Customer Reviews

Body Building and Self Defense

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I first read this book back in high school when I borrowed it from my town's public library. I digested it, and still train to this day in accord with it's basic guidance (going on to nidan in judo, no less). I tried for many years to locate another copy of it, to no avail until very recently. A treasure, re-discovered! It really does "feed the need" of every young man, providing the guidance one seeks to grow bigger and stronger, as well as to be able to walk the streets with the calm certainty that you & yours are well-protected. The training routine it epouses is a bare-bones whole body schedule of basic, compound exercises. No periodization, cycling, cross-training, steroids, split routines, or even nutritional supplementation. No FRILLS, in other words. What is DOES have, is the same essential approach that has built more muscle on more people over the years, than ALL the above mentioned distractions combined. On the self-defense half of the book, you're schooled in textbook judo and jujutsu. For the same reasons the musclebuilding half of the book wouldn't appeal to some (doesn't have extravagant claims or bloated, steroid-gutted monkies posing for the photos, leaving some to say, "It's too simple! It couldn't possibly work!"), some will dismiss the self-defense instruction herein as outdated or overly simplistic. Not so! The moves are largely gross motor movements, as opposed to the fine motor skills which one rapidly loses when the heartbeat starts racing. In other words, drill yourself & your training partner in these moves and they'll be there WHEN YOU NEED THEM; more complex choreographed drills trained with respectful and compliant partners in your dojo WON'T. Art is beautiful and absolutely WONDERFUL to develop so don't stop...when it comes to SURVIVAL in the worst circumstances, however, you need the kind of bedrock simplicity typified by the instruction in this book. The muscles you will build, furthermore, will serve to deter at least some aggressors toward "easier looking" victims, or, failing that, power your strikes and help you resist his. This obscure, almost unknown book from the early 60s is terribly under-appreciated and the author deserves way more recognition!

I first read this book back in high school when I borrowed it from my town's public library. I digested it, and still train to this day in accord with it's basic guidance (going on to nidan in judo, no less). I tried for many years to locate another copy of it, to no avail until very recently. A treasure, re-discovered! It really does "feed the need" of every young man, providing the guidance one seeks to grow bigger and stronger, as well as to be able to walk the streets with the calm certainty that you & yours are well-protected. The training routine it epouses is a bare-bones whole body schedule of basic, compound exercises. No periodization, cycling, cross-training, steroids, split routines, or even nutritional supplementation. No FRILLS, in other words. What is DOES have, is the same essential approach that has built more muscle on more people over the years, than ALL the above mentioned distractions combined. On the self-defense half of the book, you're schooled in textbook judo and jujutsu. For the same reasons the musclebuilding half of the book wouldn't appeal to some (doesn't have extravagant claims or bloated, steroid-gutted monkies posing for the photos, leaving some to say, "It's too simple! It couldn't possibly work!"), some will dismiss the self-defense instruction herein as outdated or overly simplistic. Not so! The moves are largely gross motor movements, as opposed to the fine motor skills which one rapidly loses when the heartbeat starts racing. In other words, drill yourself & your training partner in these moves and they'll be there WHEN YOU NEED THEM; more complex choreographed drills trained with respectful and compliant partners in your dojo WON'T. Art is beautiful and absolutely WONDERFUL to develop so don't stop...when it comes to SURVIVAL in the worst circumstances, however, you need the kind of bedrock simplicity typified by the instruction in this book. The muscles you will build, furthermore, will serve to deter at least some aggressors toward "easier looking" victims, or, failing that, power your strikes and help you resist his. This obscure, almost unknown book from the early 60s is terribly under-appreciated and the author deserves way more recognition!

I bought this book over 25 years ago when I first started weight training, I found it very inspiring and it certainly helped me starting out.The self-defense section is out of date now, but the book is almost 40 years old. I still have it in my collection, and will always treasure it!Thanks Mr.Callum, wherever you are!