Taking It to the Street: Making Your Martial Art Street Effective Book by Marc MacYoung (Preowned)

Most real fights are short, fast and brutal. And there are no rules. The martial artist who thinks he's trained to handle what's coming may be in for a painful surprise. But this isn't one of those books about bringing your martial art up to street speed that rips on everything you've worked so hard to learn. It's a book on taking your moves and making them fast, fanged and fierce enough to stand up to a surprise attack.

Ex-streetfighter Marc "Animal" MacYoung knows from experience that no matter how much training they've had, most people get overwhelmed in the first critical seconds of a streetfight. And it's nearly impossible to get over the shock of being attacked and organize a viable response while someone is tap dancing on your face.

With photos, illustrations and detailed instructions, Animal brings the martial artist from the structured safety of the dojo to the mayhem of the street, alley and biker bar. He teaches you the quickest ways to get your attacker off his feet; how to do bulletproof blocks and throws; how to anticipate a strike and how to make a kicker howl. He also gives you important tips on what to do after a brawl, because such issues as legalities, revenge seekers and your own mental well being last long after the fight is over. Anyone who's ever wondered if his or her martial arts training would hold up to a real-life attack needs to read this book.

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: 328 pages

Publication date: 1999