The Elite Forces Handbook of Unarmed Combat

Rating:
Summary: Just another book with selling title
Review: A nice book for the uninitiate, boring for anyone else. This is a very,very basic book on military hand to hand combat which reads more like a Readers Digest article than a true handbook. The martial arts heritage spiced with some photos of military units training in hand to hand combat and some big size drawings of basic strikes, throws and some disarming moves taken from military manuals and martial arts books makes up most of the content. If this would truly be the "Elite Forces Handbook of Unarmed Combat" than give God that our Green Berets never run out of Ammo. If you want something for real life buy the Krav Maga book.

Rating:
Summary: Good Reference Manual
Review: First off, there is absolutely no way to learn Martial Arts or Self-Defence from a book. That said, the previous review of this book has an unwarranted rating. (Remember the old adage "To know and not to do is not to know")
Second, if you want a good reference manual on Conventional Unarmed Combat Systems throughout the world (and esp in the 3rd world and the former Warsaw Pact), then this might just be the thing for you.
I myself have studied both Traditional Martial Arts and Conventional Combat Systems and the 2 are as different as night and day. This book clearly makes that distinction in a very nice way (i.e. what is traditionally taught in a Dojo is far different than what is taught in several months to a Special Forces Unit).
If you get a chance, pick this book up with its "partner" - Deadly Fighting Skills of the World, which is also a good field manual. I think both books are surprisingly informative...

Rating:
Summary: Another misleading title, but a very good book in general.
Review: How I wish the term 'Handbook' had not been used... This is another one of those books that's as good for martial artists (to broaden their horizons) as it is for military science buffs (albeit in a very specific area: soldier training). This book starts by specifying the needs of a soldier in the field, where unarmed combat is concerned, and then goes into a quick (and somewhat inaccurate, to me) overview of traditional martial arts. I'd say that as someone who does a lot of solo training, the most valuable part of this book to me was the section on how SPECOPS trains their people in a short period of time. While techniques are explained, many are not illustrated, so this is definetly not a how-to book. This book coveres a little history, some training methods, vital targets, some escapes and combinations, and defense against various weapons, including bayonets, guns, knives, and clubs. I never really learned what particular special forces these techniques were derived from, though to be honest, I didn't see anything really "special" about most of it. I wish the author had given a references or bibliography section. I will say that the pencil illustrations are some of the best I've seen, very realistic. While this wouldn't be my first choice to go to for self-defense techniques, it does make a pretty good reference manual. Decent, for what it offers, but please understand that it is primarily a reference book.

Rating:
Summary: Another misleading title, but a very good book in general.
Review: How I wish the term 'Handbook' had not been used... This is another one of those books that's as good for martial artists (to broaden their horizons) as it is for military science buffs (albeit in a very specific area: soldier training). This book starts by specifying the needs of a soldier in the field, where unarmed combat is concerned, and then goes into a quick (and somewhat inaccurate, to me) overview of traditional martial arts. I'd say that as someone who does a lot of solo training, the most valuable part of this book to me was the section on how SPECOPS trains their people in a short period of time. While techniques are explained, many are not illustrated, so this is definetly not a how-to book. This book coveres a little history, some training methods, vital targets, some escapes and combinations, and defense against various weapons, including bayonets, guns, knives, and clubs. I never really learned what particular special forces these techniques were derived from, though to be honest, I didn't see anything really "special" about most of it. I wish the author had given a references or bibliography section. I will say that the pencil illustrations are some of the best I've seen, very realistic. While this wouldn't be my first choice to go to for self-defense techniques, it does make a pretty good reference manual. Decent, for what it offers, but please understand that it is primarily a reference book.

Rating:
Summary: Elite Forces Handbook of Unarmed Combat
Review: In my opinion this is an excellent book. It covers the History of Unarmed Combat & The various Methods & Techniques.
This is more than just a reference book and I would recommend this book to serious Martial Artists, Armed Forces Personnel Police Officers & People who work in the security industry.
Other excellent Martial Arts Styles one should look into are:
Sambo, Krav Maga, Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai Kickboxing, Jeet Kune Do, Kyukushinkai Karate, Wing Chun, Escrima, Aikido, Ukidokan Karate, & Judo.
I believe knowledge is power & today one needs to learn Grappling Kicking Punching Holds & Locks Throws Head Locks Groundfighting & Weapons to be a complete fighter.
I also recommend Firearms Training.
Other Books that may interests you:
Gene Le Bells Grappling Master Combat for street Defence & Competition & The Essence of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu By Machado.

Rating:
Summary: Elite Forces Handbook of Unarmed Combat
Review: In my opinion this is an excellent book. It covers the History of Unarmed Combat & The various Methods & Techniques.
This is more than just a reference book and I would recommend this book to serious Martial Artists, Armed Forces Personnel Police Officers & People who work in the security industry.
Other excellent Martial Arts Styles one should look into are:
Sambo, Krav Maga, Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai Kickboxing, Jeet Kune Do, Kyukushinkai Karate, Wing Chun, Escrima, Aikido, Ukidokan Karate, & Judo.
I believe knowledge is power & today one needs to learn Grappling Kicking Punching Holds & Locks Throws Head Locks Groundfighting & Weapons to be a complete fighter.
I also recommend Firearms Training.
Other Books that may interests you:
Gene Le Bells Grappling Master Combat for street Defence & Competition & The Essence of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu By Machado.