/04 8:49 AM Member Since: 01/01/2001 Posts: 19652 that pdf has been floating around the net. my recent link to it was through the sinside out tactical library which seems to be down. thanks for the link Dogbert. did not know James Sass had it up on his site. ------------ although not a book, i recommend Luciano Silvera's vid from Paladin Press. don't remember it off the top of my head. will have to edit this post after i google for it. his vid presents the legal ramfications/aspects which often i've not found in the books. edit: THE MOMENT OF TRUTH is the name of Luciano Silvera's vid from Paladin. his vid has much of the same material as tony blauer, geoff thompson, peyton quinn, marc animal macyoung, etc but his vid stands out for me cos it addresses the legal side of things.
8/1/04 7:13 AM MarkT Edited: 8/1/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 01/01/2001 Posts: 70 Let me add to AVOID all that silly "ninja" stuff like fish hooks in the hat and the like. YOU might think you are James Bond with that stuff... ...the Cop who finds it on you is going to think you are a serious bad guy. Keep your PPD's effective and LEGAL. I like the spyderco Dodo because it is a legal length and doesn't look like an assault tool. If OC is legal, get a good spray. Canemasters.com, get a good walking stick. If your state is "shall issue", then get the licence, and learn how to use the firearm. My advice is to use something off duty cops carry rather than a Rambo Special. Books? Most here are great, I'd add the "Close Combat Files of Col. Rex Applegate" as it has the orginal Fairbairn course in it.
8/1/04 10:07 AM yusul Edited: 8/1/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 01/01/2001 Posts: 5475 there was a book written by a british author that had some good stuff in it. i believe the forward was written by blauer. i'm not sure of the name, it might have had something to do with redzone. james lafond (sp) has a book out about knife fights. i've read his articles, which had strategies based on actual specific stats (percentage of each type of weapon used, fatalities, etc), so i'm guessing that his book will have useful information. i haven't seen any auther publish actual statistics of weapons incidents like him. i think paladin press sells it.
8/8/04 3:16 PM shovelhook Edited: 8/8/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 01/04/2004 Posts: 55 the Black Medicine books, different volumes for-vital points, weapons of the body, how to use various objects as weapons, etc. If you're into guns I could give you a lot of reccomendations on books/video
8/9/04 12:26 AM yusul Edited: 8/9/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 01/01/2001 Posts: 5595 wasn't the black medicine book about deadly ninja vital points? i think it had a skull picture, which turned me off.
8/28/04 5:11 PM TheStewedOwl Edited: 8/28/04 12:00 AM Member Since: 06/08/2002 Posts: 4999 The Stewed Owl’s Self Defense Reading List: Most of the titles previously posted are well worth reading. Here are some books that don’t normally get mentioned that you guys might enjoy reading: Marc MacYoung’s books are sometimes really good, sometimes way-too chest-thumpingly melodramatic for my taste (there is a very funny, spot-on review of one of his books on the Global Training Report website). His book “Violence, Blunders, and Fractured Jaws” contains some very useful info on “street etiquette”. He has a useful website, www.realisticselfdefense.com. For general self-defense handbooks. “Dead or Alive” by Geoff Thompson is very good and contains a whole gamut of information on awareness, first aid, visualization, fear management, etc. in addition to striking and grappling. Geoff’s “3-Second Fighter: The Sniper Option” is a good examination of pre-emptive striking - recognizing a threat and dealing with it quickly (I like Geoff’s distillation of effective self-defense strategy: HFHFH: “Hit First, Hit Fucking Hard”. That works better for me as a life directive than “WWJD?” Geoff has a great website with a LOT of info and articles on it, as well as whole books you can download for free: www.geoffthompson.com. His autobiographic works, “Bouncer”, “Watch My Back” and “On the Door” describing his days as a bouncer are a lot of fun to read, and contain some very interesting observations on realistic fighting, de-escalation, fear management, etc. I really wish I had read these books when I was 15 or 16. “Practical Unarmed Combat” by Moshe Feldenkrais: Technically more a military combatives manual than civilian self defense, but I’ll throw it in here because I’ve always liked his teaching methodology. Feldenkrais, who is better known for his creation of a body-awareness system much loved by the birkenstock-and-patchouli crowd, was also one of the highest ranking Judoka in pre-WWII England. When the British entered WWII, he was given the mission of developing a hand-to-hand system that could be taught quickly to the British Home Guard. In contrast to Fairbairn (himself a ranking Judoka), Applegate, Styers, Biddle, McDermott, etc., MF took a different approach than teaching a grab-bag of techniques from different sources. He taught one technique (a nasty pre-Olympic Judo combination larynx-choke/ratcheting neck crank takedown, which Mark Tripp teaches in one of his videos), and over the course of 10 lessons showed numerous entries into the choke/crank from various attacks a Home Guardsman would be likely to face. This seems to me a very Judo-esque solution, like a skilled competitor who has a favorite throw but a hundred ways of entering into it. Again, this is a lethal-force technique for military applications but I really like the teaching methodology, which could be well adapted to a civilian self-defense course - something I may do with the less-lethal mata leao/rear naked choke. This book was available in an inexpensive reprint edition (like his recommended Judo groundwork book, “Higher Judo”) from the Feldenkrais Guild. I don’t see it on their website anymore, but they may still have copies in stock if you call them.
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