Customer Reviews

Pool Cues, Beer Bottles, And Baseball Bats: Animal’s Guide To Improvised Weapons For Self-Defense

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This was the first of Marc "Animal" MacYoung's books I read and still one of my favorites. Improvised Weaponry is a terribly under-studied field. This isn't ancient Japan or the old West, we can't walk around with a katana or Colt six shooter on our hips. Many people just cannot carry weapons on a routine biases (Weapons are forbidden on the Navy ship I work and live on for instance) so the art of improvising weapons quickly in a crisis is an extremely handy skill. On another note this book introduced me to the wonderful and always practical writings of ex-street fighter Marc "Animal" MacYoung. Although not a how-to book so much as a book on comman sense and stradegy. Animal's books are easy to read, incrediably funny, touching in parts, and though provoking. Personnaly I think this comes from the very human nature of the author. Like it our not (And Animal if your reading this I hope you take this the right way) Animal is not unique. He's good yes, but there's a guy just like him in half the bars between New York and LA. Animal is not some martial arts guru who has spend every waking nano-second of his life perfecting his art. He fights to live he dosen't live to fight.

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, "Pool Cues, Beer Bottles, and Baseball Bats."

As you may well know from my previous reviews of Marc's books, one of the things that I absolutely love about his style of 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 method of writing reminds me of 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 focuses on the most common types of weapons you are likely to encounter during an altercation on the street. For the most part, Marc leaves out the two most common ones, guns and knives. The reason for this is because these two are deserving of book all of their own. One of which I know Marc has addressed, as that particular book is on my "To Do" list.

In the preface, Marc discusses the intent of his book, which is for you the reader to use the knowledge contained within to keep yourself safe and out of trouble. It is not intended nor implied for you to go out and start causing it. As I was making notes to do this review, it occurred to me that what Marc and others like him are trying to teach you is similar to what the late Steve "The Crocodile Hunter" Irwin was trying to teach all of us that watched him work with animals.

First, that these are wild animals (violent and unpredictable individuals) and need to be treated with respect. Secondly, if you know the "ins and outs" (what to look for when dealing with this type of person) of the animal, then you will be able to identify and avoid a possible dangerous confrontation.

This last part is strictly Marc's and others like him, and is not Irwin's by any stretch of the imagination.

And finally, when unable to avoid a confrontation, what options you have to inflict as much damage upon your opponent as you can while sustaining minimal damage to yourself.

In the first chapter, Marc talks about the vital importance of awareness not only of your surroundings, but also of yourself. He teaches you some of the subtle and not-so-subtle cues that people tend to give off when preparing to attack. He also goes into patterns of trouble, which are a series of events that seem to always follow one after another on a one way course to trouble. With you usually right in the middle of it. One of the ways to avoid these things is to be aware of it. Hence, the lesson to be learned in this section, taking the time to work on your awareness.

The next chapter deals with long range weapons you are likely to encounter. Things such as pool cues, staffs or poles, shovels, etc. The remaining chapters in this book are broken down into various sections that focus on a wide variety of weapons, such as swords, sticks. Marc also goes into quite a bit of detail on impact weapons such as; wrist pins, brass knuckles, rings, saps, etc. Marc even has a chapter dealing with flexible weapons such as chains and ropes. As with all of his books, and this one is no exception, Marc gives you a real good understanding of the principles behind the techniques that he discusses and demonstrates in his books.

Marc's final chapter in this book deals with diversions and distractions that you are likely to encounter during a street altercation. Some of them are obvious, while others are not so obvious. As Marc is fond of saying (and completely right) awareness is the key to survival. Buy Marc's books, read them, study them, learn from them, and then use that knowledge to stay safe and live longer.

This is a good book on using improvised weapons for self defense. On the positive side, MacYoung appears to have a wide range of experience and speaks with an air of authenticity. Buried deep in his stories and use of slang, you will find a person who has combined some formal training with street smarts and the school of hard knocks to create a very realistic view of the world and how to survive in difficult situations. For most people, those situations will never have the opportunity to present themselves because they will avoid the venue. For those who choose to frequent biker bars, rowdy night clubs and pool halls, this book will have more value.

