TEGNERS BOOK DISPELLS THE MYTHS AND FICTION OF MARTIAL ARTS, LEAVING ONLY THE TRUE SCIENCE OF SELF DEFENSE. EASY TO READ EASIER TO FOLLOW. TEGNERS BOOK IS AN EXCELLENT GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS AND EXPERTS ALIKE!

I don't know about the non-Chinese systems shown here. However, I can say with confidence that with the exception of the classical Taijiquan set shown, everything else "Chinese" in this text is absolute trash.

This is a book to laugh at, in my opinion. In terms of kung-fu, there is almost nothing useful in here.

Just about any other book on kung-fu is better than this.

Tegner presents some excellent insights into the striking techniques of martial arts, but his commmentary on the styles left me with a distaste for his work: he puts Judo down as a martial art, then proceeds to draw better than 60% of his techniques from Judo! I disagree with his premise that someone could pick up his book and start practicing the techniques shown, safely, without an experienced instructor to oversee the student's work. After 10 years of martial arts experience, I would never advise anyone to pick up a book and teach themselves a martial art: they would end up with serious injuries. Books are wonderful to supplement, and enhance, a martial artist's techniques and skills, but they are not a good way to launch a martial art career: a book cannot be asked for guidance when a technique is not working, nor can a book correct your misunderstanding of what is presented.

I recommend this book to martial art students and instructors -- not to those who wish to begin studying a martial art by themselves.

Nidan Judo, Nidan Ju-Jitsu.

In response to the review that had an agenda to discourage people from picking up a book to learn the basics of self-defense...I'd just like to say that one of my best friends was attacked one day while walking from the grocery store by three of his enemies from school (how they became his enemies is another story) and one of these individuals was armed with a switch-blade and used it without reserve in his attack. My buddy not only escaped with his life but inflicted injuries on all three of the assaliants leaving them more hurt than he was. Afterwards the police were informed but the assailants were never caught. Nonetheless my friend attributes his successful defense to what he taught himself from books which included Bruce Lee's Fighting Method and one of Bruce Tegner's guides (I believe it was Bruce Tegner's Kung Fu and Tai Chi).

So while I understand why many people like to think they're giving good advice when they express platitudes such as "you must not learn defense from a book!", they're not speaking from the truth but rather, in my opinion, from a very deep denial that SOME ONE ELSE can actually spend less money and time teaching themselves something that took them (the ones spending years in a martial arts class) years and expenses to obtain. Now, I am not knocking martial arts classes. I've simply been shown that they are by no means the only way of learning defense.

Bruce Tegner's Complete Book of Self-Defense is a rather impressive guide. The text is just as enlightening as the photos...Tegner has a very distinct way of writing that you can tell comes from the heart. He details an accesible and intelligent method for self-defense which is very inspiring. Tegner himself suggests studying his methods with a partner. Unfortunately he does not express his view on someone using the concept of an imaginary opponent in case they do not have a partner to practice with.

The only reason I do not give it 5 stars instead of 4 is because he left out many useful things that have appeared in one of his pervious books, Defense Tactics for Law Enforcement. In that book he covers many areas that should have been listed in this book such as how to disarm someone with a gun as well as a more detailed account on how to deal with multiple assaliants (in this book he gives some vague advice which is very good, but lacking).

All in all, I would read this along with Defense Tactics for Law Enfrocement. That book fills in the gaps left out by this one.

Learning Martial Arts requires a good teacher and fellow students to practice with. Especially so, in martial arts like Aikido, Jujitsu, Hapkido etc. where trapping, grappling and throws are involved.
While no book can replace a teacher and participation in a class, this book is an excellent companion if you are taking any of the afore-mentioned martial arts classes.
This book does not provide you with lessons in history and philosophy of jujitsu. If that's what you are looking for try other books.
This one gives you the stuff you need to know and use - plain and simple.

This particular text is geared primarily toward younger karate students which really comes as no surprise as the majority of Tegner's books have been staples of school and public libraries for years.Covers the basic techniques in clear, easy to understand language.Readers looking for more spectacular displays of footwork and sparring are best advised to go to Jordan Roth's Black Belt Karate where individual techniques are covered in far greater detail.Still, in fairness to Bruce he did make karate (and judo) accessible to a great number of people through his work and deserves a great deal of credit for such even though his name barely seems to rate a mention in martial arts circles these days.

