Charles Nelson joined the Marine Corps in 1934 and learned hand-to-hand combat, bayonet fighting, and jiu-jitsu from, among others, Colonel Anthony J. Drexel Biddle. When he left the military after World War II, Charlie realized that there was a realistic need for average citiznes to be able to defend themselves against violent assault. He combined what he had learned in the military with dirty fighting techniques gleaned from his boxing and real-world fighting experiences, keeping only what he knew was practical for self-defense. Then he opened the Charles Nelson School of Self-Defense in New York City.

Nelson's methods were easily understood, practiced, and executed under the worst conditions of actual violence. During its five decades of operation, Nelson's school taught hundreds of men, women, and even children. To reach more people than could personally attend the school, Nelson published two manuals on self-defense, commonly referred to as the 'Little Red Manual' and the 'Little Gray Manual,' both long out of print. Through these two booklets Charlie infuenced generations of law enforcement officers, military personnel, martial artists, and celebrities. Now for the first time, the two manuals have been combined to offer a comprehensive picture of the Nelson system of self-defense. Along with the faithful reproductions of the red and gray manuals, Charles Nelson's School of Self-Defense offers an illuminating look at Charlie Nelson by former pupil and World War II combatives expert Carl Cestari and a collection of photos from the life of one of the pioneers of civilan slf-defense.

Charlie Nelson truly epitomized the old cliche about forgetting more than most people know. Those who were lucky enough to have trained under him benefited in many ways from that relationship. With the wider circulation of these manuals, many more people will be lucky enough to attain some insight into this unique man and his life-saving methods.

Product Description
When he left the military after World War II, Charlie realized that there was a realistic need for average citizens to be able to defend themselves against violent assault, so he opened his School of Self-Defense in New York City. During its five decades of operation, Nelson's school taught hundreds of men, women and even children. To reach more people than could personally attend the school, Nelson published two manuals on self-defense, commonly referred to as the 'Little Red Manual' and the 'Little Gray Manual,' both long out of print. Through these two booklets Charlie influenced generations of law enforcement officers, military personnel, martial artists and celebrities. Now for the first time, the two manuals have been combined to offer a comprehensive picture of the Nelson system of self-defense. Along with the faithful reproductions of the red and gray manuals, Charles Nelson's School of Self-Defense offers an illuminating look at Charlie Nelson by former pupil and World War II combatives expert Carl Cestari as well as a collection of photos from the life of one of the pioneers of civilian self-defense.
About the Author
Charles Nelson joined the Marine Corps in 1934 and learned hand-to-hand combat, bayonet fighting and jiu-jitsu from, among others, Colonel Anthony J. Drexel Biddle. From Sergeant Kelly, who had been attached to the International Police in Shanghai, China, in the 1930s, he learned a unique fighting method based on Mongolian wrestling techniques intended to maim or cripple, which no one else in the United States was teaching at the time.

As a life time student of the martial arts and an instructor of combatives, I had heard of the late Charles Nelson system, but never had the opportunity to train with him. This volume, which has his red and gray manuals. is a classic because it covers some of the basic techniques he taught to students. This text has numerous photos and a back ground about Charles Nelson, who was a close quarter combat instructor in the Marines. Realistic self-defense is what Nelson taught at his school. The techniques are simple but effective; however, no book can take the place of actual training with an instructor of his system. What the photos do not show are follow up techniques in the drill exercises. Nevertheless, the historical value of this book makes it a must have among those who teach combatives and reality based systems. In conclusion, this book should be used in conjunction with actual hands-on training with an instructor of combatives. Joseph J. Truncale (Pro-Systems Combatives-Author: Monadnock Defensive Tactics Systems)

Charles Nelson was a legend, and he had a fan club composed of some of the most seriously tough and experienced self defense experts in the world (including Carl Cestari, who by the time of his death had forgotten more than we will every know).

The intro to the book has a cool story about a smart kid who was going to show the old guy a thing or two and wound up eating carpet.

With a story like that, I dug in.

But the scope of techniques presented in these books is narrow, and the photos are poor quality and small.

And some of the choices Nelson made in his demonstrations seemed perfectly okay, and his execution also seemed okay for a very old man in poor condition.

But I just can't get enthusiastic about this book. With as much of a rep as Charles Nelson had gained, and as much experience and study as he'd put into self defense, I expected more.

I'm going to come back and reread this a few more times, but after a sincere effort I can't recommend it with any enthusiasm.

For civilian self defense for a beginner, read all the Tegner books in preference to this book.

For military hand to hand combat, read Fairbairn's Get Tough or All In Fighting, or Applegate's Kill or Get Killed, or Cold Steel by Styers (ignore his knife fighting and knife throwing chapters; the rest of the book is very good).

But this book, which was put together after Charles Nelson's death, just doesn't do his reputation justice. Either he wasn't a very good teacher (I don't believe that for a moment because too many people say too many good things about him and his teaching) or this book doesn't correctly represent his teaching.

Bear in mind that even a good teacher can turn out a not-so-great book.

If I find a lot of gold when I re-read this I'll edit this to point it out, But for now, I'd spend my money on a different book. -Joseph McDaniel

I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Nelson at a GungHo Chuan assault just 2 years before his death, and got a copy of his Red Manual (an original, not the reprint). Some of the material is a bit unorthodox but that is the nature of Charlie Nelson's jujitsu.

There are many good and simple things to be learned from this book, and of course it is a historical document depicting Mr. Nelson demonstrating his unique version of American Jujitsu, even though it does not do justice to the wealth of knowledge and experience in Combatives he acquired. Mr. Nelson will be missed. -Jose c. Amram

Contents

Foreword
Section I Photographs
Section II The Red Manual
Section III The Gray Manual