Complete Vortex Control Self-Defense

After taking a weekend long course with a Kali escrima grand-master and then being unable to remember all the intricate moves, this book is a helpful supplement to jog your memory so you can go home and practice with your sparring partner. Now if you want to learn Kali escrima or knife-fighting, you're not going to learn it from a book. You need to attend a class, learn the moves, and then practice it over months and years. But if you're like me, the kind of student who learns through hard work and repetition, this book will jog your memory so that pricey martial arts seminar you just took will 'stick' . (Note: I'm a black belt in USA Urban Goju, not Kali).

PROS: the step-by-step pictures break down each, tiny move so you can learn it properly. The pictures are clear so you can figure out what you are doing. It has most of the major moves, as well as some of the less-known maneuvers.

CONS: you're not going to learn stick or knife fighting from a book. Find a dojo, take some classes, earn some belts, and have fun whacking and stabbing your friends. The book is meant to be a supplement, not a replacement for learning how to fight.

Anna Erishkigal

This book is good if you want to learn self defense. I knew some of the things listed in here from another book written by who I believe is the same author. This a great read and I highly recommend you buy this book if you want to maximize your knowledge on self defense

William Chen

What a great introduction to self-defense.
Author Sam Fury explains flow of movement for every principal, and the illustrations add to the clarity. Principals are presented in alphabetical order for practical look ups when I went back to examine intricate moves. The author explains the advantages of using Newton’s first law of motion—an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed in the same direction until acted upon. There is always a counter. For instance, “always crowd your opponent. Get in his space and claim it. Constantly push your opponent back and do not let up.”
I liked reading about ways to take advantage of movements by redirecting it.

Vortex, the motion of water going down a sinkhole, is a way to break through an opponent’s defense. In other words, use a vortex motion to move under or around your opponent’s hand direction to free yourself. In most cases, Sam Fury advices, “you will want to vortex towards your opponent’s spine.” These moves take planning. Other moves are described as a waterfall. The free-fall of water utilizes grounding and vortex. Fury suggests blocking in a way that hurts your opponent.
From reading his self defense book, I learned about Yin (soft) and Yang (hard). Sometimes slow movements of Yin allow you to observe before going to Yang.
Sam Fury’s book is divided into parts. The first is hand to hand combat where every imaginable grip has a solution. Part Two is a bit frightening with knife defense, but there are ways to outmaneuver an attacker with block/grab techniques or the use of a chip to the upper forearm where there is a cluster of nerves. Many attacks are illustrated with self-defense tactics such as self-kill explained and illustrated. Part Three covers stick fighting, and this section discusses stance, stepping, and striking. There is a method of returning to and controlling the center.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the vast number of fighting positions to master. The author, Sam Fury, has mastered martial arts and explains it in simple, understandable language. Sam is a survivalist with years of training as a traveler and minimalist. Special thanks to Sam Fury for sharing his knowledge to the general public.

Kathleen Rowland