Customer Reviews

The Art of Weapons: Armed and Unarmed Self-Defense

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There are several weapons systems that provide a more complete repertoire of techniques. However, this book illustrates techniques developed from Hapkido, a very eclectic system. This book provides the reader with a comprehensive explanation of various types of weapons and principles that share basic concepts with many other systems. I think this book is very well written and the author provides a solid weapons foundation for all martial artists, regardless of style. I disagree with the previous review that states that the knife techniques will get you killed. Any technique is only as good as the practitioner using it. The knife and other weapon techniques in this book are solid and should be studied for concept. Meaning that they are not exclusive to the weapons illustrated. Many household products can easily be used as a weapon while using the same concept. I would strongly recommend this book to the open minded martial artist of any level.

This book is pure suicide instruction. In one of many terrible examples, it is axiomatic that you never try to kick the edged weapon out of the assailant's hand. Not only does that expose your groin and femoral artery (cripple and kill targets respectively) but any decent knife fighter may also slice your achilles tendon. The book does not address the pre-attack phase, the use of force continuum, the context of passing, jamming, trapping, redirection, structural attacks, overcoming fear, the OODA loop, facing the pain-immune assailant, multiple assailants, hands slippery from blood, sweat, etc., adjusting to clothing and terrain; or any of the dozens of additional basics needed for a decent discussion of this topic.

Edged weapons response requires a comprehensive approach dealing with the pre-attack, attack and post attack phases. The legal use of force issues must be addressed along with how personal and environmental attributes will affect the course of combat. This book deals with few if any of these issues and is a result of the type of martial artist who confuses a martial art that may be competent in dealing with unarmed attackers with one that can deal with proficient edged weapons users under real life conditions.

If you desire to learn how to defend against a Hapkido assailant who attacks you with a weapon unlike how someone on the street will; wearing martial arts uniforms and bare feet under perfect battle conditions (lighting, terrain, etc.) then this book is for you. If you desire to understand how to properly learn how to defend yourself against an edged weapon assailant; then become an instructor in an Asian Archipelago martial art and then constantly practice reality based training scenarios wearing training suits, using the ShocKnife, marking blades and video analysis. An emphasis on the legal use of force will reduce the possibility of going to jail and education and training in the pre-attack mode is also critical. A few other combat systems that excel in the offensive use of close range small edged weapons may also be helpful (Ninjutsu, Wing Chun, etc.).

The so called knife defenses in this book are terrible. Tedeschi's other books are fairly good, but this one is the worst of the type I have ever read. The knife work will get you killed. There is no way this stuff would work against anyone with any knife skill whatso-ever. If you have seen Jim Carry's "you've attacked me wrong" skit from 'In Living Color' you have some idea of how useless this book is.

The other weapons are ok, but the knife stuff just brings the whole book down to not worth keeping.