Customer Reviews

Savage Science Of Streetfighting: Applying The Lessons Of Championship Boxing To Serious Street Survival

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I should start by saying that Mr. Beaumont is a very good writer...not all that common in many martial/combat/streetfighting books. He's fun to read. And what you see in the title is exactly what you get: anecdotes about great boxers and their fights, and how they might be applied to mostly bar brawls. He loves to diss regular martial artists, and even as a current karate/kickboxer with aikido, kung fu & tang soo do experience, I really don't mind. I, too, think most of today's martial artists would have a tough time in many street situations and particularly from boxers. His main point, that a well-trained boxer can probably beat most dudes on the street is probably true, in my opinion. Boxers, particularly pros, are trained, coached, in great condition, and used to full contact and fast, explosive combinations. Some folks think that a great wrestler can most likely win on the street; others hail the Brazilian jujitsu type styles. But Ned is taking everything here, as the title tells you, from a boxer's perspective, and within that task he does a great job.

Where the book disappointed me: almost no information on mixing in non-fist techniques such as elbows, knees, palm heel, knife hand, finger tips, low kicks, etc....nothing really dirty like using car antennas or ash can lids or eye gouges or biting (he does mention Tyson's "real meal")...very little on actual street situations -- one short chapter, as opposed to weight training, which takes up a significant percentage of the book...and most disappointing was the section on gang situations, in which he advises trying to intimidate the group, or failing that, beat up the biggest or loudest to scare the rest. That don't play down here on Avenue A.

His overall approach in a nutshell: use running and weights and professional boxing instruction to enable you to knock an opponent out quickly with an explosive shot to the jaw set up through an effective combination.

Again, don't get me wrong, I like this guy. He knows what he's talking about. He doesn't brag or posture, and he pays respects to others in the field and refers readers to fellow writers with varying approaches. He explains in a clear and engaging fashion how to adapt your boxing training to street/bar fights. What he doesn't do is tell you how to integrate boxing techniques into a mixed-style, holistic approach to self-defense.

This book is good fun, not least because the author is obviously an opinionated all-American wind bag. But I liked what he had to say, from my experience it is mostly true. Boxing because of the way it is taught and practiced makes it realistic and applicable to the street. There are other fighting forms, thai-boxing, brazilian JJ, valetudo that are also streetwise but I guess Ned's point is that boxing should be the starting point of anyone's street style and I'd have to agree. As one of the other reviews about Ned states, his attack on other styles is at times a little over the top, he sometimes comes across as the kind of guy who likes to beat on small guys and call orientals 'gooks' but all things considered, it's worth a read and there are some good anecdotes about the 'golden age' of bareknuckle boxing.

The last person to claim to have all the answers to streetfighting is Beaumont. Not coincidentally, the first person who would tell you to get out there and get at it rather than read books is also Beaumont. That being said, if the subject interests you and if you want to learn from useful, practical advice, get this book. The section on weight training alone is worth the price of _Savage Science_. Furthermore, Ned's style of writing is engaging and entertaining; I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the book even to people who have no intention of fighting.

This is a good book, but for the basics you should read Beaumont's first book, "Championship Streetfighting". This book doesn't show you the basic punches, it has more advanced techniques. It only has drawings and not that many of them. Sometimes the drawings and their descriptions don't match, but you should understand what to do. I also would have liked to see elbows, low kicks, and knees in this book along with illustrations on how to use and defend against them. I spar with my cousin, boxing and trying some other stuff on him, and these two books really help. I learned how to punch properly from Beaumont's first book, and learned some "secret" punches and different stances from this one. I took a freestyle karate class and didn't learn proper punching, and I had some great Bruce Lee books. I always misunderstood the words "right cross", when the correct name was "straight right". In short, I learned not to loop my rights, how to hit harder, and even had a better understanding of Jeet Kune Do. These books have punching and streetfighting combined better than any of my other books, and I have a lot of books on practical fighting. I experimented with the different stances in this book and found that a crouch and semicrouch are my favorites and I can move just fine in a low crouch. I do some bobbing and weaving, but I get hit if I get too carried away and turn it into wasted movement. I can beat my cousin easily by being agressive and not holding back (Beaumont's teachings), but I don't want to hit him too hard and want to practice defense and countering skills also. As far as boxing goes, you should also buy "How to be an Ass-Whipping Boxer" by Champ Thomas. He uses an unorthodox stance he calls the Stonewall Defense, with the lead hand low, shielding the body perfectly, and the rear hand high protecting the head. He also shows some cool punches of his own along with the basics. If you're interested in boxing and self defense you should love these books, they're some of my favorites.

Ned Beaumont has done it again another great book that is full of info that most people could only learn by training and fighting in the ring , ned saves many the pain of doing this and provides details on boxing that comes only from years of hard work ,research and commitment .Well done Mr Beaumont i look forward to your third book on boxing ( i,m sure you have more than enough info to write several )

This book is excellent. I have been doing martial arts and boxing for over 10 years now, and all I can say it, this book is excellent. Anyone who has seen real fights knows that they are over within 3 seconds or 5 at most (95 % of fights, the other 5 % will drag out, but that is rare. Usually, the first guy who gets a head shot in wins and/or ends the fight. Anyone who has seen real fights knows this). The fact is, martial arts are great (I do more martial arts than boxing by far), but for a real street confrontation, I will take boxing any day. The author even details how to end a fight against someone using a knife or stick or club. Like I said, get that first shot in, fast and hard.

The book really is good on offense and defense, and has interesting historical stuff from previous boxing eras. I highly recommend it.

This book gives you very useful and practical knowledge if you're looking to use Boxing skills for street defense. The author also goes into great detail about how to aquire size and strength and how to balance weightlifting and Boxing training to make you a more formidable fighter. His previous book "Championship Streetighting" goes into more detail on the basic techniques of how to throw powerful punches and combinations. Both books compliment each other and are highly recomended if your looking to use Boxing to defend yourself!

Many die hard martial artists underestimate one of the best combat arts for self-defense. No! It is not Chinese Kung Fu. It is not Japanese karate or Korean Tai Kwon do. Quite simply, it is boxing, or as it is most known as, "the sweet science." Unlike many so called striking arts, which are in many cases nothing more than tag games than actual hits, boxing truly teaches you to take a punch as well as give one. As someone who has trained in boxing for a short while, I can tell you that every serious martial artist should experience first hand the lessons boxing can teach you. This very interesting book is about street fighting, but emphasizes why the basic punching techniques learned in boxing can be effective in a street fight. The author spices each chapter with examples of just how powerful a boxer can be using the tools of his trade. He covers the fights of several boxers and how the techniques used in the ring can relate to the street. The seven comprehensive chapters include: Knockouts, advanced power punching, secret punches of the champs, counterpunching, advanced defensive skills, the street your ring, advanced training for body and mind and weight training for the fighter. In conclusion, this is a book every martial artist should read.

Rating: 4 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Monadnock Defensive Tactics System,MDTS).

Ned Beaumont has done it again another great book that is full of info that most people could only learn by training and fighting in the ring , ned saves many the pain of doing this and provides details on boxing that comes only from years of hard work ,research and commitment .Well done Mr Beaumont i look forward to your third book on boxing ( i,m sure you have more than enough info to write several )

YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK< IT TELLS TEQUNIQES THAT MAKE YOU HIT EVEN HARDER THAN CHAMPIONSHIP STREETFIGHTING< YOU HAVE TO GET THIS BOOK