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Knife fighting is ugly business, so you'd better knowwhat you're doing if you ever find yourself in one. This book willshow you the down-and-dirty reality of knife fighting, from choosingthe best knife to devious street tricks commonly used to get in thefirst strike. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Useful and entertaining read from a guy who's been there, done that
First, what it's not: it's not great literature, or a martial arts book, or a tabletop book with artistic pictures of arcane knife-fighting techniques, or a book that will give you invincible techniques. As Fairbairn said, there is no certain defense against a knife.

What this book is, on the other hand, is a coordinated series of discussions about ways to avoid getting into altercations with knives, and ways to cope if you are involved in such an altercation.

What separates this from many books on the subject is the extensive experience of the author. He does not write from theoretical knowledge.

An amusing read in a field of boring instructionals
Over a decades has passed since I read this book, but it stands out in my memory for being as entertaining as it was informative.Marc's style of writing is easy to read and his books are genuinely amusing.I would suggest them over a lot of others in the field just for the fact that they will hold attention while others will either bore you to sleep or come off as just a lot of macho BS.Marc's gasconades ring true by contrast, and add spice to what otherwise might just be another boring instructional.

A Good Primer on Knives and Knife Fighting
"Knives, Knife Fighting, & Related Hassles: How to Survive a Real Knife Fight" by Marc "Animal" MacYoung is not his best book, but it does contain some gems of information that just might save your life if you ever face a knife.It is a rather short book, especially compared to some of MacYoung's other works.This book is only 116 pages long.But in this short space, MacYoung introduces some important topics related to knives and fighting with them.

Being a friend of Marc, sometimes I can't help but read things into his books based on training, working, and sharing together.Reading some of the things he has written makes me remember other things we have done or that he has shared in person which make the lessons more relevant.I find that true with this book, since reading it makes me remember the hours we spent out in the back yard in California practicing with knives.I point this out to let readers know that as a friend and someone who has trained and worked with MacYoung, I have a bit of bias.

As for "Knives, Knife Fighting, & Related Hassles," it is one of the earlier books that MacYoung wrote, and you can tell he was a bit closer to the streets at that time than he is now.(which is reflected in his later books too)The book by no means contains everything about knives and knife fighting, but then what book does.This book is a very good introductory piece on knives and knife fighting, and for some it may be all they need.After all, knife fighting is not something most people do on a regular basis, and even those who train in martial arts or self-defense systems should be focusing on staying out of knife fights rather than looking for them.Fighting is ugly, and when you add blades it multiplies that ugliness a thousand times.

This book contains eleven short chapters:

1. Knives and Related Hassles sets out a few of MacYoung's qualifications and what he is attempting with this book.He admits he doesn't know everything about knife fighting, but I guarantee you that if you read this short book you will know more than many people out there.

2. Nuts and Bolts contains some basic information about knives in general.He quickly covers some types of blades and points out that you should get a good one and keep it sharp.

3. Mental Homework is a chapter on how serious knife fighting is and suggests some good information on mindset, awareness and such.

4. Mobility and Balance are extremely important in anything physical and in any kind of fight they are especially important.This short chapter gives you a couple things to think about and practice to improve yours.

5. Guard is a very short chapter where MacYoung describes some Chinese based slap/whip blocks that he prefers.

6. Grip, Heft, and Balance describes ways a blade can be held and used.MacYoung covers some basic ways to hold a knife as well as a few that are more obscure and less practical.But it is good to be familiar with them, the information never hurts.

7. Stance obviously is how you stand and thus move in a knife fight.MacYoung covers some various ways and teaches his preferred way.Your stance will vary with the kind of training you do, but this chapter is a good introduction.

8. Quickdraw is a chapter that points out that having a weapon is not always the same as being able to get to it.Some good concepts here.

9. Draws covers some various ways to carry and draw a blade.

10. Fighting is a chapter with some good practical information.As is..

11. Combat

Overall, this is a quick read with some good information on knives and knife fighting.It is not my favorite of MacYoung's books, but for the price not bad to pick up and learn something.As I mentioned earlier, MacYoung was closer to the street when he wrote the book.His language and clothing reflect that.For people who have only read his recent works, this might surprise people.I think one thing is shows is how far MacYoung has come since those days.I for one am very glad he has evolved and shared his knowledge along the journey.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author, speaker
Hard-Won Wisdom From The School of Hard Knocks, Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, and The Lock On Joint Locking series

Very General
This book gives you a taste of whats available but does not give you a good bite. The book is well written and humerous, but it did not provide what i was lookinf for. All in all a good read.

