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| Cold Steel | 
 enlarge | Author: John Styers
Creator: Louis Lowery
Publisher: Paladin Press
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $11.35
You Save: $8.60 (43%)
New (20) Used (15) from $10.29
Avg. Customer Rating:  16 reviews
Sales Rank: 293120
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 179
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.5
ISBN: 087364025X
Dewey Decimal Number: 355.348
EAN: 9780873640251
ASIN: 087364025X
Publication Date: June 1, 1974
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New. Cover has NO wear. NO spine seams. NO Remainder mark. Pages are clean with NO markings, NO creases and NO dog-ears. Trade Paperback.
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| Customer Reviews:
 As Valuable Today as Ever November 5, 2005
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I gave this book a 4 star rating, not 5, simply because the knife methods in it are not, as presented, perfect.
The knife work, obviously heavily influenced by Styers instructor A.J. Drexel Biddle (Author of Do or Die), is very duelistic - that is to say it stays entirely within the realm of two combatants knife on knife, at long range, vying for the right cut or hack to open up the opponent for a kill shot. Now, it's not quite as bad about this as Biddle's work, using a more combative platform (less of a stylized fencing platform), but it's still duelistic. Now, if real fights with knives happened this way, this would be the method for doing it - but, they don't. Most fights involving knives will start unarmed, at close range, and be a drag race between adversaries to get to a weapon first - if that weapon is a knife, you have a fight with a knife. Most knives easily carried and accessed will be small. Range is close, there is very little baiting and dancing around, there is simply up close hooking, cutting and hacking to clear limbs and stabbing to end it.
That said the knife material presented in Cold Steel contains many things you can extract for more modern, closer range, knife combatives. Targets; the hands/limbs, the throat, the chest and heart and the back, are excellent. Use of snap cuts, bi-directional cutting (using both primary and sharp back edges), body mechanics and footwork to improve power are all very good. Also of interest is the attempt to develop physical mechanics for using the knife that directly translate to using empty hands - very progressive concept for the age of the book.
Take the knife work out of the box its presented in, put it with what you do, take what works, discard the rest.
For the big knife practitioners, a big blade does dictate some degree of range and the work in Cold Steel will apply there very well, but it may still be an un-equally armed fight, the same unarmed beginning and "drag race" to achieve superiority with a weapon.
The knife throwing segment is the only part of the knife work I have no use for - throwing your weapon is losing it, and the likelihood of doing any good with a thrown knife under extreme stress, in the mad rush and clash of combat, is slim to none.
The segments on Unarmed Combat and Stick Fighting are great. The Unarmed segment makes excellent use of Elbows, Feet, and Body Mechanics as well as the "combative classic" Edge of Hand blow, the Chin Jab, and a few chokes, releases from holds and a little work from the ground. Very simple, and concise material.
The stick material is fantastic, both the Long End and Short End techniques as presented. Very realistic, directly applicable, material for both close and longer ranges. Simple and direct attacks and defense with the stick/baton, that are easy to practice and learn, and easy to apply with great brutality and force, for great success.
The bayonet material also seems very good - although of limited applicability to anyone not military, or not issued a bayonet and a solid rifle to put it on. It seems practical, and effective when viewed with common sense by someone who's never done it.
This book is extremely worth having as a combatives practitioner, soldier, police or security officer, or self-protection minded citizen. You will learn something from it if you open your mind, take what you can use and discard the rest.
 Old? Yes. Antiquated? No. March 12, 2005
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
The knife fighting section on this book seems to be misundertood by many. Yes, knife duels are hard to happen these days, as they probably were as the book was written. BUT, given the MANY lousy books on the matter of "knife vs knife" confrontation published, the system presented by this one is relevant. Because it's simple. If you want to learn to "duel" with knives, try several sparring sessions and try this method. The single "maybe" would be the advocated saber grip, but try and change for yourself. I've seem many friendly matches being won by newbies using this method against more seasoned "knife duelists". And believ, friendly matches is probably the only environment this kind of confront will occur. C'mon, it's 2005!
Oh well... if you do not believe in "knife vs knife", like myself, you could skip this one.
But there's more in it than knife dueling.
The H2H chapter is very good, as is the short baton section. Those two alone are worth the money invested.
Classic For a Reason -or- What To Do When Your Gun Jams January 7, 2004
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
This is a complete fighting book, in that it REALLY tells you everything you NEED to know about fighting for keeps. What I like best about it (besides that fact that the techniques work, are easy to learn, the book is inexpensive, etc) is that the stance and many of the movements he teaches are the same for knife, stick, and unarmed combat. Most people who buy these books think that by merely owning them and flipping through them from time to time they automatically become qualified to judge the material. Hence some of the negative reviews. Amazingly enough, you actually have to read, study, and then practice. One review questioned the knife fighting techniques on the basis that they were developed from fencing- as if that is somehow an invalid form of short blade combat. Seemed to work fine for Jim Bowie and his ilk back before the revolver became affordable and reliable. I guess all of the people who died in knife duels using these techniques can get back up now. Another complained that you had to be quick to utilize them. Well, duh. If you actually read the instructions and THEN look at the pictures you will see why these techniques were effective against the Asian martial arts trained Kommies in Korea. Simple, brutal, and devastating. See also "Bowies, Big Knives, and The Best of Battle Blades" and "Everybody's Knife Bible". Combined with "Cold Steel", these three books will teach you everything you need to know about knives and their proper uses. One caveat- don't throw your knife in combat!!! Don't throw any knife unless it is designed for throwing!!! The knife throwing section of this book is novelty fluff, for people with too much time on their hands. Also, his knife grip on page 43 is obviously a misprint, so disregard it. Also also, don't lean your rifle against a tree where you can't get to it,like in the scenario he describes on page 37. If nothing else, your rifle will fall over and you will damage the finish.
excellent March 4, 2003
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
this book is what you need if you want to defend yourself against a knife,bayonet,stick or unarmed attack and there is also a small course of knife throwing at the end of the book.it's easy to learn by heart and pactice,you will be able to kill someone if it is necessary(ever in a knife or a bayonet match!).Mr Styers is considered the chief of the 4th generation of knife fighters after mr Bowie!He knows what he do and the information in this book will save your bottom in life-or-death situations! buy the book,only if you really want to strangle your opponent with one hand!have pity for him.
Best of the old corps August 1, 2002
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book is the best of the WWII styles. Influenced more by the existing traditions of the Marines rather than judo, it is mostly a weapons based bayonet system. It is easy to teach, yet retains a great amount of credibilty for a hasty boot camp system.
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