Get Tough! How to Win in Hand-to-Hand Fighting

by W.E. Fairbairn

This book, by the man who trained them, shows how the British Commandos and the clandestine agents of the British Special Operations Executive and American Office of Strategic Services became expert in hand-to-hand combat. It instructs the reader on how to win such close quarter fights - even against enemies who are bigger, more powerful, and armed. With nothing more than bare hands, this book shows how to put a thug out of action so fast he won't know what hit him. "Get Tough" is filled with clear, graphic line drawings which, with the easy-to-follow directions, demonstrate the "Fairbairn System." Fairbairn made a scientific study of every method of armed combat known at the time. He learned the tricks of Chinese "boxing". He was the first foreigner ever admitted to Kokodan Jiu Jutsu University in Tokyo where he was awarded the Black Belt, Second Degree. Combining all the knowledge thus acquired (plus his practical knowledge as a Light Infanteer in the Royal Marines and as a member of the Shanghai police), he developed a system of hand-to-hand combat so brutal and effective that it was not only used to stunning effect against Kung Fu-trained thugs and Japanese infiltrators on the Shanghai waterfront, but it later came to be feared by elite Axis troops. This Heritage Edition of "Get Tough" reproduces the exceptionally rare Australian edition of 1943. The Australian edition was limited to a single printing. It differs from the US market editions of Get Tough as it includes the rifle training chapter as seen in Fairbairn's "All-In Fighting" published in Britain. Exactly the same size and printed on white paper as per the original, this faithful recreation of Get Tough is available for a limited time only.

Genres: Martial Arts, History, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, War

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1942

Reviews

[Lester · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the people that has had the most impact on how people fight and kill other people without using firearms in the modern era is William E. Fairbairn.

Fairbairn was a Police Commisioner in Shanghai in the 1920s, was one of the first non-Japanese black belts in Judo (certified by the founder of Judo, Jigoro Kano), and during his time in Shanghai, devised systems of both close-range gunfighting and hand-to-hand combat--assets that were desperately needed for him and his men (both westerners and ethnic Chinese) when locked in lethal struggle with the ruthless Triad gangs (many of whom were crack shots, and highly skilled in Chinese Boxing, aka: kung fu). He called this system "Defendu", and it was one of the first "Western Hybrid" arts, derived from elements of Japanese and Chinese fighting arts.

The art of Defendu addressed unarmed combat as well as the use of sticks, knives and improvised weaponry (as well as defending against same) with a feral savagery that seems to be distinctly different from other systems of the time. It is *not* a "gentlemanly art of self-defense"--far from it. Also, please note that this is a system that is meant to be learned and assimilated *rapidly*--another point that distinguishes itself from other methods.

At the onset of WW2, Fairbairn provided his services and insights to the British and American forces fighting the Axis threat. His method, which became known during WW2 as "Gutter Fighting" or "the Silent Killing" course (and which was constantly refined and perfected through the course of the war), was taught to commandos and other Special Forces units, guerillas, saboteurs, and the agents of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS, the precursors to the modern CIA, via his student Col. Rex Applegate, as well as Fairbairn himself), and the British SOE (Special Operations Executive, the precursors to the modern MI-6, with Eric Sykes).

Fairbairn's system is a direct influence on many modern reality-oriented fighting systems (as in, non-sport-oriented), such as Israeli Krav Maga, the Model Mugging/IMPACT women's self-defense method, and other forms of modern combatives. It is still taught to people who have a real need to have hard skills to manage and survive a violent encounter, and is one of the most tested and effective methods of hand-to-hand fighting to date.

For more information on Fairbairn's system, and his book GET TOUGH (as well as others), I recommend one visit the website: http://www.gutterfighting.com.

Jack Bauer? James Bond? Jason Bourne?

This is the REAL THING.

[TΞΞL❍CK Mith!lesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although he was employed by the British military, Fairbairn was an exemplary student of Asian defense tactics. His vicious fighting style is memorialized on paper through this publication. The martial arts form is blunt, but that does not stop it from being exquisitely effective. This video shows the sheer force of his training techniques.

[Amanda Alexandre · Rating 3 out of 5]

So...

Maiming an opponent with your bare hands is easier than it sounds.

You can knock someone unconscious with a matchbox!

And kick break someone's spine by throwing your opponent to the floor!

I only read this for research, but damn, I felt like training this with my mother (she is 40 pounds heavier, way stronger than me and once knocked some heavy-builded 20-year-old man with the side of a knife - he had the mark "Tramontina" in his back for days) and turning into some girly form of badass-ery!

[Anders · Rating 5 out of 5]

In most situations, there is a large gap between practicing martial arts as a hobby and violence. This book is all about simple and effective violence.
Martial art practitioners are likely to recognize the harder-to-follow techniques that might look a bit out of place. Other readers will have to put their faith in Fairbairn being a very pragmatic fighter and if it didn't work in the right context, it wouldn't be in the book.

The font is outdated, but the illustrations are better than many photographs in similar books of today.

[Alfred Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

The strength of the book is its honesty: no fluff, no mysticism, just raw close-combat training. It’s essentially a battlefield manual adapted for civilians. The downside is obvious: some methods are outdated or dangerous for untrained readers. But as a historical artifact and a philosophy of “no rules” fighting, Get Tough! still stands as one of the most iconic self-defense texts, echoed in military training to this day.

[Conor Pádraig · Rating 5 out of 5]

kill nazi good

[Alfie Harland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice and fast informative read.

Aim for the testicles.

[John Szucs · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the seminal books on unarmed combat, with practical, effective techniques proven on the battlefields of World War II and still very relevant to soldiers on today's battlefields, law enforcement officers on the thin blue line, or civilians interested in self-defense. Just remember that reading a book is no substitute for training with a competent instructor (for example, DefendU) and practice. There are also techniques from judo, aikido, aikijitsu, jujitsu, Krav Maga, and armed self-defense that should be integrated to form a complete, modern system of self-defense.

[Gigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how blunt it is. Example:

Seize both his hands with your right and flip him downwards...Finish him off with a kick to the face.

The drawings are really good and it's actually quite interesting to read. It's written so that it's easy to access and it is relevant for people interested in self defense. It has pretty much every situation you'd be in and a (slightly bad sportsmanship) way to get out of every one.

I'm going to spend all of tomorrow practicing it on my friends. Kidding. ;-)

[Rob Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book, well presented and timeless self protection manual. Capt. W.E Fairburn was doing mixed martial arts long before many, many others. Cannot recommend highly enough............like Geoff Thompson/Peter Consterdine( 2 of the best self protection authors) meets Mr Chumley Warner era.

Brilliant book welcome addition to any library.

[Steve Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this years ago. In fact, I think I had a copy at one time. I didn't appreciate it much then.

Now, older and wiser, I see its value. While some of the techniques may be outdates or ineffective, the spirt of the book is there. Keep self defense (or your offense) simple, brutal, and effective. I'm glad I re-read it.

[Xenophon Hendrix · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the self-defense manual for the rest of us. The goal isn't to make one a martial artist; it is to teach some of the most brutal techniques conceived by the mind of man for saving one's life when things go very bad.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fairbairn served as the Shanghai police chief under British rule. He developed fighting and defense techniques for his native policemen as well as for the British coomandos and American Marines.