Martial History Team

   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 vo...

   Welcome to the January 2023 book survey, part two. I decided to break this month's survey into three posts. This is the second. In the last post I looked at Krav Maga . Next time I will look at mixed martial arts. Introduction In January 2023, I (Richard) continued my reading plan. This post looks at combatives. The Shanghai School of Streetfighting, Tommy Joe Moore, 2020 I bought  The Shanghai School of Streetfighting  because I was a fan of the author's previous book on Bartitsu , surveyed in February 2022 . My copy of this book is a 8 1/4 inches by 5 13/16 inches color paperback with 342 pages. The content is based on the work of W. E. Fairbairn (1885-1960). I just love this book. The quality and presentation is similar to Mr. Moore's previous title. The photographs are superb, with period clothing and settings. It's a real work of art. Here's a sample: I highly recommend this book. American Arwrology: The Science of All-Out Hand-to-Hand Fighting, Fred C. Baue...

   Welcome to the January 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 January 2023, I (Richard) continued my reading plan. This month I surveyed the Israeli martial art of Krav Maga, military combatives, and mixed martial arts. (I know, Krav people, "it's not a martial art.") Fighting Fit, David Ben-Asher, translated by Miriam Schlesinger, 1983 I bought Fighting Fit because it may be the earliest English language book on Krav Maga. My copy is a 5 5/16 inches by 8 3/16 inches paperback with 220 black and white pages. You can borrow a copy for free from the Internet Archive . The author was a colonel in the Israel Defense Force who was head of combat fitness. He acknowledges the work of "First Segeant Major Emi Lichtenfeld and Lt Col Shaike Barak for the Contact Combat (Krav Maga) section." The book covers physical fitness on pages 15-72, "self...