Rating: 
Summary: Words from a combat theorist
Review: As a combat theorist, I am forced to say that the amount of practicality that this book contains is rather concentrated. To back my defense, I've actually had the honor of informally interviewing two United States Marines who enlightened me to the fact that such combat systems as LINE and SAFTA have already been dismissed as training arts for the Marines. The reason for this is apparent. Many of the described techniques in these systems can not guarantee a practioner any high level of success. For instance, in U.S. Marines Close-Quarters Combat Manual, the author (or authors) claim that by bringing your foot down on your opponent's head while he or she is on the ground (a technique that karate experts term the "axe kick") will immediately kill him/her. This is one claim that has yet to be proven. Also, some of their assassination techniques and suggestions prompt serious questionability. For instance, the author (or authors) claim that after slitting your opponents throat, you should lay your chest on top of his face for a few minutes, thus rendering him incapable of either producing any sounds or inhaling any air. By laying on top of your opponent within enemy territory, you risk serious tactical exposure. My advice: For self-defense applications, purchase STREET KARATE by John McSweetney. This book is to the point and, since these techniques have been distilled from actual self-defense incidents, the described techniques are very accurate....
Rating: 
Summary: Waste of Time
Review: First of all , I have studied Muay Thai , Fillipino Martial Arts , Brazilian Jiu Jitsu , San Shou and Kenpo Karate. I am highly experienced in REAL close quarters combat , and I was also in the Marines for 3 years. This book is ridiculous. It would look great in a Hollywood movie , but you will get yourself killed on the street trying to perform about 80% of this stuff. Especially if you only learned it from a book. Can some of this stuff be effective after years of practical application? Maybe. But only some. But it doesn't tell you that. If you want to learn effective technique , look to any special forces (Ranger , Green Beret , SEAL , etc...)handbooks on CQC , or any Fillipino Martial Art (especially for knife fighting). Do not waste your time. At the least you will be confused , and at the most you will be instilled with a false sense of confidence and get yourself hurt or even killed.
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Summary: This Book WIll Get You Killed Or In Jail
Review: I am a former Marine and a black belt in Shotokan karate. I was taught and taught others the LINE system while in service and even then, i knew it was ineffective. The moves, punches, countermoves and holds are impractical and difficult to execute in combat. I, along with several others, while going along with the manual, finally boiled the system down to a dozen techniques and drilled with them. The Marines discontinued this system because of the same reasons that I mentioned.
DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK.
Rating:
Summary: Waste of Time
Review: I've been a student of Martial Arts and Hand to Hand Combat for coming on 8 years now.
Although I geared my training towards sport and fancy moves in the begining I soon learned that this was pointless and dangerous for the type of encounters I was facing on the streets. As a result I enthusiastically begain studying Military and Street fighting arts.I found with this book that the technigues found were out of date and unrealistic. There is also no mention of the mental aspect and effect of combat. The moves are far too complicated for a street encounter. If however you are interested in studying the history of Military Self Defence this book would give you some useful insight.
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Summary: Should be titled "How To Get Yourself Stabbed and Killed"
Review: Many techniques presented in this book, particularly in the section on knives, are highly impractical. I'm a student of Inosanto-LaCoste Kali and Maphilindo Silat, have studied Pambuan Arnis Tulison Caballero under Ama Guru Rafino Pambuan, and have informal training in Pekiti Tirsia Kali, all of which are blade oriented systems, so I know more than a little bit about handling a knife, and the techniques shown against a knife in this book will get you killed. I hate to disappoint those of you who hope to learn physical self defense from a book, but you can't. You can learn concepts, tactics, strategies, and techniques, but without actual self defense or martial arts instruction in person with a real teacher you're not going to really get it. After that, you can take what you learn from books to augment your training, but without actual training, they're not going to help you much. Even worse, books like this could get you killed if you were to actually attempt some of what they try to pass off as defenses against attacks with a knife. Don't believe me? Try this experiment. Put on a white T shirt. Give a friend a magic marker and bet them $10 per mark that they can't mark you with it - anywhere, arms, torso, legs, face (wear protective eyewear). My money says that they mark you up, and consider that a criminal trying to cut you is most likely far more motivated and far more aggressive. For a book with a more practical, realistic perspective on self defense situations involving knives, I suggest reading "Knives, Knife Fighting, and Related Hassles" by Marc MacYoung. His other books on various aspects of self defense are also excellent reads.
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Summary: This system has a specific purpose. To kill the enemy.
