CLOSE COMBAT

Rating:
Summary: Semper Fi
Review: A good book on how to defend yourself according to the USMC. A few techniques presented are effective, but several are from the "old school" of hand to hand.

Good descriptions of the techinques but no discussions on theory, but that wasn't to be expected.

Pick up the book - it is a good addition to a hand to hand combat instructors library.

Rating:
Summary: Details an innefective fighting system.
Review: I am a Marine Corps Infantryman, and I can say that this book details very accurately the method of close combat taught to every Marine, starting in basic training. However, the system itself leaves much to be desired. I know a certified instructor of this system that agrees with me. (He is a black belt instructor-trainer; the highest certification available. He also has more than 20 years of experience in various traditional martial arts and military and police hand to hand systems.) The knife defenses in particular are very likely to get you killed in a real life situation. Also, there is too much emphasis on ground fighting technique, and not enough emphasis on the "dirty tricks" that will keep you alive in combat. In addition, there is too much focus on non-lethal control techniques like come-alongs and arm-bars. Though I don't think these should be ignored, they are stressed at the expense of killing techniques. In combat, not knowing how to kill your enemy quickly can be fatal.

The Marine Corps is currently billing this system as the "Marine Corps Martial Arts Program". If you want martial arts, go to a dojo. If you want a good military hand to hand combat book, you can do much better than this. My suggestion would be to start with the works of Rex Applegate, W. E. Fairbairn, and John Styers. Their books are quite good, even though slightly dated. In my opinion, this book is at the bottom of the heap.

Rating:
Summary: The Basics
Review: I am going to write an open and honest review. This book is excellent. It teaches the basics and thats what works. The wrist locks are from aikido and jujitsu, two time proven arts. Sure they are not kill techniques, but still practical and useful. The throws and strikes are very simple to understand, which is good. How many times have you heard... this is the best way? Then it takes 6 months to learn that one technique. The throws and ground fighting are good, despite what some have written on the net(trying to sell their product over this one). What you need to remember is the illustrations are single example movements. No one knows what is really going to happen in a street fight. One recommendation. If you are looking for martial art styles... look into hsing i, wing chun or krava maga. STAY AWAY FROM MODERN WU SHU!

Rating:
Summary: A Cut Above Similar Books on this Subject
Review: Overall, I liked this book. There are some minor complaints. For example: The manual instructs you punch (with your fists) only "soft tissue areas" (I agree on this point by the way), then it proceeds to illustrate a Marine delivering an upper-cut to an opponent's jaw... since when is the jawbone or chin a "soft tissue area"?

I'm glad to see the manual cover ground-fighting techniques; however, a lot of important details of the mount, the guard and some of the other key techniques are absent. This won't be a problem if you have a instructor who really knows his material - but I feel a manual of this sort should be more detailed, as soldiers ought to know the fine subtleties of techniques to make them 100% effective.

Rating:
Summary: its OK
Review: Since I've served in the Swiss first-line assault troups -more or less equivalent to the USMC- I know some stuff about close combat. Most hits, throws, blows or general tips like the "anatomy for fights" are very useful, but not necesserely in a high stress self-defense situation, in which a layman could possibly get. But all in all a very interesting book, but like I mentioned above: more for military or elite-police than "civilian" use!

Rating:
Summary: simple, but a good starting point
Review: This book is a good starting manual for basic self, but is not complete enough top be a stand alone guide. The techniques are standard issue military hand to hand, but perhaps a little "old school". The unarmed combat is simply a catalog of basic boxing and judo techniques, with basic self defense strikes (palm heel, knife hand, hammer fist, elboews, knees, low kicks), some basic ground fighting maneuvers, and a section of come-along/submission holds. It also includes sections on stick fighting, knife fighting, bayonet techniques and weapon retention. Using it as a starting point for basic techniques is fine.

Rating:
Summary: VERY good!
Review: This is an excellent reprint of the U.S. Marine Corps' most recent "Close Combat manual" Dated 18 Feb 1999. It's an excellent reference guide and "how to" manual for learning Hand to Hand fighting, disarming opponents, Bayonet techniques, knife fighting and many other areas that a Marine must be proficient with to win on the world's Battlefields!

As bad as us Army people HATE to admit it, the Marines are no-nonsense fighters, every soldier is a rifleman, everyone fights. This is the manual that helps them stay alive!

Rating:
Summary: The Basics
Review: This is an excellent reprint of the U.S. Marine Corps' most recent "Close Combat manual" Dated 18 Feb 1999. It's an excellent reference guide and "how to" manual for learning Hand to Hand fighting, disarming opponents, Bayonet techniques, knife fighting and many other areas that a Marine must be proficient with to win on the world's Battlefields!

As bad as us Army people HATE to admit it, the Marines are no-nonsense fighters, every soldier is a rifleman, everyone fights. This is the manual that helps them stay alive!