Customer Reviews

Low Kicks: Aiming Low For Maximum Punishment In Unarmed Combat

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

 

 

Fred Hutchinson's Low Kicks is an excellent manual for training the body's most powerful anatomical weapons -- the legs. The manual's format is similar to John Sanchez's Slash and Thrust and Andrea Ferrara's Corsican Steel. (What these manuals share in common is the presentation of training exercises that are independent of style or system. The obvious result is that any reader can benefit from their information regardless of his/her own background, expertise, or combative preferences.) Low Kicks begins by identifying those kicks that Hutchinson considers most appropriate for self defense from the perspective of the reader who cannot train regularly in a dojo. The kicks he recommends are simple in execution and effective in application. Some kicks are drawn from traditional karate, and a few others come from French savate. At least two kicks Hutchinson uses come from WWII Military Combatives, a "style" of combat that has recently developed a large following in the US and Britain. The book then proceeds to reveal a variety of training methods used for making the kicks even more effective. The methods described are such that the reader can utilize them in his den or basement without relying on elaborate equipment or training devices. What is most unique about Low kicks is not only that the author has diligently selected those kicks that work best under a wide range of circumstances, but that the kicks fit in smoothly with the body dynamics used by diverse martial arts systems from karate and savate to ninjutsu and combatives. We have recently made Lopw Kicks required reading in our training halls, and unreservedly recommend it to anyone interested in practical personal protection.

Yes, I know this book does not cover the high-flying kick or Thai round kick to
the thigh! If you do not spend all day practice martial arts or you are above
certain age those kicks are useless and even dangerous. What this book is
presenting are the kicks that any person regardless of their previous experience
can learn and apply in any situation without any preparation. They are meant to be
used when one is facing a life and death situation. Incidentally Thai boxing is a sport.
Try the Thai kick in the elevator or telephone booth.
Some people may complain that this book seems like it was written in the Bruce
Tegner days, may be so but since our bodies did not change what is the difference
the techniques are still hold. I can tell you from the personal experience -
Those techniques works. True the illustration may desire to be better, but go
beyond that, understand the essence of what the author want to convey. If
you want real proven techniques that always effective, forget all those fancy
kicks, get good HARD shoes and start kicking, keep it simple.

A very highly recommended addition to personal and professional Martial Arts Studies instructional reference collections, Low Kicks: Aiming Low For Maximum Punishment In Unarmed Combat by martial arts expert Fred Hutchinson teaches martial arts students how to defend themselves against opponents or attackers who are larger or stronger than themselves. This thoroughly "learner friendly" compendium of basic instructions covers the physical stance, kick chambering, weight shifting, and footwork. With practice in applying Hutchinson's clear, step-by-step instructions, martial arts students will enhanced their agility, speed, accuracy, power, and tactical effectiveness in a combat situation through the use of low kicks.

I must admit that I was at first a bit skeptical of the material in this book when I was first deciding whether or not I was going to purchase it. However, I am pleased to say that I am very glad that I did purchase it, for it is actually a very well done book and the few criticisms that I do have on it are minor indeed in comparison to the wealth of material that I found inside.

Being the author on numerous books on the subject of kicking, I tend to be perhaps a little to critical of other books on the same subject. I guess a comparison could be made that you are always harder on those you care about than those you don't. The same holds true for me and books on the martial arts and more specifically books on kicking.

This book really is outstanding in its look at the use of low kicks for self-defense. I am also an avid proponent of using kicks in self-defense, although I don't necessarily limit my use of them strictly to lower level targets. The author really covers a lot of ground in this book and although some areas seemed a little brief, they all meshed well with one another to give the reader a very good and realistic view of the use of low kicks for self-defense. Here are just a couple of the kicks the author recommends for use at a low level.

Front Kick
Side Kick
Roundhouse Kick

My primary critique of this book is the fact that the author didn't use actual photographs to demonstrate the various techniques in his book. Instead he used simple line drawings and sketches of what appeared to be the author himself executing the various kicks. That and the lack of some footwork illustrations were the only real detractors that I found in this book. I really think that this book could have been so much better had the author used some actual photographs. And for that reason, and that reason only, I proudly rate this book at 4.5 stars.

