The low-tech, high-impact tomahawk has been carried in every American war, including Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. Here the author traces the origins of the tomahawk and uses his dynamic drawings to show how it can be utilized singly or with the long knife in both offensive and defensive encounters. Includes fighting scenarios, throwing lessons and applications of the war club.
The 2004 book The Fighting Tomahawk revolutionized modern study of the combat use of the American tomahawk. Now, author Dwight McLemore presents an expanded course in every aspect of this formidable, iconic weapon. In The Fighting Tomahawk, Volume II, McLemore shares additional details, thoughts, and informed speculation on the tomahawk of the American frontier of the 18th and 19th centuries and the explorers, settlers, long hunters, traders, and Indians who used it. He has mined original historical sources from the colonial era to develop more in-depth insight and instruction in such essential areas as cutting, chopping, using the back spike, frontier "rough and tumble" fighting, throwing the hawk, and training with and without a partner. As always, the centerpiece of McLemore's latest book is the hundreds of precise illustrations depicting step-by-step details on wielding the hawk in training and combat. Anyone who uses a tomahawk today—armed professionals, martial artists, historical reenactors, and stage combatants—will gain valuable insights into this hallmark weapon of the traditional American blade arts.
In this third volume of Michael Logusz’s epic study of the Wilderness War of 1777, a sizable British military force, augmented with German and loyalist soldiers, attacks the Northern Army’s southern front in the fall of 1777 in hopes of assisting a much larger British Army that is threatened to the north of New York City in the wilderness region of Saratoga. In previous works on the Wilderness War, Logusz deftly described General John Burgoyne’s efforts in the Saratoga campaign. He covered the exploits of British general Barry St. Leger and the convergence of British, German, Canadian mercenary, loyalist, and Indian forces toward Albany. In this third installment, Logusz presents how British general Sir William Howe was to advance northward from New York City with a force of almost twenty thousand regulars accompanied with a strong river naval force to link up with the two other commanders in Albany. Capturing Albany would not only deny the provincials a vital town on the edge of a wilderness, but also cut off the entire region of New England from the rest of the newly established nation. Instead, Howe decided to pursue Washington in Pennsylvania, leaving behind British general Sir Henry Clinton in New York City to deal with the city's lingering troubles and the events to the north. The book vividly describes the hardships encountered by the patriots fighting for independence and their opponents, along with Clinton’s experiences in and around New York City, West Point, and the Hudson Valley region. Logusz illustrates in depth the terrain, tactics, and terror of the multifaceted Wilderness War of 1777. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
McLemore builds on the foundation of Bowie and Big-Knife Fighting System to teach you more complex fighting techniques with the Bowie knife. Using the same highly effective workbook format, McLemore pairs step-by-step instructions with realistic illustrations to make the fighting sequences come alive. His uncanny ability to convey subtle motion and movement in his drawings allows readers to fully understand and learn the dynamic art of knife fighting. Progressive drillscombine techniques into sequences designed to show you how to maximize time, distance and movement to create openings for attacking or defending yourself against one or more opponents.
This valuable training guide provides insight into Jim Bowie, the "Bowie knife" and the fighting systems associated with both. Reminiscent of art found in early fencing manuals, the 200+ pen-and-ink drawings in this book are so skillfully executed that they vividly convey the movement of the training sequences. Whether you want to learn to fight with a big blade or just want to find out more about Bowie, this book is for you.
The kukri is one of the oldest combat/utility knives in existence today. Recognized as the national weapon of Nepal, the kukri has been associated with the British Army's fearsome Gurkha brigades since their creation. The unique downward slope of the blade gives the kukri its distinctive look and renowned ability to effect powerful, accurate cuts. In this latest addition to his "Fighting Weapons" series, Dwight McLemore explores the full range of kukri training and deployment. He presents a sprinkling of history with informed discussions of fighting approaches and numerous training exercises on cutting, thrusting, blocking, and the associated movement of a kukri fight. By mixing modern and historical concepts and illustrating the text with hundreds of his highly acclaimed instructional drawings, McLemore has created the first and perhaps ultimate training guide to this unique weapon. The Fighting Kukri is a must for martial artists, blade enthusiasts, historical reenactors, fight directors of stage and screen, and men and women of the armed forces.
