Customer Reviews

Championship Streetfighting: Boxing As A Martial Art

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Ned Beaumont has written a practical no-nonsense book on how to use boxing as a method of self-defense and exposes the myths surounding Hollywood fight fantasies. Some other reviewers find his critique of Asian martial arts to be too one sided and there may be some truth to that. However, as one who has studied both TKD and Jujutsu and Boxing I can say that some of the points he makes are valid. Even if boxing is not you're combat art of choice you can still learn a lot from Championship Streetfighting and the author's take no BS attitude is a breath of fresh air in the self defense literature scene.

Ned Beaumont's "Championship Streetfighting" is an in depth look at the use of boxing for self-defense. Mr. Beaumont begins by looking at boxing as the old-time method of self-defense, and points out the prior to WWII when a man wanted to learn self-defense he studied boxing. Next Mr. Beaumont gives his opinion about the effectiveness of boxing when compared to the traditional Asian martial arts. "Championship Streetfighting" clearly favors boxing as the more effective style for self-defense (as one might expect in a book about boxing), but at the same time Mr. Beaumont points out that any style can be effective when employed by a tough, fit, and knowledgeable fighter.

The majority of "Championship Streetfighting" discusses various techniques and combinations to use boxing for self-defense. This includes the basics of jabs, hooks, upper-cuts, and straight punches. Also discussed are fouls and dirty tricks, which while banned in the sport boxing ring, and very effective for self-defense.

The book ends with a few suggestions for training and getting into shape such as speed bag, heavy bag, conditioning and road work.

"Championship Streetfighting" is mostly text, with just a few illustrations. While perhaps not a training manual, anyone with some basic skill to begin with can certainly learn a few new techniques to add to his arsenal of self-defense capabilities. If you understand a little more than the mere basics of boxing, "Championship Streetfighting" becomes much more useful in teaching combinations which are extremely effective for real-world self-defense.

About the only criticism (and a minor criticism at that) I can offer about the book is that it is a bit light on illustrations. More illustrations or photographs demonstrating the techniques discussed in the text would have enhanced what is otherwise an excellent book.

Mr. Beaumont's recommendation that one interested in self-defense should develop skill in boxing is certainly well-founded. And "Championship Streetfighting" is certainly well recommended for anyone interested in boxing as a martial art.

This is really the best book ever written about boxing for self-defense. Well organized and written in a literate and entertaining manner, it presents the boxing skills that work best in real combat and sensibly assesses the weaknesses of boxing and other forms of fighting. It also presents a fully articulated training program for the developing fighter. There's really nothing else like it -- and serious martial artists will assimilate its lessons so as to make their own styles that much more effective.

Championship Streetfighting is the greatest book on unarmed combat I have ever read! Any practitioners of Asian martial arts who were offended by this book have either not read it thoroughly or have never been in a real fight. I've done both. I've also studied Karate, but I've never used a technique as effective as the ones taught here. These are the techniques of the old time fighters, when boxing was a bloodsport, and they work! Furthermore, Beaumont does not negate the use of martial arts. Instead, he suggests the reader combine boxing with any fighting arts he/she may already have learned. I cannot recommend this book too highly.

This book does a decent job of explaining rudimentary boxing techniques and their potential use in street confrontations and clearly supports that boxing is an effective martial art. The comments about karate etc. come across as childish and although in some cases having merit does not represent the majority of hard style martial arts. As a student of Mas Oyama's karate full contact meant bare knuckles and feet and quite often opponents getting carried out on stretchers. Trying telling anyone who perfected their two knucle punches on a makiwara board for twenty years they cannot hit. As a doorman/bouncer I have given a good account of myself in night clubs and on the street many times. Boxing skills are definitely a valuable part of any person serious about defending themselves arsenal. But let me tell you if someone is high on drugs they don't fall over in textbook fashion and quite often you'll find yourself going to the "mat". Judo, Gracie Ju Jitsu, and wrestling are very valuable and grappling ability should be a part of every martial artists bag. I have noted the success of grapplers in competions such as UFC etceven against professional boxers. Overall the book was worthwhile but like the author my advice is don't depend on any one art to prepare you for today's streets. Build a comprehensive arsenal which prepares you for lots of eventualities- your life may depend on it!

I am a former golden gloves boxer. I am also a traditional Chinese Internal martial arts practitioner. If you are looking for fast results to deal with an immediate threat, then this book is for you. Beaumont teaches you how to hit HARD. And it is effective for street defense. Oh I know that a lot of my peers will disagree with me. Sure If I haul off and hit someone closed fisted to the face, my hand will probably break, but his face will be demolished and I have a better chance of running away with a broken hand than he does with a mutilated face. I do think that Beaumont short changes the Asian martial arts too much but it is probably based on his exposure to the westernized martial arts we have here which in my opinion are missunderstood and as a result-dumbed down. With that aside it is an informative book on generating external power.

The author does an amazing thing in this book. He does not try to trash every martial art under the sun in order to build up his own. Instead the crux of this book is on adding the punching power of boxing to whatever style you are doing.

He does contend that the power of boxing punches are superior to almost any other style of punching. This is hard to dispute. So the author tells you how to train in order to make the punches of boxing part of your arsenal. He does so in a very effective way. Surprisingly, there are few illustrations, but the information is very well presented.

The author seems to take it that you are already taking a martial art, so he does not have to deal with the whole picture and keeps to the very narrow range of punching. In this, he excells. If you do not study a martial art, I do not think this book is for you. But if you want to add the power punches of boxing to your martial arts practice, then this book must be on your shelf.

