Customer Reviews

Knives, Knife Fighting, And Related Hassles: How To Survive A Real Knife Fight

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Granted, this is not the best book available if you want to learn fancy technique or dubious "sentry deanimation" tactics. However, I recommend this text to anyone who carries cold steel for the simple fact that, unlike nearly every other book on the subject, this one truly delivers actual information about REAL "knife fighting" as it actually occurs on the street!

You see, most of those other books give you really bad advice on dealing with confrontations, telling their readers to "slash his throat and stick him in the heart," or similar nonsense. Granted, if you happen to be in the jungle or the cell block, you probably want to "take out" your adversary as quickly and efficiently as possible -- but NOT in a crowded roadhouse full of hostile witnesses!!! If you shank some loudmothed drunk for no good reason -- even if he DID happen to be wavin' his lockblade around -- you will soon find yourself locked inside a dank concrete pit for several years with a bunch of weightlifting goblins who'd really like to get to know you better. Animal, however, gives you options.

First, he lets you know that there is a big difference between a knife fight and knife combat. First, in the typical knife fight, only one person actually has a knife! Second, in the typical knife fight, the unarmed fellow usually ends up retreating (although this is often to either call friends or get a gun). And, most importantly, even if you DO actually cut the guy, KILLING HIM IS UNNECESSARY!!! A slash across the forehead and a couple light jabs into his grasping hands will do wonders towards adjusting his bad attitude -- with no need to leave a body on the floor. Animal makes it perfectly clear that killing your attacker is usually a poor choice, considering the serious legal repercussions, and he gives great advice (learned from experience) on how to address your audience in such a way as to influence them to inform the authorities that you really didn't seem to have any other option.

This book gives sound advice on dealing with the cops, dealing with witnesses, and spotting a potential sneak attack. I recommend it highly.

If you are looking to live a long, enjoyable life and expect to have to deal with knives in order to reach that goal, then this is the book you must have.

There is a whole bunch of people who fancy themselves as knifers, knife fighters or whatever they wish to call themselves. But what they train for is vastly different from what one will see on the street. Sure, they can get in a ring with someone else with a wooden knife and beat them and feel real macho, but they will be the first to fall when they meet up with someone who does not flash a knife before sticking it in them. Boy, the ring really does not prepare you for that, now does it?

This book is about what people will see on the street, as well as the techniques that the author has found to work when your veins are filled with adreneline, your vison has gone tunnel and your hands are clammy with either sweat and/or blood. It is a reality far removed from the training halls of JKD or any other martial art.

One of the most valuable sections of this book is on common ways of hiding a blade that are used by street scum. It will help you to recognize such grips when used by others before they get a chance to get close to you. If you can not even do this, then all the fancy simawali drills or expensive fighting knives you have will not be worth a bucket of spit.

My only reservation is that this book deals mainly with things that are best conveyed in the written form. Things that are too complicated to describe appear on two videos he has made, but he never mentions the videos in this book. I do not know how he could transfer some of the stuff from the videos to the written word, but I would be amiss in not pointing out that this book, like all books, can not give the whole picture of an activity like knife combat.

I survived two knife encounters through sheer luck and stupidity before I found this book a few years ago. As a knight in a medieval recreation group (sort of like a black belt of swords, shields and stuff) I thought I really knew what I was doing. Problem is, street confrontations are nothing like tournament competition.

I learned two essential lessons from MacYoung's book: The first is that there is no such thing as a knife fight as the author pointedly states (pun intended). It is really a knife ambush. Unless you are lucky or highly trained you'll never see it coming. Fortunately both punks I tangled with were rank amateurs who flashed their blades giving me enough time to react. The second is a comprehensive understanding of where, how, and why street thugs conceal their knives to pull off an effective assassination. The awareness is illuminating and very possibly life saving as well.

Knives are as ubiquitous as cell phones these days. Working in a stadium where weapons of all types are prohibited and bags are searched on the way in, I nevertheless pull knives off at least a couple of fans every game. Imagine how often you find them out in the street where they are more or less legal. This book is packed with stuff you gotta know!

My only complaint is that while it is long and deep on theory it is a bit short on technique. There are plenty of good sources to supplement this knowledge so that is not a serious detractor.

Lawrence Kane
Author of Surviving Armed Assaults, The Way of Kata, and Martial Arts Instruction

MacYoung is the "young" (pardon the pun) stud - bar bouncer, biker, baddasss self defense writer of the group who write on the subject of using a knife to defend yourself. Marc has several books of this ilk out via Paladin Press, all along the lines of down & dirty street fighting. Most of the other writers are ex cops, military, bonafide and identifiable self defense study and the like.
Alot of chest thumping mixed in with good BASIC self defense here. But doesn't necessarily stand out as one of the best books currently out there. And I still suggest taking a Martial Bladecraft series of hands on "live" instruction.
John Row

This book has outstanding information on the realities of an encounter with an edged weapon. If you want to avoid a situation in which you can be sliced and diced, this book is for you. This book is filled with profanity so if that is offensive to you, you may want to shop for another book. This is not a book about knife techniques, and in my opinion should be read in addition to books covering technique. I did not like the any of the stances or guards shown in this work, and would look elsewhere for an alternative. Regardless of what this book may lack, the information it does provide is very useful and enlightening. I also found it to be an edgy and amusing work, and a glimpse inside a different and somewhat scary world.

This book, like most of Animal's books, gives the reader a ring side seat into the reality of the street. This is not a book heavy on technique, its a book about about NOT becoming the featured guest at a knifing. The street lessons, to a large extent, ARE what's important. The most "basic and dangerous reality of knife fighting" on U.S. streets is that you are most likely NOT going to see the attack coming, and assuming you do and when it happens, it will be simple, savage and brutal. I've been told that knife use in the U.S. normally isn't based on a duelling mind set. In these cases, the blade is used as a strong arm weapon or as a means of assasination. It may be part of "Escalato" (great name for a bad game...Animal's term, not mine) or part of a "hot interview". Knife on knife is not that common. Knives are ubiquitous, and most criminal elements have a style all their own, most of it related to ambush and surprise. I doubt that the average crack head, thug, street person or 1% biker has trained in FMA's or JKD concepts. I also wouldn't doubt his skill or ability as a knifer. I've personally experienced some of what is written about here and in Grover's "Street Smarts" book. Train in combatives, or JKD and FMA's, or whatever, and train hard, but don't discount what you see here. The stances may look funny, but the guy attempting to shove an ice pick between your ribs or going for your crotch or face with a discarded steak knife could care less about largo mano range, 6 count, hubud, or what angle of attack he's using, much less his stance. He'll be moving fast and he's going to cut and stick you as hard and as many times as he can. Train, learn and prepare. Janich, Hoch, Keating, Worden, Vunak and the PFS crew stress conceptual learning (as does Animal)...that's their legacy to us. Listen to what these guys have to say. Train it and apply it.

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 Marc "Animal" MacYoung's, "Knives, Knife Fighting and Related Hassles."

As you already know, if you have read any of my reviews of Marc's books, one of the great things that I absolutely love about Marc's writing is his no-holds barred direct approach to getting his point across. There is never any sugarcoating or politically correct terminology is his books. He simply tells it like it is, whether you like it or not. Marc's not-so-politically correct way of explaining things is always refreshing in today's society where everyone wants to sugarcoat everything so as not to offend anyone. In some ways, I would compare Marc's method of teaching to the comical rants of George Carlin. You may be offended by what he says, but by golly it's the truth. And yes, sometimes the truth hurts.

Once again, Marc gives you a no-holds barred look at the reality of fighting and surviving on the street. This book deals with the use of knives and the related problems that come from not only using them, but having them used on you. Marc stresses a very important point in this section, that fighting in a combat situation during war time is a whole lot different than fighting some obnoxious drunk at the local bar in front of a dozen or more witnesses.

Marc starts out with a brief overview, which is immediately followed with a "Nuts and Bolts" section in which he discusses the various legalities and types of knives you are likely to face when, and if, you are ever in a confrontation involving knives. Marc also gives you some good advice on how to choose a knife and what to look for in choosing one.

The next chapter, Mental Homework, I found particularly interesting. In this chapter Marc covers such areas as awareness, witnesses, using your brains, and my favorite M.P.S. Now I am not going to do a spoiler here and tell you what M.P.S. stands for, you are just going to have to buy the book in order to find out.

The next chapter discusses the use of avoidance as the best possible method and if that isn't a viable alternative, then the following chapter discusses the use of blocking and parrying the knife. Marc like most good instructors on knife fighting is a strong advocate of avoiding a knife fight first and then running if you can't avoid it. Only as a last resort should you actual engage in a knife fight if at all possible. This chapter also gives you a few good training ideas that you can use to increase your mobility and balance.

Chapters six through nine focus on the use of the knife during a fight from the perspective of you being the one with the knife. Marc covers all the basics in these chapters such as:

1. How to hold a knife and the various grips you can use.
2. Picking a knife that fits you.
3. Various knife fighting stances.
4. Utilizing a "Quickdraw" in order to get your knife into use.
5. Various types of draws for getting your knife out and ready to use.