Probably the best book on "knife fighting" in print
This book will save your life.Specifically, it dispels various extremely dangerous myths about knives and knife fighting.The knife is not a self defense weapon.The only purpose of carrying a knife is to kill someone, in an extremely messy and rather dangerous (to yourself) manner.There is no self defense aspect about it.And if you think different, you will either end up dead.Or you will end up being anally raped by psychopaths for the rest of your life.Most people carrying knives (who aren't murdering scum, that is) are dangerously misinformed about what a knife is, how to use it tactically (it's an assassination type weapon....as in you sneak up to someone and stab them while they aren't looking) and the psychological issues of knife fighting.There are hard lessons in this book from a hard man. ... Read more

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Explores the reasons, including food, nesting places, mates, rank, and territory, why animals display aggressive behavior and fight with other animals like themselves. ... Read more

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Describes the fighting skills of a wide variety of animals, including red deer stags and beetles. ... Read more

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Commentary (music and lyrics not included).Chapters: The Sound of Animals Fighting Video Albums, Lover, the Lord Has Left Us..., Tiger and the Duke, the Ocean and the Sun, We Must Become the Change We Want to See. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 22. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Lover, the Lord has Left Us... is the second album by the experimental rock band The Sound of Animals Fighting. The album was released on May 30, 2006 through Equal Vision Records but will still use Rich Balling's Stars & Satellites imprint. The album contains songs with considerably different tempi than the songs on the band's last album. For example, "Stockhausen, es ist Ihr Gehirn, das ich suche" utilizes kitchen sounds and a German opera singer and "Un'aria" and "Un'aria Ancora" are a cappella tracks sung by Craig Owens of Chiodos in a feminine falsetto. Musical Styling Lover, the Lord Has Left Us... is considerably different from Tiger and the Duke in many aspects. The music centers on electronic instruments such as synthesizers, drum machines, and computer-based music programs, rather than guitars or drums. Tiger and the Duke has a more band-oriented sound, whereas Lover, the Lord Has Left Us... has a more collaborative feel. There also exists great variation between different tracks. For example, "Prayers on Fire" has a considerably ethnic feel, due to Sanskrit vocalizations and samplings of a sitar. In contrast, "Horses in the Sky" is laden with heavy, incomprehensible drum n' bass grooves, though the chorus is much more organized and coherent. "The Heretic" is a soft ballad with rich, flowing string arrangements and lyrics associated with the burning of a heretic. "Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya / Mrityor ma amritam gamaya" which translates to: "Lead us from darkness to light. Lead us from death to immort...http://booksllc.net/?id=3545424 ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Florida Bar News, published by Florida Bar on April 15, 2008. The length of the article is 1551 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Proposed criminal jury instructions: unattended kids in cars, counterfeit prescription blanks, animal fighting, and attempted second degree murder.(Notices)
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: Florida Bar News (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 15, 2008
Publisher: Florida Bar
Volume: 35Issue: 8Page: 16(1)

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from The Food & Fiber Letter, published by Informa Economics, Inc. on March 23, 2009. The length of the article is 320 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: NPPC fighting animal antibiotic legislation.
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: The Food & Fiber Letter (Newsletter)
Date: March 23, 2009
Publisher: Informa Economics, Inc.
Volume: 29Issue: 12Page: 7(2)

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Macmillan Reference USA Science Library: Animal Sciences, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 1170 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.This interdisciplinary resource explores the wide-ranging diversity that exists within the animal kingdom. Entries examine how animals develop, animal ecology and behavior, and the connection between animals and humans. Also includes biographies of key scientists who have contributed to the study of animal life, as well as career opportunities within the field. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! A cockfight is a blood sport between two roosters, held in a ring called a cockpit. Cockfighting is now illegal throughout the United States and in most of Europe. The combatants, known as gamecocks, are specially bred birds, conditioned for increased stamina and strength. The comb and wattle are cut off in order to meet show standards of the American Gamefowl Society and the Old English Game Club and to prevent freezing in colder climates. Cocks possess congenital aggression toward all males of the same species. Cocks are given the best of care until near the age of two years old. They are conditioned, much like professional athletes prior to events or shows. Wagers are often made on the outcome of the match. While not all fights are to the death, the cocks do endure physical trauma that may result in death. Cockfighting was at one time considered to be an accepted, traditional sporting event in the United States. In many other areas around the world, cockfighting is still practiced as a mainstream event; in some countries it is government controlled. ... Read more

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This book is for everyone interested in stopping animal abuse, convicting animal abusers, and insuring that animal abusers receive the maximum sentence. That includes all animal control officers, police officers, law enforcement officers, humane societies, rescue leagues, veterinarians, rehabilitators, and anyone who loves animals. This book teaches the most effective ways to collect and present evidence so that it has the most powerful effect on prosecutors, judges, and juries. The most powerful evidence is that which transforms prosecutors,judges and juries into witnesses. This book clearly explains how to do that and it explains it in terms that everyone can understand.This book does contain some graphic photographs so viewer discretion is advised. ... Read more