Military Manual of Self-Defense: A Complete Guide to Hand-To-Hand Combat

by Anthony B. Herbert

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0882547089
• ISBN13: 9780882547084
• Release Date: February 1984
• Publisher: Hippocrene Books
• Length: 239 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A solid book on hand-to-hand combat

This is a very extensive book on the subject of Close Combat. It contains information on unarmed and armed combat, knife fighting and throwing, bayonet use, stick combat,use of improvised/expedient weapons and a detailed examination of just how (medically speaking) the blows you deliver cause the enemy to become disabled. This book, as mentioned before, provides the reader with quite an extensive amount of information. The main problem with this book is while this great deal of information is presented, it is not properly explained. The author just presents the reader with an EXTREMELY poorly drawn diagram and writes somehing like "bring fist to throat-TO KILL" and while that's all fine and good, the author NEVER tells us how to actually execute any of the blows he mentions (in fact, the fighting stance is only mentioned in passing and really leaves the reader little idea what to do with it). Also, I don't think have of the moves in this book would kill, which is not to say they're not effective. I'm sorry, as painful as it is to be kicked in the genitals or elbowed in the spine, it just isn't going to kill you. Trust me, I've experienced both (one of which by a black belt in Karate). The author also assumes that one blow will finish of your attacker, even if its to a place like the knee. Herbert borrows heavily from masters of Close Combat such as Fairbairn and Styers; he actually even uses diagrams that appeared in Fairbairn's "Get Tough" and Styers' "Cold Steel." That's a good thing, because Herbert realizes that it is might be needed to put down an attacker with extreme, possibly even deadly force. He also kept a minimum fancy moves with throws, sweeps, locks, and foolish ground fighting, all of which would not work in a life-or-death encounter.Overall, a pretty good book for those seeking self-defence/hand-to-hand combat tactics. Its not the best, and Herbert should have been much more detailed and not emphasized on the carrying of weapons for civilians to use. I'd like to give this 3 1/2 stars, but I think I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and round up instead of down.

This is a very handy book!

I bought this book not expecting too much, but to my astonishment, it's a GREAT little book. Not too much text, but plenty of good illustrations thet anyone can follow and gain confidence in an instant that they can effectively and efficiently dispose of an assailant. This is an outstanding manual.