A comprehensive self-defense book.
354992
Tuttle Publishing has produced many excellent martial arts books in the past and I'd like to add this book to my list. As the title says it is primarily covers "Mixed Martial Arts Fighting Techniques" plus mentions some self- defense techniques not allowed in MMA contests for use in a bad street or life threatening situations. However, I view the entire book as a self- defense book because what is used for MMA can also be used in most self- defense situations!!!

Author Danny Indio has done a good job in the book of covering the 4 fighting ranges: Kicking Range, Punching Range, Trapping, and Grappling (both standing and ground). He covers stances and movement, upper body arm and hand strikes and defenses, lower body kicks and defenses, standing clinch fighting and defenses, leg takedowns and defenses, basic ground grappling positions and escapes, including ground strikes, arm bars and chokes plus defenses against each.  There is some knife defense examples both standing and from the ground that I question a little, however, I concur with his principle of painfully damaging opponent first (striking attacker eyes, throat, groin, knee) before attempting disarm of the knife. See Table of Context for more subject matter details. Of course, there are volumes of books written about some of his individual topics in far more detail, however, overall I think he has written a comprehensive self- defense book.  Besides it never hurts to go over the basics once in a while,

The accompanying DVD has some good standing upper body hand and arm striking and also defensive drills. DVD also has some good lower body kicks and defensive drills.  The problem is the DVDs picture is not clear, fuzzy. and small - very amateurish!!!

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2884489
Massad Ayoob is one of the first tactics writers I came across when I first began interested in guns in the late 80's. That is not an accident, given the fact that Ayoob is one of the most famous and knowledgeable writers in business, and his writings are published widely in many magazines. So, I have a high respect for him.
The book covers a variety of topics on self defence and combat, including mental conditioning. Ayoob has developed his StressFire system onto a complete package that covers it all. Therefore, he has something to say about everything. That in itself is a good thing, and it adds to the completeness of this book, but it also gives a distinct impression of "empire-building". Since the StressFire system is Ayoob's creation, every time he mentions how things are better on StressFire, he seem biased. In addition, Ayoob rarely recommends a technique he has not invented himself (one of the only exeptions is Chapman flashlight technique, which Ayoob recommends in addition of his own StressFire technique).
But as I mentioned, the book is a complete package, and the techniques and tactics presented in the book seem reasonable and sound. I would recommend this book to anyone who carries a handgun, on or off duty.
1109884
Good book on making one aware of what to expect, and be prepared for, after having to use your gun in self defense. I recommend this book.
686070
This is a great book to begin learning knife fighting, or, if you're already experienced in it, an inexpensive way to learn some new tricks. He covers all the fundamentals on knife fighting: stance, grip, slashes, stabs, etc., and goes into more advanced material. The book sells itself as 10 techniques, but it's much more than that. Franco also covers situational awareness, fear response, threat assessment, and much more. I would by no means call myself an expert in the knife, but I have taken 4 different knife classes. Even with that training, I still learned a lot from this book. I definitely recommend it if you want to learn more about using the knife for self defense.
4385887
Street Fight is a simple, close range aggressive fight training system which contains techniques and training methods
while at the same time being a strategic fighting guide. The book provides a fun and interesting way to stay fit. The book
also enables you to protect yourself in case you are caught in an emergency situation where all you are left with to protect
yourself is your own physical strength and some strategies. It is here that this training and tips can come in real handy.
It teaches you the basics of attack in fight like which areas to target for causing maximum damage with minimum effort.
The best thing about the book was the illustrations that it was accompanied by which helped in offering more clarity on what
Sam was trying to explain. Good Manual for Self Defense !
4440642
Excellent material. Takes a bit of understanding and work to adapt to a civilian environment but I think it is certainly worth the effort to add to your personal self-defense repertoire.
512368
Fantastic book on self-defense, psychology, and perception!  There is a strong anti-gun bias (as a self-defense instructor, I have to call that out), but that doesn't detract in anyway from what Mr. de Becker has to offer in this work.  Vivid and compelling anecdotes, coupled with well-explained science to back up the purpose of the narrative makes this a MUST READ for anyone trying to better understand threats and most importantly, themselves.
3712024
David Kahn has done a masterful job of publishing an instructional guide that will allow anyone to easily become proficient in the Krav Maga self defense system. Having no prior martial arts training, the step by step instructions coupled with diagrams of each and every technique allowed me to quickly master the Krav Maga sytem of self defense. As a law enforcement officer I feel that the techniques that I have learned from this excellent instructional guide will allow me to overcome any physcial confrontation I should face on the street. For those interested in an easy to understand instructional guide to personal self defense, this book is a must.
1685991
This is a great book on basic self defense strategies that will protect your family. The author starts off by sharing the importance of self defense and the psychology, which is equally vital. He also goes into teaching you what you need to do in case of threats with "no law enforcement", "gangs/ mobs" etc. Solid information shared. Good buy!
4636704
Just finished reading it through tonight.  A.F. Branca has done an excellent presentation for Self Defense Law.  It was easy to understand, logical in its order, and provided me with a greater appreciation of the Law of Self Defense.  All CCW personnel should read this book.
4720998
Good book on self defense revolvers,still used by many !
1495723
The absolute best book on self defense law, Andrew is the best in the business. The read is far from dry, very easy and good read. Andrew puts this in simple terms to understand 2A rights, self defense rights and laws. Highly recommended!
1106263
"Taekwondo Defense Against Weapons: Weapons, Sparring, and Patterns from Taekwondo's Technical Founder" by Kim, Bok Man is a republishing of this classic 1979 text.  With over 400 pages and thousands of photos, this book catalogs the essence of the fighting art of taekwondo as it was originally intended.  This book is a must for all serious taekwondo practitioners and anyone else interested in the weapons curriculum of this Korean art as presented by a recognized authority of taekwondo.

