Book Review - U.S. Army Hand-to-Hand Combat - Department of the Army
Category Book Review Department of the Army U.S. Army Hand-to-Hand Combat
So if you're interested in hand-to-hand combat, you'd think the US Army might be a decent authority on the subject. Our library recently got a copy of U.S. Army Hand-to-Hand Combat in for lending, and I thought I'd give it a look. The first thing you should know in terms of setting expectations is that this is from the Army field manual 21-150, dated June 14, 1954... yeah, 1954. Granted, in 55 years the human body still has the same weak spots and strike points to do major damage in a fight. But in terms of readability and photographic illustration, things *have* advanced. What I found here is that this book is a strange mix of information and (unintended) humor...
The manual covers a variety of subjects, such as vulnerable points, knife attacks, silencing sentries, fall position and throws, holds and escapes, disarming methods, and prisoner handling. While I don't expect to have to silence any sentries or handle any prisoners in the foreseeable future, learning how to find and exploit vulnerable points could be a lifesaver if you find yourself in a position of having to defend yourself against an attacker. And for vulnerable points, it's really more brute force than technique. If there's an opening for you to go for the groin or nose, do it. Many of the other chapters would involve extensive practice before you could pull off the maneuvers. And since the goal is to react first without thinking, that sort of negates the short-term advantage of reading this material.
I would recommend that you take the advice and information in this book very carefully, however. The goal in many of the points here is to kill the attacker. Not disable, not subdue, but flat-out kill. If you were to be attacked on the street, you might find yourself in an awkward position legally if you over-react and kill your attacker if it's found that deadly force was not appropriate. On the other hand, in our current society I think you almost *have* to assume that any conflict might well end up escalating to a point of using deadly force. There are some seriously disturbed people out there...
Humor-wise, you have to love the stilted pictures and poses of the people showing the moves. Think cheesy 1950's style pictures, and you're pretty close. Two (or more) men in military garb, posing for attack, all with blank expressions on their faces. Combat is such a sterile sport... :)
Also a word of warning for those reading this review on Amazon... The product description of this book is flat-out wrong. I don't know what book they're describing, but this one has *nothing* to do with XM320 grenade launchers and future combat systems...
There's value to be had here in terms of self-defense techniques. But unless you're into retro-defense arts, there are probably far more useful and effective books out there for you.
Disclosure:
Obtained From: Library
Payment: Borrowed
So if you're interested in hand-to-hand combat, you'd think the US Army might be a decent authority on the subject. Our library recently got a copy of U.S. Army Hand-to-Hand Combat in for lending, and I thought I'd give it a look. The first thing you should know in terms of setting expectations is that this is from the Army field manual 21-150, dated June 14, 1954... yeah, 1954. Granted, in 55 years the human body still has the same weak spots and strike points to do major damage in a fight. But in terms of readability and photographic illustration, things *have* advanced. What I found here is that this book is a strange mix of information and (unintended) humor...
The manual covers a variety of subjects, such as vulnerable points, knife attacks, silencing sentries, fall position and throws, holds and escapes, disarming methods, and prisoner handling. While I don't expect to have to silence any sentries or handle any prisoners in the foreseeable future, learning how to find and exploit vulnerable points could be a lifesaver if you find yourself in a position of having to defend yourself against an attacker. And for vulnerable points, it's really more brute force than technique. If there's an opening for you to go for the groin or nose, do it. Many of the other chapters would involve extensive practice before you could pull off the maneuvers. And since the goal is to react first without thinking, that sort of negates the short-term advantage of reading this material.
I would recommend that you take the advice and information in this book very carefully, however. The goal in many of the points here is to kill the attacker. Not disable, not subdue, but flat-out kill. If you were to be attacked on the street, you might find yourself in an awkward position legally if you over-react and kill your attacker if it's found that deadly force was not appropriate. On the other hand, in our current society I think you almost *have* to assume that any conflict might well end up escalating to a point of using deadly force. There are some seriously disturbed people out there...
Humor-wise, you have to love the stilted pictures and poses of the people showing the moves. Think cheesy 1950's style pictures, and you're pretty close. Two (or more) men in military garb, posing for attack, all with blank expressions on their faces. Combat is such a sterile sport... :)
Also a word of warning for those reading this review on Amazon... The product description of this book is flat-out wrong. I don't know what book they're describing, but this one has *nothing* to do with XM320 grenade launchers and future combat systems...
There's value to be had here in terms of self-defense techniques. But unless you're into retro-defense arts, there are probably far more useful and effective books out there for you.
Disclosure:
Obtained From: Library
Payment: Borrowed
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