However, that one critique aside, this book is simply loaded with good information and one that I happily admit that I am proud to have in my own personal library of martial arts books. Now I must end this review by stating that I don't necessarily adhere to absolutely everything that the author prescribes to in this book, although I will say that I do agree with the vast majority of it.

Shawn Kovacich
Martial Artist/Creator of numerous books and DVD's.

I thought the book was decent, but it really is for a person with little or no training. The kicks are basic karate kicks that any white belt at the YMCA is familiar with.

The book also covered weight training to enhance your low kicks. Weight trainging?! Once again, obviously written for the complete novice and obviously padding the pages with common knowledge.

The book basically covers basic kicks and how to practice them. Interesting, but there is nothing in the book that I couldn't have figured out on my own.

I was hoping for a detailed description of how/when to attack knees to effect particular injury, or knock a person out by kicking the femoral artery. I know how to kick! I wanted to learn some of the ways to use those most kicks effectively.

This book is an excellent well thought-out treaties on low line kicks for maximum punishment below the beltline. For being such a short book it is chuck full of superb information with low line kicking techniques compiled and streamlined from various styles (like Savate, etc.). Additionally the book covers a detailed workout/fitness plan to support the methods covered in the book as well detailed tactical employment consideration. The book has an element of military combatives to it in the practicality of the moves which I found to be enlightening. As well all the moves discussed in the book can be learned in matter of minutes and put to memory with minimal practice. If I was to make one complaint about the book it would have to be about the illustration. They are completely amateurish line drawings that look like my daughter draw them, seriously. But I will say I do not feel that they detracted from the content of the book in anyway. It you find this book interesting I would also look into the DVD seres "Practical Unarmed Combatives" by Michael Janich (incidentally he is the "meat puppet" in the photos and illustrations in this book) who covers low-line kicks in his program. Overall I highly recommend for anyone interested in modern combatives.

Fred Hutchinson presents well-grounded practcal self-defense in this fine thin manual. This author has studied and applied various Martial Arts -- Western Sword Arts most in particular. I have found for myself that such Sword Arts add something extra to ones perspective even beyond Cane Arts -- perhaps an even sharper awareness of guarding at all times while attempting to jab-or-cut ones foe and one must stay on-balance and have only a modest set of primary moves -- or one gets CUT ["down-and-dead"].

That may be why "Low Kicks" is so well-ordered for an intensely practical method of self-defense -- with some upper-body moves, such as the Palm Jab, but based-on a modest few low streamlined kicks to lower targets -- not costing one much loss-of-balance and hard-to-defend for a foe. The usual "dirty targets" of other various quick self-defense methods will be naturally expected and countered by most thugs -- who will then box, tackle and strangle the defender into last week. Aikido and Judo applied skills can be great -- but take a great amount of practice to work with real odds of success. The Art as presented in "Low Kicks" is as modest and practical as can be -- and is compatible with many other Arts -- such as Kickboxing, Jiujitsu or Kenpo Arts +++

Ah, low kicks, what some would call the "most practical" way to use your feet. This book is pretty much for the novice, but it can certainly add to most folk's arsenal. The best part for me were the training methods to improve accurracy, but they weren't really anything new. The kicks that are covered are classified as either "chambered" or "unchambered", but I did notice that probably the most proven low kick was missing; the Thai round kick to the thigh! This book seems like it was written in the Bruce Tegner days, when Karate, Judo, and Jujitsu were the only Asian arts, and Savate was our (westerners) answer to it. However, if you know nothing about low kicks, and want to get REALLY good at them, then this is the book for you. My major complaints are the poor illustrations (I would have prefered stick figures to these drawings), and the lack of applications. Make no mistake, low kicks are important, but this book is on low kicks only. I think it should be a suplementary text and nothing more.

It's true, low kicks are great. This book will really help you. I think it is good. word