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Bro-Jitsu: The Martial Art of Sibling Smackdown
Bro-jitsu is a highly stylized form of physical and mental combat that has been practiced and honed to perfection over countless millennia by billions of human beings who all have one crucial thing in common: annoying siblings. The book breaks down Bro-jitsu into three strategies: offensive moves, defensive moves, and psychological manipulation. Each section delivers step-by-step instructions on performing crucial techniques, from the classic Wet Willy to the inventive Full-Body Defensive Fish Wiggle. No sibling should be without it!
- GenresHumorNonfiction
160 pages, Paperback
First published April 13, 2010
104 people want to read
About the author
Daniel H. Wilson
124 books2,050 followersA Cherokee citizen, Daniel H. Wilson grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He earned a Ph.D. in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 16, 2018
I can't smackdown at this point. But! I did start taking up polish boxing. It's effective.
November 15, 2022
I thought this book would be fun. I doubt even the young adult audience would go for this trash. By the time someone is old enough to read this, it's non-existent charm will have vanished.
March 27, 2010
Bro-Jitsu the Martial Art of Sibling Smackdown by Daniel H. Wilson 5 of 5 stars.
26 Techniques to Gain Family Domination
To be released by BloomsburyUSA April 13, 2010
The world's most (okay, only) comprehensive guide to sibling torment.
Kung Fu. Tae Know Do. Karate. All ancient martial arts that have been around for thousands of years. But there's only one that's been studied by billions of brothers and sisters the world over. We're talking about Bro-Jitsu.
Defensive, and Psychological moves, Bro-Jitsu is a tongue-in-cheek encyclopedia of sibling smackdown, from how to most effectively include pro-wrestling moves in a standard bout to executing a full-body defensive fish wiggle, which will get you out of just about any choke hole or tackle. Throughout the book, diagrams and illustrations of the moves help you in your quest toward Bro-Master status. (book blurb)
I've honestly got to say, this is the most hilarious book I have read in a while. Actual tears came out of my eyes. I requested a review copy of this book expecting a little novelty book I could review and give to my younger cousins afterward, but now I DON'T WANT TO GIVE IT AWAY! Daniel H. Wilson has an absolutely perfect way of writing to bring out exactly how funny each of these moves is, and I can guarantee that whether or not you have siblings you will get major dejavu reading this. My mother adores it as well. We're waiting on the book to come out so that we can order a bunch of gift copies. I don't think anyone could possibly NOT like this book. I highly recommend it to everyone ages 6-66! I'm going to include a couple of excerpts to give you a small taste of how wonderful this book really is. Enjoy!
"Warning: Dealing with Only Children"
"A percentage of people on this planet do not have siblings. Scientists call these unfortunate people only children. These 'only children' can be found any where; they may be people you play with or people you ride the bus to school with. Be careful. Without years of daily training in Bro-Jitsu, only children may never properly learn how to tease, taunt, or rassle. An only child may take casual insults to heart. After a friendly noogie, headlock, or wet willy, an only child my react by punching you in the face, causing real blood to come out of your nose or lip. Stay alert and do not be taken by surprise; an only child can be as dangerous as a cornered badger."
"Stealth Butt Kick"
"While Walking side by side, shift the weight off the leg that is away from your sibling and bend your knee. Now deliver a quick behind-the-back kick to the seat of your sibling's pants and keep walking. If blamed for the kick, deny it. If kicked back, tell Mom."
Reviewed by Arya at A Sea of Pages (http://seaofpages.blogspot.com)
26 Techniques to Gain Family Domination
To be released by BloomsburyUSA April 13, 2010
The world's most (okay, only) comprehensive guide to sibling torment.
Kung Fu. Tae Know Do. Karate. All ancient martial arts that have been around for thousands of years. But there's only one that's been studied by billions of brothers and sisters the world over. We're talking about Bro-Jitsu.
Defensive, and Psychological moves, Bro-Jitsu is a tongue-in-cheek encyclopedia of sibling smackdown, from how to most effectively include pro-wrestling moves in a standard bout to executing a full-body defensive fish wiggle, which will get you out of just about any choke hole or tackle. Throughout the book, diagrams and illustrations of the moves help you in your quest toward Bro-Master status. (book blurb)
I've honestly got to say, this is the most hilarious book I have read in a while. Actual tears came out of my eyes. I requested a review copy of this book expecting a little novelty book I could review and give to my younger cousins afterward, but now I DON'T WANT TO GIVE IT AWAY! Daniel H. Wilson has an absolutely perfect way of writing to bring out exactly how funny each of these moves is, and I can guarantee that whether or not you have siblings you will get major dejavu reading this. My mother adores it as well. We're waiting on the book to come out so that we can order a bunch of gift copies. I don't think anyone could possibly NOT like this book. I highly recommend it to everyone ages 6-66! I'm going to include a couple of excerpts to give you a small taste of how wonderful this book really is. Enjoy!
"Warning: Dealing with Only Children"
"A percentage of people on this planet do not have siblings. Scientists call these unfortunate people only children. These 'only children' can be found any where; they may be people you play with or people you ride the bus to school with. Be careful. Without years of daily training in Bro-Jitsu, only children may never properly learn how to tease, taunt, or rassle. An only child may take casual insults to heart. After a friendly noogie, headlock, or wet willy, an only child my react by punching you in the face, causing real blood to come out of your nose or lip. Stay alert and do not be taken by surprise; an only child can be as dangerous as a cornered badger."
"Stealth Butt Kick"
"While Walking side by side, shift the weight off the leg that is away from your sibling and bend your knee. Now deliver a quick behind-the-back kick to the seat of your sibling's pants and keep walking. If blamed for the kick, deny it. If kicked back, tell Mom."
Reviewed by Arya at A Sea of Pages (http://seaofpages.blogspot.com)
April 20, 2010
About the Book: (From Goodreads): Bro-jitsu is a highly stylized form of physical and mental combat that has been practiced and honed to perfection over countless millennia by billions of human beings who all have one crucial thing in common: annoying siblings. The book breaks down Bro-jitsu into three strategies: offensive moves, defensive moves, and psychological manipulation. Each section delivers step-by-step instructions on performing crucial techniques, from the classic Wet Willy to the inventive Full-Body Defensive Fish Wiggle. No sibling should be without it!
GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I'm somewhat mixed on this book. After reading Bro-Jitsu, I was reminded of the many things my siblings and I would do to torture each other. There were moves that made me chuckle-pillow fights, couch wars, tying sleeves together to trap arms, and putting bugs on your sister-my brother still does that to me! There's the gross-out moves-farting, spit, burping, and dog poop. There's the psychological-looming, lick the floor, "uncle." This book covers them all.
I think middle school boys would love this book. It's presented in a very humorous way, it's a quick read and there are lots of illustrations (my copy was in black and white, but the final book will be full color, which will really make the illustrations stand out). But some of the moves could possibly do harm-maybe Im just a cranky old person and am seeing things from an adult perspective instead of a tweens. There are some cautions given about some of potentially dangerous moves, but the whole tone of the book is pretty light, I'm not sure how serious those would be taken by some readers. I think most readers would get a kick out of Bro-Jitsu and most likely have already tried many of the moves that are listed.
It's a book that I don't know who the target audience really is though. I think it has high tween appeal, but I could also see college students laughing over it remembering their own sibing fights. It strikes me as a gift book-you know the ones that have a niche market that sit on the front table of the bookstore around the holidays. I would give this to a reader who wouldn't take it too seriously but would also find the humor in the subject and enjoy a good laugh (and maybe a new way to annoy a sibling).
GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I'm somewhat mixed on this book. After reading Bro-Jitsu, I was reminded of the many things my siblings and I would do to torture each other. There were moves that made me chuckle-pillow fights, couch wars, tying sleeves together to trap arms, and putting bugs on your sister-my brother still does that to me! There's the gross-out moves-farting, spit, burping, and dog poop. There's the psychological-looming, lick the floor, "uncle." This book covers them all.
I think middle school boys would love this book. It's presented in a very humorous way, it's a quick read and there are lots of illustrations (my copy was in black and white, but the final book will be full color, which will really make the illustrations stand out). But some of the moves could possibly do harm-maybe Im just a cranky old person and am seeing things from an adult perspective instead of a tweens. There are some cautions given about some of potentially dangerous moves, but the whole tone of the book is pretty light, I'm not sure how serious those would be taken by some readers. I think most readers would get a kick out of Bro-Jitsu and most likely have already tried many of the moves that are listed.
It's a book that I don't know who the target audience really is though. I think it has high tween appeal, but I could also see college students laughing over it remembering their own sibing fights. It strikes me as a gift book-you know the ones that have a niche market that sit on the front table of the bookstore around the holidays. I would give this to a reader who wouldn't take it too seriously but would also find the humor in the subject and enjoy a good laugh (and maybe a new way to annoy a sibling).
