Art and Science of Self Defense

Joe Varady is an award-winning author of The Art and Science of Staff Fighting, and The Art and Science of Stick Fighting. He is a sixth-degree black belt with over thirty years of experience in martial arts. Joe has trained in numerous Eastern and Western disciplines, including karate, judo, eskrima, boxing, fencing, and long sword. He has won numerous awards competing in full-contact weapons tournaments around the world. Joe holds a master’s degree in elementary education. He is the head instructor at Satori Dojo and Modern Gladiatorial Arts. Joe Varady resides in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.

• ForewordPrefaceIntroductionPart 1: Combat Sports, Martial Arts, and Self-DefensePart 2: Self-Defense and the LawPart 3: The Art and Science of Self-DefenseLevel 1: AwarenessPart 1: Situational AwarenessPart 2: Variable AssessmentPart 3: Recognizing a ThreatLevel-1 ActivitiesLevel 2: Avoidance, De-escalation, and AnticipationPart 1: AvoidancePart 2: De-escalationPart 3: AnticipationLevel-2 ActivitiesLevel 3: Building an ArsenalPart 1: TargetingPart 2: Offensive TechniquesPart 3: Defensive TechniquesLevel-3 ActivitiesLevel 4: Action! Part 1: Right TimePart 2: Right PlacePart 3: Right TechniquePart 4: Right Perspective/RunLevel-4 ActivitiesLevel 5: Dirty Tricks Part 1: When to Fight DirtyPart 2: How to Fight DirtyLevel-5 ActivitiesLevel 6: Takedowns Part 1: The ClinchPart 2: FallingPart 3: ThrowsPart 4: Foot Sweeps and TripsLevel-6 ActivitiesLevel 7: Ground Fighting Part 1: BasicsPart 2: Pins, Hold-Downs, and LocksPart 3: EscapingLevel-7 ActivitiesLevel 8: Weapons Part 1: Improvised WeaponsPart 2: Defending Against WeaponsLevel-8 ActivitiesLevel 9: Multiple Attackers Part 1: Establishing ControlPart 2: Evading and EscapingPart 3: Going on the AttackLevel-9 ActivitiesAcknowledgments Appendixes Appendix 1: Dog AttackAppendix 2: ChildrenAppendix 3: Sexual AssaultAppendix 4: Training Equipment

“Like his previous books, The Art and Science of Stick Fighting and The Art and Science of Staff Fighting, Joe Varady’s latest work is extremely well-organized and provides a systematic instructional guide to self-defense. The Art and Science of Self-Defense tackles this multifaceted subject in a logical and practical manner, providing overriding principles of safety and self-defense as well as instructional activities and simple physical techniques. It is a terrific addition to any self-defense library. This is a guide that contains not only material to be studied but also activities and techniques to be practiced. This combination of study and practice will provide the reader the knowledge, skills, and confidence to hopefully avoid but also, if necessary, to better face potentially dangerous situations. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to increase their understanding of self-defense to be better prepared to live safely in our modern world.”—Alain Burrese, fifth dan hapkido, former Army sniper, author of Survive a Shooting, 101 Safety Tips series, and Tough Guy Wisdom vols. 1-3 "What is most intriguing about this particular work is how both a novice and an accomplished martial artist can read through the text and learn from this greatly accomplished master’s perspective. The Art and Science of Self-Defense walks you through the legal aspects of defending yourself, awareness, and assessing and recognizing threats in addition to delving into defensive tactics at all levels.This book does not disappoint and absolutely everyone who reads it will walk away with something they will greatly benefit from.”—Michael Gallagher, USA Taekwondo National Weapons Champion; owner/operator/instructor, Generations Taekwondo "The Art and Science of Self-Defense is a great resource for both teachers and students as the organization of the material is logical and each chapter builds on basic principles in an easy-to-understand format of concepts, explanatory photos and illustrations, and personal stories and insights to support the ideas presented.I appreciate the chapter ‘Self-Defense and the Law,’ as that is something that is so important to understand—how situations can develop that could become litigious, even if you are just trying to defend yourself."—Allyson Appen, master-level shichidan (seventh-dan), Cuong Nhu martial arts "I have over forty years of training and self-defense experience, and I believe this book distills a myriad of concepts into an easy-to-follow set of instructions. I would recommend this guide to those wishing to learn self-defense, combined with carrying out the physical drills recommended by the author.”—Master Michael A. Ponzio, shichidan (seventh dan), Cuong Nhu martial arts, author of the Ancestry novels "The Art and Science of Self-Defense is perfect for anyone who would like to gain in-depth insight into self-defense and the encounters that may be faced in the real world. The techniques in the book are broken down into steps and have descriptions under the illustrations ensuring that anyone can follow along and learn the techniques. Master Varady provides various levels of topics and instruction that build an understanding of self-defense."—Ramon Santiago Jr., Grandmaster, seventh dan, Universal Systems of Martial Arts (board member)