Americane - The Review

At 58 pages long, a lot of people might feel that this manual was too short. They would have complained that a lot of specific scenarios were left out, and not covered.
To that I say BULLSHIT!
This Manual covers just the right amount of material, and is in keeping with the basic simplicity of Close Combat. I've been through FMA schools and seminars, and I've bought tapes and books galore. I've seen material that was good, bad and in-between, but this Manual gets right to the heart of what it is we do.
No fancy maneuvers, no complicated footwork, and you don't need to be young athletic guy to pull the majority of this material off.

The book starts off with how Ralph and Josh came up with the idea for this Manual, and then moves on to what it hopes to achieve. Which is simply to provide the reader with the information that he needs to use a common cane or walking stick to protect himself from an unprovoked assault. They quickly go on to explain which type/style of cane they feel is the best for SD usage. They also however explain how you can compensate to some degree if for some reason you choose another style.

The Manual then goes on to explain and describe the methods of grip and style. Not to be too specific, because I don't want to give everything away, but primarily we're talking about the Bonafant (Reverse) grip, and two styles of two-handed grip. The Largo Mano, and the Bayonet. Through pictorial sequences and written descriptions, they proceed to demonstrate the various strikes for each style, and use some scenario specific uses.
This also includes the incorporation of kicks and strikes in conjunction with the cane techniques, as well as ways for transitioning from one grip style to another.

The manual also includes some basic training sequences (or katas if you will) , as well as the almost obligatory anatomical chart indicating which parts of the body are the most vulnerable to the various attacks. There is a section on footwork, training drills, and training equipment that will help you develop your ability to use the common cane to protect yourself.

Now, believe me when I say that after knowing and training with Ralph for close to 10 years now, there was very little in this Manual that I hadn't been hit with (both literally as well as figuratively) before. As I stated at the beginning of this review, I've gone through literally dozens of books, Manuals, and tapes on stickfighting, and In my opinion, this short Manual has, as they say, everything you need, and nothing you don't.

So what the fuck are you waiting for. Google up LULU.com and get a damned copy already!!