Customer Reviews

Secrets Of Street Survival - Israeli Style: Staying Alive In A Civilian War Zone

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Do You Live In Dangerous Times? This is not a picture-by-picture how-to book, but a thick volume (394 pages) of sound advice for anyone who is intent on surviving attack in any form. Author Sockut's book is thin on photos, and BIG on common sense. Sockut presents case studies and examples, and then advice gleaned from the events in a series of "Street Survival Lessons". Rather than simply advising us that we can never be to careful, we learn this scenario after scenario.

This volume emphasizes situations where an armed or unarmed individual meets up with an armed antagonizer, and breaks attackers down into categories by their weapon of preference, offering advice specific to each. Covered are bladed weapons (knife & sword), batons and clubs, and guns (short & long). You will learn what to watch for concerning suspects, how to guard against the unlikely, and how to stay focused. You will learn the best way to conceal weapons on your person, and how to be certain your weapons will be in working order when you need them.

Recommended especially for anyone who works in law enforcement, corrections, in a capacity for the military, or other public service employees. A good companion to this is Rex Applegate's "Kill Or Get Killed".

There are two "must have" books I recommend to anyone wanting to buy and keep a gun for self defense: Secrets Of Street Survival-Israeli Style: Staying Alive In A Civilian War Zone, by Eugene Sockut, and In the Gravest Extreme, by Massad Ayoob. Both are common sense guides to people who want to protect themselves and their families in difficult times.

When Hurricane Andrew ravaged the South in 1992, the police were stretched to the limit and people suddenly found themselves reponsible for defending themselves and their homes and families from the sub-human predators that emerge in the aftermath of such tragedies.

These are not the times to learn, but to put into practice what you should have already mastered. What are your rights as a homeowner? How do you protect yourselves until order is restored? How do you keep yourself from being a target of other peoples' aggression?

Eugene Sockut offers sound advice on living armed in an urban war zone, covering weapon selection and use. His perspective is one that most Americans will not understand, though in coming years many may understand all too well.

In American society, a person can get away carrying just one gun for most situations, but in the urban war zone of Jerusalem and the Palestinian areas, Sockut carries two and he tells you how and why, harking back to America's old West. Limited to only a knife? Sockut tells you the type to carry and how to use it, showing all the arteries and tendons and explaining what will happen when they're sliced. Finally, Sockut lectures his readers on their state of awareness and when to elevate it and the consequences of not doing so.

People who think only the police should protect them may learn some things they'd rather not know, the first of which is their philosophy of life is dead wrong. If you find yourself somewhere where you can't defend yourself, even when you're armed, you probably shouldn't be there. Don't ever rely only on the authorities and don't be too quick to escalate a bad situation.

The book isn't intended to scare; it's intended to strip away the veneer created by society that all is well and that government alone can adequately protect you from the bad guys. After that, you begin to learn what evil people are capable of and how to deal with them.

This book gives street survival lessons from someone who has lived the life of a warrior. Eugene Sockut is an Israeli citizen and former member of the IDF. His narrative describes brutal object lessons in survival learned from painful experience. Sockut recounts his adventures with vivid detail. The book covers methods of concealed firearm carry and the use of swords/knives for personal defense. The chapter on the psychology of a riot is magnificent. The most important aspect of the book is Sockuts explanation of the proper survival mindset and its traits. The author is entertaining and the subject is compelling. Sabin Smith

While it may seem that this material is only relevant in certain Third World countries, it's only a matter of time before the global war on terror ends up back here. Let's all hope and pray that it doesn't, but I for one would rather be prepared and never use it then oblivious and dead.

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman wrote that there are three kinds of people in the world: sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. Sheep are regular, productive, law abiding citizens with no capacity for violence. For the most part they'd rather not even know that such dangers exist. Wolves are, of course, the dregs of society who prey upon the ignorant sheep. Sheepdogs protect the other sheep as well as themselves from the wolves. They are prepared to use countervailing force as necessary to defend themselves. In this wonderful book, Sockut has written the sheepdog's survival manual. One we'd rather not use, but clearly need to know about.

Eugene Sockut has spent much of his adult life teaching the Israelis how to combat terror and win. This book helps civilians and professionals increase their threat awareness and build the tools necessary to survive. The various vignettes give clear and shocking insight into the mind of terrorists. I particularly like the section on surviving during a riot.

My only complaint about this book is that it is a bit more militaristic than currently necessary. It does not quite advocate killing first then asking questions later but it comes a bit closer than prudent for my taste. Readers should treat it as an awareness building academic study more than as a how to manual. Regardless, I feel that it provides pithy, relevant, and important knowledge to help us in dangerous times.

