Being the author of several books on the martial arts and fighting, I am always looking for books of exceptional quality to add to my library. If I have a book in my library, it's definitely worth owning. One such book is Marc “Animal” MacYoung’s, "Fists, Wits, and a Wicked Right."

One of the great things that I absolutely love about Marc’s books is his no-holds barred direct approach to getting his point across. There is never any sugarcoating or politically correct terminology is his books. He simply tells it like it is, whether you like it or not. Marc’s not-so-politically correct way of explaining things is always refreshing in today’s society where everyone wants to sugarcoat everything so as not to offend anyone. In some ways, I would compare Marc’s method of teaching to the comical rants of George Carlin. You may be offended by what he says, but by golly it’s the truth. And yes, sometimes the truth hurts.

Once again, Marc gives you a no-holds barred look at the reality of fighting and surviving on the street. This book is simply loaded with sound principles and easy to learn techniques for making the most of a bad situation. Marc discusses the various hand positions and striking surfaces that can be used for striking your opponent, as well as, the principles behind them. I find this information on the principles behind the techniques very useful, and it is usually a very good indicator of a high quality self-defense and/or martial arts book.

The other major area covered in this book is the various vulnerable and vital areas throughout the human body that can be exploited during a fight. Marc not only tells you what areas to strike, but also how to strike them and what happens to a person when these areas are struck. Always a very useful piece of information to know before it is needed. It is also something that you will want to store in the old grey matter. Like my father used to say, “Use your head for more than a hat rack!”

If you are a strict traditional martial artist with a closed mind then (although this book would definitely be good for you), don’t waste your time or money buying it. However, regardless of your training background, if you have an open mind and are willing to look at something from a slightly different viewpoint, then I would highly recommend that you add this book (and others like it) to your personal library.

I am a traditionally trained martial artist in both Karate and Tae Kwon Do, as well as being ranked in several other disciplines. However, unlike a lot of schools that have degenerated down to teaching a diluted “sport” version of these arts, I was fortunate enough to be taught the practical version of each technique alongside the traditional version.

By reading Marc’s books, I feel that he had the great misfortune to be exposed to way too many of the former and not enough of the latter. Having said that, I can totally understand where Marc’s bias towards the “McDojo” type martial arts comes from, and one that I myself tend to agree with.

Although a lot of what Marc teaches in this book I already knew, there were just as many things that I didn’t know, or was shown from a different view point. I am never too old to learn and I definitely learned a lot by reading this book. You will too!

Remember, if you think you know everything, you actually know nothing! Marc "Animal" MacYoung is a noted self-defense expert and author of numerous books on the subject. Marc can be reached via his web site at: http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com

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