Customer Reviews

Grappling Master: Combat for Street Defense and Competition

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!!!!!!!

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.

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.

This book was originally published under the title PRO WRESTLING FINISHING HOLDS. In many areas, this shows. But you have to remember that the author, Gene LeBell, is the real deal when it comes to grappling.

Many of the techniques outlined in this book are for the pro wrestling ring and nowhere else -- if you tried to use them on a serious grappler they wouldn't work. Other moves, though, will have your opponent screaming in pain or leave that person with a strained or broken limb.

If you have enough experience grappling to sort the wheat from the chaff, then you'll find this book very useful.

This book is a bible of submissions, period. If you are interested in learning how to break every limb on the human body, this book is for you! "Judo" Gene LaBelle's instructions are clear and concise. If you are hoping to learn the basics of groundfighting, however, you should try something else... A great buy for anyone interested in this subject!

Book smelles as if it was soaked in water and allowed to mold. Book arrived wrapped in a brown grocery bag. very unhappy

Some, perhaps a lot, of the submission holds in this book are pretty unrealistic. They worked on my girl-freind, but failed repeatedly on trained grapplers (Judo plyers and jujitsu students). On the other hand, some of the moves are really nice, and relatively unknown. If you have mainly trained in sport or tournament grappling methods, like judo or wrestling, than some of the vicious and imaginitive moves will really enhance your ability to finalize your opponent. The moves are well illustrated and described in the text, but unfortunately LeBell does not show how to set-up most of these techniques. Conclusion: A bit fanciful sometimes, but mostly useful. I recommend this book if you already have a grappling background. If you do not already know the basics of ground fighting, buy a basic judo text instead of this one.

The book is not about self defense or street defense as the title alludes to. It is a book with great submission holds. But, before one can attempt to apply these submission holds they must be capable of fighting hand to hand and then successfully and safely be able to place their attacker into one of these holds; not likely without alot of previous experience and training. Pass on this book unless you are an experienced fighter looking for some good finishing holds; but realize for everyone of these holds there is at least one counter or escape move, so learn those also. For those of you looking for self defense books refer to my "Listmania" suggestions.

This is one of the most comprehensive books on finishing holds that has ever been published. Gene LeBell is a true legend in the martial arts field. He has a vast knowledge of grappling and wrestling. This book is so filled with valuable information that it needs to be studied in depth. To reap the full benefits of this text you should seek out hands-on training from an instructor as you study the book. An example of the amount of information in this text includes: The Lebell slap and catch, pressures against the back, neck locks and cranks, rib crushing, chokes and neck holds, wrist and finger locks, head locks, arm. elbow, shoulder locks and much, much more. The photographs are clear and the captions are easy to understand.

In conclusion, this is a book that will be of value to all serious martial artists who want to further their knowledge of finishing holds.

Rating: 5 stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Karate Combatives: Reality-Based Karate for the street)

Although the book says it's about "Combat" - its strong point is really finishing holds. As it says in the introduction, it's about getting an attacker to submit without resorting to a gun or other weapon. You will have to find other material to learn about entering a fight, trapping and take downs. My biggest complaint with the book though, was that the pictures aren't really of the quality I expected. All the photos were vaguely blurry and not lit to highlight the step in the technique being discussed. I found it a hard way to learn.