A street fight is short, fast and brutal. A martial artist who believes his training prepares him for the "real thing," is in for a rude awakening facing an experienced brawler. There are no tournament rules, there are no referees, the pavement doesn't have a mat, and the other guy isn't your friend.

Taking It to the Street by Marc MacYoung doesn't belittle the things you have practiced, trained and worked so hard to learn. It's a book on taking what you've learned and making it fast, fanged and fierce enough to stand up to surprise attack.

As an ex-street thug, MacYoung knows the problems inherent in the first critical seconds of a confrontation. And he also knows that no matter how much someone has trained, he or she can be overwhelmed in those first decisive seconds.

Using photos, illustrations and detailed instructions, MacYoung brings the martial artist from the structured safety of the dojo to the mayhem of the street, alley or biker bar. Taking It to the Street includes tips on the fastest way to take an attacker off his feet, how to execute effective blocks and throws, how to anticipate a strike and what to do in the aftermath -- because legalities, revenge seekers and your own mental well-being remain long after the fight is over.

Anyone who has ever wondered if his or her martial arts training would hold up to a street attack would do well to read this book.

Warning: MacYoung, an admitted ex-streetfighter, has toned down the language and the attitude of his previous books -- but the book still is not for all readers.

Taking It to the Streets: Making Your Martial Arts Street Effective (Paladin Press) 1999, 323 pages, ISBN 1-58160-050-X

Softcover, Item# Btitts 
Book -- $23     Retail: $25

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

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. -- Simon John O'Neill

Marc MacYoung is one of my favourite authours. He takes the subject of violence and treats it with a realistic, simplistic yet highly intelligent manner. Instead of muddying the water with complexities that can never be replicated in real life, he gives you honest well thought out principals that you can make work in real time. I have found no other self defense author who has been able to do this as skillfully as Mr MacYoung. This book along with "A Proffessionals Guide to Ending Violence Quickly" should be on every martial arts instructors book shelf. -- Joel Huncar

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