Customer Reviews

A Professional's Guide to Ending Violence Quickly: How Bouncers, Bodyguards, and Other Security Professionals Handle Ugly Situations

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought this book after reading the other reviews and checking out the author's website. I figured I could overlook his macho posturing, rambling style of writing (it takes him absolutely forever to make a point) and just take on board the suggestions he has. The guy seemed to have some real idea about sticky situations and I thought that this book would have good advice for getting out of trouble. Unfortunately this book does not deliver what it promises. For one thing, it is full of contradictions. For example:

1. Marc says that streetfighting is not like in the movies and he's not afraid to run to save his butt. That's fair enough. However, half of this book is made up of macho tales of Marc kicking butt on the streets (or in bars) and coming out without a scratch. It's kind of "Do what I say, not what I do."

2. He puts down traditional martial arts for having no practical use on the streets. Okay, that's a fair point in a lot of situations, but the techniques that he shows in this book aren't practical either. Most of what he shows is only good for taking down drunks. He talks about tripping your opponent over and not much more. In fact, for quite a few techniques suggested in this book you have to creep up behind your opponent. Heck, that's handy when defending yourself on the street. I can just imagine it - "Look behind you!" Oh no! He won't turn around. Now what?

3. One of the things that he critisises some martial art forms for is that they are reactionary - that is, you wait till your opponent has thrown a punch and then you deal with him (judo flips and so on). Then he starts the techniques in the book by pages of techniques that are totally based on avoiding a punch thrown at you before hitting the other guy. In other words, he does exactly what he says not to use martial arts to do.

4. He talks about doing everything simply, but the moves he teaches are really uneconomical in movement. They're big moves that take your whole body to do. So if you're looking for something that's easy for the other guy to spot, use the moves in this book.

5. He refers to other books he has put out for further explanations of techniques and other information. That would be okay if he said something like: "Here's move A. Here's move B. For moves C and D see my other books." But he doesn't. He says more like: "Here's half of move A. For the other half buy my other book." What good is that?

Now on to the good bits.

His basic observations about people's attitudes are accurate. In fact, most of what he says is spot-on. The only real problem I have is with the techniques. They are really just for bouncers, with a partner, who have to take down drunks. Actually, the title kind of says that, so it's my bad for thinking that there would be something that I could use to protect myself on the streets in here. There ain't.

Oh yeah, and his rambling tough-guy barroom boasting gets to me a bit. It wouldn't bother me so much, except that on the one hand he says that people who talk like that have no clue, and then he goes on to talk exactly like that.

The best and most valuable thing this book provides, like much of McYoung's writing, is insight into the psychology of people who provoke and/or engage in streetfights. In this respect, his books fill a unique niche. His actual self-defense instruction is sketchy, with very few clear illustrations.

The downside: you do have to plow through the author's testosterone-induced rambling and often blustering prose, which is usually entertaining but at times a little tiring.

Still not as good as Geoff Thompson's books on street survival, though.

Well, I have to admit that I liked this book, even though I still think the author plays "tough guy" too often. This book was valuable because, largely, of two things: it's breakdown of psychology of troublemakers; it's explaination of the principles behind trips and sweeps. The basis of this book was how to handle a violent situation without resorting to extreme force, and in that regard I think it succeeded. MacYoung explains the different kinds of social violence a person may have to deal with, going into stuff like ego games and how to handle different kinds of attitudes before they turn violent. He also goes into an admitedly lazy way of taking a guy down, invovling shoulder and hip bumps, with lots of trips thrown in too. He actually has some very valuable information on avoiding blows, redirecting energy, and the propper way to kick someone's feet out from under them. I also found the appendix on "Murphy's Laws" pretty amusing. Downsides to the book are crude drawings, and the ultra-macho attitude the author exudes in all of his books. Still, the info in this book is eye-opening, so I'd recomend it for the takedown and/or psych text.

Marc Macyoung is a product of the streets and as a Cop working those "streets", I can tell you the info Macyoung gives in this book can save any Cop's life. I know, one of the techniques in this book saved mine! Macyoung shows techniques that are simple but effective designed to put the bad guy down quick. He discusses legal aspects. I can see that Macyoung is well versed in "verbal judo". He knows talking is much better than fighting in the long haul. His war stories are entertaining but make a point. This book should be required reading in every Police, Correction, and Probation Officer Academy in the United States. This is an excellent book not only for law enforcement but the average citizen that wants to avoid situation where he or she could get hurt.

