Customer Reviews

Art of Fighting

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Thompson is obviously a man who has come full circle in his approach to violent confrontation. The book convincingly talks the reader through the various behavioural stages which precede most "real" attacks. As someone who studies a martial art, I agree with the sentiments in the book which relate to the shortcomings of many martial arts training programmes, in dealing with situations which go "live" unexpectedly.

Anyone wishing to gain a better understanding of the anatomy of a fight, and how to avoid it before it gets physical, could not do much better than this book.

Geoff Thompson is an ex-doorman as well as being a first class martial artist. He is 6th Dan at Karate and 1st Dan Judo. If you have read his autobiography 'Watch my back' you will know that he has done it all in terms of real fighting.

This book seeks to address the way to avoid fights in the first place, something that even Geoff Thompson now does. As he says in this book if some guy nicks your road space or cuts you up in his car is it worth a fight, when the result might be that one or other of you is seriously injured(or even killed). Is someone nicking your space worth 10 years in prison? When you think of it in that way the answer is clearly no. You may be as tough as hell, but there can always be someone tougher out there...

He breaks the book down into five main areas: Avoidance, Escape, Verbal Dissuasion, Postering & Restraint. Each is dealt with in about fifteen pages and the book is just short of 100 pages in length. I was particularly interested in his explanation of the adrenaline rush that precedes a fight which is frequently mistaken for fear, but is the bodies natural 'fight or flight' reaction to a stressful situation.

Whether you are a martial artist, or just somebody who would like to know how better to avoid trouble, this is well worth reading.

Geoff is a hero of mine.
He's a real star...go, buy everything the man has written!

He said "I'm gonna be an writer"...he does it!
He said "I'm gonna be a top ten writer." he does it!
He said "I'm gonna win an Oscar"...I said "mmmmh..?"
He only goes and wins a bloody BAFTA (British Oscar)!!

I was having a hard time in my life...I wrote to Geoff, without ever having met or spoken...he wrote right back...sent me a free copy of this book and changed my life.

Can't really say much more than that.