Realistic and practical advice that can have applications in any environment. Exploring the self defense potential of common items is a great exercise and can keep you from getting locked into the mindset that if you are not "armed" then you are defenseless. It's a message that needs a wider audience, unfortunately due to the tone of his writing; this book will not appeal to that larger group.

A comprehensive look at improvised weapons you might encounter on the street such as beer bottles, pool cues, baseball bats, brass knuckles, fighting rings, saps, chains, shovels, bricks, and the like. Even hairbrushes and orange juice, two of the more unusual things the author has actually been assaulted with, are covered along with solid principles of how to spot, utilize, and defend yourself from these potentially deadly objects. Importantly, the book also delves into awareness, covering in depth some of the subtle and not-so-subtle cues that people tend to give when preparing to attack as well as patterns of trouble, diversions, distractions, and other things to look out for.

The author is the real deal. Growing up on gang-infested streets not only gave MacYoung his street name "Animal," but also extensive firsthand experience about what does and does not work for self-defense. Over the years, he has held a number of dangerous occupations including director of a correctional institute, bodyguard, and bouncer. He was first shot at when he was 15 years old and has since survived multiple attempts on his life, including professional contracts. He has studied a variety of martial arts since childhood, teaching experience-based self-defense to police, military, civilians, and martial artists around the world. Clearly a guy worth listening to.

Lawrence Kane
Author of Blinded by the Night, among other titles

This book concentrates on using improvised weapons for self defence. The author divides virtually everything you can use into four categories, and devotes a chapter for each weapon type. MacYoung starts with the basics, explaining also the physics and principles behind every weapon category.

The text is very easy to read, and there are several stories from real life used to spice up the text. As with all books by MacYoung, there is lots of humour in the text. This time, however, the stories and humour is less macho, compared to other books by MacYoung I have read. The text is richly illustrated, with very clear line drawings, making it very easy to understand what the author is saying.

I think you don't need much experience with martial arts to fully understand the techniques and principles presented in the book. That's unlike most similar books I have read, but then the techniques presented here are very basic, with very little nuances. In addition to the techniques, the book teaches you to continuously look for "self defence potential" of each item you run across. That not only teaches you to spot the best items for self defence, it increases your total awareness of your surroundings, as well.

I don't know how many books there are about fighting with "recommended" weapons such as knives or sticks, but the fine art of improvising weapons is a little underestimated. By reading this book, the reader discovers that there are more improvised tools to hurt your opponent that a pool cue, or a beer bootle. When you read this book, and watch your environment, you'll discover a whole lot of weapons around you, and that might save your health once you've come in a self-defense situation.

You have to hand it to Marc "Animal" MacYoung, he has some of the most creative titles in the self-defense genre. "Pool Cues, Beer Bottles, & Baseball Bats: Animal's Guide to Improvised Weapons for Self-Defense and Survival" is definitely a creative title.

Once the creative title catches your attention, MacYoung hits you with his first sentences, "You know, I don't write these books so people can go out and kick somebody's... In fact, I write them so people don't go out and get their ... kicked." This was one of the earlier books MacYoung wrote, and you can see that he is not far from the street in his writing. There is a considerable difference between some of his more recent works and his earlier ones. Some of his language is much rougher in his earlier works, so if you are offended by this, you may want to stick to his later books. However, one thing that you find in all of his books is practical advice on keeping yourself safe and various aspects regarding fighting and self-defense. He has put out a lot of good information. You might not agree with everything he says, but I guarantee you if you read his works he will give you things to think about and will assist you with the topics he writes about.

This book is shorter than some of his others, but within the 136 pages are some very practical guidelines for using improvised weapons for self-defense. He starts out with a chapter on the seriousness of weapons. He then briefly explains keys to look for and patterns.

He then explains some different types of improvised weapons and things they share in common. The next chapters cover specific types of weapons, the first being a chapter on long weapons such as quarter-staff, polearm, and spear. MacYoung describes grips, stances and how to use long weapons, including shovels.

MacYoung then covers swords and bludgeons in the next chapter, covering a brief history, grips, blocking, swinging, physics and effects of the weapon. Basic blocks, guards and stances are also shown.

The focus of the next chapter is on strike enhancers. He covers a variety of enhancers such as brass knuckles and saps to keys and other improvised implements that enhance one's striking power. He finishes with short chapters on flexible weapons and diversions.

As I stated earlier, this book is only 136 pages long. So it was not meant to be a complete treatise on improvised weapons. Rather, it is an introductory text and a quick and dirty guide on using improvised weapons to protect yourself and survive violent encounters.

I read the first several books MacYoung wrote before meeting him. I remember reading and going, yep, I've seen that. I also applied some of the things I read in his book and they helped me during various fights and physical encounters. Later MacYoung and I met and became friends. I've learned a lot from his books, and even more from him in person. I recommend his works to anyone who wants to further their knowledge in self-defense and survival. You don't have to agree with him on everything, heck he will tell you he doesn't know everything and you shouldn't blindly agree with him or anyone. But I do guarantee he will open your eyes regarding various topics and give you something to think about. And I also guarantee that he will provide you with information to help you stay safe and survive.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author of Hard-Won Wisdom From The School of Hard Knocks.

This was the first of Marc "Animal" MacYoung's books I read and still one of my favorites. Improvised Weaponry is a terribly under-studied field. This isn't ancient Japan or the old West, we can't walk around with a katana or Colt six shooter on our hips. Many people just cannot carry weapons on a routine biases (Weapons are forbidden on the Navy ship I work and live on for instance) so the art of improvising weapons quickly in a crisis is an extremely handy skill. On another note this book introduced me to the wonderful and always practical writings of ex-street fighter Marc "Animal" MacYoung. Although not a how-to book so much as a book on comman sense and stradegy. Animal's books are easy to read, incrediably funny, touching in parts, and though provoking. Personnaly I think this comes from the very human nature of the author. Like it our not (And Animal if your reading this I hope you take this the right way) Animal is not unique. He's good yes, but there's a guy just like him in half the bars between New York and LA. Animal is not some martial arts guru who has spend every waking nano-second of his life perfecting his art. He fights to live he dosen't live to fight.

This is not an academic book. It's not perfectly organized, and it's not encyclopedic.

That said, it's a fun, fast read.

My feeling is that a book is useful if you get one useful idea from it.

On that score, this book does very well.

There's a nice balance in attitude in this book; it points out that fighting hurts, and particularly if you lose.

It also suggests that sometimes you have to fight.

That's a useful balance.

As to useful information, there's a wealth of anecdotal information that helps ordinary folks appreciate the texture of fighting in places that ordinary folks like me are never, never going to go, except on a bet. Belay that. I won't be going to the biker bar or the Dew Drop Inn (a cowboy bar full of lay dentists; tooth removal for free) even on a bet.

As to the technical information, Animal talks about the use of sticks in marial arts, and also in the Society for Creative Anacronism, a group that does simulated medieval tournaments using rattan sticks as swords and maces and axes and so on.

As a side note, the reason that SCA stickfighters are so good is twofold, and the rule applies to most competitive martial arts; they practice basics a LOT (hitting a rubber tire hung from a tree to develop hip movement and power in the shots), and then they fight (spar) with non-compliant opponents who are trying hard to hit them back.

This book won't make you a stick fighter, or any other kind of fighter. It is useful partly because it points out that you have to practice to make the use of sticks or any other improvised weapons effective.

Anyway, you'll enjoy this book. It's fun, it's fast, and you'll pick up interesting cultural observations that you don't get in sociology class. And you'll pick up some thoughts about fighting that may be useful to you (don't try to block flying chairs; duck).

And the guy you're in a friendly fistfight with may agree that you're winning, and instead of shaking your hand and buying you a beer, decide that pulling a knife is a better idea.

Which brings us back to a central thought of the book; real fighting hurts. It's not predictable.

So avoid it.

As someone who creates fights for the stage, this book is filled with great material. Not necessarily for the techniques taught, but for the weapon ideas, anecdotes and experiences which Mr. MacYoung shares. Will this book make you a better fighter? ONly in so far as it'll certainly put a few nasty tricks up your sleeve -- or keep you aware of what might be up the other guy's sleeve. And that could be enough to keep you alive.

Mr. MacYoung writes with the voice of the trickster. Wise from a lifetime of experience. If you've ever seen the Patrick Swayze movie "Road House", you might think the writers had him in mind as the source material for Sam Elliot's character.