Customer Reviews

Knife Fighting Encyclopedia

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

One Star...Now. Back then there was little else! Hello Guys and Gals. This is Hock, the author of this book! I have just read both the great and then scathing reviews of my book. "Too many photos!" "Too many words!" "Not enough description!" "Not enough photos!" "Not enough laws!" Jeez! I honestly think the scathing ones all have their own business agendas in disliking me. But, having said that? I will tell you that this version of the book is now getting to be 10 years old. Old! It is no longer in print. Hasn't been for 5 years now. I don't like it. I wouldn't bother getting it. Too old. I have completely redone, reshot and re-described bigger and better than ever, the entire knife course in the knife sections of my new Hand, Stick, Knife and Gun Training Mission books, 1 thru 10 series. You can find these by just searching on my name W. Hock Hochheim. I frankly wouldn't waste my time with this old thing. I may someday, excise the knife chapters from the Training Mission books and once again make-The Knife Fighting Encyclopedia from that collection. But that might be in 2009, or 2010. Meanwhile? Get the Training Mission books and forget about this one.

An absolutely first class book, based mostly upon Filipino martial arts. This book covers almost all of the techniques, grips and drills that you could possibly want. I have the first two volumes of this author's Knife Fighting Encyclopedia series and I await the two other books mentioned in the second encyclopedia to be published. Importantly, the author gives the underlying reasons for each and every technique as well as combat drills- much better than simply stating how things are done. The only suggestion for improvement would be a section outlining solo training methods as most of the training drills require two persons. Absolutely fantastic!

This is the best book on knife fighting ever published, with much good photos on several angles, and a very clear text. It's based on Filipino Arnis Martial Art, and a few topics from other Martial & Military schools. I've read a lot of books on the subjetc, that I also practice, and I can say that, if you want to buy only one book on the subject, and wish to know how to fight with a knife, and win that fight against anyone with or without a knife, this is the book for you. The best next thing to have an Arnis de Mano Trainer by your side all the time!

This review is for the complete three (currently) volume set; vol. One: Knife Fighting Encyclopedia, vol. Two: Military Knife Combat, vol. Three: Unarmed Versus The Knife.
With Hochs work I have taken my limited training of knife fighting for the military and expanded on that basic foundation and now feel quite comfortable and competent of my level of knife employment. After reading then applying his instruction, I found out just how inadequate the current military program of instruction in combative/knife fighting is lacking.
Hocks books cover from the very basics all the way up to silent sentry removal. His first book is a must for all knife fighter/marital artists or concerned citizen. His second volume is geared toward military/paramilitary and law enforcement types. This volume would have limited use in the civilian sector. Finally is the third volume which again should be required reading for all the above. This book could stand-alone for the person just wanting information to thwart an attack on the street from a knife-wielding nut.
The qualities of these soft cover volumes are excellent. The text and pictures are clear, crisp and easy to understand. The structure and set up of the content is done in a building block format, so you learn the basics first, then build on to them with more advanced and complex skills as you progress. The only thing I think all the volumes lack is an index section at the end of the books.
My final words are; buy these books all of them! Hock I look forward to your next volume.

Maybe I'm a little bias because I know and train with Hock Hochheim. But, like most of his books, tapes & DVDs, he is a great source of information. In this book his topic is Knife fighting. I've trained in several Martial Arts/Fighting Styles and stumbled across Hock a little over a year ago. This book will give you a realistic look at what a knife fight is all about. Now there are many people who frown upon the use of a knife as self protection and claim that taking a knife or gun from someone in a real life or death altercation is impossible. Well, Hock explains the reality of those claims. Being a Police officer for over 12 years I have seen even the most uncordinated and drunken subjects use or disarm people in fights. This book concentrates on using a knife as a weapon and the legal ramifications of doing so. Fights are not pleasant and are to be avoided if possible. But believing you can "Talk" your way out of every situation is to be a bit naive. Through this book you can learn how to defend yourself and loved ones in some dangerous situations. Yes, its about being pro-active with a knife. But, remember a knife is one of the oldest tools to date. Its up to the weilder of this tool to use it properly. Great book!! Easy to follow and worth checking into.

While the author in his own review criticizes his old material and suggests that you buy his current, definitive material, this book is still a very good and broad presentation of knife fighting/ knife defense principles and methods.

