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Martial Arts, Self Defense and a Whole Lot More.

Book review: Modern Warfare by Roger Trinquier

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Book review: Modern Warfare: A French View of Counterinsurgency by Roger Trinquier

Col. Roger Trinquier is a French military leader who served in numerous conflicts, notably Indochina and Algeria. He wrote several other books on war but they are only available in French. The publisher translated this one for a particular reason: it is right on the money in describing today’s reality of war and terrorism. There’s another reason and I’ll get to that in a bit.

Colonel Roger Trinquier Book Review of Modern Warfare
Colonel Roger Trinquier

This book isn’t a big one (88 pages) so I won’t do a lengthy review of it, wouldn’t make sense. That said, it does have some remarkable content. Col. Trinquier writes a treatise describing a new, modern way of warfare based on terrorism. War is no longer a matter of huge conflicts where one army faces another on a clear battlefield. Modern war is about overthrowing an existing government and replacing it.

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Book Review:Dragons Touch by Hei Long

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Book Review: “Dragons Touch, Weaknesses of the human anatomy” by Hei Long

This isn’t a huge volume so the review will be pretty brief too.

The preface of this book is a comment on the USA martial arts scene and a plea for combining solid techniques with the knowledge of this book.

In the introduction, the author talks about karma to explain that this knowledge isn’t to be abused. He states his belief that if you take a life unjustly, you will be punished for it later in life. Next is the classification of the targets. Mr. Long uses 2 categories: Numerical, which describes the anatomical level (brain, cardio-respiratory, muscular, skeletal, etc.) and alphabetical, which describes the physical reaction to striking a specific point (pain, structural damage, unconsciousness and death). I very much appreciate this system for it’s clarity and lack of complexity.

The main part of the book now follows with an anatomical and physiological review of the target areas, followed by a series of photos demonstrating techniques that could be used to attack them. There are 43 targets described, located on the head, back, chest, abdomen, groin and legs. The author also shows from which angle the targets should be attacked. [Read more…]

Book review: Dynamic Stretching and Kicking by Bill “Superfoot” Wallace

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Book review: “Dynamic Stretching and Kicking” by Bill “Superfoot” Wallace

Bill Wallace is one of the big names in American martial arts. He was a successful Karate point fighter and then turned to full contact competitions. He’s most famous for using only his lead leg to kick with and doing so with great success. You can also see him in a few older martial arts movies, usually playing the bad guy.

This book is another one of those “oldies”in my library (first published in 1981). I used the information in it to enhance my kicking skills when I just started competing. As a heavyweight, I often fought opponents who were perhaps strong but not that skillful because they relied on their strength too much.  I wasn’t the strongest fighter around, but I often managed to be a bit faster than the others, especially with my kicking techniques. Part of the success I enjoyed in these competitions is due to this book. As time went by, I was confronted with the limitations of this method, but more on that later.

The book starts out with a short introduction to basic anatomy, physiology and kinesiology of stretching. These topics are covered very briefly, but they do give some useful background information. At the end of this chapter, some useful pointers are given: Keep your back straight, don’t bounce, etc.

Bill "Superfoot" Wallace

Next are some warm-up exercises covering the major joints and muscles. The format in which they are presented is one of the best I have seen so far, but it has sadly not been copied much in martial arts books. Each exercise is presented with several pictures. On the opposite page is an explanation of the physiological benefits, the number of repetitions to be performed, Martial arts benefits and some pointers. This way, you know exactly what to do, why it is important and what mistakes to be attentive to.
Even though most exercises are good enough, there are some that would be considered advanced or not good for you these days. E.g.: certain hip rotations, lower back stretches and bridging exercises. Besides these few, the exercises certainly have their use. [Read more…]

Book Review:”Training and Fighting skills” by Benny “The Jet” Urquidez

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Book review: “Training and Fighting Skills” by Benny “The Jet” Urquidez

Benny “The Jet” Urquidez is somewhat of a legend in the USA. He is one of the pioneers of full-contact fighting and to his credit, one of the first to fight with leg-kicks. He started his study of the martial arts at the age of 8 and had a successful competitive career in the traditional (non-contact) Karate tournaments. Full-contact fighting emerged in the USA in 1974 and Benny switched to this type of competition. He continued to have a long and prosperous career with many world champion titles, before retiring as a professional fighter. He has also worked in motion pictures as an actor, fight choreographer and trainer of actors.

Here’s an old fight of his:

This book is actually quite old (first published in 1981) but is still sold today. It was one of the first books on full-contact fighting I bought and at the time, my impression was largely positive. These days, I have a more nuanced opinion, which I’ll explain in a bit.

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Book Review: The Way of Kata by Lawrence A. Kane and Kris Wilder

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Here’s another book review for you: “The Way of Kata” by Lawrence A. Kane and Kris Wilder

Lawrence A. Kane

Kriw Wilder
Kris Wilder

The book starts with two forewords, one by Dr. Jeff Cooper and the other by Iain Abernethy. Next is a short preface and introduction, in which the format of the book is explained.

Chapter 1 gives the background fundamentals. This covers some history of martial arts and their forms, for the most part Japanese ones. Then we move on to the different types of applications and sparring, why you can’t immediately find the applications in kata, hidden moves and more.

Chapter 2 explains strategy and tactics as they are found in the movements of kata. The authors first give some interesting context and perspective on this topic and then explain the main strategies of the art they practice, Goju ryu karate: Close distance, Imbalance and Use physiological damage to control. This strategy is then expanded upon by a list of 9 principles that both illustrate and clarify them. These are invaluable for deciphering kata and making the movements functional. After this comes a short overview of the tactics Goju employs to follow its strategy.

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