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

I liked this book in terms of the way it illustrates self-defense in the real world, interspersed with some real life stories from the Mid-East - one of the most dangerous places. The author knows what he is talking about. Yet, I did not like some of the philosophizing. The author also tends to get a bit "apocalyptic" at times. For example "We live in frightening times - some would say cataclysmic times - ... in many parts of the civilized world, the streets have become a war zone, and noone is ever truly safe". I guess that might apply to Johannesburg pretty well, but, let's not exagerrate it. Most cities in "the civlized world" have seen their crime rates fall in the 90s. To counteract statements like the author's, read the great book "Culture of Fear", by Barry Glassner - about how the press makes the world seem scarier than it really is. Another book I would recommend on self-defense is "The Concealed Handgun Manual" - for those of us who live in societies (the U.S., Norway, Switzerland) where the average person can legally own a gun, and not just the rich (as in Britain and most other countries).

Still, Eugene Sockut's book is currently the only book available in the U.S. on krav maga - Isreali self-defense, and is well worth buying.

This is a book that one would have to call paranoid if the situations involved hadn't become so commonplace around the world. Here in the United States there are an awful lot of streets that I don't want to walk down. And there are times which seem to happen when going outside is downright risky.

This book concentrates on stories from Israel where a security expert, especially one working for the Government can get a lot of practice. This book talks about three aspects of survival in bad situations.

First it talks about mental attitude. The ability to enter a situation where people are shooting guns, throwing Molotov coctails, and the like is simply different for the average civilian, the new solder and the combat vet.

Second it talks about equipment, particularily knives and guns. Not only the equipment itself, but how to carry it, when to use it, what to do with it. The nature of the writing speaks of a lot of testing, a lot of practice in actually carrying weapons ready for use.

Third is a set of interviews where the author reports on the first hand experience of people actually engaged in situations where force, sometimes deadly force was used.

I certainly hope to never be in a situation like the ones described. Then again, I saw the pictures coming from New Orleans after the flood. And an article in the paper the other day said that the area in Houston where the majority of New Orleans refuges moved has become the highest crime rate area of the city. It's a strange time we live in.

As an experienced ex-ghetto-cop, the one and only armed street tactics book that I can honestly recommend with no reservation is: "SECRETS OF STREET SURVIVAL-ISRAELI STYLE" by Eugene Sockut.

To quote from the back cover, "In this book, Israeli self-defense and small arms specialist Eugene Sockut shares the secrets his people have gleaned from years of prevailing in hostile territory."

"Based on a lifetime of study, experimentation, and worst-case-scenario planning, [this book] is a compilation of the best, most practical ideas Sockut has garnered from those who have "seen the wolf and conquered him."

If you can read only one book on street survival tactics, this is it. It covers everything: mind-set, weapons, tactics, rigs for the street, riots, your vehicle, home, and even hand-to-hand and knives.

I personally recommend this book 100%.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police recommened this book for police departments around the world. That's how I found out about it.

I started my journey as a Ranger in the U.S. Army and then went into Law Enforcement where I currently work in the anti-terrorist field.

In reading "SECRETS OF STREET SURVIVAL-ISRAELI STYLE", by Eugene Sockut, I was reminded of some of the greats that have written in the past like Fairbain and Appegate. People who have been there and done that and know what works.

I know for a fact that Col. Rex Appegate and Sockut were friends who corresponded regularly on all aspects of street survival. Both pushed the concept of Point Shooting. Appelgate presented Sockut with one of his knives from his collection.

People who read this book should understand that it is the effort of many people in Israel and Sockut to over come a situation that none of us would like to live under. The book is a tool to get us to think about the environment we live in and the threats we face and what methods we can use to protect ourselves. What Sockut carries for defense in his situation in Israel may not work in other situations, but the mindset that Sockut is putting out will. I do not get that he is telling us to copy him in the exact equipment that he uses, but rather to open our minds and be creative. When he shows us his two gun rig, it is to show us that carrying concealed is not as hard as
most civilians believe. David Steele, the gun writer, says: "Sockut's rig is well thought out." I agree.

I rate Sockut's book as aperfect five stars as it gets us to think about what threats we face and how we can counter them.

If you had one book to read on street survival- this would be it. Now, if your looking for a information on how to beat up the barroom bully or 5 easy moves that will make you undefeatable, this isn,t the book to read. If you really want to gain insight into the brutal reality of street violence and the the kind of mindset you need to deal with that reality, you will find it here. The only other book that comes close, in my opinion, is Walter Rauch's book. Most of this book deals with the use of weapons, so if the idea of arming yourself with a firearm or a weapon of opportunity repulses you, you won't like this book. The book does get very technical when discussing firearms. Even if you don't envision yourself evr using one, it's valuable information, because guess what: the person jacking you up on the street will probably have one! The author also stresses the single most important thing about survuving the streets- awareness.

i am a serious student of knife fighting who has read them all. I'm sorry to say, most are bull-throwers woh advocate "secret" techniques and "magic" knives (and who never used one in anger against a serious opponent) that's why i liked sockut's recommendations. he believes in knife fighting basics, without "smoke and mirrors." he also admires and advocates jim bowie's technique. bowie was a real knife fighter and not a walter mitty. but sockut, goes one step further. while advocating th bowie knife and technique, he knows most will not carry a full size one because blade length and weight. so he also recommends a good double edge fighting knife which can do everything the bowie can but chop. that's practical. that's real. my hat's off to sockut. he makes survival sense.