I have not yet looked at Mr. Hochheim's most recent material. Based on what I have read, it is very thorough and well organized. But it also costs a couple of hundred dollars (for the whole set with DVD's, etc.) last time I checked. It certainly can't hurt to read this earlier work and if you want to go further in to depth, then purchase his newer work. That way you can also gain insight into how his system of teaching and presenting has evolved.

I should point out that there is more than one master-instructor in knife fighting, so H. Hochheim is not the only option. I like many of the Philipino based systems. So far my favorite video on the subject is by the late Terry Gibson, who archived his curriculum prior to his death, since he had a was ill and wanted to preserve his teachings (if I understand correctly). On the other hand, I have NOT researched exhaustively on what is the best outreach material available.

If you can get your hands on the Encyclopedia at a reasonable price, it is worth having, especially if you are a serious martial artist or martial arts instructor.

My reason for saying this is as follows:
1. Even if your art does not specialize in knife, you should know something about it so that you have a better chance of coping with it if you encounter it. If you haven't addressed Knife in some capacity in your practice, then I can tell you right now, you are not prepared cope with even someone with a little bit of training with the weapon who is intent on damaging you. It is a wicked tool, and takes away much of the advantage from a barehanded martial artist defending them-self from a knife attack. So at the very least, arm yourself with a bit of knowledge.

2. While some people complain that the photos in the book don't show precise transitions between movements, anyone with reasonable martial arts experience who takes the time to read the text and look at the images should be able to visualize what is going on in the encounters. Image training, or even just considering the dangerous possibilities is potentially very helpful in preventing or defending.

3. This book is broad enough for the non-specialist who wants to fill in knowledge gaps. Its 280 pages of substance on the subject. There is little space wasted. You can always get more from additional sources (if you still want to) but this book is gritty and does not attempt to glorify the knife. It just gives a wide presentation of its use, what might happen, etc.

If you have considered buying this more than once, just get it. (Hey you can always pass it on to someone else once you are finished. It is out of print and the author makes no profit from people reselling it. Keep that in mind.)

I hope that this review is helpful.
Good luck.

This book is great for people who would like to think of themselves as some great ninja commando with a knife. It is fun and interesting, and has very little to do with actual knife fighting.

Hock's approach can be summed up in the words, "Kill 'em all, let God sort them out." It appeals to a lot of people who like simple scenarios and fantasies where they slay the dragon, get the princess and ride off into the sun set.

Fortunatly, most of the people who buy this book will never see a knife coming at them. They will never see the grim reality of that situation. And they will never learn just how reality differs from the theory that Hock lays out.

A good example of the difference reality has with this book is found in the scant few pages, less than a hand full, devoted to the legal consequences you will face after a situation where you use a knife. Among the things he writes is that you will be judged through a filter of "14) The socio-economics of the community members involved" and other dubious items. He sums up his opinion with the attitude that it is better to be judged by 12 than carried by six. Which appeals to the macho commando types but should read, "Better to be gang raped every week in the prison showers than face certain death."

Hock does not do a good job of explaining how just using a knife will land you in hot water with the police, and that they (rightly) tend to assume that the guy still standing after an attack is the guy who started the trouble. Masaad Ayoob has written pages on pages on true stories of how people have used a weapon to defend themselves and run into major problems with the law, and here it is pushed off to the side as quickly as possible.

It is reality, and Hock does deal with it. But as soon as he can get back to the nice, macho, stuff he does.

The same goes for the basic layout of the book. The facts are that the chances of a person getting into a knife on knife fight is exteremely low outside of a few criminal communities. Yet the bulk of the book is given over to just this. The chances that you will face a knife unarmed or you will face a person while you have the only knife is discussed in about a paragraph each. But then Hock goes back to the knife on knife bravado that makes this book fun to read. I can imagine a woman using a knife on someone trying to drag her into a van, but that is only briefly discussed and the premise is that you will have a knife ready and the other person will be knice enough to attack you with his own only at such times.

There is only a few pictures and no real depth to the idea that maybe you will be facing someone with a baseball bat, crow bar or other street weapon. In all but a handfull of pictures, the knife goes against a similar knife attacking from the front.

