Review of Practical Kung Fu Street Defense

This is the review of Johnny Tsai’s Practical Kung Fu Street Defense: 100 Ways to Stop an Attacker in Five Moves or Less. From Amazon:

Kung Fu’s power lies in teaching a practitioner to defend himself against impossible odds and fearful situations. Now, internationally renowned Master Waysun Johnny Tsai shares his practical and effective street-defense techniques. In these pages discover the same techniques Master Tsai has personally taught to more than 3,000 students in more than 21 years. Master Tsai’s eighth degree black sash is certified and recognized on two continents. The study of Shaolin Kung Fu traditionally leads to a better understanding of violence and consequently how to avoid conflict. However, in today’s uncertain world, a student may find himself faced with an attacker that cannot be avoided. Master Tsai can prepare both novices and experienced martial arts enthusiasts to focus on their goal of personal safety and to stop an attacker as fast and as furiously as possible. With detailed, step-by-step photos, Master Tsai helps you understand and control combat distances and defense angles. You will be able to read your attacker’s moves to protect yourself, block the assault, and stun or cripple the aggressor.

The most valuable portions of the book are the first 48 pages. Topics include:

• The Basics
• The Telegraph (or how to avoid it)
• Stunning, Crippling, and Knockout Shots
• Evade, Parry, and Block
• The Warrior Mentality

The chapter on the basics starts out with exactly that: A nice overview of basic kung fu stances. Tsai breaks down how to the stance should look, how you should move in it, and also how you can use it in a defense situation. The pictures are good and do well to supplement the advice being given.Tsai also covers the basic strikes in a similar and useful fashion.

The next four chapters are laid out in the same manner: A lesson, advice on how the technique should look, examples of how to use the technique, and supplementary photos.

The next eight chapters cover “100 Ways to Stop an Attacker in Five Moves or Less.” Tsai is careful to caution against the movie nonsense that promotes the mystical kung fu death blow. What he emphasizes is that if you are attacked you should respond with the intent to stun, cripple, or knockout.

Trading blows back and forth is called fighting. Fighting is not what you are learning to do with this book.

Self-defense is about protecting oneself by any means necessary… Kung Fu is beautiful. Fighting is ugly. Combat is never pretty, no matter what you hear or what you see in the movies. p. 48

Most of the 100 scenarios are certainly plausible and those folks who have ever had karate or taekwondo-style “step sparring” will find them very familiar. The techniques themselves are heavy in striking and are supplemented with stand-up grappling techniques (qin na). What grappling that is illustrated is supplementary. Moreover, Tsai never “goes to the ground”, rather, he chooses those techniques that keeps him in a dominant and safe position.

There are a handful of techniques that I question. For example, p. 85-86 illustrates a defense to an opponent who is delivering a front snap kick. Tsai’s response is to counter by punching the kicking foot, then follow that initial defense up with some offensive moves. I know from my taekwondo days that one would be very hard pressed to effectively and consistently punch an incoming kick. Moreover, given the power of most kicks, that’s a good way to get your hand broken!

That criticism aside, I found this book to be a very good supplement for someone who’s beginning his Kung Fu journey. Moreover, the techniques and philosophies espoused are so closely related to karate or taekwondo that anyone hailing from either camp will also find value in this book.

-BCP

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