Martial History Team

   Welcome to the February 2023 book survey, part three. I decided to break this month's survey into three posts. This is the third. The first is  here . The second is here . Introduction In February 2023, I (Richard) continued my reading plan. This month I surveyed grappling/striking/power, exotic arts, and kicking. This post covers the third topic -- kicking. Dynamic Kicks: Essentials for Free Fighting, Chong Lee, 1975/1980 I only learned about  Dynamic Kicks: Essentials for Free Fighting  after finding it in the Internet Archive . This is a short book that is best thought of as introductory material for Mr. Lee's next title.  The material makes good use of the page, as seen here: Thanks to the Internet Archive , you can decide if this book is for you. Advanced Explosive Kicks, Chong Lee, 1978 I bought my copy of  Advanced Explosive Kicks  in the late 1990s when I bought just about any martial arts book I found in a store. My copy is a 5 7/8 inches by 8 7/8 inches paperback w

   Welcome to the February 2023 book survey, part two. I decided to break this month's survey into three posts. This is the second. The first is here . The third will follow shortly. Introduction In February 2023, I (Richard) continued my reading plan. This month I surveyed grappling/striking/power, exotic arts, and kicking. This post covers the second topic -- exotic arts. Modern Tahtib: Egyptian Baton Martial and Festive Art, Adel Paul Boulad, 2014 I bought my copy of Modern Tahtib  several years ago when it was comparatively cheaper to order from the French publisher directly. My copy is a paperback measuring 8 1/4 inches by 11 inches, with 240 color pages. This is a beautifully presented book with French and English text. I spoke directly with the author by phone shortly after publishing it. He seemed mainly interested in my cyber security work. Tahtib is primarily a stick fighting art reverse engineered from archaeological depictions. There appear to be some older practitioner

   Welcome to the February 2023 book survey, part one. I decided to break this month's survey into three posts. This is the first, and the others will follow shortly. Introduction In February 2023, I (Richard) continued my reading plan. This month I surveyed grappling/striking/power, exotic arts, and kicking. This post covers grappling/striking/power. The Sambo Encyclopedia: Comprehensive Throws, Holds, and Submission Techniques For All Grappling Styles, Steve Scott, 2015/2019 I bought a print version of The Sambo Encyclopedia , but there is also a Kindle edition . My copy is a 8 1/2 inches by 10 7/8 inches paperback with 332 black and white pages. There appears to be a 2015 edition, as well as a 2006 book called Championship Sambo .  I am a big fan of Mr. Scott's approach to all grappling arts, including judo and sambo. In this text, his coverage of technique starts with essentials on page 20.  The pages could use a better layout. Some wasted space means the photos could be bi

   Welcome to the January 2023 book survey, part three. I decided to break this month's survey into three posts. This is the third. In the first post I looked at  Krav Maga . In the second post I looked at combatives . Introduction In January 2023, I (Richard) continued my reading plan. This post looks at mixed martial arts. These sorts of books are rare today. In each case, I expect a modern content creator would visit a studio like BJJ Fanatics and record a video instructional. Even in an age of digital books, it's probably cheaper and more profitable to spend a few days recording and editing a series of videos. The product is probably more useful to the student as well. Video is tougher for the average martial arts historian to digest, however. Ultimate Fighting Techniques Volume 1: The Top Game, Royce Gracie, Kid Peligro, 2005 Ultimate Fighting Techniques Volume 2: Fighting from the Bottom, Royce Gracie, Kid Peligro, 2006 Ultimate Fighting Techniques volume 1 and volume 2