One of the pictures that shows a club being used kind of illustrates another point. The whole emphisis of the book is about knifing and being a "Knife Fighter" and not devoted to realistic strategies of surviving an attack. The knife must be center to everything, otherwise the whole self image of a "knifer" breaks down. On page 20b there is a section on quickdraw where the attacker with a club already in his hand swings at the knifer. Instead of getting out of the way or trying to deal with the club with the hands, the knifer stands his ground and gets his hand to his knife and out in a position to block the club after the club has already started coming at him. You would have to be pretty fast to pull that off. But "knifers" like to think that they are somehow capable of doing just that.

Hock also spends a heck of a lot of time doing what almost every other creator of a new martial arts style is expected to do, namely bad mouth everything else under the sun. Traditional arts especially. In some cases, I kind of wonder if he understands what these traditional practices are supposed to do. He says that rather than building up leg muscle by doing deep horse stances, you should just do some reps on a weight machine. But the discipline needed to do deep stances for long periods of time are more valuable to forging the spirit, just like SEALs go through long periods with their boats on their shoulders as the trainer heaps abuse on them. If Hock had enough confidence in his own art to not need to tear down others like Dan Insanto it might read a little easier. As it is, traditionalists and modern inovators that do not follow his narrow philosophy get a lot of pages that could have better been given over to practical matters.

Somewhat disturbing is the fact that so much of the book seems to be just teaser for later videos and such from the author. The information in entire chapters barely lets people know that the author teaches the subject, but gives nothing of value. However the video for the subject title can be found in the back of the book. I added up the amount of money to buy all the videos and reccomended items on the order page and came up with a figure just shy of a thousand dollars. Obviously, after getting a taste of this, you can be expected to start sending in more money to Hock.

In short, this book is written by a person who seems to have never used a knife against another person in combat and appeals to those who would like to think of themselves as knife fighters but probably never will be. As long as that is understood, everything is great. I think this would make a great gift to a cousin that has too much testosterone but lives in a white bread community with little chance of having to actually rely on this stuff to save his life.

Hock's Encyclopedia was a good effort. However, it was written early, and his techniques & teachings have since evolved.

This is a really thick book, jammed with thousands of B&W photos. To better illustrate many techniques, the "opponent" stands motionless throughout, and the scenario is shown from alternate angles. Some of the concepts are rather complex, and even the better than average photography does not convey everything. This is why much of his current instruction is on video.

The book starts out with graphic photos of two typical slash wounds -- something I've never seen in another knife fighting text. Hock's details of cases where individuals were able to continue to fight -- or flee the scene -- after sustaining a serious wound is also absent from most other texts. His curmudgeonly remarks regarding some of the nonsense he's seen other instructors teaching is priceless. For these reasons alone, this book is worth having in your library. Plus, it's really hard to find, so it's an actual "collector's item."

This is primarily a training manual, with the intent being that you practice extensively with a partner and safety gear. It is NOT a "beginner's" text, nor is it light reading. It can even be tedious at times, but the book is cram packed with information. Of course, with this many techniques, some will not be suitable for everyone. Pick and choose what works best for you.

A good reference work, considered a "classic" by many.

I own this book and all of Hocks works on the knife and those of many others. This book is a classic text that I wish I could buy as guides to the knife instructors I teach and certify. Hocks newer works are indeed superior in instruction and detail than this book. I would not suggest this book to someone who is ignorant about using knives due to the lack of detail, but if you have a knife background you will find it a prized reference. If you find it, buy it and definately check out his new knife material.

After attending a seminar put on by Hock I was truly impressed with the teaching methods of this remarkable man. I bought the book on sight along with the journey man 1 and 2 knife fighting vidoes. After studying JKD for years this was a new insight into kali (arnis) and edged weapons as well as hand to hand. All the material in this book can be broken down to not only knife, but stick, unarmed open hand, or whatever might be available at the time of attack. It covers the three basic ranges, kicking, punching, and grappling as well as angles of attack.
I really must take issue with the reviewer that stated "fun fantasy stuff" and "In short, this book is written by a person who seems to have never used a knife against another person in combat" To the reader from the badlands, get of your couch, log on the internet, visit Hock's website, and go to one of Hock's seminars, see up close and personal what is fantasy and what is reality. Because my friend in the reality of an attack on your life, or that of a loved one, there are no time outs, you can't tap out, you can't yell cut, and bring in a stunt double, you must stop this individual by any means neccesary. I must agree with Hock it is better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6. If the law is your main concern in an attack on YOUR life, then marker could read "Here lies a law abiding citizen".
This book as well as 2 and 3 are just some of many tools at our disposal for doing just that.