Strategy in Unarmed Combat: The science of champions, by Paul Maslak

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s indicated by the title: "Strategy in Unarmed Combat" by Paul Maslak, this is a not book about techniques as per se, but rather on how to (strategically) apply techniques in unramed combat and self-defense.

In the introduction, Paul Maslak correctly states: "The number of techniques you know is not nearly as important as how well you know to apply them." Oh boy... Does this mean I don't really need 5000 different ways to defend against someone grabbing my wrist? Hmmmm... Could this also indicate that there's a difference between quantity and quality? Well, I guess it's back to training again then :-)

The first part of this book deals with some of the things that are typical for the Oriental fighting arts and the martial arts strategies of the East: The theories of constant change, the principles of harmony (blending or adaption), and the consept of inner strenght (ki or chi).

The author continues to outline what he terms "position" - here defined as targets on the human body. Following this you get insight into the more general fighter "types", such as longer or shorter reach and more or less power/strength. Based on this the author then outlines four different types or "battle plans" (that is, how fighters generally use their "weapons").

The last, and by far the most comprehensive chapter, is about the strategical and tactical use of techniques based on the "battle plans". These strategical considerations and applications are things like angle, guard (position of hands), stance, outside/inside, blocking, deflections/slipping, moving and steps, distractions, and more.

Paul Maslak is a kung fu teacher, and naturally his methods and techniques are partially based on this fact. Still, if you can forget about an 80s uniform "schwung", this is quite an interesting book that will give you lots of ideas and practical input. Be aware though that it is aimed at the punching/kicking arts!

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