When Violence Is the Answer: Learning How to Do What It Takes When Your Life Is at Stake

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When Violence Is the Answer: Learning How to Do What It Takes When Your Life Is at Stake Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Tim Larkin (Author, Narrator), Hachette Audio (Publisher)

4.8 2,103 ratings

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This book could save your life: Protect yourself from violence and learn survival skills for dangerous situations with this essential guide from a former military intelligence officer.

In a civilized society, violence is rarely the answer. But when it is - it's the only answer.

The sound of breaking glass downstairs in the middle of the night.

The words "move and you die".

The hands on your child, or the knife to your throat.

In this essential new book, self-protection expert and former military intelligence officer Tim Larkin changes the way we think about violence in order to save our lives. By deconstructing our assumptions about violence - its morality, its function in modern society, how it actually works - Larkin unlocks the shackles of our own taboos and arms us with what we need to know to prevent, prepare for, and survive the unthinkable event of life-or-death violence. Through a series of harrowing true-life stories, Larkin demonstrates that violence is a tool equally effective in the hands of the "bad guy" or the "good guy"; that the person who acts first, fastest, and with the full force of their body is the one who survives; and that each and every one of us is capable of being that person when our lives are at stake.

An indispensable resource, When Violence Is the Answer will remain with you long after you've finished listening, as the bedrock of your self-protection skills and knowledge.

Listening Length

6 hours and 59 minutes
Author

Tim Larkin
Narrator

Tim Larkin
Audible release date

September 5, 2017
Language

English
Publisher

Hachette Audio
ASIN

B074N919NV
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	6 hours and 59 minutes
Author	Tim Larkin
Narrator	Tim Larkin
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	September 05, 2017
Publisher	Hachette Audio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B074N919NV
Best Sellers Rank	#7,578 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #15 in Safety & First Aid (Books) #18 in Violence in Society (Audible Books & Originals) #32 in Violence in Society (Books)

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4.8 out of 5

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sob

Changing your Perspective on Violence - Why it IS a useful tool.

Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2017

Verified Purchase

Ingredients, and nothing more? A recipe for disaster? Those statements are not meant to be derogatory, in fact it's as simple as I can break this book down to - ingredients and recipes. What Tim Larkin has provided with this new book is a list of ingredients, and what you do with them, when to use them, or IF to use them, how to mix them together is totally up to the chef. As a violence professional, it's a great guide to dealing with ONE type of violence, but I can see possibilities to using it with the other, albeit in a different 'manner.'

Tim defines violence as a tool - concise, and if we understand that anything can be a tool, and that it's totally up to the user HOW to use it, WHEN to use it, of IF to use it, that analogy makes perfect sense AND takes some of the negativity out of this 'conversation.' Let's face it the word VIOLENCE sparks enough emotional content in all of us to be a conversation stopper. When I tell someone that I am a violence professional, I've just SLAMMED a door shut between us - two words that in conjunction summon up DARK thoughts on the other end of the phone line between us. BUT, a tool is simply that - an implement to get a job done. Hopefully the perfect tool to get the job done properly.

This book was probably designed for a specific marketplace, but I think it's also meant to start a conversation. For the uninitiated, it may come as a shock, or a gift - that all depends on the audience. To me, it's one more book in a large collection of similar tools that I need for work and perhaps future projects. As a violence professional, I have spent nine years of my life protecting people form other people. To that end, I NEEDED tools. Like a packrat I have accumulated hundreds of books and videos, read countless articles from 'experts', studied YouTube offerings, and fortunately (or not?) had firsthand up-close and perhaps too personal one-on-one encounters with those that CHOSE to use the tool of violence in a BAD way - against a victim that THEY chose. Often that victim was me.

It's hard to be concise here, as it could violate certain expectations, but suffice it to say that I have dealt with a lot of bad during my nine years. Stabbed, bitten, spit at, kicked, punched, pushed, shoved - you get the idea. The fact that I am still here to testify speaks volumes, or it should IF you are paying attention. Violence is a tool, and nothing much more than that. You can choose to use it any way that you'd like. Perhaps for good, or evil, right? Well WHY would you assume it's only an EVIL tool and not a GOOD tool? I can tell you that it's a totally acceptable option in my world - in fact I have wielded it with a LOT of success - in stopping it being used as an EVIL implement.

