Follow the path of the Filipino knife fighter and the blinding blur of the deadly balisong in motion--its whirlwind lethality--can be yours. Three experts, having combined their knowledge of the balisong, martial arts and self-defense, show you the basics of techniques perfected in the Philippines over the course of 400: concealing, drawing, flipping and gripping the balisong; checking and rolling; and the four main phases of training.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Good book for someone starting out:
This book is an interesting overview of basic balisong topics. I wasn't quite a beginner when I purchased this, so much of it was useless, but for someone just starting out, this book will get you started very quickly. It covers all the basics and it's filled with pictures that are easy to follow. If you already handle a balisong fairly well and want to expand your skills, you're better off using the internet to find online resources for techniques that are more advanced. Overall a good book.
Bali-Manual:
This was a pretty informative, well written book. It lacked a little depth, but that wasn't a problem seeing as how I was up and using the balisong in no time.
Interesting concepts. . .:
This was an interesting book. It would, however, be easy for a novice to misunderstand a few concepts, as they are not always presented clearly. For example, in the section on traditional slashing methods, it seemed as if the author was advocating a 19 step kata to be followed precisely when confronting an adversary. I doubt very much if this was the author's intent. Indeed, a 19 step kata -- with several plates illustrated with a series of numbered arrows (then later backed up with B&W photos) is... more info
Average brief overview to knife fighting:
I don't claim to be a master knife fighter, but I have found most of the information in this book elsewhere on the Internet and available for free. There were some parts that I found new and interesting. For example the chapters on rolling and closed knife techniques. But, everything thing in this book is still just an overview. The chapters are very short and don't go into much depth. They just give you a few pictures to work with. I was hoping to see detailed step by step manuevers for foot work and... more info
