Effective and practical martial art strategies.
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How To Defend Yourself contains practical martial arts strategies that can be learned quickly and easily, even if the reader has never before studied the martial arts. Drawn from the traditional fighting styles of Shaolin Long Fist (Changuan) and Shaolin White Crane (Bai he), the techniques in How To Defend Yourself have been selected for both their simplicity and their speed of application. Readers will learn basic blocks, punches, kicks, and Qin Na (Chin Na - joint locking); how to protect themselves with techniques against a barehanded attacker, and an attacker armed with a knife. Readers will also discover how to use a belt, shoes, or even a shirt to defend themselves! The mind of an attacker and the mind of a victim are revealed in How to Defend Yourself. And perhaps the first, and most valuable lesson in staying safe, is learning how not to look like a victim. How To Defend Yourself is a "must have" acquisition for all personal and community library martial arts collections. There are very few books in the typical library that have the potential to save the reader's life -- How To Defend Yourself is the best of those few. -- Midwest Book Review
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Give it to someone you hate,
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This review is from: How to Defend Yourself: Effective & Practical Martial Arts Strategies (Paperback)
Actually, don't. A true martial artist deliberately avoids causing harm.
Having had the privilege of attending several of Dr. Ming's seminars, I believe he would not consciously write a text which was so impractical that the only harm its techniques would cause would be to the reader when they naively used them. Dr. Ming's background is in mechanical engineering and that serves him well in his other volumes dealing with the classical Kung Fu styles (demonstrated by the exaggerated stances his models used in "Practical Strategies") or Tai Chi Ch'uan. While Dr. Ming's Chin Na (joint manipulation) techniques could be applied if one should wind up grappling with an attacker, the tactics he shows in this book are a danger to anyone who feels they are now "trained" to defend themselves. A true assault, be it on the street or in a hallway, is usually a flash attack leaving no time to drop into a low, deep stance and then attempt an awkward block. Dr. Ming's Chin Na books, in conjunction with a good instructor, may be effective adjuncts to years of study of a practical art. This volume, regrettably, is worse than useless since it will probably produce a false sense of competence, a situation guaranteed to lead to an unfortunate conclusion.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Did any reviewer actually read the book?,
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This review is from: How to Defend Yourself: Effective & Practical Martial Arts Strategies (Paperback)
I have been involved with martial arts for more than 30 years and now have a small school of my own that my own children attend. I highly recommend this book by Dr. Yang. Simply look at the high level materials he has created and his reputation in the martial arts community. I am astounded by the lack of respect and misrepresentation found in the reviews for this work. For example, Dr. Yang does advise not to engage a gunman at long range, he than advises prolonged practice if you must defend against a gun at short range. Very reasonable advice to someone who would actually read the section. Yes Dr. Yang's system emphasizes a low horse stance. The purpose of the stance is to develop strength in the legs and balance in those first starting out. If you have even a basic understanding of this than the photos make sense. I am constantly amazed that books claiming to give people advanced Kung-fu power simply by absorbing the reading material can get high ratings and then you find an example like this where a reputable master is attacked by those without knowledge. It takes practice, timing, and training to defend yourself on the street. Dr. Yang's system as presented here is one of the top systems out there. Look at the masters reputation, look at the schools that he has, look at the material that is produced, and than go with the best.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Could be better,
By
This review is from: How to Defend Yourself: Effective & Practical Martial Arts Strategies (Paperback)
This book is mostly on using traditional kung-fu movements for self-defense. The first chapter has little to do with defense, but is mostly on "Martial Morality"; nothing wrong with that, I just think it's a little out of place. It also includes basic history and principles of White Crane and Long Fist styles. The second chapter is on psychology of both an attacker and a victim. I'm not sure that the author conveys quite what he meant here, as far as the criminal's psychology goes, and he advises not to fight against a gun, and doesn't seem to take into account that the defender may have no choice. Chapter three covers hand-to-hand encounters, and includes pieces on distance, jointlocks (chin-na), blocking, kicking, and footwork. The last chapter is on knife defense. At the end is a glossary of Chinese terms. Overall, though I think a practitioner of Chinese arts could use this book as a way to apply the movements he already knows, and a beginner would certainly learn some valuable lessons, but there are much simpler self-defense books out there. Used with Dr. Yang's Long Fist and Chin Na books, one could get a very complete system, but it's hard for me to let this book stand alone.
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