ebooks All-in Fighting by W. E. Fairbairn in History

Review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Old School Hand to Hand Manual is Tried and TrueBy The DagdaThe handbook that taught WWII British Commandoes the basic fighting skills that scared the poo out of nazi Germany's regular troops. I got this for my son just before he left for duty in the Army. As a history buff he enjoyed this on that level as well. No handbook can substitute for training but if you are on a combat training regimen this will expose you to additional time-proven techniques that might come in handy to vary your skill set. British commandoes/special forces are still one of the better trained at hand to hand combat and this is where that renowned training got its start. The writing style is at times amusingly hokey but don't mistake that for meaning that most of the techniques aren't still largely valid (as a species we are [largely] not nearly as tough as we once were). Fairbairn was a police officer in Shanghai and Hong Kong in the 1920s when/where violent organized crime was rampant and the colonial police force was woefully undermanned. As another reviewer cautioned these techniques are brutal and are for life and death situations; any other use (and possibly appropriate use) is likely to result in legal ramifications. Don't gift this to people lacking moral judgment.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. a very interesting read.By Michael De AstonA fascinating look into the mind of WW2 combat instructors who realised that in order to win the war; they had to abandon all notions of 'fair play'.It's surprising just how many of these techniques are just as valid today on the modern battlefield as they were 70 years ago on the battlefields of Europe.I'd also go as far as to say that there are lessons in this book that have been lost by our various modern day military's with the advent of all of our high tech toys.A recomended read.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Classic; Effective Unarmed CombatBy ThortrainsOf all the hand-to-hand combat books; this is one of the few that justifies being in print. The techniques are easy to learn and easy to use. Rather than focus entirely on unarmed combat; there is good information on the use of the stick; knife; and smatchet (a short machete-type weapon). The smatchet techniques can also be used with a short stick. The methods were chosen for their effectiveness and the ability to learn them in a short time. Fairbairn was no dojo dancer. He fought against hardened criminals during his years as a policeman in the Shanghai International community.For the military history buff; this is a reprint of a classic artifact. For practical self-defense; few can match it.