I credit Tegner with making a great deal of good martial arts information available at reasonable prices, starting in 1959 I remember right, with his book, "Karate, The Open Hand and Foot Fighting." At the time there wasn't much out there on most of these subjects--for example, his book on Savate--not to mention all the books he did on the Asian martial arts. Also, the books always came out in soft cover and were very reasonably priced. You could find them in public libraries and bookstores all over the country. I once found several at a country bookstore in South Dakota back in the late 60's.

The importance of this book for me is the presentation of the Shukokai style forms. You'll see these have significant stylistic differences from the well-known Shotokan and Goju-Kai forms. Also, the 90-move brown belt form is extremely long for a karate form--another interesting aspect of the book. The Shotokan Kwanku Dai form at 68 moves isn't nearly as long, although Goju-Kai has the Suparinpei form at 108 moves, which, of the 80 or so karate forms I learned at one time or another, is the longest I'm aware of.

I'd like to know more about the origin of these, as the Shukohkai school has a reputation for being quite conservative and sticking to their tradition. Another characteristic of Shukohkai stylists is their preference for free-fighting from the front stance. Technically, if I recall correctly, the Shukohkai school is basically the Tani-ha Shorin-Ryu style, one of a number of Shorin-Ryu substyles. My main exposure to Shorin-Ryu has been to the Kobayashi and Matsubayashi-Ryu substyles, as well as Isshin-Ryu. (I am primarily Shotokan, and Taekwondo myself).

Anyway, as someone interested in the history and evolution of the different styles and especially the forms, this is the only book I know of that presents these interesting forms. The book would be important and interesting if only for that, in addition to the presention of the basic karate techniques.

This book teaches the old form of Karate which is much better than modern Karate. For info on modern Karate, buy Teach Yourself Karate by Steve Arneil and Liam Keaveney.

This is a fine book for picking up basic stick fighting techniques quickly. Clear sequence pictures demonstrate solid moves. No hanbo here; this is hitting the bad guy with a nightstick to discourage him or take him down. But isn't clear instruction what we're looking for?

Right from the beginning, this book explains in detail different moves for defense in real-life situations. The different methods are very clear cut with pictures to explain exactly what to do in that specific situation. These moves really work.

This book is a typical example of how a martial art can be "americanized" and basically ruined. There is more to Jujitsu than technique. A book like this can actually be very dangerous in the wrong hands. There is almost no theory presented here, and TOTAL disregard for the code of ethics which one should follow when pursuing ANY education concerning martial arts. If you are the type that just wants to learn the moves, pick-up a burger from McDonald's, then go bust some heads, this book might be for you. Otherwise, save your money and be happy this book is only available used and is currently out of print.

Yeah, yeah... I know. It's sort of like claiming to be the best winemaker in Idaho. Still, just about everyone who reads martial arts books has read Tegner, and this is one of his best. It's probably significant that he doesn't appear in the book. The book is, however, rather inexpensive, and does show jujutsu techniques which will work okay (if you can manage to apply them). Tegner was making a fair case for the utility of jujutsu way back when it wasn't fashionable. After all, back then, jujutsu was "old hat" and was often thought of as just another name for judo. So all in all, this book is alright for beginners who want to decide which martial art to pursue. It will give them a slight taste of what stand-up jujutsu looks like. If they wish to delve any deeper, they must look elsewhere.

I just bought this book and have had an opportunity to put it through its paces. I've found the text to be very readable and instructive. Unlike many martial arts "Manuals" this one doesn't try to shroud the techniques in mystery, or pretend that you can become a black belt just by reading the book. Instead, it presents the material in an easy to read format that accurately describes the action in the photographs. A word of caution though, it reads a bit like a text book and the smallish black and white photos sometimes make it hard to see exactly what's going on. Overall, it is an excellent introduction to the art of ju jitsu for those who would like to either explore the martial arts, or experienced stylists who wish to expand their knowledge.

A good book for some-one looking for the basics. The author offers an "ethical" approach to martial arts which is quite refreshing. He also demystifies many of the assumptions made about pressure points. A good starting point - but don't expect to be an expert in the arts of nerve point strikes after reading this. Represents good value for what you get. Mike Peggs - 2nd dan UK.

