Taking It to the Street : Making Your Martial Art Street Effective
by Marc Animal MacYoung
List Price:
Our Price: $16.59
You Save: $8.41 (34%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $11.35 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Marc Animal MacYoungEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1999-11-01
ISBN: 158160050X
Number of pages: 328
Publisher: Paladin Press
Book Reviews of Taking It to the Street : Making Your Martial Art Street Effective
Book Review: One of Marc's better books and a real winner!
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Summary of Taking It to the Street : Making Your Martial Art Street Effective
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.Safety & First Aid Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Safety & First Aid Books
Good Samaritan: Helping in an Emergencyby American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc.; Published: 2005-05-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $97.84
Price in other shops:
First Aid and Cpr Instructor's Tool Kitby Alton L. Thygerson
Jones & Bartlett Pub; Published: 2003-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $244.95
Cpr for Infants & Childrenby National
Jones & Bartlett Pub; Published: 1999-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $304.99
Automatic External Defibrillatorsby National Safety Council, National Safety Council
Gareth Stevens Publishing; Published: 1998-01; Textbook Binding; Book
Best price: $10.00
The Backcountry Classroom: Lessons, Tools, and Activities for Teaching Outdoor Leadersby Jack Drury, Bruce Bonney, Dene Berman, Mark Wagstaff
Falcon; Published: 2005-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $18.02
Price in other shops:
First Aid Manual Updated 2001 Edition (British Red Cross)by MICHAEL WEBB
Dorling Kindersley Plc P/B; Published: 1999-01-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $52.00
Go toward the Light (Signet)by Chris Oyler
Signet; Published: 1990-01-02; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
5-Minute First Aid Life-Saving Skillsby British Red Cross Society
Hodder Arnold; Published: 2005-05-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $17.62
Field Guide To Wilderness Medicine, 2eby Paul S. Auerbach, Howard Donner, Eric Weiss
Mosby; Published: 2003-02-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $25.00
Price in other shops:
Johnson & Johnson First Aidby Jacob Rosenberg
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd; Published: 1986-04-01; Paperback; Book
Similar Books and other products
"Secrets" of Effective Offense: Survival Strategies for Self-Defense, Martial Arts, and Law Enforcementby Marc MacYoung
The Lyons Press; Published: 2005-10-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.70
Price in other shops:
Bouncer's Guide to Barroom Brawling: Dealing with the Sucker Puncher, Streetfighter, and Ambusherby Peyton Quinn
Paladin Press; Published: 1990-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.34
Price in other shops:
Real Fighting: Adrenaline Stress Conditioning Through Scenario-Based Trainingby Peyton Quinn
Paladin Press; Published: 1996-07-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.50
Price in other shops:
Knives, Knife Fighting, And Related Hassles: How To Survive A Real Knife Fightby Marc Animal MacYoung
Paladin Press; Published: 1990-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.95
Price in other shops:
Facing Violence: Preparing for the Unexpectedby Rory Miller
YMAA Publication Center; Published: 2011-05-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.46
Price in other shops:
Street E & E: Evading, Escaping, And Other Ways To Save Your Ass When Things Get Uglyby Marc Animal MacYoung
Paladin Press; Published: 1993-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.95
Price in other shops:
Cheap Shots, Ambushes, And Other Lessons: A Down And Dirty Book On Streetfighting & Survivalby Marc Animal MacYoung
Paladin Press; Published: 1989-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.49
Price in other shops:
Violence, Blunders, And Fractured Jaws: Advanced Awareness Techniques And Street Etiquetteby Marc Animal MacYoung
Paladin Press; Published: 1992-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $17.98
Price in other shops:
Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training & Real World Violenceby Rory Miller
Ymaa Publication Center; Published: 2008-06-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.20
Price in other shops:
A Professional's Guide to Ending Violence Quickly: How Bouncers, Bodyguards, and Other Security Professionals Handle Ugly Situationsby Marc "Animal" MacYoung
Paladin Press; Paladin Press; Published: 1996-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.85
Price in other shops: