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CompleteMartialArts.com - Master Of The Blade: Secrets Of The Deadly Art Of Knife Fighting


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Manufacturer: Paladin Press
Average Customer Rating: Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5

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Binding: Paperback
EAN: 9781581605648
ISBN: 1581605641
Label: Paladin Press
Manufacturer: Paladin Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 176
Publication Date: 1999-11
Publisher: Paladin Press
Studio: Paladin Press

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Editorial Reviews:

Written by one of the world’s foremost authorities on martial arts and weaponcraft, Master of the Blade is an instructional manual on the realistic use of the knife in self-defense. Based on the Tactical Edged Weapons System of Richard Ryan’s Dynamic Combat Method, it offers priceless insights into a world shrouded in mystery, hype and mystique, and dispels common myths about knife fighting. Ryan covers the various types of blades and how to choose one that’s right for you; knife fighting stances, grips, targets, striking patterns and types of cuts; the basics of defense and counterattack; blade tactics and strategies against different types of weapons and attackers; deadly mistakes such as overcommitment and hesitation; dealing with fear and the importance of mind-set; carry methods and tactical concealment; and realistic training methods. Master of the Blade explores the deadly art of knife fighting in a refreshing and often humorous manner, presenting the stark realities of knife fighting in a way we can all understand and digest. The old adage “don’t bring a knife to a gunfight” won’t have the same meaning for you once you’ve read this book. For academic study only.


Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: Master Of The Blade: Secrets Of The Deadly Art Of Knife Fighting
Comment: Richard Ryan's Master Of The Blade pulls no punches on the reality of bladed combat. It paints a very accurate picture of the often underestimated use of bladed weapons. I would strongly recommend it to anyone, weather they carried a blade or realized that any of us could face one in a life and death struggle. I hope Mr. Ryan will have more material on the market in the future.
Police Officer / Martial Artist
Officer R.B. Pickens


Customer Rating: Average rating of 1/5Average rating of 1/5Average rating of 1/5Average rating of 1/5Average rating of 1/5
Summary: Play Nice
Comment: To be honest, this book wasn't all that great. The author spent more time explaining how his "dynamic" method was better than everyone else's instead of actually teaching the art of blade wielding & fighting. There was even space for a comic strip of some fat, cross eyed martial arts master rejecting a sparring session with the author out of fear. Now Mr. Ryan, play nice or I'll put you in the garage-sale bin.

Customer Rating: Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5
Summary: Duel Fighting At Its Best?
Comment: This book is about fighting a "duel" with the knife. Duel fighting is more of a phenomenon of two individuals "willing to fight" ... vs. a true self defense situation. Ryan claims that the worst case scenario for a a person with a knife to face is to square off with another person also skilled with the blade. This is true for "duel fighting". The worst case scenario in the streets is when you are attacked by an assailant, and you are unaware that he is attacking you with a knife.

IF you research the "reality" of knife violence, most victims are not even aware that they are "being stabbed" until after the fact. As far as they are concerned, they are being punched or grabbed, and they are reacting accordingly.

Any system of knife defense that assumes the following is a system that is based on consenting violence, the duel. It does not adequately address reality based self defense, and focuses most of the science on the wrong thing, or at best "the least probable" scenario UNLESS your goal is to get into knife fights.

FIVE CRITICAL and UNREALISTIC ASSUMPTIONS MADE IN THE BOOK
1. You are aware that your opponent has a knife
2. Your knife will already be drawn and ready for action
3. If your knife is NOT drawn and ready for action, then you will have time (translation: LUXURY) to deploy your knife and therefore follow the techniques of the book.
4. Unarmed combatives don't need to be integrated in strategies regarding knife fighting / defense, and therefore are not needed as part of this manual.
5. Assuming "integrated" unarmed combatives are addressed (which they aren't in the book), getting your folder blade out under stress is not a difficult thing to do (it is a fine motor skill and as we know we lose those skills when our body experiences fear and the a-dump ... need to consider this as part of training)

Customer Rating: Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5
Summary: What Drivel!
Comment: After reading four books on knife fighting, I'm beginning to realize there's not much more to be said, especially when Richard Ryan is saying it. "Pathetic" he calls man. A "walking sack of meat." No built-in mechanisms for defense, obviously not a predator by nature. Man had to "claw his way up" the foodchain.

Is this guy for real?

If you begin with a false premise, you can only get better and there are some relevant material in the book--if you can get past Ryan's flaming ego, which doesn't take long to become a smoldering ember.

But with all the useful information which, by the way, you can get elsewhere in far more entertaining ways, Ryan rapidly becomes tedious to read. The truth is, man has always been the most dangerous creature roaming this planet. Even cave deptictions show groups of armed men taking down creatures much larger and faster than themselves. And did anyone notice that most of early man wore fur and leather footwear.

It wasn't only weapons that made man dangerous, it was his resourcefulness and, did anyone say fire? Given to mortal man by the immortal Prometheus, it made man almost as powerful as the gods. Soon Greeks were putting sticks into the ground and mathematically figuring out the circumference of the globe. Then Persians, Greeks and Romans were making war using horses and elephants, and bronze and leather weapons, marching in formation and boldly claiming dominance over the land. Pathetic? "Walking sacks of meat?" Oh, and let's not forget in God's image.

The bottom line in knife fighting is, if someone wants to kill you with a knife, he probably will if he's smart enough and committed enough. Very few people are "called out" for knife fighting -- dirks have always been an assasin's tool, nearly everyone's last choice for going at it in the so-called "circle of death" in a fair fight.

When you can see the bad guy coming. When you see the predator's gleam in his eyes, then a knife can come in very handy. Tick someone off in a bar and a blade's likely to end up in your ribs before you can try all that macho knife stuff you learned.

A fellow I once knew pulled out a giant fold-out knife and laid it on the table so I could get a good look at it. Then he told me about two guys who were following him one night in a bad section of D.C. He turned and faced them, pulling out the knife and letting them see its glittering blade before he palmed it.

"Yeah, well what would you have done if they'd pulled out knives of their own and come after you?" He shrugged and replied, "I would have shot them."





Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: One of the, if not the best books on the subject
Comment: Over the years I've collected many books on knife fighting and self-defense, and this book is by far the best one on the use of the blade for self-defense. Many of the reviewers have already covered some of the topics so I'll just say that one of the reasons I like the book so much is because the methods he advocataes really work. Many years ago before I started training under the author, I got his book and knife sparred with a friend, and his stance saved me from getting stabbed several times. Despite Ryan's obvious ego in the book, sure many people might look down on that, but when you learn how much knowledge and skill this man has, I think he deserves to have an ego. As long as the person is preaching reality why not?

As for reality, and the purely dueling aspect as one reviewer points out, it is not the only aspect of the art. It is just the tip of the iceberg; you can't possibly cover everything in a book, and because of this the methods for both fighting armed with a knife, and against one unarmed, are not covered in the book, but are taught, within all ranges and scenarios.

Another comment I found interesting was when one reviewer said about Ryan calling man pathetic, and a sack of meat, which is in actuality the truth. What Ryan was refering to was the fact that we humans do not have sharp claws to protect ourselves, or a rough hide, or shells, like many other animals, but we evolved a big brain with lots of intelligence, which we put to good use by developing tools and fighting our way up to the top of the food chain, which is what he said.

In my opinion, and I thought this long before becoming a student, this book is the most realistic one on the market today. Buy other books on knife fighting, and read, and learn the methods advocated, and try out each authors' techniques, and I'm sure you'll come to the same conclusion I did many years ago, that Ryan's are some of the best, if not the best.


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