Violence, Blunders, And Fractured Jaws: Advanced Awareness Techniques And Street Etiquette [Paperback]

Marc Animal MacYoung (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1992

When you walk into a place, you have to be able to instantly identify the fighters, hustlers, workers, spectators and troublemakers. Find out how Animal and other professionals do this, based on their experiences as bouncers, drug dealers, bikers, prison officials and street people.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Marc "Animal" MacYoung knows the ins and outs of American violence. He is the author of many books and has appeared in countless videos on street violence and self-defense for Paladin. Reading his books and watching his videos will save you a lot of hassles and a lot of hurt.

Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: Paladin Press (May 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873646711
• ISBN-13: 978-0873646710
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #301,612 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A THESIS PERTAINING TO HOW NOT TO GET STOMPED, March 27, 2003

By 

Tyr Shadowblade (TM) (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Violence, Blunders, And Fractured Jaws: Advanced Awareness Techniques And Street Etiquette (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book a great deal, although by looking at a few of the other reviews it seems that not everyone was able to get something out of it . . . could this be due to the fact that there are no pictures or illustrations to look at??? If you have only limited experience dealing with the likes of: skells, goblins, crackheads, and wannabe gangstas, this book will open your eyes as to what might be going through their diseased brains. Likewise, if you happen to find yourself in a bar that happens to be frequented by: outlaw bikers, airborne rangers, or drunken cowboys, the tips on "ettiqutte" herein will greatly increase the likelihood that you'll be permitted to leave the premises with all of your teeth intact. True, this is NOT a "how to fight" book, but it IS in fact a "self-defense" manual, as the most important lesson of self-defense is AVOIDING the fight in the first place!!! Unfortunately, most [people] know nothing of this, having been brought up with the "John Wayne" macho mentallity. Add some alcohol to the equation and . . . "HEY!!! Are you lookin' at ME??? Maybe you wanna TAKE IT OUTSIDE???" You get the picture. Violence is not "happy fun time," children, regardless of what you might've seen on TV. If you get in a fight, there will be the following things to take into consideration: broken knuckles, busted nose, blood all over your expensive shirt, tearing up your fancy shoes on the goblin's incisors, hospital bills, court, jail time, your name in the newspaper, and the goblin's brothers coming lookin' for you. Take it from someone who's been there . . . after you've been in a few fights, it stops being fun anymore. Animal's book has a lot of good advice so that his readers don't have to learn these lessons the hard way.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Valuable knowledge to have, December 15, 2000

By 

"xyzreader" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Violence, Blunders, And Fractured Jaws: Advanced Awareness Techniques And Street Etiquette (Paperback)

What sets Marc Macyoung apart from many other self-defense experts is this: he teaches you how to avoid fights in the first place. Avoidance and Prevention are common themes that prevail throughout his works. And this book teaches you exactly how to avoid or anticipate confrontations by identifying the potential trouble makers. With his unique style of writing, Animal shares his knowledge in an informative, yet entertaining way. For all those of you who have enjoyed Animal's other works, this is a good book to have. And for those who don't know Marc Macyoung, this book is worth a try.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first book you should by on self-defense!, March 19, 2007

By 

Shawn Kovacich "Author of the Achieving Kicki... (The Greatest Little City in the World) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Violence, Blunders, And Fractured Jaws: Advanced Awareness Techniques And Street Etiquette (Paperback)

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 subject of awareness and street etiquette, rather than actual physical techniques. This book is far more important to learn and practice than any of the actual physical techniques that Marc teaches in any of his books. I highly recommend that you purchase this book and read it numerous times before buying any other of Marc's books, and before practicing any of the techniques included in any of his many books. I promise you that if you do this, you will be farther ahead of the game than someone not doing the same thing.

Introduction: The author gives you 9 rules that he has compiled through his own personal experiences that apply to surviving on the streets. The author gives a very detailed explanation of each of the nine rules in this section. The author also states in this section that awareness is the key to self-defense and therefore survival.
How Operating Systems Work: The author does a pretty good job of getting his point across using the game of basketball as an analogy for his example of operating in and out of a predetermined operating system.

FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics: Here the author gives you a brief breakdown on what the UCR is, and what it tells you. He also tells you what is perhaps more important, and that is what the UCR doesn't tell you.

The Reality of Dragons: This is a very interesting section that uses dragons as a metaphor for trouble. I was especially fond of the story involving the movie crew at the cemetery. It sure lends credence to the old saying, "GOD looks out for children, drunks, and fools."
Awareness and Hyperawareness: This section discusses the development of awareness of your surroundings and the environment you're in. It also briefly talks about hyperawareness which is something that although obtainable, takes a lot of time and hard work to obtain and can be extremely taxing on the individual.

Utilizing your own personal radar: This can best be described as your own personal early warning system. Kind of like a pre-awareness state, this will help you to avoid "burning out" from being at a constant state of awareness.

Logic: Marc has shall we say a unique way at looking at logic, and one I am not going to despoil by telling you about it here. You'll just have to get the book and read about it. It along with the rest of the book is well worth it.

Learn the Ins and Outs of the system: Keep your mouth shut and your eyes, ears, and more importantly your mind open and learn what there is to know about the system and you will be much farther ahead of the game.
Cultural Operating Systems: This section I found to be very relevant not only to a self-defense situation, but more importantly to the human race as a whole. Surprising insight that would serve our leaders very well is they actually used it. Like the old biblical saying, "Before you judge someone, stand in their shoes."

Family-Group Operating Systems: This section tells you what to look for, and how to blend into, the environment utilizing the following 13 things. This section also takes a look at 4 violence prone groups.

1. Language
2. Level of Awareness
3. Similar Ideas
4. Similar Toughness
5. Intelligence
6. Food and Eating Habits
7. Nonverbal and Other Body Language
8. Sexual Roles and Interaction
9. Age Status
10. Etiquette
11. Local Talents and Jobs
12. Similar Belief System
13. Similar Energy

Personal Operating Systems: In this section, part of what Marc goes into is the differences between violent and nonviolent types of people and what usually results when and if the nonviolent person finally is faced with the prospect of being confronted with and possibly using violence.
Welcome to Boomtown: This is a very in-depth section on developing a surviving mind-set to be used when you are not in your familiar operating system.

a. Awareness of your surroundings and what is going on around you: Do I need to say more? I don't, but Marc does and you should really pay attention to what he says and how he says it. Read and learn!

b. What You Say: This particular section is one that brings up the topic of what can and usually is your greatest enemy, your mouth and what comes out of it. Words can be a great comfort or a catalyst to great violence.

c. CYA: Cover Your a**! Have truer words ever been spoken. If you don't look out for you, don't count on anyone else doing it.

Etiquette Basics: This section goes over not only the etiquette that should be basic to every one of us, but also the etiquette that is indignant to certain geographical locations, ethnic and religious groups, etc. Another term for this could be called, in my opinion, respect.

Names, Reps, and Handles: This section goes over the various types of nicknames and reputations.

Tacking, Scarring, and Piercing: Marc goes into some brief history and street etiquette concerning tattoos and their use and sometimes misuse. Although tattoos have taken on a whole other meaning in the past several years, with everyone from pre-teens to grandmothers lining up at the local shops. Marc also gives you a real brief overview on scarring and piercing.

Gambling: Marc gives you a terrific overview of the do's and don'ts of gambling and the people that are around that kind of activity. On a personal note, I am a firm believer in never gambling. It usually leads to too much trouble of one kind or another.

Turf, Territory, and Hoods:

a. Personal Space: One of the many items discussed in this section is the personal space you feel you need in order to be comfortable. This is generally considered to be 2 to 4 feet. With less than 2 feet reserved for family, lovers, and very close friends.

Kicking works at the outer edges of your own personal space and is a great weapon to have in your personal arsenal. To learn more on the subject, check out this book Side Kick: Achieving Kicking Excellence, Vol. 10 and the other 9 in the series.

b. Rural vs. Urban reactions: Depending on the situation and the location where you are at, an individual's reaction may be radically different from another.

c. Defending your personal space: Various methods of defending your personal space once it has been broached are discussed in fairly good detail and with some excellent examples.

Magick, Religion, and Juju: Marc really gives the reader a much needed lesson on learning to respect someone else's beliefs even if you don't adhere to those same beliefs. This can go along way in saving your bacon when dealing with certain types of individuals.

Eye Contact: This section like the other sections in this book is very well done. The information provided on eye contact and other nonverbal signals is very enlightening and very useful in any day-to-day situation, not just in self-defense.

Women: This section is so very important for every man to read, and to follow the advice given in it. Women can be a boon to a man's existence, or they can be a bane. Both possibilities are very real and you had better choose your woman with great care.

Untouchables: This is generally described as a group or certain types of individuals who are considered to be untouchable by the main stream of society because of the services that they provide for everyone in that society.

Awareness Building Techniques: Marc goes over several different methods for building and practicing your own personal awareness. As Marc so often states, "Awareness is the key to survival."

This book is perhaps the first book you should purchase on the subject of self-defense. In as such, that the value of principles behind the execution of the technique is far more valuable than the actual technique itself.