Bruce Tegner

***DerAuslander*** · Posted On: 1/10/2010 8:45am

Thank you for sharing your memories.

**nealboy** · Posted On: 6/12/2010 11:57pm

:icon_tongI studied under Mr. Tegner in 1964. I had been in Judo in Texas. I was only in California for a short time so I took private lessons in self defense. He had a studio in Hollywood and had Judo, Karate, and self defense classes.

His self defense classes were like modern hand to hand combat classes. Simple gross motor skills.

In those days we just had books. Some of them showed footprints like dance instructions. I wish Mr. Tegner had DVD technology. He would give the Cub Scout sign and say,"Kicking is Dirty Fighting."

I went into Karate later on, back in Texas. I just found out tonite that he died in 19885.

Thank you for helping me Mr. Tegner. Good bye and God Bless you, Sir.

**RobG** · Posted On: 6/13/2010 3:46am

I never met either of these diverse Bruce's - but learned much from them..read both authors book(s) ...back as a teen - trying to understand the attraction studying martial arts ..even once stood at the foot of Bruce and Brandon Lee graves. (wish I had taken a sunburst guitar pick on Brandon's grave - wanted it - would not take it - regret it, once I learned that T. Kimura regularly cleaned the grave-sites and threw all there away.

Thanks for the memories shared above.
*****

**Mtripp** · Posted On: 6/13/2010 5:54am

Ummm..... how to say this....

There is stuff here that is just not correct, time lines are messed up, and some books listed (American Combat Judo for one example) that Mr. Tenger had nothing to do with.

I have most if not all the books he ever wrote. I have the ones from Thor press all the way through to the Bantam ones. Most of them are simply no where near the epic books of the same era such as Dynamic Judo or This is Karate.

More interesting to me is most people do not bring up, and this is no different, that Mr. Tenger, while in the Air Force, was part of the famous martial art training program for US Airmen. You can find him on some old Judo film, transfered to DVD and sold by Budo video.

**Mtripp** · Posted On: 6/14/2010 3:15pm

Interesting.... however...

Most high level combative teachers suggest senior's fake a heart attack and collapse to the ground when faced with such an assault. This has a very high success rate, a dear friend of mine saved his life that way. Simply put, if the person dies, for whatever reason, during the assault, that is felony murder and we are taking serious jail time.

Now, as to Bruce. Bruce felt personal self-defense should be like CPR something everyone had some solid knowledge of, but would not require on going training. It is interesting to note that Fairbairn's program for the Home Guard was based on this concept, and it worked well for its context.

I am not saying I agree with it, but lets at least understand the context of his statements.

**mrtnira** · Posted On: 6/15/2010 6:36pm

I use Bruce Tegner's books today.

In my progressive years of study, now approaching 30 years, increasingly his works become clearer and more useful. Today some books are more comprehensive, but the basics that Mr. Tegner presented were for the masses and he did a great job of communicating the basics clearly. He also was careful to discuss reasonable force, which is a legal principle, and he kept training methods and demonstrated techniques reasonable and free of aggrandizement.

I am wondering how his last years were spent? Does anyone know? He died relatively young, in his 50's. It is very easy to overlook men like Mr. Tegner in our overwhelming present, but it would be good to honor him and keep his better books available. They represent a period in American combatives training, in legal understanding, and in book publishing style.

**jukado1** · Posted On: 5/28/2011 3:39pm

Mrtnira: Sorry to be so late here, Bruce sold his school in Hollywood Ca. In 1967 and moved to Ventura, Ca. He was semi retired from the martial arts world, He continued to work on his books, And taught some judo and police science at Ventura City College, And he kept his hand in self defense by teaching some self-defense programs at some local recreation centers and YMCA'S, For his free time, Through the last contact I had with Bruce, About 1983, He continued his education, Every year he took 1 Academic class and the next semester he took some form of physical or recreation class.
Bob Rosenbaum/jukado1