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Kill or Get Killed( Riot Control Techniques Manhandling and Close Combat for Police and the Military)[KILL OR GET KILLED][Paperback]
Classic work by Colonel Rex Applegate on riot control techniques, handling individuals, and close combat for police and military.
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First published October 1, 1976
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 4, 2011
This is not a review of the entirety of Kill or Get Killed. Of sixteen chapters, I only read six. There is a perfectly good reason for that, as I will explain shortly.
Kill or Get Killed is the textbook complied by Colonel Rex Applegate, one of the grandfathers of the modern combatives systems developed by the British and Americans during the Second World War. This review focuses on the version published by Paladin Press, which originally was released in 1976.
I had heard of Applegate vaguely for years, mostly in conjunction with my father’s stories about the Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife (of which I own at least one replica), and the men who developed it. More recently, there has been a movement to revive and re-popularize some of the World War II Combative methods as viable forms of self-defense training, and it is in that context that I chose to read this book.
The book is broken into sixteen chapters, as follows:
1. Introduction to Unarmed Combat
2. Offensive Unarmed Combat
3. Defensive Unarmed Combat
4. Knife Attack and Defense
5. Combat Use of the Hand Gun
6. Combat Firing With Shoulder Weapons
7. Disarming
8. Prisoner Handling and Control
9. Raid and Room Combat
10. Training Techniques and Combat Ranges
11. Elementary Fieldcraft
12. Police Baton and Miscellaneous Weapons and Techniques
13. Chemical Munitions for Control of Mobs and Individuals
14. Civil Domestic Disturbances and Their Control
15. Communist Tactics and Strategy in Directing Mob Violence
16. The Professional Riot Control Unit
Of those, I only read 1-4, 7, and 12. I suppose that if I owned and carried a firearm, I might have read the chapters that deal with the use of, and training with, firearms. But frankly, I’m totally unqualified to evaluate those chapters, so I didn’t bother. I also skipped the chapters that I deemed completely irrelevant to self-defense for the average person; I have no need to learn how to use chemical munitions, nor am I concerned about how to create a professional riot control unit. Police or military trainers might find those chapters useful. I really don’t know.
For the average person concerned with self-defense, the first three chapters of the book are unquestionably the most valuable. Applegate presents a small curriculum of strikes, gouges, chokes, and throws, along with instruction about how to apply these tools against what he perceives as common types of attacks. The small toolbox appeals to my recent thoughts on minimalism, and while I might make some different choices in my selection, Applegate does give the reader enough material to practice without overwhelming them. Perhaps my only quibble is that he ignores any sort of ground-fighting, except to say that fighting on the ground is a bad idea, which is the sort of useless truth in line with saying “don’t get stabbed”.
Despite the books occasional statement to the contrary, however, this book really is aimed at the military and law enforcement. While there are a number of techniques that are appropriate for civilian self-defense, some of the techniques have no particular application outside of the military or law enforcement (I have not needed to remove a sentry any time in recent memory). Even the defenses against attacks that a civilian might face are extremely vicious; used imprudently they’d likely land the average citizen in court, if not in jail. Of course, that’s a weakness inherent in a lot of military combatives systems when they are transferred over to the civilian environment. Of course, there are scenarios where these kinds of techniques are appropriate, but the book doesn’t address the distinction.
The knife attack and defense material is interesting; the attack material I was curious about mostly academically. I don’t carry a knife either, but I like knives, and find their use interesting. The knife and firearm defense material certainly has some potential application for a civilian…some of it does not line up with the material that I’ve learned from Tony Blauer, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be worth exploring.
The baton stuff was just a lark. Again, I like weapons. I guess you could train this stuff if you carry a stick, or are involved in a stick-based system (like one of the many Filipino Martial Arts), but ultimately, it’s probably not a priority for the average person.
So is this a good book? Actually, yes, I think it is. It does a very nice job of clearly laying out a program for instructing soldiers and police in close quarters combat techniques. The writing is straightforward, and accompanied by reasonably clear diagrams and photographs. Applegate outlines his rationale for each of his choices, and I think many of his choices are sound.
That said, given the size and cost of the book, I don’t think it is a very good purchase for the average person looking to protect themselves. The military emphasis leaves too many holes that require patching, and used injudiciously, this material could land the reader in jail for a very long time. Experienced practitioners or instructors will probably get more out of the book, as they’ll be able to pick and choose the portions that are appropriate to their needs or the needs of their students. Finally, those with an interest in military history, WWII history, or martial history should definitely give this a read. It’s an incredibly influential textbook, and deserves to be examined on those merits alone.
Kill or Get Killed is the textbook complied by Colonel Rex Applegate, one of the grandfathers of the modern combatives systems developed by the British and Americans during the Second World War. This review focuses on the version published by Paladin Press, which originally was released in 1976.
