The Art of Throwing: Principles & Techniques

Rating:
Summary: Another excellent text
Review: Bought this along with "Art of Holding" by same author (see my review for more info). Both are very well done and are excellent books with lots of insight. Looking forward to his other books.

Rating:
Summary: Another excellent text
Review: Bought this along with "Art of Holding" by same author (see my review for more info). Both are very well done and are excellent books with lots of insight. Looking forward to his other books.

Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: I don't generally leave reviews but this book is so great that I had to say something. Clear pictures and small detailed pictures and tons of clean throws. Exactly what I wanted. It makes me want to check out his other books.

Rating:
Summary: Well Done, Carefully Constructed Book on Throwing Techniques
Review: If you already have Mark Tedeschi's Huge 1136-page Hapkido book, you're probably wondering what makes this volume on throwing techniques any different. The main difference is this: The big Hapkido book ~does~ include every technique shown here. However the detail in this volume is much more exact--the big Hapkido book was so inclusive that the author was limited to showing 2-3 photos to illustrate a hold or throw. This volume on Throws uses an average of 5-9 photographs per technique, including close-ups. The descriptive narrative is also more specific in this volume. So if you would like a volume which is incredibly specific on the subject of throwing techniques, this book is the thing! If you already have the big book, and don't really need the extra detail, then this volume will probably be redundant.

Tedeschi has grouped the techniqes into six major categories: shoulder Throws (12 techniques), hip throws (14 techniques), Leg throws (12 techniques), Hand Throws (26 techniques), Sacrefice Throws (10 techniques)Kick-counter throws (16). Also a set of 20 combinations (throw to lock), and a vital section on Defenses against throws (24 defenses shown). You might also be wondering whether the techniques shown in this book are too specific to Hapkido to be of any use to you if you practice say, judo or another martial art. The nice thing about Tedeschi's books is that he has studied a variety of grappling arts--and come to the same realization the rest of us have over the years. An inside shoulder throw is still an inside shoulder throw--whether you call it that in Japanese, Korean, Chinese, or English. Tedeschi's 4-volume series makes no distinction as to language or culture--every technique in this book is referred to by it's English name.

I should add that I am pleased with the quality of the volumes put out by the publisher, Weatherhill. Clear photographs are printed on slick acid-resistant paper, and the boards of these volumes are covered with a laminated paper that will resist picking up sweat (or any other of those wonderful things we get on our books while taking them on the mat or discussing techniques after practice). Tedeschi has gone the extra mile in making ALL of his books as specific as possible. Most of the techniques shown include extra photographs and diagrams of bones, muscles, and pressure points as they apply to the specific technique. This is the first technical martial arts book by any author where I've seen this sort of exacting detail on virtually every technique. And to think, he doesn't call himself Grandmaster or wear anything but a plain black belt.

Rating:
Summary: A Quality Text
Review: In addition to The Art of Throwing, I have bought other books by Mr. Tedeschi: The Art of Holding, The Art of Striking and The Art of Ground Fighting. In my opinion, all of these texts are excellent. The layout of the books are logical and the plethora of photographs are clear. The author's specialty is the eclectic Korean martial art of Hapkido. One of the first things the author does in the overview of his book is show the similarities of techniques between the different arts. For example, in The Art of Throwing the author takes clips from other books to demonstrate how a Hapkido hip throw is executed compared to one in Judo, Jiu-jitsu, Aikido, Chinese Wrestling, Kuk Sool Won and Hwa Ran Do. Of course, the conclusion is that while there are many subtle differences, physics is physics, leverage is leverage etc. The human body only acts and moves in certain ways; therefore, it is no surprise that the founders of the different styles came to similar conclusions about throwing.

As one would suspect, the book also covers breakfalls, footwork, stances, grips (including pressure point targets for gripping) and the throws themselves, broken down into the sub-categories of: shoulder throws, hip throws, hand throws, sacrifice throws, kick-counter throws combinations of throws and defence against throws. In all, over eighty throws are demonstrated. When you have this number of techniques, there is a bit of, "Well, that would difficult to execute" or "Why not do such and such - it's less complicated" but these are minor points. The fact of matter is that the vast majority of techniques appear quite practical. As a Judo practitioner and policeman I have successfully used many similar moves myself in competition and on the job. For all of you Judoka out there: if you want to learn to make your throws more street-lethal (e.g. in a justifiable self-defence situation), you'll be very interested in the Hapkido method of throwing as many techniques incorporate a strike or lock in their execution (much like jui-jitsu).Is the book worth the money? Unequivocally, yes. To use a cliché, I believe this book has a place of every martial artist's bookshelf. With so much garbage out there on the market, it is refreshing to see a book of this quality being produced. Mr. Tedeschi is on a roll, I hope he continues to write.