Marc McYoung has by fare more praxis in streetfighting as he has as a bouncer. If you have read two of his best book ("Cheap Shots, Ambushes and other Lessons" and "Floor Fighting") you will be disapointed with this one, even if you are a bouncer a want to increase your capacity. If you are a bouncer, a bodyguard or a security professional, you should opt for Peyton Quinn's book "Bouncer Guide to Barroom Brawling (it contains by fare more practical informations). If you want my opinion, I think that Marc McYoung wrote to many useless thing in this book; he filled his books with long sentences and endless chapters... but where are the informations we are looking at at the time we buy this book ?

As a security guard in a millitary hospital I have come across my fair share of violent encounters. I can honestly tell you that this book is by far the most comprehensive and usefull book I've ever read on the subject (and thats more than I care to count). Marc goes throught every phase of a conflict and shows you steps to take to stop it as well as how to prepare your self so you can controll the situation no matter how they react. What I like about this book is there is not alot of technical mumbo jumbo, or self gratification, it's just common sense fighting. The information in the book is just like the title says "Ending Violence Quickly", Marc doesn't waste time tell in you how to do "this maneuver if he does that" he teaches you how to contain the guy in no time. Wich is good because some of the 250lbs Marines I've faced, I'm sure could have cleaned my clock had I not had the mind set and moves that are in this book. I highly recomend this book to every one even the guys who never plan on being in this sort of conflict.

This book is a must for anyone interested in self defense. Regardless whether you are a security professional or not. This book teaches you how to end a fight quickly and effectively. Animal Mac Young, covers everything from physical as well as psychological aspects of a fight, and the best way to do it, if possible "legally" which I think is an important aspect, most other books overlook. You can tell the man writes from personal experience and this helps you grasp the whole concept of the book better. Also the language he uses is great and it makes reading the book even more fun. Like everything you read in this subject, YOU must go out there and try to practice the techniques on a regular basis, if you do though, the info on this book might one day save your life.

Buy it! There have been a number of books written on the topic but this one is my favorite because of its ability to cogently present theory in a relaxed, you-want-another-beer-with-the-BBQ-hot-dog style.

MacYoung mentions a human psychological phenomenon he terms "escalato" -- that situation in which two people get locked into a tug-of-wills that each tries to end by upping the ante to a level he hopes will cause the other to back down. This explains how a missed turn signal can result in a manslaughter conviction -- the offended driver gives the horn and the bird, the other returns the favor and they're off to the races.

MacYoung's primary point (though it is _not_ his only one) is to sidestep this trap -- by defusing verbally if possible or by trying to clean him out quick if necessary (and he gives some of the most solid descriptions of how to do this I've seen).

MacYoung explains that people looking for trouble often set up this pattern to give themselves enough justification to hurt you -- if you take the bait, no matter how little, then you "deserve" what you get. When a homeless man pulled his boxcutter on me in New York, he was accusing me of "playing him." If I had tried to debate it or increased the emotional content of our discussion, he would have slashed my face -- he'd blocked off my ability to go one way and was weighted to chase me if I tried to run the other.

I got him to come down a little bit by ramping down the emotion and then agree that we call this off if I gave him _a dollar_. I was within range and had considered putting fingers in his eyes, but if things went wrong, I had a _lot_ more to lose. A couple days later he saw me leaving my building with my wife and kid and it would have been _easy_ for him to hurt them in retaliation if I had fought him off that night.

Anyway, good self-defense is in not getting hurt, not necessarily in mimicking Bruce Tegner. Studying de-escalation is a great weapon. MacYoung's book discusses it in a way anyone can understand. Never met MacYoung, and book ratings are inevitably inflated, but this book's definitely worth a read.

This book should be required reading at every Police Academy in the United States. As a Police Officer in Atlanta, I've used information found in this book to de-escalate bad situations and if diplomacy didn't work to put the bad guy down quick. Every Cop who wants to go home at the end of his shift should invest in this book. Marc Macyoung has been there and done that, let his experience, not theories, get you home safe.

The real value in this book is the insight the author gives regarding the psyche of the would be toughs one is likely to encounter in your average beer joint saloon.

Many of the martial techniques are questionable, although the principles seem sound. There was a good bit of emphasis on bouncing attackers off of the ground. This only works on some people. However, I have been surprised myself at some of the people a good hard throw takes the fight out of. To be fair, the author does not present this as a "be all, end all" technique. There just seemed to be a lot of emphasis on it.

Over all, this book was worth the money.