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Craaack!! Craaack!! Bas Rutten has hit two out the park with his Big Books of Combat 1 and 2. I admit that I had low expectations about these books. Moreover, I was also kept away from these books for long time because of the price. But my preconceived impressions about these books were dead wrong.
For those unfamiliar with Bas Rutten, he is best known for winning the title of King of Pancrase three times. Pancrace is a submission grappling event based out of Japan. Bas has also fought in the UFC and other NHB events. He is known for his standup striking ability. I saw one of Bas's instructional tapes years ago and was impressed that he was a no bullshit kind of guy with a great sense of humor. I never reviewed the whole set because I only had one tape from the set.
The other author of these books is Stephen Quadros. Steven is a well know martial arts writer and commentator. He is to the guy behind the ill-fated FightSport Magazine. He also serves as a technical advisor to lots of martial arts films.
Enough about Bas and Steven, let's talk about their books.
First of all, the books live up to their title. They are BIG!! The two books combined are the size of a New York City phone book. They contain 5000 black and white photos over 1000+ pages. If weight were the only criterion, these books would be the Heavyweight Champions of the World at 6 pounds together.
The title of these books mentions the word "Combat." This does not give you any indication of what the books cover. The word "Combat" in this case means Vale Tudo and MMA fighting. This is not a submission grappling set of books like the also hefty Fighters Notebook. Nor are there any sport techniques thrown into the mix. As surprising as this might sound, this is also the first Vale Tudo books that I have reviewed and Bas has set the bar very high for this category.
The first book deals with standup fighting and the second book deals with ground fighting. Each book can happily stand on its own.
Big Book of Combat 1 - Revised Edition (Kickboxing)
Author: Bass Rutten with Stephen Quadros
Publisher: Master Fighter
Ordering information:
Number of Pages: 503
Cost: $70
Level: Beginner to Advanced
ISBN: 0974097306
Rating: 5 Stars
Year book was released: 2001
This book deals with standup fighting. This is Bas's specialty and one of the main reason I would buy anything from Bas. He is a great standup fighter and this book covers his fighting style. This book takes you from how to make a fist, to in-depth coverage of kickboxing. I was really impressed with the layout and progression of the moves. Each move is covered in 6 or more pictures. While the descriptions of each step are Spartan, the text conveys the necessary information. Many of the moves branched into variations which will help you link the moves together. Actually, this book makes you feel like you are in the gym with Bas. Often during a series of photos, Bas will stop the action and point something out. Somehow this works. Like I said, you feel like you are in class with Bas. Bas's sense of humor comes through in the book. To Bas's credit, most of the humor is used to show mistakes you can make or to highlight part of a technique.
The book is divided roughly into two parts - Standup striking and striking while on the ground. The standup striking portion of the book covers punching, kicking, and kneeing. You also get chapters on blocking and drills. The striking from the ground portion of the book deals with striking from the mount, guard, side mount, and while mounted.
Throughout the book, Bas gives you great advice on how to handle each situation. When I saw a chapter devoted to how to strike while you are mounted, I was very curious to see what Bas had to say. Well, Bas, would tell you what I would have told you, get the hell out of the mount first. This made for a small chapter.
This book ends with a section devoted to photos of Bas and Steven Quadros and a random selection of questions and answers. Here is where you learn that Bas got his start in Kyokushinkai Karate and Tae Kwon Do. He also devotes a couple pages to what it is like to be hit in a fight. And a couple more pages to the history of MMA. If for nothing else this final section is worth taking a look at to see Bas with hair. I just assumed that Bas was born bald. Who knew?
At the end of the day, this book is a thorough treatment of standup fighting. The cover price is a bit steep at $70, but deals can be had in places like Amazon.com.
Big Book of Combat 2 - Revised Edition (Ground fighting)
Author: Bass Rutten with Stephen Quadros
Publisher: Master Fighter
Ordering information:
Number of Pages: 523
Cost: $70
Level: Beginner to Advanced
ISBN: 0974097314
Rating: 5 Stars
Year book was released: 2001
If you can believe it, at 523 pages this book is even bigger that the first book.
Since Bas is known mainly for his standup skills, I was skeptical of Bas's ability to fill a whole book on ground fighting. Once again, I was very wrong about Bas. Every move and position is shown realistically. The complexity of showing ground grappling is proven by the fact that a high percentage of the moves have more than 12 photos devoted to them. There are chapters devoted to chokes, neck cranks, and arm and wrists locks. There is great chapter that covers what Bas thinks are the most important of topics -- reversals, and escapes. In a chapter called "Stand up to ground fighting combinations," Bas covers what the rest of us call takedowns. Near the end of the book are 22 pages of "Thai Banana Bag Training Techniques." This chapter, while well done, would have been more appropriate for the first book. The book ends like the first book with a catch all of short discussions of topics like what the tattoos mean on Bas's hands and how to prepare for a fight.
Bottom line:
For those looking for the largest and most in-depth treatment of MMA fighting, you have found what you are looking for. Bas has set the standard for MMA fighting books. The price is the only thing that keeps me from telling you to run out and buy these books now. I suggest shopping around on some place like Amazon to find a better deal than the $140 cover price.
One final thought. Each book has a set of audio CDs to go with it that are sold separately. If someone owns these and wants to send me their thoughts and impressions, I would appreciate it.
Ok, one last thought, really. Joe Jennings the former owner of Panther was involved in the making of these books. It was funny to see that Joe wrote not one but two very positive reviews of his own book on Amazon. Also, by some strange coincidence, these are the only reviews that Joe has ever written (at the writing of this review). Way to go Joe for finding a hobby during your retirement years!!
To save some money and order both of Bas's books together, click here: