Customer Reviews

Logic of Steel: A Fighter's View of Blade and Shank Encounters

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

 

 

The Logic of Steel is the second book that I have read from Mr. LaFond. Like his first book, "The Fighting Edge", I was taught techniques of self-defense. As I was transported into the seedy world of knife encounters, I realized that I need to purchase a gun. I definitely would be on the losing end of a shank attack, especially if I can't tell I'm being stabbed! I really enjoy his style of writing. The information flows easily and the author does not write above your head. The dialogue was hilarious. I can't believe what people will do and say. The chapter headings and quotes are the best, particularly his use of the actual words from ancient Greek and Roman soliders. The Logic of Steel will give you the knowledge of how to handle yourself if in a knife attack and what you can do to get out of the situation. However, I must say that the Ebonic language was a little confusing to follow. Thanks for the glossary. I will end with my two favorite lines from the book.

Tatto Rick -- "There is no objective truth. Life is a subjective mess...Chaos is the rule. Order is a mathematical fantasy."

James La Fond -- "The true study of fighters is the study of the fighter's character, not his technique."

If you read what's told in this book, and compares with your own experience (if any), and then go and browse several books on the subject, you'll probably get to the same conclusion I did: many writers have no idea of what's a real confrontation involving a knife, neither have any understanding of the dynamics in such situations.
This, obviously, is not the case with "Logic of Steel". Each anecdote or case is full of information that will add knowledge to your point of view, and it deals with more than knife fightings. Worth every penny.

Honestly, I expected a book about knifefighting, but this was more like "what happens when someone gets stabbed with a knife." It was an excellent book, nonetheless. Highly detailed as to demographics, weapon preferences, and skell tactics. The only thing missing was graphs! Interesting data on not one, but SEVERAL methods of using your jacket as a shield (incidentally, that's where the term "Cloak and Dagger" originated). More criminology than cutlery here, but still an outstanding read.

An entirely new approach to the subject--the author analyzes data he has collected in the form of anecdotes about violent incidents (many of which he repeats), to reveal statistical patterns he finds in weapons-related incidents in the Baltimore area. Interesting all around.

I know, I know. A lot of people are saying about a lot of books that they are "fantastic". "This book is better than all".
I am not saying this is the very best about the subject of knife-fighting there is.
But it is very good.
LaFond is doing a statistical analyst of 1,000 knife- related cases. He does NOT talk like a haught martial artist who has never been in a real fight. Neither does he promote dumb-headed agression. He has things to say, and he has got data, as well as the stories of the people who this happened to.
Fighting is dangerous. LaFond does not pretend to learn you anything that "magicly" would protect you from it. He does give you the chance to have some notion of aspects of it, you probably have not thought about before.

A must read for serious matial artists. (Cliche, I know.)

A must read for the student of the knife. No angles, no sparring, do dancing. Just reality. Five stars.

With all due respect to Mr. LaFond, the picture on the cover of this book does it no justice. This is not another "blowhard martial arts expert" selling the latest weapons disarming techniques.

That's not what the book is about at all.

Instead, Mr. LaFond started out with a question. What REALLY happens in violent encounters with one or more individuals armed with edged weapons? He documented hundreds of encounters and what he found out may shatter alot of commonly held myths. A few points:

-Most people are butchered with junk, items that cost less than $10, including pocket knives, kitchen knives, screwdrivers, cutting razors, scissors, etc...

-Many people didn't realize they had been stabbed until the encounter was over.

-Most attacks were against unarmed victims, assassination style. (No West Side Story knife duels)

Certainly not for the faint of heart, some of the encounters described quite grisly, this book is fascinating if you've ever asked the question yourself, or have endured martial arts wrist manipulation disarming instruction and asked yourself "Would this REALLY work?"

The strength and weakness of this book is LaFond is an independent operator. His statistical compilation techniques are not very scientific: the information is from sources that include news accounts, interviews, newspaper clippings, eyewitness accounts, etc...)
The strength of the book is LaFond arrives with no preconceived agendas and was obviously not out to sell a self defense method or product. Instead, this was an earnest attempt to answer his own questions.

Full of hair raising (and sometimes comical) accounts of edged weapon encouters, with only a few techniques that LaFond things could be helpful in such an encouter, this book makes for some interesting reading if you are interested in the subject, and have reached the age of cynicism and want to know the truth and not the Hollywood version.

I certainly respect LaFond's effort. A recommended read.

Get this book and study it. Then ask yourself if your "knife fighting master/instructor/teacher" is telling you the truth about reality, or is he only selling you smoke.

This is the most unusual approach I have ever read in a book about edged weapons. This is not a "how to" book on the art of knife fighting, but rather a book about people's experiences dealing with edged weapon attacks. In this respect, it provides real life tales to stress the lesson being taught. The author writes strictly from a street experience point of view. It is clear he does not care much for cops and some martial artists. This book has very practical and effective lessons that every person needs to learn when it comes to edged weapons. This book deals the reality of knife fights, pure and simple. All of its 14 chapters offers readers actual experiences the author has recorded on the topic of edged weapon incidents. In conclusion, as a retired police officer who has taught officers Knife Handling and Knife Defense, as well as being a lifetime student of the martial arts, I did not care for many of his comments. Nevertheless, the information in this book is of value for anyone interested in surviving on the street.

Rating: 4 stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Tanto Jutsu Techniques Official Manual of Bushi Satori Ryu).

This is a great book and invaluable to anyone interested in true self defense. This book would have been completely worth it just for the dozens and dozens of detailed accounts of actual violent incidents involving blades, however the addition of the hard statistics that the author has compiled, categorizing each incident by time, setting, particpants, medical and legal consequences, as well as blade type, fighting postures used, and grip type, as well as his astute commentary, put it over the top.

The book is easy to read and the author appers to have no hidden agenda aside from a genuine interest in understanding the subject. He debunks a lot of the nonsense taught in many dojos, but he doesn't harp on it. In fact, after reading all the accounts, he really doesn't have to - any reader with a brain will see how badly the traditional or overcommercialized stuff would have faired in these encounters.

He also makes evident a lot of telling truths. For example, he shows how virtually none of the many many violent knife incidents involved a "survival knife," "boot knife," "stiletto," "combat knife," or any of the other expensive purpose-built knives that some areas are trying to make illegal. Most of the incidents involved cheap lockbacks, razors, kitchen or butcher knives, box cutters, carpentry knives, and assorted "junk." Items which would be impossible to ban because they are used in kitchens, job sites, offices, or can be improvised easily.

I have other books on the subject, including "Prison's Bloody Iron." That book really cannot compare to this one, this one is far more informative, recent, and lucid.