Grappling Master: Combat for Street Defense and Competition [Paperback]

Gene LeBell (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 159 pages
• Publisher: Pro Action Pub (February 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0961512628
• ISBN-13: 978-0961512620
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #985,008 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book of finishing holds, June 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Grappling Master: Combat for Street Defense and Competition (Paperback)

I really like this book. It has an extremely large collection of holds. Some of the holds are kind of far fetched, but there are tons of holds that are very practical and savage in application. There are no wasted chapters with frivalous chit chat. Just straight up move by move instruction. The book's format is perfect, each move is covered on a whole page with bothe illustrations and text, so there is no page flipping to cover a techique. Many martial artists who write books need to follow that same format. I really liked the first chapter covering grips, it was short and sweet and down to the nitty gritty when it came to explaining proper grips during applications, and made me really pay attention to my grips during training. I feel any grappler such as a judo practicioner, jujitsuka, aikidoist, shootfighter, or any level wrestler would find the holds in this book very helpful in finishing an opponent. I think strikers with some grappling knowledge and good atemi-waza would also benifit. The book does not get into basic grappling though, which in my opinion it shouldnt, that would have really taken away from the content of the book. If you have no experience in a grappling style, learn to grapple first then get the book and use its holds as supplementary techniques. But overall the book is worth every penny i paid for it and is a wealth of great information on various holds and locks.

Gene thank you!!!!!! and keep up the good work!!!!!!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book on submission holds!, February 2, 2004

By 

Joseph M Burtner (Kennesaw, Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grappling Master: Combat for Street Defense and Competition (Paperback)

I love this book. It gave me my first experience with submission holds, and taking what I learned, I tapped out a BJJ blue belt who outweighed me by 40lbs. And that was when I didn't know any throws, pins, or escapes. That's how good this book is. "Judo" Gene starts off with the very basics of grappling with showing the ways to grip your hands together, including his "three-fingered" grip, and why not to lace your fingers together. Then he demonstrates his 'slap-and-catch', which is a way to extend your opponents arm for locking. Then it's on to the holds. The holds are classified by what part of the body they work on, and include "Rib Crushing" and "Head Lock Varieties". At the end of his book is a "Grab Bag" chapter, which is just a bunch of seemingly random techniques. Some of the moves in this book are very complex, and best suited for showing off, but many are very good, and hardly ever seen in jujitsu or MMA competition, like the over-scissors and short-arm scissors, but I can tell you from experience that they work. This isn't a self-defense book per say, but many of the moves could be incorperated into self-defense training. Though it was written first, "Grappling Master" seems like the abridged version of Gene's "Grappling Encyclopedia", and I'd recomend that one get "Grappling Master" first, as most of the techniques are simplified from "Encyclopedia". The only things that detract from this book is that there are no "heel hooks", and that the pictures were originally taken in 1986, so they don't look so great. However, these holds are about as close to "catch wrestling" as any book I've ever seen, and include some "ripping" techniques. A good buy, especially for someone who knows nothing of grappling holds.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hairy and masculine, January 23, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Grappling Master: Combat for Street Defense and Competition (Paperback)

What's not funny about two overweight, fortyish, excessively hairy men in wrestling tights? Does it sound like professional wrestling? Think again, back to a day before steroids and flourescent body suits and gimmicks and hair dye and fakebakes tainted the great American pasttime. Think back to a day when professional wrestlers were, uh, overweight, fortyish, excessively hairy and wearing wrestling tights. Grappling Master, a submission hold instructional manual by wrestling/fighting/self-defense great "Judo" Gene LeBell, is, on one level, rather silly, with hundreds of photos of "Judo" Gene, in the aforementioned outfit, inflicting pain and apparent torture on, judging from the pained grimaces of, his training partner. But while some of the moves and submission holds may seem a tad silly or just plain unrealistic, there are hundreds of others that are effective and easy to apply and possibly lifesaving. Whether competing in Judo or Ju-Jitsu tournaments or just wanting to feel more secure in your ability to defend yourself, this book is a great buy for the money, and an effective, clear and concise guide to simple defense strategies.