I had heard of Applegate vaguely for years, mostly in conjunction with my father’s stories about the Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife (of which I own at least one replica), and the men who developed it. More recently, there has been a movement to revive and re-popularize some of the World War II Combative methods as viable forms of self-defense training, and it is in that context that I chose to read this book.
The book is broken into sixteen chapters, as follows:
1. Introduction to Unarmed Combat
2. Offensive Unarmed Combat
3. Defensive Unarmed Combat
4. Knife Attack and Defense
5. Combat Use of the Hand Gun
6. Combat Firing With Shoulder Weapons
7. Disarming
8. Prisoner Handling and Control
9. Raid and Room Combat
10. Training Techniques and Combat Ranges
11. Elementary Fieldcraft
12. Police Baton and Miscellaneous Weapons and Techniques
13. Chemical Munitions for Control of Mobs and Individuals
14. Civil Domestic Disturbances and Their Control
15. Communist Tactics and Strategy in Directing Mob Violence
16. The Professional Riot Control Unit
Of those, I only read 1-4, 7, and 12. I suppose that if I owned and carried a firearm, I might have read the chapters that deal with the use of, and training with, firearms. But frankly, I’m totally unqualified to evaluate those chapters, so I didn’t bother. I also skipped the chapters that I deemed completely irrelevant to self-defense for the average person; I have no need to learn how to use chemical munitions, nor am I concerned about how to create a professional riot control unit. Police or military trainers might find those chapters useful. I really don’t know.
For the average person concerned with self-defense, the first three chapters of the book are unquestionably the most valuable. Applegate presents a small curriculum of strikes, gouges, chokes, and throws, along with instruction about how to apply these tools against what he perceives as common types of attacks. The small toolbox appeals to my recent thoughts on minimalism, and while I might make some different choices in my selection, Applegate does give the reader enough material to practice without overwhelming them. Perhaps my only quibble is that he ignores any sort of ground-fighting, except to say that fighting on the ground is a bad idea, which is the sort of useless truth in line with saying “don’t get stabbed”.
Despite the books occasional statement to the contrary, however, this book really is aimed at the military and law enforcement. While there are a number of techniques that are appropriate for civilian self-defense, some of the techniques have no particular application outside of the military or law enforcement (I have not needed to remove a sentry any time in recent memory). Even the defenses against attacks that a civilian might face are extremely vicious; used imprudently they’d likely land the average citizen in court, if not in jail. Of course, that’s a weakness inherent in a lot of military combatives systems when they are transferred over to the civilian environment. Of course, there are scenarios where these kinds of techniques are appropriate, but the book doesn’t address the distinction.
The knife attack and defense material is interesting; the attack material I was curious about mostly academically. I don’t carry a knife either, but I like knives, and find their use interesting. The knife and firearm defense material certainly has some potential application for a civilian…some of it does not line up with the material that I’ve learned from Tony Blauer, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be worth exploring.
The baton stuff was just a lark. Again, I like weapons. I guess you could train this stuff if you carry a stick, or are involved in a stick-based system (like one of the many Filipino Martial Arts), but ultimately, it’s probably not a priority for the average person.
So is this a good book? Actually, yes, I think it is. It does a very nice job of clearly laying out a program for instructing soldiers and police in close quarters combat techniques. The writing is straightforward, and accompanied by reasonably clear diagrams and photographs. Applegate outlines his rationale for each of his choices, and I think many of his choices are sound.
That said, given the size and cost of the book, I don’t think it is a very good purchase for the average person looking to protect themselves. The military emphasis leaves too many holes that require patching, and used injudiciously, this material could land the reader in jail for a very long time. Experienced practitioners or instructors will probably get more out of the book, as they’ll be able to pick and choose the portions that are appropriate to their needs or the needs of their students. Finally, those with an interest in military history, WWII history, or martial history should definitely give this a read. It’s an incredibly influential textbook, and deserves to be examined on those merits alone.
September 9, 2020
This expansive guidebook is far more comprehensive than the preceding entry on this list, but it also contains undecipherable jargon that has a tendency to disservice the layman. It has an extensive publication history and is currently distributed as an official manual for the United States Marines. Although it was first published in 1976, the text finds itself reprinted on an annual basis for global consumption. The coded euphemisms will be no problem for informed security operators, but people new to the field will have trouble deciphering certain terms. There are riveting chapters pertaining to riot control, crowd regulation and enclosed combat. Applegate’s writing has become the gold standard by which all current American security publications are juxtaposed. This book will never wane from its status at the forefront of defence analysis.
February 19, 2015
Now I know how to kill. Awesome!