I have only ever wrote 1 other review on Amazon and that was on a Wing Chun History book. I feel compelled to write this one for the same reason. The book's critics are completely missing the point and seems to be carrying another personal agenda. This book is a wealth of information in one place. He writes about what boxing methods can do in a "street' fight and how to do it. He does this very well and it's funny to boot.

Did he copied others? Are we talking about plagiarism? Frankly these comments are banal, or do I mean anal? Writing about other great men's ideas or treating them in different ways aren't copying. Newton wrote, if I have seen further than other men, it's by standing on shoulders of giants. Of course I am not comparing Beaumont's book to the Principia, I am just saying that distilling knowledge and wisdoms of others and then re-writing them in an accessable ways for new readers isn't a crime. Having said that, I hold this book in high regard and have recommended it to many people interested in improving his ability to fight with his hands.

I don't really care if he could fight or not. The book is a great introduction to the practical side of boxing. I have collected and read hundreds books and instructional videos on training and fighting over 30 years. That's one of the reasons why my wife doesn't speak to me. I have yet read a more readable book on this subject.

I wrote my other review for the same reason. The author did a good job but for some reasons some people just wouldn't read it for what it is but feels that it's some veiled attacks on their beliefs. As for the Muai Thai vs Boxer etc arguments, anyone who has any REAL experience will confirm that it isn't the style you are fighting , but the man.

It's not a boxing "bible". It contains a lot of great info to improve your fighting knowledge or skills. You may not agree with all of Beaumont's views but does that detract from the book's value? A despairingly large number of books on self defense, martial arts and fighting are completely devoid of any real contents. Their only purpose seems to be making the authors cash or continue brain wash the masses.

Don't take my or anyone's word for it. Read it. It's a short and inexpensive book, unlike one reviewer's constant reference to Dempsey's book which, if I had US$500, I would buy and will ensure the continual silence from my wife, but I am certain that if you are an average joe who wants to pick up a few useful hints about fisticuffs, you will enjoy this book. You might even take up boxing.

Hostile reviews of "Championship Streetfighting" tend to be written by "martial artists" who resent Beaumont's casual dismissal of their superhuman status. One of the recent ones even tells us that, because "martial artists" are "totally self-aware," boxing doesn't stand a chance against martial arts. Any rational reader will recognize this as utter and complete mystical nonsense, on a par with depending on one's rabbit foot for protection in the street. What happens if two "martial artists" duke it out - as so often happens in the movies that these people base their view of life on? Does the one who is more "totally self-aware" win? And if one guy is "totally self-aware," how can another be more self-aware than he is? 100 percent is 100 percent.

Face it, little boys: fighting is a physical skill. Yoga masters aren't necessarily good at it. Zen poets may be self-aware, but that doesn't make them expert fighters. The samurai were expert fighters because they worked at it - not because they were "totally self-aware."

One of the hostile reviews seems to acknowledge the utility of boxing but doesn't think "Championship Streetfighting" is a good book on boxing. In my opinion, this reviewer is being dishonest: he is just another mystical martial artist who should stick to origami, but he wants to pretend to be a boxing expert in order to discredit Ned Beaumont. He gives himself away when he gives us more hopeful nonsense, in the form of a statement that all boxers are nice guys because they don't have to prove themselves. I'd like to see him tell that to Robin Givens. Jack Dempsey learned how to fight by going around to bars and taking money to beat up the most unpopular person in the room. Harry Greb was a notorious whoremonger and lowlife. Let's not impose mystical qualities on boxing, either, folks. Discipline may make you a better person, but boxers have all the same faults that other people have.

The charge that Beaumont's book is essentially stolen from Jack Dempsey's is downright goofy, since Beaumont credits Dempsey extensively in his book. What's he supposed to do? Make up a new form of boxing so that his book will be more original? That impulse is what makes American "martial arts" so ineffective.

Bottom line: "Championship Streetfighting" is the most practical beginner's guide to self-defense fisticuffs currently available. The chapter on physical conditioning is worth the price of the book. Moreover, Ned Beaumont is a literate man - which most of his hostile reviewers are not.

Don't let the other reviewers fool you, this is NOT a controversial book! Very little is actually said about Asian martial arts relative to the book's topic: Boxing as a Martial Art. There is not much in the way of comparison or contrast... mostly a few comments here and there emphasizing "This is how WE do it!" (WE being Westerners). Too bad, because such an indepth analysis would be great.

Sadly, there's actually little said even about Boxing as a Martial Art. Instead of showing off Boxing's strengths and weaknesses and analysis of Boxing as a complete Martial Arts system, we're basically given a book of boxing principles and fundamentals (that all boxers should already know), examples of how Champs from the first half of the 1900's used them, and the author's brief hypothesis of how they'd work in a street fight. A little bit is thrown in about dirty tricks & hand conditioning, etc. but the bulk of the book is just boxing fundamentals presenting in an ego-stroking way (ie, "If you got this down you'll KO any dojo dork that crosses your path!").

The introducing first chapter "Why Boxing?" is by far the most provocative and interesting part of the book (you'll notice that the majority of the reviews address that portion). Unfortunately, the rest of the book doesn't compare. If you're a total newbie to boxing but are considering it- this is a nice flowing read with enough ego-stroking to keep you interested. However, if you're actually a boxer, you'll probably be disappointed by the lack of new information. And if you're like me, you'll be unhappy with the lack of text dedicated to the analysis of Boxing as a Martial Art.