What Bruce Tegner has done with this volume is to strip away the mystical, pseudo-magical approach to the topic and present a straight forward and highly effective amalgamation of nerve centers, pressure points, striking techniques, and common sense self defense. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the martial arts or self defense in general. It is a valuable addition to your library.

This is a book that describes all the vulnerable areas of the human body and how to hit them. Knowing your attacker's weak spots is just as important as knowing how to properly strike them. This is a book all martial artists should have in their library, but it isn't just for them only. This is a book that every person has to own.

The reason why this book is so great is that it is meant and written for the average person like you and me to understand. It talks about all the major weaknesses of the body and all the physical effects that will occur when hit with strikes of differing force. ITS GREAT.

The book is also loaded with a plethora of pictures and maps showing all the body's natural vulnerable areas.

Bruce Tegner is an excellent author. Mr. Tegner explains in detail the legal definition of what self-defense is and what it is not. He did a ton of reseach to make this book. For example, he debunks all the mythical "deadly blows" and he talks about how television shows and Hollywood have heavily distorted what actual self-defense is. This will seriously educate anyone about what real self-defense is.

If you desire to protect yourself adequately and realistically,

THEN YOU NEED TO GET THIS BOOK!

This book teaches you most of the Judo throws,but it is missing 24 throws. Besides that its got all the choke holds and arm holds but missing 6 katas.

The first thing I noticed in this book was how outdated some of the material was. For instance they demonstrate a incorrect way of break falling that sent shivers down my spine thinking somebody at home would learn this method. What the book does positively. Covers all core throwing techniques with a section on counters and combinations. I also might mention that many Judo books have the Judoka both wearing the same colored gi which sometimes give the appearance that they assimilating. Bruce's book has Judoka wearing different colored gi's which is a nice touch. The newaza like most Judo books is spartan at best. A couple of pins, the chokes we all know and love, you basic armlocks and that is about it. In a sea of Judo books this comes in the middle somewhere, but I will admit I have picked up a couple combinations from this manual and have used them successfully in randori.

This has to be one of the worst books on Chinese kung-fu I have ever seen. I do not own a copy of it; I read about half of it in the book store, and that was enough to convince me that Mr. Tegner does not know a whole lot about Chinese kung-fu. *Note: This is not to say that Mr. Tegner knowledgable about fighting or other styles of martial arts, just that his kung-fu knowledge is very limited. The statement that tipped me off the most was the commentary on the taichi ("yin-yang"), something to the effect that the influence of the symbol's philosophy is negligable at best in the practice of Chinese martial arts. Horse manure. The Taoist concepts of yin and yang are obviously prevalent in all aspects of all existing styles of classical Chinese kung-fu. From health to breathing to combat theory to body positioning, the presence of the Tao is obvious to any who care to look closely. The concept of balancing oneself out, whether through physical means or attack/defense philosophy, is carefully woven into surviving true Chinese systems. The Chinese "katas" that were shown were quite laughable. The kung-fu form seemed to be a bad parody of stylized jeet kune do mixed with boxing and a poor imitation of the Sil Lum Tao form of Wing Chun. The "modern interpretation" of Tai Chi violated so many positioning principles, one has to wonder where or with whom the choreographer studied Tai Chi, if they studied it at all. Both seemed to be poor improvisations based on some movements briefly seen from quite a long distance away. This is a terrible book on the subject of Chinese kung-fu. Anyone interested in learning classical Chinese kung-fu should look up Bucksom Kong, Yang Jwing-Ming, and Bok Nam Park (a classical Pa Kua Chang master) and seek out any English translations of Chinese kung-fu books. Granted, they won't all be gems, but they're almost all guaranteed to be better than this piece of rubbish.

Originally published in 1968 this little gem of a book has stood the test of time. Teaches kung fu and tai chi in a clear concise manner without all the hype. Great basics and lots of cool forms. After all these years this book is still my favorite. Don't miss this one!

When is someone going to write a review for this!I want to know!

I read this book as a child, and indeed, it helped me through a few scrapes. Now I'm using it to teach my child. Can't give a better recommendation than that!