In the latest addition to his Fighting Weapons series, Dwight McLemore does for the staff what he did earlier for the Bowie, tomahawk, and sword. The Fighting Staff is a modern illustrated guide to using one of man's oldest weapons. In keeping with his philosophy on fighting weapons, in this workbook McLemore does not attempt to duplicate methods from a specific period in the past. Rather, he offers an eclectic approach that borrows the most effective techniques from Asian and European martial arts throughout history. The Fighting Staff covers such essentials as footwork, grip, strikes, thrusts, blocks, and targeting. But its real value lies in the fighting concepts imparted, which serve as a language for advanced training. As always, your martial arts training is greatly enhanced by McLemore's beautifully executed drawings that take you step-by-step through 25 fighting drills for the martial arts staff. His use of frontal, side and overhead views, as well as his unique "floating staff" perspective, allows you to truly see how your actions correlate with those of your training partner (or opponent), as well as how and where your weapon moves. The training techniques taught in this book are not limited to the staff. They can also be used effectively with other weapons.
A comprehensive history of the brutal wilderness war that secured America’s independence in 1777—by an author with “a flair for vivid detail” (Library Journal). With Musket and Tomahawk is a vivid account of the American and British struggles in the sprawling wilderness region of the American northeast during the Revolutionary War. Combining strategic, tactical, and personal detail, historian Michael Logusz describes how the patriots of the newly organized Northern Army defeated England’s massive onslaught of 1777, all but ensuring America’s independence. Britain’s three-pronged thrust was meant to separate New England from the rest of the young nation. Yet, despite its superior resources, Britain’s campaign was a disaster. Gen. John Burgoyne emerged from a woodline with six thousand soldiers to surrender to the Patriots at Saratoga in October 1777. Within the Saratoga campaign, countless battles and skirmishes were waged from the borders of Canada to Ticonderoga, Bennington, and West Point. Heroes on both sides were created by the score amid the madness, cruelty, and hardship of what can rightfully be called the terrible Wilderness War of 1777.
When it comes to fighting manuals, Dwight McLemore's Fighting Weapons series (including books on the tomahawk, staff, sword, and Bowie and other big knives) has earned him a legion of loyal followers. Now in a labor of love that took decades to complete, McLemore incorporates his eclectic knowledge of combat techniques into this long-awaited manual on the bloody and brutal sport of gladiatorial combat. As always, McLemore's focus in The Fighting Gladiator is on training and fighting techniques. His book presents one-on-one, squared-off, dueling-type fighting in the context of a blood sport fought to the death before cheering crowds. To prepare this manual, McLemore scoured everything he could find-including scholarly papers, contemporary sources, and surviving pieces of art-to learn about gladiator fighting arts, including equipment, pairings with various opponents, how the gladiator games were organized and conducted, and the operation of gladiator training schools. From his research, he distilled his own curriculum featuring five types of gladiators from Rome's imperial period: the murmillo, thraex, provocator, dimacherus, and hoplomachus. Richly illustrated with hundreds of McLemore's signature dynamic drawings, as well as dozens of specific combat training tasks and engagement sparring sets, The Fighting Gladiator is for martial artists of all disciplines-or for anyone who just wants to learn more about the "sports superstars" of -ancient Rome!
For the outdoorsman or soldier, a knife is not a luxury, it is a necessity. One of man's most basic tools, a knife can gather and prepare food, build and tend a fire, create a shelter and signal for rescue; and when the chips are down, it will do duty as a lethal close combat weapon. Knives: Military Edged Tools & Weapons covers the whole range of blades available to the modern soldier, from fighting knives and bayonets, through combat and survival knives, to the versatile multi-tools and folders, not forgetting special purpose blades such as the machete, special forces shovel, combat tomahawk and even the assegai. It is often erroneously thought that these knives are designed solely for killing; this book seeks to show that they are in fact truly multi-purpose tools.
