Taking It to the Street : Making Your Martial Art Street Effective (Paperback)

by Marc Animal MacYoung (Author) "In my opinion, many people who write books about making martial arts street effective make two major mistakes..." (more)
Key Phrases: Muay Thai, Bob Orlando, Cheap Shots (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Most real fights are short, fast and brutal. And there are no rules. The martial artist who thinks he's trained to handle what's coming may be in for a painful surprise. But this isn't one of those books about bringing your martial art up to street speed that rips on everything you've worked so hard to learn. It's a book on taking your moves and making them fast, fanged and fierce enough to stand up to a surprise attack. Ex-streetfighter Marc "Animal" MacYoung knows from experience that no matter how much training they've had, most people get overwhelmed in the first critical seconds of a streetfight. And it's nearly impossible to get over the shock of being attacked and organize a viable response while someone is tap dancing on your face. With photos, illustrations and detailed instructions, Animal brings the martial artist from the structured safety of the dojo to the mayhem of the street, alley and biker bar. He teaches you the quickest ways to get your attacker off his feet; how to do bulletproof blocks and throws; how to anticipate a strike and how to make a kicker howl. He also gives you important tips on what to do after a brawl, because such issues as legalities, revenge seekers and your own mental well being last long after the fight is over. Anyone who's ever wondered if his or her martial arts training would hold up to a real-life attack needs to read this book.

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: 328 pages
• Publisher: Paladin Press (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158160050X
• ISBN-13: 978-1581600506
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #817,645 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A little misleading, but good principles., November 8, 2003

By	Joseph M Burtner (Kennesaw, Georgia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I kind of have a love-hate relationship with this book. I'll cover the "hate" part first, since I want to end on a positive note.
My main problem is that I'm not sure if the author is presenting himself accuratley. I only bring this up because knowing where he tested his principles ought to tell you the environment it's suited for. I can believe that he "bounced" at, for instance, a buddy's party. I can believe that he has had punches thrown at him in anger. I can believe that he's "gone at it" with guys in a parking lot. I don't believe, however, that this was anything more than a guy trying to prove how tough he was. I don't believe he ever went toe-to-toe with the Bloods, or a similar gang, as he implies. I just don't believe that he is "street", but he presents himself as such. Now, on to the book. If you have a karate/tae kwon do/kickboxing type of background, this book won't be easy to read. The author is basically presenting modified principles of Wing Chun and kali/silat. Your side-facing, high-kicking stuff is not discused much beyond, "it's a bad idea". In that respect, I think most martial artists will not learn how to make their stuff "street effective". Another problem I have, and part of the reason I take issue with the author, is the fact that most of his game plan starts off, "when the other guy punches you...", which just sounds like suicide to me. Most fights I've seen, and even the early UFC's, show that the guy who hits first, hardest, and the most times usually walks away. You can fix this by reading Geoff Thompson's stuff. Also, the book isn't really edited well (who am I to talk?), but it's just small things, like a missing photo or footnote.
On to the "love" side of things: I like most of the principles presented. The idea of a wedge, taking the centerline, screwing with your opponent's center of gravity, climing over him to escape... The book is worth buying, just because there is so much stuff that the author gets right. I don't care if he learned in in a bar or in his back yard, a lot of the principles are sound. He has great chapters on defending against kicks and making throws work. He also references several other people's works, which can give the reader more food for thought. He also seems to be talking directly to "hard" stylists when he's doing his explainations, which makes them a little easier to understand. And there's a chapter about the psychology of using violence to communicate which may very well be worth the price of the book.
In conclusion, I'd say this book is more oriented towards using a few "tricks" and principles to take out the guy who squares off with you from *several feet away* in a parking lot, and does not deal directly with more realistic threats. But reading it could improve your general game plan that I had to give it four stars. I'd just say not to make this your bible, and check around. Pick out what works for you.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Animal has done it again!, December 28, 1999

By A Customer

As a 20 year veteran of the martial arts, I found Marc MacYoung's most recent book very helpful for shifting my focus from relying on specific techniques to teach concepts (in a rather haphazard way) to isolating the important concepts and then letting the techniques create themselves. A truly helpful text that will make you think about your martial art in ways that you may not have considered. Also a plus, Marc does not critisize the martial arts, rather he explains that there is more than one legitimate focus of martial arts, only one of which is self-defense/combat. The problem comes when your teacher tells you that what you are learning is self-defense when in reality it isn't. Empty your cup and read this book if you are interested in effective concepts for self defense that you can start applying to your training right away! I'll be reading this book more than once! THANKS ANIMAL! P.S. readers, all of Marc's books are GREAT! Read them all!

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, February 15, 2000

By	Loren w Christensen (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Marc MacYoung is one of the most analytical martial arts writers today. Drawing on his own real-life experiences as well as his unique ability to see deep into an issue, this book, as well as others by MacYoung, fills a void for those seeking solid information that will help them in the street. As an author of 12 books on the martial arts, I highly recommend this one.