The first chapter contains a brief history of taekwondo that links it back to the three kingdoms of Koguryo, Baek-je and Silla.  Much better histories of taekwondo are available, but that is not what this book is really about.

The next chapters are technique driven, and contain many photographs with descriptions.  As far as picture technique books go, this book is done very well.  Even though many of the pictures are small, so a number of them can fit on one page, they are clear and you can see what the author wants illustrated.  The descriptions are brief but explanatory.

These chapter focus on defense against weapons, (knife, baton, pole, sword, bayonet, and pistol); sparring, (releases, throws, and free sparring); patterns, (Silla, silla knife, and silla pole); and training (exercises, principles, hand and foot techniques, and the use of the bag).  The appendix contains parts of your body, stances, and vital spots.

I do not want to get into the practicality of the techniques shown, or a debate regarding can you learn taekwondo from a book.  Suffice it to say that there are some techniques illustrated in this catalog of techniques that I would not consider practical for street defense, and I do not believe a person is going to learn taekwondo from this book or any other.

With that said, I do believe taekwondo practitioners, and all martial artists, can compliment their life instruction through books and DVDs.  In that realm, this book is excellent in that it provides a large catalog of techniques that the taekwondo practitioner can refer to when practicing things already learned, or when combining things already learned into different combinations or defenses.  I also think it is a valuable reference for the history sake of the art. (The 20 or so pages near the end that contain old pictures and information about the author are very interesting from a historical point of view.)

I highly recommend "Taekwondo Defense Against Weapons" to all serious students of taekwodo who wish to learn about the history of the art and have a catalog of many defenses against weapons.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author of the DVD set "Hapkido Cane" and others.
4376757
If you are into any of the combat sports and self-defense arts one of the many things you should want to develop is your over all power.  Whether it is punching, kicking, grappling, or street combatives the ability to knock out and stop your opponent or assailant is essential if you desire to succeed in defeating your foe. This 235 page book (Power Training for combat, MMA, Boxing, Wrestling, Martial arts and Self-Defense) covers the entire field of what it takes to build powerful punches, kicks, and grappling skills.

First off, I do not think this book is for beginners, which is not to say that beginners would not benefit from some of the material. However, it is clear that you must have some experience in combat sports or combatives in order to get the most out of the information in this text.  Secondly, there are no photographs so you must clearly understand the material in order to practice the techniques taught for developing power. Finally, you must be able to apply the information in this manual to your actual training.

This text is organized into fourteen chapters or areas.  Some of the topics include the following:  Getting started with power training, the knockout and submission, "combat power Sync", power principles, power attributes, strikes, takedowns, chokes and locks, power training tools, supplemental power training, avoiding the knockout and submission,  power training program and many other subjects.

One of the many things I like about this book is that it approaches the subject of power by emphasizing the importance of basic principles.  Once someone understands the principles, it is easy to build a knockout power program.  This is a book for anyone who is into boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, karate, and street combatives.

Rating:  4 Stars.  Joseph J. Truncale  (Author:  Predator Hunter: A warrior's memoir)
1423690
For anyone training in Muay this is a very comprehensive book that will help with techniques, strength, flexibility and mind control.
3290104
This is an excellent book for anyone interested in self-defense.  Written by a very knowledgeable mother and suitable for both men and women.  My daughter and granddaughter each have their own copies.
4251920
Neal Martin's book is a well-informed and detailed examination on methods of surviving real crisis situations.  The book is right to the point, with no holds barred language that matches his subject.  Neal is clearly an expert in the arena of crisis management and he covers a wide range of topics from what we can do before an incident happens, when it happens, and the aftermath.
  I have studied Kung fu and martial arts for over thirty years, and despite that I found this entire work to be relevant, useful and insightful.  Neal's work is a grass-roots approach to survival, and what one must do to improve their odds of doing so in a real-life situation.  He covers a wide array of topics, including the physiology of fear, our fight or flight response, as well as our empathy and its impact on our actions in crisis.  Neal also considers the role of the Law as it pertains to self defense and what we must do in order to uphold it and stay alive.  There is a lot of relevancy in this work and I liked the Author's training ideas and intend to add as many of them as I can to my own self-defense instruction.
  Whether you are a martial arts instructor, practitioner, or merely someone who wants to stand a better chance on the street, then this book is for you.  If you feel that your own life and the life of your loved ones is worth protecting then read this book.  If you take his ideas seriously, it can only help your chances.
  Sincerely, Erik D.J. O'Brien Author of "Kur's Rage, and The Drums of Doom."