Look, let's face it, talking about violence will strike a chord within each of us, sometimes similarly, sometimes NOT. To say that "violence has never solved anything" is a stupid thing to say. Historically violence has been used to solve a LOT of things, and SOEMTIMES we're alright with that notion as long as we don't look too closely under the hood, or dwell on it.

Violence CAN be used for good, period. That's really all I should have to say here. I know firsthand. I have the scars and memories to prove it. I know in my heart that I did what I had to using the tool of violence for good - to protect others and myself when it was used by another with evil intent.

TO use it successfully, we need ot have a conversation, and you may need to change your worldview, as I did. I'd lived MOST of my life without ever having to wield this tool, but when I chose a new career, I couldn't FIND information fast enough. I had to approach THIS in steps, because like many, it was NOT a subject that I wanted to discuss, let alone study! First I had to try the self-defense/martial arts route. Knowing that I was putting myself in danger every day, I knew early on that this was NOT the solution that I needed. My sensei got me started one day when he showed me a specific thing - a technique that I had no idea about. THAT one demonstration open a new world, the first of many as it would turn out.

Fast forward and I started looking for 'techniques.' HOW does anyone learn 1000 techniques and maintain that level of expertise? They don't, simply. The next phase was learning about Israeli SD - Krav Maga. I was told that it was more like what I should be studying, but "it's brutal." NOT what I'm looking for, without even looking, let alone understanding. SO I looked, and while it seemed to open a new door, and it did indeed, I still has a lot of reservations.

I found my teacher through that exploratory procedure, and started on a long journey. Principles vs. techniques was outlined, and bingo, that struck a chord! Next up was finding Tim Larkin and TFT with Chris Ranck-Buhr. I invested, and started to read, study and ponder. It was another LARGE step in my growth evolution, but one that is still paying off. While I didn't fully understand what I had committed to, it's still useful and worthy of more study. I won about everything that Tim has marketed, and only used a small portion of his output in my professional career - the study of body mechanics.

This book opens up some more access to those tools which had been previously provided and purchased. It fine tunes some of the subject matter, and points you to specific areas that should be required, in my opinion. Tim has been quoted as saying the book started out at over 2-3 thousand pages - I'd LOVE to see what was cut!

In short, if you want to prevail in an ugly encounter, you owe it to yourself and your family to BUY this book, read it, and know that it's a primer for that outcome. Tim can only put so much information out there as the book you'd really need would be thousand of pages long, and who would read that except for only a few, and they'd likely only do so for purely academic reasons. This book gives you some of the ingredients that you will need when facing violence. You'd be stupid during this time in history to continue to turn a blind eye and hope that it happens only to someone else.

Ingredients, nothing more, and it's here for the taking. You'd be a fool NOT to. In fact, the knowledge herein can save your life or the lives of others. That's a powerful statement, and one that I don't make lightly. Keep this in mind if you need further encouragement to start your journey by reading this book - how long will it be before someone can get to you when your life is on the line? Violence happens fast, and if you're caught unprepared, you will likely lose - and that can mean anything from injury to death, within seconds. Most violence happens that fast. It takes longer to dial 9-1-1 to even let them know that you're in trouble or have seen someone else in trouble. Do you see my point?

When Violence Is the Answer: Learning How to Do What It Takes When Your Life Is at Stake

9 people found this helpful

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A J Dickson

This Is What You Need To Know Yesterday...

Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2017

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I read through the whole book today and found it a great refresher to what I already know. I'll be honest from the get-go - I didn't spend my money on Tim Larkin's daring book for the true, essential, information packed inside it. I bought it to publicly support the author in his mission of preparing good people to be able to even the odds if/when they find themselves facing imminent danger.

Eleven years ago, after being responsible for taking care of two young nephews on a two-day long road trip, it hit me that I wouldn't know exactly what I would need to do if they ever needed my protection. Until then I had always been able to remove myself from threats before situations escalated because I was aware of the social dynamics coming into play earlier than most and I have never been the type to look for trouble. However, when you have to look after another person you can't always get to safety. I started searching and eventually found Tim online and ordered a set of his self-protection training dvds.

The principles Tim taught then haven't changed. They do require the mental/emotional shift to understanding violence as being a tool available to anybody when it's what is needed to survive. They are true, simple, and easy to absorb and to recall.
Two years later I was fortunate to be able to attend a live two-day training with Tim when he was "Down Under". Totally worthwhile experience because 1) getting on the mats with other students and training the "slow" TFT way really got me "dialled in" as I've never been able to find a training partner here in NZ. 2) It was neat to finally meet Tim - one of the most humble, kind, helpful, guys you will ever meet. A true gentleman is someone who chooses to be gentle not someone who is because gentle is the only option they have. Too many good men in our society today don't know how to use violence successfully to protect the vulnerable from the asocial predators. If that is you, like it was me once, then grab this book and learn how to change that. It does NOT take years of martial arts training. It takes a couple hours of learning the principles and basic physics that every successful act of violence (whether done by a criminal or a hero) is built on.

The message of this book is super controversial in these idealistic politically correct times when most of the powers-that-be don't want the average Joe or Jane Citizen to have access to this sort of knowledge. Information that every person should have available to them. This information has not made me a violent person. Rather it has helped me to dump the silly fight fantasies so many of us carry around from watching un-realistic movie fight scenes etc. True violence is always to be avoided unless you absolutely can't avoid it. Tim talks a lot about how to know when that is going down. I worked in development in a more dangerous part of the world for ten years and never had any real problems because although I am bigger than average I would never be found anywhere sketchy late at night with a couple drinks in me. Over there I observed twice that untrained, unarmed, normally peaceful, people can kill hardened criminals when put in a kill-or-be-killed situation if they get to make the first injury. This is why I chose Tim's training over the other options so long ago. It makes absolute sense because that's how things go down in the real world.
Overall Tim's dvds and books have given me a more peace-filled existence. How so? 1) I understand that avoidable ego-driven fights can unintentionally turn fatal so easily and quickly because we are all equally vulnerable to serious injury - so I won't be baited into a fight. 2) the knowledge I have about what it takes to use violence successfully means I don't need to carry a weapon to be effective. This gives me unspoken confidence - not the kind that looks for trouble but the kind that crims know to not mess with if they have easier options.
Whether you are male or female, young or old, you too can possess that sense of responsible assurance. But only if you understand what you must do when violence is the only answer. I hope to never find myself in such a situation but if I do I have the right software installed in my brain. Thanks Tim!

258 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

A must read, like your life depends on it.

Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2023

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Easy reading, eye opening information about how to avoid being the victim. Why and how to defend your life when your life is on the line.

One person found this helpful

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Parsec

Die unbequeme Wahrheit

Reviewed in Germany on August 23, 2019

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WHEN VIOLENCE IS THE ANSWER beinhaltet sicherlich einige unangenehme Gedankengänge zur „herkömmlichen“ Sichtweise von Gewalt und wie man ihr am effektivsten begegnet – und das diese Gedankengänge unangenehm sind macht sie nun einmal als solches nicht falsch.

Ob man dem Autor Tim Larkin nach der Lektüre nun beipflichtet oder nicht, Gedanken zu den in diesem Buch dargestellten Themen sollten sich Alle an Gewaltprävention, Selbstverteidigung und Kampfkunst Interessierten definitiv machen. Viele hier adressierten Probleme sind schlichtweg zu wichtig, um einfach abgetan werden.

Keine Frage, in diesem Buch werden mitunter Thesen aufgestellt, denen man am liebsten aus Prinzip widersprechen möchte... schließlich wird fast allen von uns beigebracht, das Gewalt nie eine Lösung sein sollte und allenfalls nur zur Selbstverteidigung in klar erkannten Notfällen zum Einsatz kommen darf.

So weit, so gut – hieran ist für Larkin auch per se nichts „falsch“, das Problem dieser Sichtweise ist halt nur, dass Jeder dennoch jederzeit Opfer von Gewalt werden kann, und diese Mentalität dann sehr gefährlich ist und einem Aggressor massiv in die Karten spielt… und mitunter eine effektive Verteidigung (egal auf welche Weise diese Verteidigung funktioniert) fast unmöglich macht. Für Larkin ist die herkömmliche Perspektive zur Gewalt ironischerweise die wirksamste Waffe im Arsenal gefährlicher Schlägern und anderer Krimineller.

Gerade bei dem, was Larkin hier treffend als asoziale Gewalt bezeichnet (in Abgrenzung zur sozialen Gewalt, für deren Prävention auch Larkin primär gewaltfreie Lösungen propagiert) macht halt für den Autor die Mentalität und die Einstellung zur Gewalt als solche einen kritischen Unterschied – welche mitunter buchstäblich über Leben und Tod entscheidet.

Natürlich muss man nach Lektüre von WHEN VIOLENCE IS THE ANSWER nicht zu einem Killer mutieren… aber laut Larkin beinhaltet die herkömmliche Perspektive zur Gewalt und dem Schutz vor Gewalt einige sehr artifizielle und schlichtweg mitunter komplett unrealistische Ideen, welche in der Praxis leider kläglich versagen, mit in aller Regel katastrophalen Resultaten.

Nach Ansicht des Autors schützen auch aufwändiges Kampfkunsttraining oder andere Selbstschutz-Maßnahmen nur sehr bedingt vor diesen katastrophalen Resultaten, solange sich die Perspektive zur Gewalt nicht ändert.

WHEN VIOLENCE IS THE ANSWER liest sich bei all dem flüssig, und festzustellen ist auch, dass Tim Larkin seine Thesen mit schlüssigen Argumenten untermauern kann. Es mangelt dem Autor sicherlich nicht an Selbstvertrauen und markigen Sprüchen – aber gleichzeitig ist Larkin zu Gute zu halten, dass er durchaus stringent argumentiert.

Ohne Frage ist dies ein Buch, welches für einige Kontroversen gesorgt hat und sicherlich auch noch sorgen wird. Genau deswegen würde ich die Lektüre jedem an praktischer Selbstverteidigung und Gewaltprävention Interessiertem dringend empfehlen.

Von mir gibt es 5 Sterne – ein Buch, welches man kennen sollte, mit vielen interessanten Gedankengängen.

10 people found this helpful

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Very interesting, somewhat useful.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 24, 2021

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I have watched the author's YouTube posts for some time now and found them to be interesting, informed and useful in the topic of self defence. So why only three stars for the book? There are a number of reasons, none really to do with style (it's well written and easy to read) or content (it argues its topic from a certain viewpoint and does it well) but for what might be called a supposition, an omission and a misapprehension. The supposition is that the only time an individual will need to use force (he uses the term violence...I'll stick with the legal term) is against what he calls 'asocial violence', violence perpetrated by a sociopath bet on killing you. So all uses of force described tend towards overkill. I fully understand and accept that situations and opponents exist for whom the only solution is possibly blinding, crippling or killing but when you only give your student a hammer all of the problems will look like a nail. Following the advice is many possible situations will lead one to end up sharing a cell with the asocial aggressors the book is targeted against. The omission is that he quite rightly states that simplicity is key and destructive power is created by engaging mass in motion through a vulnerable target, but does not illustrate how the novice (this is aimed at novices) can practice this nor direct them to sources he approves of where they can learn it. He does include some interesting diagrams about the ranges of motions of joints, some showing how the former advice could be applied to the latter targets might have been useful. The misapprehension is in one chapter where he derides scenario training, however what he describes as scenario training (he uses the example of practicing being at an ATM/Cashpoint when a person grabs your shoulder and you do xyz technique to escape) is actually just contextualised technique training. Scenario training is you are in a car park, a man approaches, deal with what happens next (walks past/offers to wash your car/pulls knife etc) and is a useful learning tool used widely throughout use of force training. On the plus side he links the book to a website where the purchaser can gain free additional information, and his YouTube site is excellent. So, not a bad book just one geared to a very specific and ultra severe threat (going to risk stereotyping and say this is typically American ) and could do with a small amount of additional instructional material. Still worth reading as is.

24 people found this helpful

philj62

A frank, insightful and cognisant book on violence and survival.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 28, 2021

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Time Larkin presents a comprehensive account of the reality of violent assault and the necessity of using the same tool of violence to rebalance the odds in your favour and to be able to survive and walk away.
There is no glamour, no fancy moves or staged scenarious, just the rich mine of evidence based research translated into what needs to be done to disable someone intent on causing you life ending or life changing harm.
Really importantly, there is information on what constitutes anti-social aggression and what consitutes asocial violence. They are fundentantly two different things, anti-social aggression is something that you can often avoid, walk away from, deescalate don't allow your ego to stand toe to toe with the other person's, apologise, move on etc.
Asocial violence is usually unanounced, unpredictable, sudden and the intent is soley to cause harm without negotiation or opportunity for escape. It is this type of violence that Tim Larkin offers an antidote for and for most of us, it's unpleasant medicine but it is potentially life saving.
A key theme of the book is about mindset and intent, our brain is the most lethal tool we have in our arsenal particularly when helped by this book, you can believe in your own ability to respond to violence with violence, necessary, injurious violence in the extraordinary circumstances that for most of us will probably never arise, I guess though, you can never say never for most things. Reading this book is a major step towards giving yourself a fighting chance if the unthinkable does happen.

3 people found this helpful

Keith Thomas

This is a top book, by a top practitioner

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 6, 2017

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Tim opens with his famous aphorism: "Violence is rarely the answer, but when it is, it's the only answer".
This book is a good introduction to and complement to his DVD packages. There is a chapter "Your Brain is your Deadliest Weapon" followed by "Training Time". These are topics that you might expect to be just "Ra-ra" and padding that you can skip. But, no, there is real meat in these chapters. Tim uses many anecdotes to bring out the reality of violent situations, with plenty of stories of lessons learned from failures and of almost-failures saved by applying his advice and turned into successes. Don't be put off by these chapters - the ideas in them are essential in establishing a mindset that is necessary to apply the techniques covered in the chapter "Training to Inflict Injury" and Tim's DVDs. Don't be impatient to get to the techniques - developing the mindset is essential to applying the techniques with the right force, speed and follow-through.
Tim explains why his training is very different from martial arts and why it will often be more useful for the average person in a practical emergency than ANY of the martial arts schools, even MMA.
The entire book is VERY well written. It's as readable as a Jack Reacher or a Dan Brown novel, but unlike them, this book could save your life of the life of someone you love.
Tim Larkin was banned from entering the United Kingdom in around 2012. But he should have been welcomed. People who read this book will see how misguided the ban was and will be delighted that they can make up (to some extent) what they missed when Tim was unable to give his lectures and training here.

7 people found this helpful

Vittu Saksalainen

Viel Selbstbeweihräucherung, wenig Substanz

Reviewed in Germany on November 15, 2021

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Mir ist nach der Lektüre nicht ganz klar, warum Tim Larkin als eine solche Autorität im Bereich der reality based self defense gilt. Buchstäblich alles, über das er schreibt, wurde von anderen Autoren bereits behandelt, in der Regel besser.
So ist seine Unterscheidung zwischen "social violence" und "asocial violence" ein müder Abklatsch der deutlich tiefergehenden Gewaltmatrix Rory Millers.
Seine Taktiken, Gewalt zu vermeiden wurden von Marc MacYoung bereits Anfang der 90er Jahre in deutlich unterhaltsamerer Form abgehandelt und von Rory Miller, sowie Gershon Ben Keren noch einmal vertieft und theoretisch untermauert.
Was das Hauptverkaufsargument des Buches, bzw. des selbsternannten Selbstverteidigungsgurus Larkin betrifft - die Feststellung, dass man Gegner verletzen muss, idealerweise an Schwachstellen des menschlichen Körpers, um Übergriffe zu beenden - stellt sich die Frage: No shit, Sherlock!? Ich dachte, es reicht aus, finster zu schauen und "Kamehameha" zu grummeln.
Was dann vom Buch noch übrigbleibt, ist seitenlanges Schwadronieren davon, was der Autor mal für eine Ein-Mann-Armee war, bis ihn ein Aua im Ohr auf die Idee gebracht hat, dass Verletzungen irgendwie schlecht für den menschlichen Körper sind, sowie einige Anekdoten darüber, wie irgendwelche Humpty Dumpties gestorben wären, wenn sie nicht zufällig ein Seminar bei ihm besucht hätten. Und damit dieser Punkt auch wirklich beim Leser hängenbleibt werden die selben 5 Anekdoten - deren Wahrheitsgehalt gelinde gesagt zweifelhaft ist - Seite um Seite wiedergekäut.
Und als wäre das nicht alles schon genug, um einen den Kauf bereuen zu lassen, ist das Ganze dann auch noch auf eine derart humor- und spannungsfreie Weise geschrieben, dass es eine Qual ist, dieses Buch zu lesen.
Zwei Sterne gibt es trotzdem, weil einige der Sachverhalte, die Larkin darstellt, natürlich nicht falsch sind - er hat sie halt mutmaßlich nur bei anderen, originelleren Autoren und Denkern geklaut, zum Teil verstümmelt und extrem langweilig abgeschrieben. Kauft euch lieber die Bücher von Rory Miller oder Mark MacYoung. Die können nicht nur schreiben, sondern haben auch noch deutlich mehr zu sagen, als Tim "Wenn-man-jemandem-das-Knie-bricht-kann-der-nicht-mehr-stehen" Larkin.

11 people found this helpful

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