November 8, 2013
In a surprising departure for Daniel H. Wilson, Ph.D. in Robotics from MIT, he's written a book about how siblings fight each other for family supremacy (or just for fun). He doesn't look at the whys or wherefores, just what they do to each other (e.g. punching, kicking, taunting, double dog daring, cat butting, etc.). The book is divided into sections on offensive techniques, defensive techniques, and psychological warfare. It has the same tongue-in-cheek style of his other short books like Where's My Jetpack? and How to Survive a Robot Uprising.
Wilson also discusses when to bring in parents as referees and when not to. These tidbits are especially helpful as a parent so I can discern when someone is trying to get out of trouble or get someone into trouble. It will make parents better managers of sibling relationships.
This book is a fun read and brought back sibling warfare memories. I just can't let it fall into the hands of my four- and six-year olds. They don't need any more ideas on how to get on each others nerves!
Sample Text: The Sacred Vow of Bro-Jitsu [pp. 9-10]
Wilson also discusses when to bring in parents as referees and when not to. These tidbits are especially helpful as a parent so I can discern when someone is trying to get out of trouble or get someone into trouble. It will make parents better managers of sibling relationships.
This book is a fun read and brought back sibling warfare memories. I just can't let it fall into the hands of my four- and six-year olds. They don't need any more ideas on how to get on each others nerves!
Sample Text: The Sacred Vow of Bro-Jitsu [pp. 9-10]
I promise I will never hit my sibling in the face, even if (s)he always breaks y stuff and gets away with it, too.
I will strive to physically and mentally torture my siblings to make them stronger, better people. But I will do my best to never injure or scar them permanently.
I will never team up with outsiders against my sibling because we are joined by an unbreakable bond of kinship. Plus, I will be in a lot of trouble with Mom if anything ever happens to my sibling.
I will continue to refine and improve the techniques of Bro-Jitsu long after reaching adulthood so that my siblings will never grow soft--and so that they will never forget how freaking awesome I am and how much they totally suck.
February 11, 2017
This is a must-read for anyone with siblings, those with kids, and even only children who don't understand those with siblings.
May 30, 2010
I had to hide this one from my kids, or I'll spend the rest of my life being a parental referee. Having grown up with a sister who never did these things, I couldn't relate. I like that they had a special section for how to treat younger siblings. The section on defensive moves and counter attacks could be very useful if you had one of these tormentors for a sibling. All in good fun? I appreciate they were careful not to cross the line in to just plain meanness.
November 14, 2010
Physical and psychological torture of bratty little brothers and bossy older sisters is part of a grand tradition going back to caveman times. Master the arts of noogies, fake nipples, the hanging spit fake, and the python leg squeeze, then hide this book before your brother finds it and turns this ancient art against you!
July 29, 2010
Bro-Jitsu has a great title and a good concept, but fails to deliver. The book lists techniques and ways to get back at your siblings (hopefully) without getting in trouble. This book is great for 5th - 7th graders, but won't keep the attention of older teens or adults. I couldn't actually finish it myself because of the one note humor. Cheresse
April 30, 2011
This book is laugh-out-loud funny, especially if you are reading it as an adult. The descriptions of how to attack a sibling or defend yourself against an attack are hilarious. As I read it, I could visualize some of the major battles I had growing up.
April 23, 2012
Ok, so, growing up with two older brothers made me a victim of most of the things discussed in this book. While I am familiar with the sibling smackdown "Bro-Jitsu" techniques, not sure they needed to be written in a book for other younger sibs to have to suffer through. I'm just saying.
October 31, 2015
This will bring back fond memories of battles with your sibling(s), will put a smile on your face as you reminisce about all the times you had the upper hand, followed quickly by a disgusted frown of a time or three when the shoe was on the other foot.
March 16, 2010
I would say more 2 1/2 stars...more on the blog today.
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June 2, 2010Blogged at Reality Rules
June 9, 2010
I laughed myself silly! And learned that one needs to have a brother in order to have experienced most of this stuff. My daughters didn't know what half these things were.
August 2, 2011
Silly. Fluffy. Insignificant but entertaining. Nostalgia-inspiring without being mushy. A fun and mindless way to kill a couple of hours on a lazy afternoon.
May 24, 2011
i was going to use these Tricks on my sister but i didnt wanna get in trouble!!!
January 12, 2013
I thought this book was hilariously written ... and I like the disclaimer that you should basically practice bro-jitsu in order to strengthen bonds with your siblings. Classic.
January 20, 2013
Very funny!
May 31, 2011
Not really to my taste. It was okay.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews