A Professional's Guide to Ending Violence Quickly, by Marc MacYoung

have voiced this opinion at times about Marc "Animal" MacYoung other places: Either you tend to think the man is great, or you like to consider him to be slightly "full of himself". Then there are those who fall somewhere in between those views. Yours truly being one of them.

In the book that we are looking at here the author discusses and presents verbal and physical defensive tactics and metods from the vantage point of profession - that is for those who need to confront violence in their line of work, like bouncers, bodyguards, security professionals and the like. This fact is something that has misled some of the critics. I have read that some pople would have liked more self-defense moves and techniques. Oh yes, there are those who obviously llikes to skim through a pictorial. Maybe the involvement of the brain is too much for some (and I'm not talking about those with reading disabilities here)?

In true "Animal" style there is a lot  of "macho" talk here, plus abundence of wild stories of course. Probably true, but wild never the less! This fact also seems to turn people against the author. Personally I find this kind of entertaining, as long as you take it for what it is. And really, most of it is told tongue-in-cheek and with a great deal of humor. Boyish maybe, as well as absurd at places, but I for one can relate to that. There is also a heavy dose of I-me-mine and tough guy stories, but so what? The advice and methods that ar being forwarded by MacYoung is well worth to dwell on. These is battle tested stuff - no doubt about it! And: How about looking further than to the form - why not look at the actual content instead? And contetnet-wise there is a lot of good things in the book.

The author speaks about the natural presence of fear and the importance of acknowkledging it, he talks about escalating situations (and how and why that is dangerous), about taking control, defusing situations, using verbal and physical techniques, force against weapons, and much more. Sure enough, not everything is totally mindblowing, and yes there are some minor contradictions here and there. This does not however discredit the author or make this into a mediocre book. Not everything is PC (politically correct) either, but why should it be? Sometimes truth stings a little. Finally: even if the book has professional methods and people as its core, what is presented here is equally suitable for the layman interested in self-defense - as long as you adjust things a little. Hey, we have a brain, why not engage it?

In spite of the general tone of the book I do not hesitate to recommend it to you. This goes if you need this kind of information because of what you are working with, or simply because you wish to know more about violence and how to protect yourself from violence. The book can surely be obtained from Abebooks, as well as Amazon (link in the left column ). MacYoung has written other books also: "Knives, Knife Fighting, and Related Hassles - How to Survive a Real Knife Fight", and "Cheap Shots, Ambushes and Other Lessons". Remember to check them out too!

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