Customer Reviews

Judo Unleashed: Essential Throwing & Grappling Techniques for Intermediate to Advanced Martial Artists

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I really like this as a text book for my students. It covers the basics in detail using current technology for photos and diagrams, The overview of judo history and evolution into a popular Olympic sport is explained well with a reverence for it's martial roots. Had I written a book myself it would look a lot like this one.

In addition to the comments already posted, the photo sequences of moves + the close-ups of grips AND positioning of the feet are extremely effective reminders of what the sensei/coach keep pounding in our heads back at the dojo/gym.

Neil Ohlenkamp's years as a Judo teacher shows through in the way he presents basic information and the nuances that are so important to competitive Judo.

Although the techniques are intended for intermediates and higher, the beginner Judoka or experienced grappler (BJJer or Wrestler) will be able to understand and appreciate the essential elements.

You will not be disapointed with this book and it's so cheap! Remember, Mr. Ohlenkamp runs the most popular Judo Information site in the world.

- beautiful pictures, all colour
- street-fighting applications of everything explained IN DETAIL
- complete techniques
- lots of interesting stuff to read

Judo is presented here as a fighting art in its entirety. Neil runs the world's biggest Judo website, and is probably the most informed judoka there is on this planet. He hasn't left anything out, and doesn't waste space explaining things either. It's all here and really fun to read and consult!

This book will do a lot of great things for promoting Judo.

WOW!

There are a lot of Judo books out there. Many have bad pictures (the models watching their feet when they step in, their throws when throwing, stuff I'm learning not to do), and do not cover all the basics.

This is a comprehensive book. Solid (the author also runs Judoinfo.com) and complete. Excellent illustrations. Amazon said I could expect to get it in July, my copy from Amazon arrived last Monday and I took it to class. Everyone had positive things to say about it.

Do not let the cover or the title make you think that this book is something it is not. The book is solid, complete and clear. Published in multiple language editions, it is probably the best book you can buy to start a collection of books.

I've been buying the Masterclass books as I could find them (until Neil pointed me to a site that has them all, now I'm buying them as I can afford them) and this book gave me a lot more bang for the buck.

I found this book to be a good introduction to Judo. It touches on a lot of topics like the history of Judo, what Judo is, how it works, self defense, sport, personal development, theory, and techniques. That's a lot to try to pack into one book but Mr. Ohlenkamp did a good job and has put together a book that he can be proud of.

Pros: The book is very well laid out in a neat, organized manner. It's printed on high quality paper which makes the book easy to read and visually appealing. It goes over the official 67 throws that are recognized by the Kodokan and some of the moves have variations to help you out when you can't get a technique to work in the traditional way. Along with each move there is a little diagram that shows the ending position for your feet which helps in the understanding how to perform each technique. The part I found the most valuable is the Appendices. This section does many things; it translates the Japanese words for easier understanding. It goes over and explains sport rules and scoring. The appendix tells you which moves are recognized by the Kodokan and Judo Federation. Last but not least is my favorite part. It has a chart that tells you which moves are good to set up other moves and a follow up attack in case you miss the technique you were going for along with the most used counters to each move. As a beginner Judoka, I'm finding the appendix section of the book very helpful.

Cons: Often the moves are described in about 3 pictures with a paragraph explaining the whole move. I felt this made it hard to tell when to apply the details within the move and sometimes it was hard to tell what was going on in the pictures. The Grappling section I found very weak. The book only had one picture per move and that was the ending position without any explanation of how to set it up or the mechanics of the move. I felt this section could have been skipped and I wouldn't have missed anything. The only other thing that I didn't care for in this book was that at times Neil gets a little long winded but that can also be a good thing depending on who's reading it.

I'm keeping this book around as I found it to be a good reference book for my Judo needs. Overall, I felt this was a good book with a lot to offer people that are new to intermediate in Judo but it might be just the same old stuff or people that have been in the sport for a long time.

Learn the art of judo whether you're training for competition or preparing for the black belt using JUDO UNLEASHED: ESSENTIAL THROWING & GRAPPLING TECHNIQUES FOR INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED MARTIAL ARTISTS. This step-by-step guide to the art is for any who want to take judo techniques a step further, blending it with other competitive fighting styles. The author is one of the world's best judo coaches and his expertise lends to all the basics, building both a philosophical and athletic foundation of advanced self-defense moves. Color photos throughout show how.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Unleashed is an overrated word, nothing too technically difficult. I'm new in Judo, but not to martial arts and grappling. I found the breakdown of the basics very helpful and the fundamentals are well explained also, coupled with the excellent pictures the book is a must have for any martial artist. So even though its not "unleashed" I still give it a full 5 stars for its content.

I'm not an experienced Judoka, I don't study it formally, but I do take several other martial arts, and I have found this book to be an excellent addition to my skills. I currently study Muay Thai, Karate, and do MMA classes every now and then, and I've found this book to be incredibly helpful. When sparring in my MMA class I can utilze many of the techniques and princibles laid out in this book.
I gives clear description of each technique, as well as counter techniques to each move. It also shows what to do if your technique fails, and how to immediately move to the next one. I even show the book to a couple of the Judo black belts in my Muay Thai class, and they asked where they could get a copy to help with their training.
I'd definately reccomend this to anyone interested in Judo, or any current students of the art.
One of the best books in my collection.

This book offers a great guide for a martial art student to understand. It is really good for understanding the mechanics needed for "throws." The pictures in the book are great. NOTE: NO martial art should be tried without the supervision of a trained professional

The reason I waited off on buying this book for so long is because it was so cheep I figured it must be all in black and white with cheap paper. But I was completely wrong and pleasantly surprised! The production quality is terrific for the price! Nice semi-glosi color pictures, really asthectically pleasing. Maybe that is not so important to everyone, but to me it makes all the difference. I am so much more drawn to a book that is this visually inviting over drab black n white book. I would normally expect to pay $15-20 for a book like this, but for $8-13 it is a freakin steal.