Review: Reading over the other reviews, I thought I would try and clear the air about what this book and the system it explains is all about. For credentials, I have dabbled in several different fighting arts, and I spent 4 years in the Marine Corps infantry when they were still teaching this system. First, please understand that this is NOT a self-defense system. The Marine Corps does not teach you how to survive a mugging. They do not teach you how to beat up the local bully. They teach you how to kill your opponent. The Marine Corps does not have the time or the instructors to teach a complex fighting system to every Marine. So this system is very simple. It is based on a few maneuvers, which are adapted around different situations that soldiers are likely to encounter. It is assumed that your opponent will most likely be wearing a flak jacket, so blows to the abdomen are not dwelled upon. Strikes to the throat and groin, eye gouging and the breaking of limbs are the standard techniques. There are no wasted movements, and all moves finish with some form of killing blow, usually a kick to the head of a prone opponent. The whole premise of LINE training is to condition your muscles to react in a certain way in given situations. That is why the moves are all so similar. This simplifies the muscle memorization to make it easier to teach this system to many people in as short a time as possible. It is a very basic, yet effective system. LINE training's simplicity is its strongest asset. This system was never intended to create world class fighters. It was intended to be effective in difficult surroundings when the user is tired, cold, and hungry. It was designed to provide Marines with the means to destroy the enemies they might encounter on the battlefield, as quickly and efficiently as possible. If you have already trained in the martial arts or some other fighting system, then this is may not the book for you. It's simplicity and lack of practical alternatives to killing may not be what you are looking for. However, there are some useful sections about sentry elimination, knife fighting, and weapons of opportunity that you might not get in a standard martial arts class. And lastly, it is my understanding that the Marine Corps abandoned this system because it was too effective. Unfortunately, you cannot force Marines to only use what they have been taught when they are on the battlefield. Too many bar fights and other scuffles amongst Marines themselves or against civilians resulted in severe injuries to the combatants. And because there is a relatively small chance that our soldiers will run out of bullets, it was felt that a less brutal system could be found. I highly recommend this system and this book. It does what it is designed to do very well.
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Summary: Close Combat?
Review: THE FIRST RULE OF UNARMED COMBAT IS NEVER BE UNARMED. People on battle fields don't fight unarmed.
This is a very primitive form of close combat. The tecniques described through out the book are repeative and very basic. Any one whos been in a street fight would know these tecniques. I feel sorry for Marines that bought into this system. If your looking for a form of unarmed combat check out Systema.
www.russianmartialart.com
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Summary: One of the Best Books I have Seen
Review: This is one of the best, if not the best, book I have ever seen on hand to hand combat. From what I understand the Marines don't use this system any more but the book is still very good. There are solid principles taught in this book. This book does teach very violent techniques and some are killing techniques. Despite the fact that this isn't really a self defense book, the reader can benefit from this because they will gain insight to military hand to hand combat. The diagrams are very easy to follow and it's easy to understand, which many books are not. I enjoyed this book, not because I learned new techniques, but because this opened my eyes to what United States Marines are trained to do.
Rating: 
Summary: No Sports!
Review: This is the Marine's Handbook for Close Combat in field situations. One should stress the word "Combat", 'cause that's what this book is about: Injuring, maiming or killing your opponent, wether with your bare hands or with "tools". The main difference between other top-rated books related to this kind off topic (like MacYoung's books or Michal Janich's "Knife Fighting") is that the mental or emotional aspect of using skills like this is totally neglected. Only simple, easy to watch, easy to learn stuff. This book was designed to train soldiers. Soldiers are to win a fight, if that means they have to kill their assailant, well, no one said that it is a fun job. Very good aspect of the book, something that nearly any other book lacks about: Not only that the author *who ever it is* shows counters and blocks for every attack shown, he/she also shows how to counterattack immediately. Again, I have to stress, this book is not about self-defense. It is a manual how to maim and kill somebody. Still I think that even if you only want to learn some SD, there might be something valuable in this work.
Rating:
Summary: Simple & Effective !
Review: This manual is easy to read and understand. It is full of simple and effective techniques of close quarter combat; most of which can be used for self-defense by civilians. The drawings and text are simple and to the point. It is a very good basic manual for those individuals unfamaliar with self-defense and hand to hand combat. It does not cover the more important elements of realistic self-defense and that is the mind-set of the individual who must fight for their life. There is a mind-set and a specific predisposed psychological condition of the defender, that must be in place prior to the attack for the individual to successfully defend oneself and survive a lethal encounter. Please refer to my suggestions listed in "listmania" for more on this topic. "Never do your enemy a minor injury." Machiavelli.
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