October 31, 2017
5 stars are reserved for books that fundamentally connect me to a deep part of myself that was perhaps hitherto wordless. I just wrote short reviews for Stephen Buhner's books on plant intelligence and how they've impacted me. This book, Kill or Get Killed, bluntly delivers intense self-defense techniques and shows soldiers going off to WW2 or Vietnam (I saw a deeply dog-eared copy carried by an operator that made it home) how to quickly, stealthfully, and expertly kill an enemy soldier or sentry by way of knife or gun. My jaws dropped open several times, my gut wrenched in amazed disbelief. But like it or not, we are here because of our ancestors who made it. And many of them had to do unto others, before they themselves were done in. This is a manual of how to prevail in an up-close, hands-on battle for your life.
Both 180 degree perspectives are part of Life. One is innately human; so is the other.
Part of being human is knowing how to save your life and donning the mindset to do it. This book is the 'how' part; mindset is unequivocally assumed.
Both 180 degree perspectives are part of Life. One is innately human; so is the other.
Part of being human is knowing how to save your life and donning the mindset to do it. This book is the 'how' part; mindset is unequivocally assumed.
January 24, 2019
Some of the techniques in this book seem pretty dated, but Col Applegate still made some serious waves in the American military's hand to hand combat system. This is a great resource for those studying martial arts / hand to hand combat, the psychology of violence, and the mentality one must undertake in a life or death situation.
The techniques in this book are easily understood and are really made for the "average" person with little to no fighting experience.
The techniques in this book are easily understood and are really made for the "average" person with little to no fighting experience.
August 31, 2021
As a civilian a nice to read. Looks somewhat outdated but the basics will probably never change. A in depth guide on the different styles of combat etc which could be a decent theoretical addition to a practical training. Practise and first hand experience will always prevail knowledge captured in books.
September 5, 2021
A bit dated, but I learned how to knife fight from this book. I feel more ready for anyone that messes with me.
July 17, 2015
Interesting from a historical perspective at the very least as far as a combat manual used to support the power structure of the State. Much of the actual combat material is good, and stands the test of time, especially that which is close to the hand-to-hand combat techniques found in Fairbairn’s writings, etc. The ideological and racist biases of the text are disturbing, but represent authentically the mindset of someone who trained soldiers, police, intelligence officers, etc. to defend the state. There is a lot of good practical material here, but most readers will probably just want to read chapters 1-4 on Unarmed Combat, Knife Attack and Defense, and 7 on Disarming, and not the other eleven chapters (as I, in my typical manner, did).
January 27, 2013
An interesting piece however dated it remain relevant. It reads like any other military combat manual with a healthy dose of closed minded racism due to its inception time. It is informative and direct but there is little to be taken from it in contemporary times for civilian use. I feel that it has a place on the shelf next to the poor man's James Bond, We Shall Fight in the Streets & The Anarchist Cook Book as reference for a civil war that may never happen. However there is a good mindset for those in uniform that can be applied for the better of ones survival in the streets or in the field.
February 7, 2011
A fantastic book on self defense and lethal techniques. It's an oldie, but the basic principles still hold true. This book won't make you capable or teach you how to instantly overcome fear, but it will give you specific instructions on how to make yourself less of a target and less of a liability. Any man who wants to protect his family should read this.
November 3, 2016
THIS BOOK IS NOT BAD, BUT NOT VERY GOOD EITHER.
IT'S UNPROFESSIONAL .. COULD BE USED BY AMATEURS AND BEGINNERS.
IT GIVES BASIC SKILLS FOR STREET FIGHT, USING SIMPLE WEAPONS, ATTACK AND DEFENSE SKILLS.
BUT IT ONLY GIVES A GENERAL IDEA.... YOU DON'T KNOW MUCH IF YOU HAVE ONLY READ THIS BOOK AND DID NOT EXTEND YOUR KNOWLEDGE BY OTHER MORE EXTENSIVE AND MORE PROFESSIONAL BOOKS IN THE FIELD.
IT'S UNPROFESSIONAL .. COULD BE USED BY AMATEURS AND BEGINNERS.
IT GIVES BASIC SKILLS FOR STREET FIGHT, USING SIMPLE WEAPONS, ATTACK AND DEFENSE SKILLS.
BUT IT ONLY GIVES A GENERAL IDEA.... YOU DON'T KNOW MUCH IF YOU HAVE ONLY READ THIS BOOK AND DID NOT EXTEND YOUR KNOWLEDGE BY OTHER MORE EXTENSIVE AND MORE PROFESSIONAL BOOKS IN THE FIELD.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2015
one of the very few really-professional manuals you can read, this book is old, but written by the most famous expert of all times.
A must read for anybody interested in hand to hand combat in a war or ivil war enviroment.
A must read for anybody interested in hand to hand combat in a war or ivil war enviroment.
January 28, 2008
I have a first edition of this classic.
Read
March 9, 2012it was a good mystery and scary book there was lots of blod pumping parts it was a really good book
February 23, 2013
A classic
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews