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Customer Reviews (2)

"I Thought You Two Had a Fight" "Oh, That Was Ages Ago!"
I recently discovered the "Miko" books written by Brigitte Weninger and so I thought I'd look into some of her other works. "Why Are You Fighting, Davy?" (which is illustrated by Eve Tharlet and nicely translated into English by Rosemary Lanning) is the first in her series of "Davy" books that I have read. It's a compelling story of friends who get into a fight, but decide to make up.

Davy has a best friend named Eddie and they enjoy playing together by the brook in their neighborhood. Their play on this particular day has a nautical theme --- one of them has decided to build a dam and the other is building a boat. They shake hands on it and get down to work on their building. They're having a lot of fun, but when the dam bursts, it sweeps away Davy's boat. Davy is terribly upset. They get into a fight and roll over and over until they fall in the water. Then, Davy says that he never wants to see Eddie again.

Davy decides to shun Eddie and looks for other opportunitites to play. But he begins to find that there's nobody available to play with --- and he sure doesn't want to play with his baby sister. Will Davy and Eddie get back together.

Anyone who's ever argued with a best friend can find something to identify with in this story. The illustrations have a simple, pastel look and are generally comforting. As bunnies, the characters are rather cute, but the illustrations have a unique and special quality.

A simple friendship story
After fighting with a best friend, Davy found less fun to play alone. The relationship is mended as they found strengths of each other and needed help. A good lesson for young children to work things out together. I also like the beautiful illustration and would like to read others in the series. ... Read more

Product Description
People who deal with violence on a daily basis know that the best way to avoid getting injured or sued by the jerk who started the trouble is to defuse the situation or put him down fast and hard. Here Animal shows you how to do both. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

No-Nonsense Information
Years ago I came across a marvelous gentleman by the name of Gary Spiers, a huge half-Maori black-belt who provided professional security services and, occasionally, combat seminars for those of us who recognized that traditional dojo-based approaches were about as useful in real life as a martini shaker in a tsunami. Mr Spiers impressed upon us (not least through seemingly endless punishing groin kicking practice) that real life combat always hurts, even if you are fortunate enough to be the one still standing at the end. He also impressed upon us the fact that 95% of the time fancy techniques fall apart under real-world stresses. Since then I've put my faith in simple, brutal whole-body techniques that can still be effective despite the fact your aim is off and the other guy did something unexpected just as you committed to your move. And, realistically, now that I'm older I appreciate that continued good health is mostly about staying as far away from potential trouble as possible. So it was with real interest that I picked up Marc MacYoung's book, having discovered him by sheer chance during the course of an Internet search.

Simply put, the book does not disappoint. This is a man who has, like Mr Spiers, really been there and stayed there a long time and has learned from the experiences he has undergone. While the book is essentially aimed at security professionals and therefore contains many areas that are not germane to ordinary citizens such as myself, I still appreciated the realism of his viewpoint.Some reviewers have made comment about the simple techniques illustrated in the book but while I recognize the severe limitations of using diagrams to outline how techniques work, it has to be said that the vast majority of them are much more likely to work in real life than the myriad examples one typically encounters in a Japanese-style self-defence book. And MacYoung is refreshingly free of the "master syndrome" whereby invulnerability is assumed once a certain skill level is reached.As he writes on his website about being on the receiving end of a dedicated attack: "Realistically, your chances of surviving a dedicated knife attack are slim."As he repeatedly points out, Murphy's Law operates in the realm of violence even more reliably than it operates elsewhere.

For those of us who fortunately work in far more peaceful professions than those MacYoung is writing for, this is an excellent insight into how violence really works and the limited range of options one might have when faced with attack. For professionals, his edicts on how to use force and how much to use should presumably help keep a few security professionals out of court or at least limit the amount of damage they experience at the hands of the legal profession.

A Professional's Guide to Ending Violence Quickly: How Bouncers, Bodyguards, and Other Security Professionals Handle Ugly Situat
Writing with humor and anecdotes, Marc Mac Young delivers clear and practical pointers on how to handle violence and end it quickly.Mac Young strips away the mythology and legend that clouds most martial arts, and gives pointers that can help smaller men, like him, and myself, take care of ourselves.

The illustrations are clear and and funny.For example there is a drawing of a beaver with a chainsaw removing a leg from a person to illustrate removing support in order to make - I mean, allow them to fall.

I only wish that I had all of Mac Young's books!

Meh.
Had some interesting anecdotes and information regarding the effect of blunt force trauma on certain parts of the human anatomy, but for the most part this book was slightly less informative than hanging out with a juvenile corrections officer. This book is a poor substitute for training (or at the very least some live demonstrations), and too little information to be of use to anyone who has experience in this area.

As with most books on this subject, you're much better off putting the money toward some Krav Maga lessons.

Another great book from "Animal"
Being the author of several books on the martial arts and fighting, I am always looking for books of exceptional quality to add to my library. If I have a book in my library, it's definitely worth owning. One such book is Marc "Animal" MacYoung's, "Ending Violence Quickly."

As I have said before, one of the great things that I absolutely love about Marc's books is his no-holds barred direct approach to getting his point across. There is never any sugarcoating or politically correct terminology is his books. He simply tells it like it is, whether you like it or not.

Once again, Marc gives you a no-holds barred look at the reality of fighting and surviving on the street. This book is simply loaded with sound principles and easy to learn techniques for making the most of a bad situation. I find the information on the principles behind the techniques very useful, and it is usually a very good indicator of a high quality self-defense and/or martial arts book.

Marc starts off this book with a chapter devoted to the escalation of violence, and why it is generally not a good idea to do so. Although it tends to be a common occurrence in today's society, the more preferred method should almost always be de-escalating the situation into a non-violent resolution, rather than escalating it.

Chapter two delves into the subject of awareness and triggers. A trigger being the point at which you have previously decided is the time when a specific course of action is to be taken. Similar to what some call a point of no return. This section also goes into the different types of attackers and some of the cues to look for that usually take place immediately prior to an attack. Marc brings up a very good point in this section where he tells you that you should never wait for the actual physical attack to strike, but for the intent of your attacker to strike.

The next chapter takes a look at the physiology and psychology of violence and also a very good technique which Marc calls an attitude interrupter. This is something that a psychiatrist would call, patter interruption. This is a technique which is used to momentarily take an individuals focus away from what they are doing and put it on something else. Marc gives a real good example of this using a naked lady.

Chapter four deals with an often neglected and misunderstood technique called footwork. Footwork is something that any good boxing instructor will tell you is the foundation of a good boxer. Applying proper footwork can get you out of the line of fire quickly, or it can also be used to put your entire body behind a blow. This is an outstanding section in an otherwise very good book.

"Counters and Blocks" is the next chapter and just like the title alludes to, deals with blocking and countering your opponents attack. However, Marc points out a very important strategic maneuver that is often overlooked by many martial artists and self-defense instructors alike. If you aren't in your attackers' line of attack, how can he hit you? In other words, avoiding the attack in the first place is preferable to blocking it.

Chapters six, seven, and eight deal with various techniques you can utilize in order to take your opponent to the ground while maintaining your standing position. They also discuss at length various sneaky tricks that you can use to take your opponents base of support out from underneath him. With the intended effect of having him lose his balance and eventually fall to the ground.

Chapter nine talks about what Marc refers to as slaving, which is when you use your opponents on weight and momentum against them. Exactly like what you would see in Judo and Aikido.

What follows next is a brief chapter on how to deal with various weapons that you are likely to encounter in a self-defense situation. Just like the rest of this book, the principles behind dealing with weapons are by far more important than the actual techniques themselves. I especially liked the last page in this section that showed what a potential attacker may look like as he is reaching for a weapon.

The last chapter deals with the basic instinct for survival of the species and dealing with situations in a professional manner. Both of these section in this last chapter are very educational and should be taken to heart, although the section on professionalism tends to be geared more for the bouncer than the average person, it is still very good knowledge to have and to apply.

Marc finishes this book with a great section on the effects of alcohol on a person as related to violence, and the four types of violence that you may encounter. This section is very well done (as is the rest of the book) and could actually be devoted to an entire volume, which in my opinion it should be. Of course my favorite section is the one devoted to "Murphy's Law."

He tells it like it is
Marc MacYoung is a bad man (and I mean that in the best sort of way). He's been there, done that, and broken a lot of people along the way. That's why he is called "Animal." I have read and re-read this excellent book several times since I first picked it up in 10 years ago. More importantly, I have successfully applied many of his techniques to escort drunken football fans out of a stadium without being hurt, sued, fired, or otherwise getting into trouble!

For those with reasonably advanced martial arts training you are probably better off following whatever system you study while keeping MacYoung's ideas in mind (so that they can't be pulled on you). If you are not a black belt or don't care to be, what he writes about is quite effective with a bit of practice. More than just the techniques, however, his insight into violence, escalato, and mind games is well worth the price of admission. The writing style is cynical, in your face, and very entertaining.

Great book!

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

Customer Reviews (23)

semencic's first and probably his worst
Own this book and read it bsically when it first came out. Guess it was good for the fact that it shed some light on "rarer" breeds of dogs at the time such as the neo, bordeaux, tosa, etc. As usual his main focus is the pit bull and his rants and sidebars get old. We get it Carl, you love pitbulls! Some of the info/history seems more like opinion and comes across as questionable and shakey at best. The little section on the "match" that determined that the "rott isn't a fighting dog" was stupid, uneccesary, and juvenile. Why wasn't old nugget matched against the rott? the other part about the malamute was dumb, also. I give him credit for talking about some nice dogs that not many were talking about at the time like the Am bulldog, etc but as usual he's overly biased towards pits and spends way too much time on them and not enough on the other dogs, just like he does in his other books. Gladiator dogs is probably his most informative and best written, but he always seems to get sidetracked and offers too many personal opinions, and second hand info that I'm skeptical of in all of his books. of course, many of the asian and european dogs were left out like the kangal, sindh mastiff, alabai, bully kutta, kohati bull terrier, etc but that's probably due to the time it was written and the effort and difficulty of obtaining info during the 80s. does seem to love dogs, and not necessarily dogfighting like stratton, but still borders cheerleading, exaggerations and powerranger talk about pits. book seems pretty dated now, too. Seems to forgo logic and physics at times and sounds like that nut Stratton saying apbts can whip anything on 4 legs. I don't think he would've risked "nugget" against a Ukranian champ alabai, Turkish champ kangal, or Pakistani champ gull dong or bully kutta that outweighed his dog 3-1. Yes, dogfighting is stupid, but to make outlandish claims based on second hand knowledge is dumber. Carl, I'm sure there are malamutes and rotts somewhere that would have whipped your dogs behind, so get over it, man.

HISTORY
why are so many people bent on trying to erase history. this book and other like it are like history documents around the turn of the century. selling these books doesn't mean people are going to fight dogs anymore or any less. ALL THESE ANIMAL ACTIVIST ARE BORDERLINE IGNORANT !! wow

Disgusting
Capitalizing on the brutality, violence, and abuse of the dog fighting world for financial gain is ghastly.Selling this material supports and perpetuates this horrible industry and sends the wrong message about our society.Until Amazon stops distributing this and other dog and cockfighting materials, I cannot in good conscience give them my business, and I will urge friends and family to do the same.

This is a crime. Don't waste your money
Why would anyone be interested in seeing dogs kill each other. I am surprised that Amazon has stooped this low. No more soup for you Amazon!

This is available is School and Library binding??
I pray this (or any other book on this topic) finds it's way to any bookshelf and especially a school!Disgusting! ... Read more

Product Description
Streetfighting is a down and dirty topic, and the author,an ex-streetfighter, shares his hard-learned lessons here. Want toknow how to recognize a mugging setup? How to avoid getting suckerpunched? It's all here, as well as tips on bullies, weapons, martialarts vs. streetfighting and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (32)

Entertaining and thought provoking.
This is the third copy of the book that I've owned, having passed the first two on as gifts. It's not so much a "combat manual" as a philosophy book. It's funny, engaging and well-written. The author speaks with the voice of experience and the combination of arrogance and humility that life's ups and downs inflict. I would recommend this book to anyone, not merely those interested in self-defense.

Probably the best book I've ever read (on self-defense)
This book is absolutely mind blowing! If you are looking for spesific techniques about "how to make cheap shots" you won't find them here, altought one could assume that from title of the book, at least I did. Nor you wont find any other techniques either. Instead, this book is full of theories, concepts and advice about self-defence, and also about long term survival in this mean world. It's kind of an life path guide, a warriors path. And this isn't "learn self-defense in 10 minutes in your living room" kind of book, it assumes that you are already training or are about to start very soon.

What is special in this book is author's very good sense of black humor. You will be laughing out loud many times when you read this. For example, the chapter about advice on bad asses, he writes something like this: "There is a real scary thing in this world. There are people who are professional killers. There are so many ways to off someone, it isn't even funny anymore." :D

One word of warning though; After you have read this book, you absolutely have to start some kind of martial art, combat- or fighting sport training! You just can't live without one anymore after this book has opened your eyes! :)

Excellent Book on Street Violence and Real Fights!
I first read Cheap Shots, Ambushes, and Other Lessons while stationed in South Korea. I was serving with the 2nd Infantry Division and did not know that in the future I would become friends with Marc, work together, train together, and teach at the same events. I did not know he would write the foreword for my first book. What I did know was I was seeing the same kinds of things in the bars I was fighting in that he wrote about.

Many years later, I still believe this book shares some valuable realistic advice regarding real street fights. When Marc wrote this book, he was a lot closer to the streets and had not experienced some of the martial arts he has now, and that shows in his writing.

I put some of Marc's practical advice about fights into practice in the bars and other places I was frequenting. It helped me then, and it could help you now if you find yourself in violent situations. I have learned a lot from Marc both in person and from his books. This was the book that started it all, and it is still an excellent book on self-defense.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D. - Author, Speaker
Hard-Won Wisdom From The School Of Hard Knocks; DVDS: Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, and the Lock On Joint Locking Essentials series.

This books has saved me alot of pain and suffering
As an 18 year old Marine fighting full contact karate in Japan, I picked up a copy of this book looking to discredit it....I mean a guy named "Animal"c'mon...

But what I found was a great if rough read(Marc was just starting as an author then).This is a book by someone who has been there and done that(even the bad things) and was willing to share his life experience and sense of humor.

I learned how fast I was heading down the path to destruction and changed up.

I have since had the opportunity to train with Marc and I can assure you that he is the real deal and a really nice person.

Cheap Shots Yes, but One Hell of a Great Book!
Once again, Marc gives you a no-holds barred look at the reality of fighting and surviving on the street. This book is simply loaded with sound principles and easy to learn techniques for making the most of a bad situation. Marc spends a good deal of time discussing the principles behind the techniques and what to look for. I find this information on the principles behind the techniques very useful, and it is usually a very good indicator of a high quality self-defense and/or martial arts book.

Because of the limited amount of space I have to write and post this review, I am only going to hi-light just a few of the many interesting things in this particular book.

Introduction: It is painfully obvious that Marc has had some bad experiences with formal martial arts training and that is too bad. However, one must remember that, "One bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch babe." I believe that is either an old parable, or a line from the Jackson 5, if I'm not mistaken. Or it may even be both.

The Foundation: Attitude or Spirit: This can also be summed up as your desire to do whatever you have to do in order to not only survive a violent encounter, but also to come out on top.

Fear and the negative voice in your head: In this section Marc discusses fear and the negative reinforcement training that we receive from the time we are able to crawl until the time you are put into a wooden box.

Difference between fighting and combat: Believe it or not, there is a difference between fighting and combat. Generally speaking, fighting is usually a combination of stupidity and hormones gone amuck. While combat is serious life and death. And yes, sometimes fighting can lead to combat.

Blows: In this section Marc discusses 4 different types of blows and what their designed or intended to do. They are as follows:

Set-ups: These can be (and do include) the boxers jab. These are designed to confuse and create an opening or openings on your opponent so that you can exploit them with heavier more dangerous blows.

Rattlers: These blows hit a little bit harder than an initial set-up blow and are designed to "rattle" the senses of your opponent.

Maimers: These are blows that are designed to do the most damage after initial contact with your opponent has been made. For example; a slap to the side of the head by an open hand that once it hits the head, reaches up and grabs a hold of the ear and rips it off the side of your skull.

N.N.B.R.: I have to chuckle every time I read about N.N.B.R.'s. Not that they are inherently funny, but what the acronym stands for is pretty hilarious. What these blows are designed to do is to put your lights out, nappy time, kissing the canvas, etc. They knock you out!

Punches: Although several good points are brought up in this section, the one that is perhaps the most important is this, "As fast as your punch goes out, it should be just as fast coming back in."

Kicks: Now before I get into the "nuts & bolts" of this section, I have to admit that the subject of kicking is a sore spot with me. Not in the sense of being against it, as a matter of fact it is quite the opposite, but as being totally in favor of kicking as a means of self-defense when the kick is executed correctly, and applied properly. This in itself can be the deciding factor between improving your chances of victory, or total humiliation with a smattering of pain thrown in for good measure.

Here are two important points to remember when reading this section.

a. For the most part, a lot of what Marc says about kicking is correct.
b. However, it is not the kick that is ineffective, but rather the improper application of the kick that is ineffective.

Anger, Bullies, and Berserkers: Marc gives you an extremely good profile of the 3 types of people you are most likely to be confronted by during a self-defense type situation. He also gives you sound advice on how to handle each one of these threats.

Sucker Punches, Low Blows, and Tricks: In this section Marc discusses the theory and principles as well as some myths about cheap shots and so forth. Very informative information that, like the rest of the information in this book, should be stored in the old grey matter.

Weapons: Marc discusses various types of weapons you are likely to encounter and spends a good deal of that time discussing the most common of them all, the knife. He also includes 4 rules for using a weapon that are very sound and should be followed.

Martial Arts vs. Street Fighting: Once again I have to take a bit of an exception with Marc's comparison of PKA (Professional Karate Association) to self-defense. To me, this is like comparing apples to oranges. Although I do understand the comparison he was trying to make. Again I must emphasize that, "One bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch babe."

Teachers: A good teacher is worth their weight in gold, just like a bad one is worth their weight in crap.

Like all of Marc's books, this one is straight forward and well worth the price. ... Read more

Product Description
Warfare in the mountains--with its extremes of temperature and treacherous terrain--is unique and difficult. Hitler's Gebirgsjaeger, specially chosen troops of men who usually came from the Alpine regions, frequently succeeded in winning (or at least escaping) where others would have failed. Using anecdotes from surviving veterans, and photographs of men, landscape, and weapons, follow the troops from Poland down to Tunisia, chronicling their excellence, dedication, and esprit de corps.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Deeply Flawed
SUMMARY: An interesting, but highly unbalanced and deeply flawed -- in more ways than one -- account of German mountain troops in WW2.

PRODUCTION: Mediocre. Typesetting and printing is reasonably good, but there are numbers of typos (eg, Kandalaksha is rendered variously as "Kandaleksha", "Kandaleshka", or "Kandalushka", and so on). Clearly, the book required the care of a good and knowledgeable copy editor, but didn't get it.

ILLUSTRATIONS: Good. The text is accompanied by 32 plates of good black-and-white photographs; however, neither photos nor plates are numbered. The captions are useful, if not always adequate (eg, there's no explanation for the Romanian soldier in the foreground of the photo of the Timoshevka anti-tank ditch on plate 14).

MAPS: Poor. Without good maps, military history is little more than male entertainment. Unfortunately, map quality in this volume ranges from poor to very poor. While the text is concerned primarily with small-unit actions, the maps are mostly small scale and hence virtually useless. Moreover, the maps abound in toponymic inconsistencies (eg, "Doneck" on map 6, "Donetsk" on map 8) and in many instances use German place-names instead of English ones or of the official ones (eg, "Temeschburg" instead of Timioara, "Karlstadt" instead of Karlovac), and thus make correlation with modern, better quality maps difficult. Finally, there is poor correlation between text and maps. For instance, in the 1939 campaign, the XVIII Gebirgskorps' task was the capture of Lemberg (Lviv; in Polish Lwów, not, as Lucas would have it, "Lvov"); but Lemberg (as well as other places mentioned in text, such as, Przemyl, Dunajec, Dukla Pass) does not appear on the only relevant map (map 1)!

SOURCES: Very Poor. The severely unbalanced nature of the sources used by Lucas is the book's most serious shortcoming. There is no critical apparatus, but a selected bibliography of both published and unpublished works is attached. However, these sources are _exclusively_ German; worse, Lucas is highly selective even with respect to German sources, carefully avoiding any that might have shed a different light on his subject. (For instance, his account of 'Prinz Eugen' is -- from what I can tell -- based chiefly, if not exclusively, on Kumm's divisional history, while ignoring the severe criticism levelled at this work by the distinguished Donauschwabe historian Friedrich Binder.) As if that were not enough, Lucas has propensity towards lengthy quotes from German propaganda materials (eg, pp 22-26) and communiqués of various German headquarters. Clearly, someone needs to explain to this author what "propaganda" means, and remind him of the phrase "to lie like a communiqué".

TEXT: Inadequate. After a brief introduction, the book concerns itself primarily with small-unit actions of selected Gebirgsjäger units in the various campaigns waged by the 3rd Reich. Very little attention is paid to the selection and training of the Gebirgsjäger; equally little attention is paid to his equipment and to logistics; and there is virtually no discussion of how any of those elements evolved as the German armed forces coped with increasing manpower and matériel shortages.

The small-unit action descriptions, while interesting, suffer from the one-sidedness of the source material; moreover, Lucas makes few, if any, attempts at drawing conclusions, or investigating inconsistencies. For instance, a close reading of the attacks on the Metaxas Line (pp 50-62) suggests that they achieved, at best, a very modest success (Thessaloniki was actually taken by the 2nd Panzer, not by Gebirgsjäger); yet all Lucas does is cite an OKW Sondermeldung (communiqué). In another instance, from the Lapland campaign, Lucas describes how Soviet divisions broke under aerial bombardment and withdrew in in panic, leaving behind "masses of equipment and vehicles"; the advancing Jäger found abandoned "every type of military hardware [...]. The only thing they did not find was the highway they had been told to expect. All they found was a track which the feet of the retreating Soviets had worn in the tundra." (p113) The obvious question here is, How did those "masses" of Soviet vehicles get there without a road? Clearly something is amiss in this account, but Lucas doesn't see it.

But the issue which Lucas avoids above all is that of atrocities. Kephalonia is not even mentioned. Rovaniemi was "hostile propaganda". (Lucas, who quotes a dubious German report, but never mentions the "scorched earth" retreat carried out by the XXth Army, alludes to Soviet statements and a Swedish newspaper article; curiously, he does not mention or discuss a single Finnish source -- yet, after all, Rovaniemi was a Finnish town.) And 'Prinz Eugen', whose record of atrocities is unequalled by any other mountain unit, is portrayed in highly misleading terms.

Even the raising of 'Prinz Eugen' is described inaccurately. According to Lucas, it was raised only from the Banat, "a Volksdeutsche frontier province of the former Habsburg Empire [...] which had a low population" (p 145). In fact, the term "Volksdeutsche" is inappropriate (it was not in use until after the end of the Habsburg empire); the Banat was not a "Volksdeutsche province" (Germans made up about 1/4 of its population; the largest ethnic group were the Romanians) and it did not have a "low population". Contrary to Lucas, conscription was introduced not because the area was too small ('Prinz Eugen' would eventually include ethnic Germans from all over Yugoslavia, as well as from Romania and Hungary), but because the there was little enthusiasm for volunteering. This is also suggested by the August 1943 mutiny of some 170 Croat-German recruits (not mentioned by Lucas); one of their demands was to serve in the Domobrani (Croatian Home Guard) rather than in the SS.

Lucas goes on to describe several 'Prinz Eugen' operations, providing details such as the number of trench foot cases (p 147), but rigourously omitting the wholesale burning of homes and killing or deportation of civilians. (That the guerillas -- be they etniks or partisans -- were also guilty of such atrocities is hardly an excuse.) The SS Gebirgsjäger followed the order to turn contested areas into "a desert and not to spare anyone, women or children"; whether or not the locals welcomed the guerillas (very often, they did not), according to Phleps, the division's commander, all of them were to be considered "rebel sympathisers". According to Kumm, the division's mission also included the "outright elimination of Jews and Communist sympathizers"...

Finally, also lacking are overall conclusions. Given their training and equipment, were German mountain troops properly employed in WW2? Was their training cost-effective? Would the German armed forces have been better off with fewer mountain troops and more infantry divisions? Was there in the final phase of the war any real distinction between most mountain divisions and line infantry? And so on.

To conclude, this is a strongly one-sided, incomplete, and ultimately unsatisfactory account of German mountain troops in WW2. While not without value, it is thin gruel indeed for those interested in military history, especially for those who are looking for the full picture -- warts and all -- as well as for those with a particular interest in the mountain warfare.

Hitler's Mountain Troops
This book gives a very detailed account of the German Army's Mountain Troops during the 2nd World War. Although well researched and very detailed the books lacks a certain amount of excitement that one would normallyassociate with a title such as this.

In addition topics such as selectioncriteria and training are not well covered which for a book on specialforces is a bit disappointing. ... Read more

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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (29)

One of Marc's better books and a real winner!
I just finished reading Marc "Animal" Mac Young's, "Taking It to the Street: Making Your Martial Art Street Effective," and found it to be the best book that Marc has written. This book focuses primarily on the principles behind the techniques in order to take that which you have already learned and either adapting it to practical use as a legitimate street effective self-defense technique, or discarding it altogether.

If you've read any of Marc's previous books, you can tell that he has really progressed in his writing and philosophy concerning the martial arts and their benefits, compared to a lot of his earlier works. A lot of what Marc discusses in this book is a direct reflection on one of the primary principles that the late Bruce Lee was so adamant about, "Absorb what is useful and discard the rest."

One thing that should be made clear is that every martial art and "almost" every technique is effective within the context of its purported purpose. Just because a technique is taught in a certain systems curriculum, does not mean that it was intended to be used in a self-defense encounter. This is one point that Marc and I tend to agree on. This is not so much the fault of the student, but more often the instructor who either doesn't know or fails to realize the importance of teaching the principles behind the technique instead of just teaching the technique itself and leaving its use up to the uninformed minds of the students or at best its historical context.

Marc is arguably one of the best people out there to learn the nuances and subtleties of the street and the ability to operate within it with a minimum of problems. His grasp of the intricacies and principles behind the execution of a lot of techniques is superb and well worth your time and attention. My only complaint and this is and always will be a sore spot with me, is his seemingly lack of regard towards the use of kicks in a fight and kickers in general.

Now I know that a lot of that stems from my own personal passion for kicking and my own ability to use it effectively on the street. I have used kicking countless times in numerous situations with great effectiveness. In all the years that I have been in situations where confrontations occurred, I have only used kicks in maybe 1 out of every 4 encounters. Not that I couldn't have used it in more, it just wasn't practical or necessary. I suspect that this will probably always be a point of contention between Marc and I, kind of like the old Lite Beer commercial, "Tastes Great, Less Filling."

Marc covers so much solid and pertinent information that it would be almost an insult to try and review everything that this book has to offer in anything less than several pages. Therefore, I am going to keep this review short and to the point. This book should be required reading for any and all martial artists regardless of style, purpose, or affiliation. This book and the information contained therein are invaluable to anyone who wants to improve their abilities to survive the realities of a violent encounter on the street.

I highly recommend this book and am proud to include it in my own personal library.

Shawn Kovacich, martial artist/author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence series.

It's All the Same...With a Grain of Salt
Marc "Animal" MacYoung is on another roll. This "ex-streetfighter" turned bookwriter sounds like he's shooting the crap at a party where he's the center of attention and no one can get another word in. At times he sounds full of himself. He starts stories in the middle, very rarely finishes them and pontificates on life and society sometimes where one has no other choice but to fast forward.

If I were one of those people listening to him as he told these stories, I'd find myself constantly saying, "So what happened?" or "How did this thing start. What did you do to cause this guy to pick you, of all the people in the room, to want to stomp?" It's frustrating when he gets into his storytelling, only to trail off into social commentary when he's left everyone begging a number of questions.

As a journalist, I've heard a great number of stories by a great number of interesting people: death row inmates, wardens, World War II heroes, including infantrymen, submariners and the sort. And most could leave you sitting on the edge of your seat. Sometimes I find myself almost yelling at MacYoung's books: "Can't you give it a rest? Get back to the story. How did you get yourself into this and did the guy ever come back to even the score?"

I'd be dishonest if I said I didn't enjoy his colorful language or his stories. His interspection into the other characters in his life aren't given much thought. He'll say things like, I don't know what the guy's problem was, maybe he got a verbal beating from his old lady and hadn't gotten laid that day." What kind of social analysis is this. He'd just been talking about why certain societies rise and fall and now THIS?

Grain of salt is how I'd take MacYoung, but he is entertaining. He knows that, his editors know that and he's making $$$ on being entertaining. And that's great up to a point. He now has to find ways of making his books not just more of the same. And he's got a real chore ahead of him.

***-1/2 stars

A missing link for practitioners of "hard" martial arts.
Many buyers of this book are undoubtedly practitioners of "hard" arts seeking guidance on application of the more dubious moves of their disciplines in street confrontations. If readers expect to be instructed in realistic applications of Karate or Taekwondo blocks and stances, they may feel misled by the title since such subjects are barely touched upon.

MacYoung's purpose here is a different one. "Hard" arts generally teach practitioners to exchange blows at a certain distance. Grappling arts show how to fight an opponent from a clinch or on the ground. Authors like Geoff Thompson emphasize sizing up a potential attacker and resolving with pre-emptive strikes. What none of these address is how to handle the wild onrush of an attacker who has already initiated his assault and who is not going to stand back and trade blows.

This book aims to make "hard" martial arts street effective not by re-explaining their existing techniques but by filling in certain gaps, principally by applying "soft" blocking and takedown concepts from Wing Chun and Silat. Karate/Taekwondo practitioners may find this difficult to reconcile with their own styles - unless they subscribe to the opinion (not addressed in this book) that the "hard" arts once had a considerable "soft" content, and that movements like those now labelled "blocks" were originally something else altogether - but is a valuable and effective complement nevertheless. The book also includes good advice on the nature of violence and how to avoid it, and emphasizes "winning while escaping".

Stylistically, MacYoung's easygoing tone and humour may or may not please, but behind it is a well written book which succeeds in communicating concept and technique in words. Some sections can at first seem repetitive or difficult to follow (not helped by the lack of clear labelling of photos - my one major gripe), but this is due to the complexity of the concepts examined. This book requires more than one reading to get the most out of it, and will certainly reward those willing to do so.

answering the critics
I love this book, and I really am a huge Marc MacYoung fan. I would really like to take this opportunity to answer the critics. First of all, there have been a lot of reviews of this book that basically say "how can we know that Marc has real street experience". Well, true. But how do we know anyone has real street experience ? Like, um, how do we know that Geoff Thompson is not a computer IT consultant who wrote his bouncer bio while riding the train to and from work - i.e. making it up ? the truth is, we don't. But, I have to say, from reading a LOT of what Marc MacYoung has written, it has never crossed my mind that he is not for real. In fact, he makes a big deal about saying how the "street" sucks. Also, the gangs that shot at him were probably Mexican gangs in the 1970s or 1980s, not today's gangs. also, regarding knife fighting, he states very clearly that he spent his "knife fighting career" either running away, or retreating. I doubt that if Marc had made it all up, he would state that. It just sounds too realistic to me. Also, see his website www.nononsenseselfdefense.com. That also looks real. I also doubt that Peyton Quinn would associate with Marc, if Marc were a "wannabe". Unless Quinn is too, which I also seriously doubt.

Yes, Marc's book is highly silat/kali/wing chun based, but so what ? those are great arts. I do silat, and it is by far one of the most street-effective arts out there. I like the fact that this book is principle-based. for example: take the centerline seems like really good advice to me. Also, many, many people (and I do JKD, so I know), will say, "whoever hits first wins", but Marc makes the point that he has seen guys hit first and then get thrown across a pool table by a guy who could "eat the punch". How often do even the best boxers get a k.o. with ONE PUNCH ? I doubt even Ali or Tyson in his prime could win a street fight that way. One main point in this book is takedowns are a MUCH more effective way to win a real fight than beating someone with your fists, or [worse yet] with kicks. The reason is, many people can "eat" incoming punches if they really want to get to you. However, noone can battle gravity if you throw them down. AND, the floor is very hard. I know this because I have done takedowns on the street, and I can tell you, they DO work. The thing Marc says about protecting the bad guy's head in order not to go to jail also totally rings true, and was totally also my experience, in that I once put an old aggressive drunk down, and had to protect HIS head in that way, to avoid really hurting him.

Anyway, the real hype to my are some of the critiques of Marc. he is the real deal, as far as I can tell. This is a great Martial arts, self defense book.

Principle Based Effectiveness
The principles in this book will help make just about anyone more effective in their day-to-day self-defense.I recommend it to anyone who asks me how to improve their basic self-defense knowledge.

The principles include:

1 - Understanding that the normal rules of polite society are out the window. (i.e. the "no kicking in the jimmy" rule doesn't apply in a real fight);

2 - Understanding the different distances involved in fighting;

3 - Using your opponent's axes and controlling the centerline;

4 - Using the wedge and other blocking techniques;

5 - Stepping into your opponent rather than retreating (when appropriate);

6 - Dealing with kicks;

7 - Proper and effective footwork;

8 - Dirty tricks;

9 - Understanding the realities of street fighting (e.g. "If the guy wasn't sure he could take you, he wouldn't have moved against you in the first place" i.e. he has stacked the deck in his favor and it's your job to unstack it);

10 - many other useful and important things.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough to help people augment their training.It won't replace training, but it can certainly help people understand that, when fit and shan collide, there are other things to consider besides a head-high round kick.Things which may just save your life.

Additionlly, I recommend checking out his website, http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/

As for the negative reviews on this book, it seems to me that many of the people who have knocked this book have done so for one of two reasons:

1 - they don't like Marc's attitude; or,
2 - they don't believe his background.

As for #1, like it or not, fine. To each his or her own.But these reviewers generally complain without ever really engaging the principles contained in the book and their effectiveness.

Concerning #2, the same idea applies.While I happen to very much believe that Marc has been where he says he has and done what he says he has done, the people who make this argument also do not make many fact-based criticisms of the material inside the book. ... Read more

Product Description
"It's awareness, wits and fists that will keep you safe out there, not some fancy Oriental fighting form," says Animal. Here, he gets down to the fine points and brutal technicalities of blows and targeting - the critical stuff that will keep you from becoming dead meat. 01 18.00 152 illustrations 5.5 8.5 0.500 PALADIN PRESS Paladin Press, Boulder, CO Paladin Press US 199103 IP 01 BC ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Classic Marc
Having read most of Marc's books,it interesting to note how he's matured throughout his writing career. This was one of his first in the early '90's. It probably reflects the hight of his irreverent yet very insightful style. His presentation of close quarter street combat princples & technique is unsurpassed. The grim reality & consequences of street combat is stressed in his usual grim but darkly hilarious style. Recommend highly.

fists wits and a wicked right
this book shows where to hit to get the most results for your effort plus you also learn commen sense as to when to use strikes so you will not end up with large lawyers fees to keep you out of jail.

my review
Very good, very informative, without overloading the reader with too much unecessary information. Must read for everyone who is busy in this field.

Another "eye opener" for everyone from Animal!
Being the author of several books on the martial arts and fighting, I am always looking for books of exceptional quality to add to my library. If I have a book in my library, it's definitely worth owning. One such book is Marc "Animal" MacYoung's, "Fists, Wits, and a Wicked Right."

Once again, Marc gives you a no-holds barred look at the reality of fighting and surviving on the street. This book is simply loaded with sound principles and easy to learn techniques for making the most of a bad situation. Marc's not-so-politically correct way of explaining things is always refreshing in today's society where everyone wants to sugarcoat everything so as not to offend anyone. In some ways, I would compare Marc's method of teaching to the comical rants of George Carlin. You may be offended by what he says, but by golly it's the truth. And yes, sometimes the truth hurts.

If you are a strict traditional martial artist with a closed mind then (although this book would definitely be good for you), don't waste your time or money buying it. However, regardless of your training background, if you have an open mind and are willing to look at something from a slightly different viewpoint, then I would highly recommend that you add this book (and others like it) to your personal library.

I am a traditionally trained martial artist in both Karate and Tae Kwon Do, as well as being ranked in several other disciplines. However, unlike a lot of schools that have degenerated down to teaching a diluted "sport" version of these arts, I was fortunate enough to be taught the practical version of each technique alongside the traditional version.

Although a lot of what Marc teaches in this book I already knew, there were just as many things that I didn't know, or was shown from a different view point.

Remember, if you think you know everything, you actually know nothing!

An eye-opener where various punches are concerned.
Ah, my love-hate relationship with Macyoung continues...Mostly, I don't like the tough-guy attitude that goes with these books, but the techniques, while unorthodox, can work if you practice them, and the underlying principles are almost always sound.This is probably Macyoung's most technique-oriented book, and covers mostly targets, devided into general areas (head, neck, limbs).I like the fact that Macyoung addresses the often avoided question of what part of the fist to strike with, and offers several options without really playing favorites.I still don't really think his "hanging punch" is all that great, but it did open my eyes enough to tweek it a little bit to fit me.I'm also not too sure some of the body targets would be available in a stand-up fight.The chapter on "blows" (only hand techniques) only addresses the mechanics of the arm, and not stuff like "tuck in your chin" or "get your hips into it".It's almost a start-up book for fighting, but is kind of limited in it's scope, technically speaking.The only chapter on defense is all about shedding, which is an OK idea, but in order to roll with the punch, you have to get hit first, which isn't exactly my idea of fun.I think of this book as being the unwritten chapter of "Cheap Shots, Ambushes, and Other Lessons", and it's a great companion piece to that book.If you are a "hard" stylist looking to expand your horizons, or a guy trying to get a clue about how to put a hurtin' to someone, it's an alright book on it's own, just not in my personal top ten list. ... Read more

Product Description
This book provides straightforward advice about species selection, tank setup, maintenance, and the best way to achieve breeding success. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

I was very disappointed and surprised
The title of this book seemed to promise just what I was looking for; some real in depth treatments of these labyrinthine fishes.I own a betta and have been seriously considering getting a dwarf gourami (Colisa lalia).So when I checked this book out I expected some new info from an expert who knows these fishes.

