Secrets of Combat Jujutsu and Secrets of Advanced Combat Jujutsu, By D’Arcy Rahming
Review by Robert Carver, Administrator, BudoSeek! Martial Arts Community

One of the benefits of running a big martial arts website, is I get asked to review books and related stuff from time to time. Recently, the author of the books that are the subject of this review, posted an announcement on BudoSeek! and on another website about his books. Unfortunately, many who read the announcement were not familiar with Miyama Ryu or its history and drew an inappropriate conclusion. However, I was familiar with Miyama Ryu Jujutu and its history, and several years ago, I was fortunate enough to have actually looked at an earlier edition of these books. I remember how impressed I was at the time, and when Rahming Sensei asked that I review the 3rd Edition of Secrets of Combat Jujutsu and Secrets of Advanced Combat Jujutsu, I jumped at the opportunity!

If you are not familiar with Miyama Ryu Jujutsu, it was founded by Antonio Pereira, who as a young soldier in 1942 had a great deal of interest in unarmed combatives. Following World War Two, he continued his training in the martial arts, and eventually had the opportunity to study in Japan. It was many years later that he founded Miyama Ryu Jujutsu, and became somewhat of a legend in the American Jujutsu community. Miyama Ryu is a no-nonsense system of Jujutsu with a heavy emphasis on street combatives. Miyama Ryu does not make claims as being the best, greatest or most effective, but it is simply a no nonsense approach to Jujutsu and unarmed defense.

Both of Rahmings books are presented in a curriculum format and divided by rank level requirements. While many books tend to focus on specific techniques, these books not only present specific techniques, but also cover transitional, combinations from one technique to another, and much more. It accomplishes this by means of an excellent series of line drawings rather than photographs. The drawings are expertly done, and are very easy to follow. Much more so than with photographs were the detail is often obscured by shadows and lighting.

Unlike many books that strictly cover how to do the techniques, these books present information on other related topics such as body movement, off-balancing, etc, covering many of the fine points not normally found in other books. As before, it is covered in a clear and simple to follow manner.

While these books are not the cheapest books on the market ($24.95 for Secrets of Combat Jujutsu and $29.95 for Secrets of Advanced Combat Jujutsu), the books and Miyama Ryu have received endorsements from many notable martial art authorities. When you consider the almost total absence of books which deal with the art of Jujutsu, both books are in my opinion a worthy addition to any martial artist’s library. I will be recommending these books to my students for their reference, and I think that anyone who decides to purchase them will not be disappointed.

If you are interested in purchasing these books or want to learn more about Miyama Ryu Jujutsu, go to http://www.miyamaryu.org. Follow the bookstore link to order these books.