2008-07-20 all martial arts books should be like this

A book by one of the few martial arts masters who:

Live in the real world,
Have actually been in a few fights and life/death situations
Actually know what the self defence laws are in most countries

It is a shame that not all martial arts books and teachers give you solid facts. If you are training in self defence or a martial art of some sort PLEASE READ THIS. Most teachers have never actually used their techniques in a life or death situation, and are not aware of their reliability, or what is actually legal.

The books of this remarkably sensible man cover important subjects such as:

The importance of running away,

Legal issues like "did you have an avenue of escape?", (basically how not to end up in jail).

And of course he has worked for the military, the police (he trains the police) and gives top notch advice on (safe) mental and physical training in all his books.

He also explains the dangers of self harming training methods, in detail, and what can go wrong, so you can weigh up the risks for yourself (although some of the methods he uses himself are a little extreme).

His personal style is a modernised, street based karate, but dispite the fact that i never really aprooved of karate,(too slow) i found his books immensely helpful in my own mixed mui thai and wing chun based system. He does not advocate a style or teach one in his books, he merely imparts reason and experience to a subject that sorely needs it. His teachings are relevant to all who wish to embark on the dangerous path that is martial arts.

This book is probably a life saver. I have read all his books, and recommend all of them.