Instead what I found was very little depth in its treatments of these fish.The section on the species themselves is pitifully brief.Even the photos aren't very extensive.It just seems to me to be a book put together to "cash in" on the popularity of this class of fish without really bringing anything new to the table.I was surprised by its short-comings. ... Read more

Product Description
This series delivers key science curriculum requirements such as adaptation, behaviour, feeding, habitats, lifecycles and migration via interesting and unusual plants and animals. Each book features the plants and animals that best highlight the way nature has adapted to survive in these different areas. Learn about how animals adapt to survive, defend themselves through displays, and how they escape being hunted. ... Read more

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Amie Huguenard, the Grizzly Man's girlfriend, had to die a thousand deaths, screaming her head off for Lord knows how long, but certainly long enough for her to have escaped instead.Timothy Treadwell had just been dragged into the alders to be eaten alive, but she was a city girl who was nearly clueless when it came to bear safety and how to survive an attack by one.She could have lived if she'd only known what to do.Adventurer, author, and bush pilot, Tom Hron, who has spent a lifetime flying floatplanes and helicopters in North America's most dangerous bear country, tells about real-life attacks and relates them to survival.He takes on the would-be experts and tells you what not to do, which will be controversial to say the least.Black bears, grizzlies, browns, and polar bears--he covers them all. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A Fresh, Bold Perspective on Bears
I loved this book. Tom Hron does a service to the reader by breaking from the template of the bear 'experts'who confuse oft-repeated assumptions with facts, and rush to comply with contemporary ideas about bears beingalways cuddly harmless creatures. Hron's book is among a growing body of recent work that takes a fresh look at the predatory and often deadly nature of bears. It can be very confusing trying to to understand bear behavior and motivations. I feel this book strikes a good balance between appreciating bears and disabusing readers of popular misconceptions. This is especially important because people's safety could actually depend upon the assumptions they carry with them into the woods. Even if you're a peace and love bear-hugging hippie type, I urge you to buy this book and factor it's insights into your beliefs.This belongs on your shelf next to writers like Stephen Herrero and James Gary Shelton.

Fighting for your life
I love this book. It is so refreshing to hear down to earth advice from a veteran woodsman. How many times have we all heard from so called experts that tell you that "bears just eat berries and things?"Or if you are attacked "just lie still and pretend that you are dead."How about "while hiking in the wild wear bells and make a lot of noise to scare the bears away."Tom Hron and his wife Sharon have lived in Alaska for thirty years and in this book Tom destroys the above advice with example after example of bear attacks on humans.Tom Hron would know because unlike the so-called "experts" Tom has "been there and done that" as a professional Alaskan bush pilot, hunter, fisherman, hiker and camper in some of Alaska's wildest and remote areas.I consider this book a "must read" for anyone that goes into bear country not because it is a wonderful book, but because it just may save your life.

Life Saving Information
I am new to the outdoors world and have seen/heard so many conflicting "Bear Expert" stories on "nature shows" that I thought it would make common sense getting the information from someone besides a scientist.

Tom's book offered practical information for the new camper to the outdoorsman camping in bear territory. Be forwarned, that Tom tells you what he thinks about stupid people doing stupid things in the woods. He made me laugh many times throughout his book.:)

His stories are fantastic and to illustrate his points, sometimes they are graphic.I will remember many of his "how to's" as a result of his storytelling ability.Great Book!

Fighting For Your Life:Man-eater Bears
Black bears, Grizzlies, Browns, Polar Bears...every time I venture into the wild a man-eater is nearby.As an avid outdoorsman and father of four, I pride myself on preparation.Tom Hron's book is a cut above the rest and a needed addition to your home library.He not only gives REAL WORLD tips and examples, but he eloquently weaves historical facts and personal stories throughout the book.Like a best selling suspense novel, this book was difficult to put down.

In addition, Tom describes a unique and ingenious device called the "Pack Alarm" that can save you and your families life in bear country.

Well written, easy to read, honest, interesting, factual, funny, up-to-date, straight forward, personal...Whether you are going hunting in the mountains or camping with your family in the backcountry, "Fighting for Your Life" is a must read for anyone who ventures into bear country and wants to remain on the top of the food chain!

Steven Feyrer-Melk, Ph.D.

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Tom Hron'sbear book
In the 1960's I began collecting excellent bear books such as Ben East's Bears, Frank Dufresne's No Room for Bears and Andy Russell's Grizzly Country.Since then Ihave authored four bear books. Probably because I have no fiber of political correctness in me I am extremely partial to Tom Hron's Fighting for your Life--Man-eater Bears. It stands among the best bear advice books I've read...right up there with James Gary Shelton's three book series: Bear Encounter Survival Guide and volumes I and II of Bear Attacks: the Deadly Truth.

Hron takes a poke at bear biologists, "experts" and government agencies in their don't-spook-the-public-with-the-facts-but-continue-delivering-misinformation agenda. He addresses numerous myths: noise making, bear bells, playing dead, bad berry years, pepper spray, sows protecting cubs and sows teaching cubs to hunt (vs. proverbial attack), bears fearing man more than man fears them and "dinner bells."

He chastises experts who downplay the low numbers of human deaths attributed to bears.

Tom dissects some major North America bear incidents and in an effort to save livesstresses the need for knowledge about bears, the cowardly black bear, traveling safely in bear country and firearms. He talks about preparedness in bear country and some near misses that he's had and emhpasizes the importance of knowing your self-worth, your qualifications for being outdoors and your partner's experience and health levels.

Hron's book provides valuable information about your safety in bear country (and related information--Hudson's Bay, Lewis and Clark, the Old West, etc.). I'm glad that a copy of Tom's book rests proudly among my book shelf's top five bear safety advice books. --Larry Kaniut,Anchorage, AK
... Read more

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