The next two chapters are gems all by themselves. In the first of the two chapters, Marc talks about the difference between a knife fight and combat. In the former it may be possible to merely wound your opponent and then give them the opportunity to retreat. In the latter, you must be prepared to kill him, or be killed yourself. If you are faced with a combat type situation involving a knife, the final chapter in this book gives you some things to consider before you are ever in that particular situation.

Also in chapter ten Marc includes a section on basic training principles and methods in order to improve your knife fighting and defending skills. Like all of Marc's books, I find this information on the principles behind the techniques very useful, and it is usually a very good indicator of a high quality self-defense and/or martial arts book.

"Knives, Knife Fighting, & Related Hassles: How to Survive a Real Knife Fight" by Marc "Animal" MacYoung is not his best book, but it does contain some gems of information that just might save your life if you ever face a knife. It is a rather short book, especially compared to some of MacYoung's other works. This book is only 116 pages long. But in this short space, MacYoung introduces some important topics related to knives and fighting with them.

Being a friend of Marc, sometimes I can't help but read things into his books based on training, working, and sharing together. Reading some of the things he has written makes me remember other things we have done or that he has shared in person which make the lessons more relevant. I find that true with this book, since reading it makes me remember the hours we spent out in the back yard in California practicing with knives. I point this out to let readers know that as a friend and someone who has trained and worked with MacYoung, I have a bit of bias.

As for "Knives, Knife Fighting, & Related Hassles," it is one of the earlier books that MacYoung wrote, and you can tell he was a bit closer to the streets at that time than he is now. (which is reflected in his later books too) The book by no means contains everything about knives and knife fighting, but then what book does. This book is a very good introductory piece on knives and knife fighting, and for some it may be all they need. After all, knife fighting is not something most people do on a regular basis, and even those who train in martial arts or self-defense systems should be focusing on staying out of knife fights rather than looking for them. Fighting is ugly, and when you add blades it multiplies that ugliness a thousand times.

This book contains eleven short chapters:

1. Knives and Related Hassles sets out a few of MacYoung's qualifications and what he is attempting with this book. He admits he doesn't know everything about knife fighting, but I guarantee you that if you read this short book you will know more than many people out there.

2. Nuts and Bolts contains some basic information about knives in general. He quickly covers some types of blades and points out that you should get a good one and keep it sharp.

3. Mental Homework is a chapter on how serious knife fighting is and suggests some good information on mindset, awareness and such.

4. Mobility and Balance are extremely important in anything physical and in any kind of fight they are especially important. This short chapter gives you a couple things to think about and practice to improve yours.

5. Guard is a very short chapter where MacYoung describes some Chinese based slap/whip blocks that he prefers.

6. Grip, Heft, and Balance describes ways a blade can be held and used. MacYoung covers some basic ways to hold a knife as well as a few that are more obscure and less practical. But it is good to be familiar with them, the information never hurts.

7. Stance obviously is how you stand and thus move in a knife fight. MacYoung covers some various ways and teaches his preferred way. Your stance will vary with the kind of training you do, but this chapter is a good introduction.

8. Quickdraw is a chapter that points out that having a weapon is not always the same as being able to get to it. Some good concepts here.

9. Draws covers some various ways to carry and draw a blade.

10. Fighting is a chapter with some good practical information. As is..

11. Combat

Overall, this is a quick read with some good information on knives and knife fighting. It is not my favorite of MacYoung's books, but for the price not bad to pick up and learn something. As I mentioned earlier, MacYoung was closer to the street when he wrote the book. His language and clothing reflect that. For people who have only read his recent works, this might surprise people. I think one thing is shows is how far MacYoung has come since those days. I for one am very glad he has evolved and shared his knowledge along the journey.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author of the DVD set Streetfighting Essentials.

Just like the other books from Marc Macyoung, in this book there are no specific techniques shown, but the psychic and emotional side of what is called a knife fight. This is the topic some other books I know lack about. Together with the chapters about stances and grips, this is the best base for realistic training you can get.

Over a decades has passed since I read this book, but it stands out in my memory for being as entertaining as it was informative. Marc's style of writing is easy to read and his books are genuinely amusing. I would suggest them over a lot of others in the field just for the fact that they will hold attention while others will either bore you to sleep or come off as just a lot of macho BS. Marc's gasconades ring true by contrast, and add spice to what otherwise might just be another boring instructional.