A Worthwhile Read

Over the past 40 years I have read every book I could find on knife fighting, the good and the bad. A lot of them were not worth my time and money. Once in a while you learn a trick or two that makes it marginally worthwhile. If you page back through my blogs you’ll hear mostly about the bad books.

“The Sting of the Scorpion,” written by the late Bob Kasper, is one of the bright exceptions! His information is delivered in a clear and forthright manner. There is a natural progression to the topics and Mr Kasper avoids interjecting a lot of personal prejudices. There is no gnashing of teeth or profiling like many of today’s genre’ of knife writers.

Apparently Mr Kasper was the real deal and walked the walk. His thoughtful and realistic approach to knife manipulation is manifested in the knives he designed and had produced by Al Polkowski and Rob Patton. Mr. Kasper’s analysis of the knife fighter’s mindset is excellent. His description of footwork is very good. The only shortcoming in the book is a lack of illustrations or photos to support the text. I realize this would have probably doubled the book in size and cost. All of the basics are well covered and some more advanced techniques are also provided. I do not think that you will find a better book for the price, or maybe twice the price.

The book may be purchased for approximately $15.00 online, through Ebay, or from Paladin Press, the publisher. http://www.paladin-press.com/category/s