The Way of Tactics: A Manifesto of Invincibility

by Tom Sotis

Tom Sotis is this generation's most prolific instructor of knife fighting. Having taught over 1200 seminars in twenty-five countries, Tom has earned worldwide acclaim for his unique theories and coaching methods. The Way of Tactics is presented in three parts. “Life Lessons” is intended to entertain readers while offering valuable personal insights from the training and experiences of one of the world's most lethal men. A “Manifesto of Invincibility”, presented through the prism of knife fighting, has useful applications for warriors, executives, and athletes. It presents a framework for achieving optimal human performance from within the roots of your deepest motivations which determine your strategies, guide your tactics, and dictate the course of your actions. This book presents the elements of invincibility and a formula for achieving it. The “Applications” section presents Tom’s pioneering vision towards disrupting an industry, establishing a new classification of business, raising it to professional standards and goes on to explain how the Manifesto is a pragmatic tool for improved outcomes in business, sports, and life.

Genres: Martial Arts

179 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 23, 2020

Reviews

[Ricky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book to read.

[Jeroen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This, in my opinion, is a must read for anyone interested in any or all of the following topics: psychology, sociology, aggression, martial arts, combatives, philosophy, strategy, training, personal development, and blade-based fighting.
That probably covers everyone on the planet. Seriously, this is not only an interesting in depth biography of one of the most renowned knife-fighters and trainers on the planet, but also a concise thorough and powerful breakdown of all the elements necessary for true invincibility. The quality and depth of the analysis and structure is profound and unique. This is not only Tom Sotis’ life-work, but also a great work of art.

Full Disclosure:
Tom Sotis is one of the most brilliant and analytical minds I have had the honor and pleasure to ever come across and receive instruction from. Not only does he possess a scientific mindset that can easily match itself with the top minds in academia, he is an inspiring teacher that is able to convey the most difficult concepts, and on top of that he can perform what he preaches! How many inside and outside the self-defense/martial-arts/combative-arts world do you know who are able to do just that? Preciously few....
I highly recommend you explore what he has to offer, be it for personal development, business development or self-defense...
I have integrated the AMOK! framework into all aspects of my life and I’m a better, more functional, more balanced and happier person for it...

[John Fredrickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I attended one seminar with Tom Sotis (in which I learned a lot) several years ago, and would recommend him in an instant for someone who wanted to train in any martial capacity.

His book is a strange mix of memoir at the beginning, followed by a section on tactics, then one on applications. The memoir section is fascinating, as his experiences are exotic and more than a bit terrifying to consider. Once the book gets into the Manifesto (tactics) section, it gets quite a bit drier, as he discusses elements like attention, distance, movements or feints (etc.) in the abstract, and much of this sounds like it could have come from someone of vastly less experience or skill. The final section on Applications is curious, as it really deals with downgrading formalized systems of schooling, and focusing on his approach of using fighting itself to organize an experience-based (presumably this is where all/most schools originally goth their material??) system of defense.