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 citizens 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.
