Customer Reviews

Hard Won Wisdom From The School Of Hard Knocks: How To Avoid A Fight And Things To Do When You Can’t Or Don’t Want To

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This book will not teach you how to become a killer ninja-commando or how to prevail in your next no-holds-barred fighting event. What it does give is a great deal of common sense wisdom that is not so common in the world of martial arts. The martial arts world seems to get so bogged down in the minutiae of whether or not the mount is the preferred position or the guard or other such idiocy that we often lose focus on the truly important aspects of self defense - awareness, avoidance, legal repercussions and that violance is, at best, always a risky undertaking. Even the best practicioners can lose. Lose on the street and you may lose your life.
Mr. Burrese knows these truths and presents them in an easily read format with lots of "war stories" that keep the reader interested and entertained while educating at the same time, which is no mean feat. My kuddos to Mr. Burrese. As a 11 year veteran in law enforcement I could tell some war stories of my own, and probably would if someone would pay me to, but I ain't holding my breath.
The only flaw I can point out is less material devoted to legal issues, which are an important part of real self defense. The simple fact that these issues are broached, however, makes this work light years ahead of the majority of drivel put out as self defense instruction.
I highly recommend this book, particularly to those whose only exposure to martial arts and/or self defense has been in the dojo. It has been said that the wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Do yourself a favor - learn from Mr. Burrese's mistakes as well as his successes.

Alain Burrese shares his experiences with us in order that we might learn from his mistakes and his triumphs. Burrese writes in a witty prose which is not too technical for the beginning martial artist and not too boring for the masters. I think we can all relate to the stories Alain weaves even if we havent experienced the situations first hand.

Burrese is a talented martial artist, author, video instructor (Hapkido Hoshinsul), public speaker, motivator and an all around altruistic individual. His stories are told with a sense of wit and that "hard won wisdom" which makes him an entertaining authority on his subject.

Burrese, whose closest friends include Mark "Animal" MacYoung and Peyton Quinn, is a streetfighter who knows when to step back or walk away. He understands the desire to fight, how to win one, and how to avoid one.

He relates some great stories of awareness, bar brawls, street fights, and much more. The guy is a true warrior, an excellent martial artist, and a good man.

Buy the book.

As a veteran of fighting in the real world, Alain Bureese does not glorify street fighting, bar brawling, fighting over women, or fighting for no other reason than a need to kick somebody's butt.

He titles his first chapter, "A Little about the Game" but then points out in the first sentence that fighting is not a game. He says it this way. "Serious consequences happen when people fight. People get hurt and people get killed. Many wind up behind bars, and unlike in Jailhouse Rock, it's not fun spending time in prison on a manslaughter charge for killing a guy in a fight."

Hard-Won Wisdom contains a slew of self-defense techniques, concepts and principles that the author has found applicable from his many years traveling around the world and frequenting some very rough places.

However, the book is also about the nature of fighting and ways you can avoid it. He says: "There are people who become addicted to and like violent encounters. How you handle these feelings determines what kind of person you are. The first step to overcoming the problem is recognizing the feeling. The next step is to realize and determine what brings it out. This takes a lot of introspection, but it can be worth the trouble. You learn this about yourself and control it - or it will control you. Remember, it gets expensive paying for things you break and people you hurt."

Hard-Won Wisdom from the School of Hard Knocks is applicable to the needs of police officers and martial artists, not only for the techniques that it teaches but for what it teaches about the nature of fighting toe-to-toe. The book will not only help you understand some of the dangerous people you encounter every day, but it will also help you understand yourself.

As an author of 13 books on the martial arts, I highly recommend this one.

Being the author of several books on the martial arts and fighting, I am always looking for books of exceptional quality to add to my library. If I have a book in my library, it's definitely worth owning. One such book is Alain Burrese's, "Hard Won Wisdom from the School of Hard Knocks." I had purchased Alain's book several years ago when I had just caught the tail end of one of his seminars on Hapkido. I took the book home and read it a few days later.

Boy was I impressed! Not so much by the book itself, as I was by the author. Alain's grasp of the philosophical aspects of the "war stories" that he recounts shows a remarkable insight into the various situations that we seem to put ourselves in, never once thinking of the possible consequences that could transpire because of our lack of foresight. They say that hindsight is 20/20, and I happen to agree. However, if you would like to have 20/20 foresight, do the following.

1. Purchase this book

2. Sit down with this book, a notepad, and a pen.

3. Make three columns on the notepad. Mark one "Mistakes," "Options," and the other "End It."

4. As you read this book, write down the "Mistakes" that were made in each recounted story.

5. Then write down other "Options" that could be used to avoid each situation.

6. And finally, if unavoidable, what other things could have been done to "End It."

7. After you have done this and have had the time to thoroughly digest it, sit down and write a letter to Alain thanking him for the wonderful book that you just had the opportunity to learn from. I did!

this is the first book that really gets in there and tells the truth. Alain has the right stuff,he deals with the good and bad.i was impressed with his humor and direct angle of explanation of real truth i reccomend this book to all serious martial artists you will enjoy this book!

Burrese is not afraid to give his honest opinion about what to do when faced with a gun: Turn and run! As a current law school student, he recognizes and deals with the legal ramifications of wounding or killing an attacker. I have a large reference library that includes all the current books on street-smart self defense. HARD ONE WISDOM is one of the best.

Alains experiences and trainning benefit us all by looking at real live situations in fighting and not fighting his insights are a no -nonsense way of the choices we can and do make in our everday lives. This book makes you think and realize there is many options besides fighting. In todays violent society this book is a break in the storm of violence.

I was skeptical of this book at first, not having had *any* fighting experience. I was hoping it wouldn't be a book about ways to fight, and I bought it partly because of its subtitle: How to AVOID a Fight...

Alain teaches in this book like an old storyteller, telling us why he has fought, why he no longer fights, and what to do if you have absolutely no choice. His tales of Army days in Korea, college days in Montana and travels in Thailand and Vietnam give you something to think about in almost every situation.

Hard Won Wisdom is a book about NOT fighting. That's what makes it so worthwhile. There have been hundreds of books written about fighting and how to win fights. This book is about making good decisions about fighting, coming from a man who has the experience to back this kind of advice.

Alain is a down to earth guy who has taken the time to document lessons he's learned along the way. Many people learn these lessons, but not many have the talent to tell their stories the way Alain does. A worthwhile book for anyone interested in gaining wisdom the easy way.

Alain has shared his life experiance with the readers in a way that will help them stay in touch with reality.I have learnt from this book after doing Security work for 14 years.