Customer Reviews

The Bigger They Are, the Harder They Fall: How to Defeat a Larger and Stronger Adversary in a Street Fight

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book can be very usefull for beginners or anyone who has no idea about self defence. Though interesting, it presents no new techniques that any martial artist has already seen. This is why i gave it a 2 star rating and felt it was a waste of money for me. However I have 4 reasons for my low rating and they are presented as follows:

1) All techniques shown are basic and could be used on anyone regardless of their size. Gearing it to large opponents is a way to sell the book.

2) Some techniques he showed will not work on significanly larger opponents. For example, on the back cover of the book Franco shows himself escaping a full headlock given by a VERY large man. In the picture the author effortlessly stands straight up and punches the large adversary in the throat. (Yeah right). I have been doing Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Mauy-thai for a long time and let me tell you, it does not happen that way.

3) Regarding ground fighting, his advise is approprate: don't get smothered on the bottom by a huge man, ever. But thats all he says. He shows himslef in the gurad position and in a mounted position but doesnt offer appropriate ground fighing techniques.

4) What i found most irritating was that he points out the most basic consepts from arts such as boxing, kung fu and jiu-jitsu and simply applies it to beating "larger" opponents.

Given these factors, if you are someone who does not train in martial arts or don't plan to do so in the future, this book may help you see why self defence may be useful and illustrate the fighting techniques that exit.

Only a fool would attack a muscle-bound, 6' 10", college lineman out on an evening stroll with a snarling pack of pet Dobermans. A balding, sedentary 50-something walking a fluffy white Bichon Frise is a different matter. Our dog's diminutive bladder requires regular outings at the strangest of hours, and I recently acquired Mr. Franco's fascinating book as a precautionary matter. Herein America's own Generalissimo advocates a holistic approach to street combat - starting with a rigorous training & conditioning program. I tried to follow his regime for about a week, but the thought that I was preparing for a dark alley showdown made exerciseg more depressing than usual and I moved on to the later chapters. I found the section on collar grabs & throws to be particularly intoxicating, and even practiced one of the moves on a friendly mailman who sometimes stops in to avoid the rigors of his route on inclement days (rain, snow, sleet, and hail all being equally likely to drive him to our kitchen). I succeeded in felling him just as the book instructed, and even slightly re-injured an aggravated disk in his spine (for which he effusively praised and thanked me, due to the Postal Service's lavish Workers' Comp program). I now walk my "hood" at all hours with a visible swagger, faithful young Cujo yipping menacingly at my side.

Yep ... they still are there, bigger, stronger, and standing up. Of course Sammy Franco knows how and where to hit those big guys, but in a real fight a 70 Kg man (as I am), can hardly avoid breaking his hand hitting the chin with bare hands punches against a 130 Kg opponent.
Of course timing, the hints, the techniques and tactics are good, but, believe me, in a mayhem, you'll NEVER hit a bone with a bone ... hey man, these are the only hands I have !!
This apart, I suggest you to use this book, read it carefully, it's really good, but hit with your palm heel on those chins ...

I am very satisfied with this book. It provides what was missing. There is a lot of videos and books but when it comes to fight and face a bigger opponent nothing like this one.

The focus of this book is on how to defeat an attacker who may be bigger and stronger than you. However, since there is almost always someone who is bigger and stronger than you, this book is for anyone who wants an edge in a street confrontation. This volume is divided into five chapters, covering several factors that must be considered if you want to survive a physical confrontation. One of the things I liked about this book is the question and answer format. This method is one way to get the most out of this book. Chapter one covers some of the fundamental concerns about attempting to defeat an attacker who is larger and stronger than you. The second chapter addresses the vital strategic principles required to defeat an attacker. Chapter three deals with training methods required to defeat an attacker. Chaper four provides methods to put the principles into action. The final chapter briefly covers ground fighting aspects.

In conclusion, this is a book that can be of benefit to both experienced and beginning martial artists who are interested in learning some practical and simple self-defense tactics.

Rating: 4 stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Pro-Systems Combatives Vol. 1,2).

As its title suggests, this book directly address the all but certain reality of being physically outmatched in a self-defense situation. As the author points out in his introduction, this crucial topic is all but ignored in the world of self-defense, until now.

In more than just a simple "how-to" guide, Sammy Franco addresses the physical, mental, technical aspects of how to defend yourself against a larger and stronger adversary.

Set up in what I thought was a very helpful and readable question and answer format, the book delves into everything from weight lifting and conditioning to a crash course in offensive blows and natural body weapons. As with all material from Contemporary Fighting Arts, this book is an extension of a comprehensive modern martial arts system of combat, but completely self-contained. The author is considerate of the reader who may not own any of his other books or DVDs or posses knowledge or skills pertaining to self-defense. Everything you need to know about this topic is between the front and back covers of this book.

This should be on everyone's shelf. It delivers what it promises, pure and simple. Highly recommended.

I bought this book from the website, but wanted to share my review here. Being a small guy myself, this was a great addition to my self defence library. Mr. Franco I think definitely bests his competition here. The book goes through many important aspects of fighting, such as range proficiency and body mechanics, and even goes into things such as conditioning for a street fight through weight training and cardiovascular exercise. Sorry Mark Macyoung fans, but you can't be a blubbering fat ass and expect to make it in a real life street encounter. In response to those who say that he is not stating anything new, Mr. Franco actually goes against the tide of many reality fighting books by not showing complex micro-motor skills such as arm bars, or joint locks, but cuts right to the meat of what will save your ass. Yes ladies and gentleman, the bread and butter of self-defence is hitting with fast hard combinations of strikes, not the latest submission hold you saw that won a UFC fight. Strikes involve the utilization of gross motor skills, whereas grappling involves micro-motor sensitivity. During the stress of a fight, you honestly will not feel very confident using a grappling move against an opponent who both outweighs you and is taller. Grappling nowadays is a popular sport, and thats why so many Gracie lackies peddle it off as the ultimate fighting system. It may work in the ring, but there are weight classes and rules, even in no holds barred matches. In the street, there are no rules. Grappling does not work unless you are at an equal or greater strength and height advantage to your opponent. I personally have studied judo and Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu, and have found that to be true. Now, of course you can always say that I wasn't doing the technique right, or that I wasnt very good, and hey, both might be true. But speaking from experience, the stuff in this book has worked for me, and I feel it can work for anyone else who puts time and effort into its practice. So for these reasons, I give it a full reccomendation, and five stars.

I didn't like this book to much let me tell yah. I mean, it's ok, but nothing to write home about. I guess there's some good stuff in there, but who knows?