Secrets of Effective Offense: Survival Strategies for Self-Defense, Martial Arts, and Law Enforcement Book by Marc MacYoung (Hardcover)

There are many self-defense books on the market, all of which stress reaction in the face of an attacker's aggression and few of which are not hampered by invalid assumptions derived from carefully constrained martial sports. The emphasis is overwhelmingly on reactive technique, rather than pro-active strategy. But, as any football fan knows, most often the best defense is a strong, unpredictable offense. With a slavish dedication to the wrong traning paradigm and unrealistic goals and attitudes, a fighter who suddenly faces the fight of his life has to make a complete shift, or fail. The truth is, it's usually too late-on the street, in particular, but also in the ring. Reaction time is seldom as fast as the time it takes to attack. All the dedication and hard training in the world can't alter or overcome this unpleasant fact.

In Secrets of Effective Offense, Marc MacYoung, in the grand tradition of Sun Tzu and Clausewitz, draws on his long experience to teach the strategy and tactical skills necessary to 1) avoid dangerous situations, 2) defuse unavoidable dangerous situations, and 3) take charge of dangerous situations by switching from defense to the necessary level of effective offense. With black-and-white photographs and straightforward description, MacYoung provides an indispensable handbook for those who are willing to take charge.

About the Author:

Marc MacYoung has never fit well into simple categories. That's because of his diverse past. When his family fell into situational poverty he found himself facing lifestyles and problems that most people have no idea exist, much less have experience dealing with. It was during that time the earned the street name "Animal." Many of his stories start with qualifiers like "The first time I was shot at..." and "The last time I had someone try to stab me..." (It was a long hard climb out of that lifestyle.) Decades of experience in environments and professions where violence was common, would eventually lead him to being a court recognized expert about violence, crime, and self-defense.

This wide ranging background gives him a completely different perspectives of the complex problems involved with personal safety, conflict, violence, and crime avoidance —especially how there are no simple answers (e.g., martial arts or carrying a gun). Those approaches may soothe fears, but they don't actually address danger —or the problems you'll face if you have to use them.

Over the years his works have evolved from that of a streetfighter to taking a more practical approach of avoidance and/or deterrence. This opens far more effective and non-violent options for his readers. As he often says "I'm not about fear management. My goal is danger management. I'm more interested in teaching you how to avoid walking into the lion's jaws than giving you false confidence about doing so."

Length: 256 pages

Publication date: 2005