When Bradley Steiner self-published The Tactical Skills of Hand-to-Hand Combat (Self-Defense) in the mid-1970s, it sold out two sizable printings within eight months. In it, Steiner outlined the 12 tactical principles of self-defense from his American Combato system, which he had created in 1975 and which he still teaches today. A fusion of World War II close-quarter combat, traditional martial arts and realistic self-defense – incorporating lessons from Rex Applegate, W.E. Fairbairn, E.A. Sykes and Charles Nelson, among others – Steiner's program also included modern weapons and the excellent (if unorthodox) "dirty tricks" of alley, street and prison fighting, with which he had become familiar through his training of and association with New York Police Department officers.
An entertaining and enlightening new introduction by the author provides a concise and illuminating history of the early days of self-defense training in the United States. Paladin Press is pleased to add this legendary self-defense manual to its Combat Classics collection.
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