COMBAT JUDO BY ROBERT CARLIN

Review by Barron Shepherd

SSG Robert Carlin was prominent teacher of “combat judo”, in 1945 he self-published and authored an authentic and reliable book on the subject of Combat Judo. A sensible and knowledgeable instructor, Carlin served in the United States Marine Corp as a “combat judo” instructor. COMBAT JUDO was developed by Staff Sergeant Robert Carlin in 1943 to address the needs of military personnel facing new hand-to-hand combat challenges as a way to ensure a streamlined, tested, and uncomplicated method of self-defense.

Robert Carlin’s Combat Judo is an excellent manual on the Combat Judo taught to many a Marine during WWII, a near impossible-to-find classic. A preprinted edition of Combat Judo and Kindle can be purchased HERE. 

Combat Judo is a unique and one of a kind book and to this day there just isn’t another book quite like it. A short, concise course on hand to hand combat that if worked on seriously will give you a very good fighting chance in today’s world. If one thinks of the book as a WWII era version of John Wick you pretty much get the gist of the direction book. 

With detailed technique descriptions and over 100 photographs Carlin explains basic principles required for success in close quarter combat before getting into any physical techniques. Basic skills emphasizing low, powerful kicks to the knee, edge of hand blows, finger jabs, heel-of-the-hand blows, and elbow and knee strikes are, properly, pushed as being the ones to rely upon in combat. The defenses illustrated and described in the book are sound, though some may take exception with his advocacy of the “drop kick”. However, taking into consideration a judo technique called Kani Basami and its application, the drop kick isn’t much more of a stretch and probably simpler to do. 

What Carlin teaches in the book is overwhelmingly excellent, viable and authentic.  SSG Carlin demonstrates a couple of good attack combinations. He covers some knifework and combat handgun skill. Chapter Six on use of the knife alone is something else Carlin goes into great detail on when, where and how to cut and stab with the knife, you just don't see this, even in modern books.

Combat Judo is a small book compared to other combatives books by far but no other book packs the punch this one does….not even close. There is a lot one can gleam from Carlin’s self-published Combat Judo. It serves as a precursor to and even in some cases surpasses modern tactical self-defense techniques taught today. When published, Carlins was considered the "Most practical book on hand-to-hand combat yet published". 

I have no complaints about the newly reprinted paperback version. It is done very nicely but most importantly it is an excellent source of first-class instruction.

AMAZON LINK TO COMBAT JUDO: 

https://www.amazon.com/Combat-Judo-Robert-Carlin/dp/1093389761/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia-wc-p13n1_0?cv_ct_cx=combat+judo&dchild=1&keywords=combat+judo&pd_rd_i=1093389761&pd_rd_r=c325d567-ea30-4144-bbb6-542026b4086a&pd_rd_w=IWSnA&pd_rd_wg=Bp0Or&pf_rd_p=d027eaac-7531-45fe-a61e-20ae30db06de&pf_rd_r=23RFYW5CMNWVJCD37PDP&psc=1&qid=1590079187&sr=1-1-70f7c15d-07d8-466a-b325-4be35d7258cc