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| Cheap Shots, Ambushes, And Other Lessons: A Down And Dirty Book On Streetfighting & Survival | 
 enlarge | Author: Marc Animal Macyoung
Publisher: Paladin Press
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
Buy New: $15.25
You Save: $9.75 (39%)
New (16) Used (10) from $12.94
Avg. Customer Rating:  31 reviews
Sales Rank: 504901
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 264
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6
ISBN: 0873644964
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.8
EAN: 9780873644969
ASIN: 0873644964
Publication Date: January 1989
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: NEW from the Publisher! APO/FPO Orders Welcome. Order from a VETERAN-OWNED Bookseller. Every order shipped with Delivery Confirmation, Please E-Mail us directly with any shipping questions.
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Product Description
Streetfighting is a down and dirty topic, and the author, an ex-streetfighter, shares his hard-learned lessons here. Want to know how to recognize a mugging setup? How to avoid getting sucker punched? It's all here, as well as tips on bullies, weapons, martial arts vs. streetfighting and more.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 26 more reviews...
 Excellent Book on Street Violence and Real Fights! January 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I first read Cheap Shots, Ambushes, and Other Lessons while stationed in South Korea. I was serving with the 2nd Infantry Division and did not know that in the future I would become friends with Marc, work together, train together, and teach at the same events. I did not know he would write the foreword for my first book. What I did know was I was seeing the same kinds of things in the bars I was fighting in that he wrote about.
Many years later, I still believe this book shares some valuable realistic advice regarding real street fights. When Marc wrote this book, he was a lot closer to the streets and had not experienced some of the martial arts he has now, and that shows in his writing.
I put some of Marc's practical advice about fights into practice in the bars and other places I was frequenting. It helped me then, and it could help you now if you find yourself in violent situations. I have learned a lot from Marc both in person and from his books. This was the book that started it all, and it is still an excellent book on self-defense.
Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D. - Author, Speaker
Hard-Won Wisdom From The School Of Hard Knocks; DVDS: Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, and the Lock On Joint Locking Essentials series.
This books has saved me alot of pain and suffering August 18, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
As an 18 year old Marine fighting full contact karate in Japan, I picked up a copy of this book looking to discredit it....I mean a guy named "Animal" c'mon...
But what I found was a great if rough read(Marc was just starting as an author then). This is a book by someone who has been there and done that(even the bad things) and was willing to share his life experience and sense of humor.
I learned how fast I was heading down the path to destruction and changed up.
I have since had the opportunity to train with Marc and I can assure you that he is the real deal and a really nice person.
Cheap Shots Yes, but One Hell of a Great Book! March 19, 2007
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
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 spends a good deal of time discussing the principles behind the techniques and what to look for. 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.
Because of the limited amount of space I have to write and post this review, I am only going to hi-light just a few of the many interesting things in this particular book.
Introduction: It is painfully obvious that Marc has had some bad experiences with formal martial arts training and that is too bad. However, one must remember that, "One bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch babe." I believe that is either an old parable, or a line from the Jackson 5, if I'm not mistaken. Or it may even be both.
The Foundation: Attitude or Spirit: This can also be summed up as your desire to do whatever you have to do in order to not only survive a violent encounter, but also to come out on top.
Fear and the negative voice in your head: In this section Marc discusses fear and the negative reinforcement training that we receive from the time we are able to crawl until the time you are put into a wooden box.
Difference between fighting and combat: Believe it or not, there is a difference between fighting and combat. Generally speaking, fighting is usually a combination of stupidity and hormones gone amuck. While combat is serious life and death. And yes, sometimes fighting can lead to combat.
Blows: In this section Marc discusses 4 different types of blows and what their designed or intended to do. They are as follows:
Set-ups: These can be (and do include) the boxers jab. These are designed to confuse and create an opening or openings on your opponent so that you can exploit them with heavier more dangerous blows.
Rattlers: These blows hit a little bit harder than an initial set-up blow and are designed to "rattle" the senses of your opponent.
Maimers: These are blows that are designed to do the most damage after initial contact with your opponent has been made. For example; a slap to the side of the head by an open hand that once it hits the head, reaches up and grabs a hold of the ear and rips it off the side of your skull.
N.N.B.R.: I have to chuckle every time I read about N.N.B.R.'s. Not that they are inherently funny, but what the acronym stands for is pretty hilarious. What these blows are designed to do is to put your lights out, nappy time, kissing the canvas, etc. They knock you out!
Punches: Although several good points are brought up in this section, the one that is perhaps the most important is this, "As fast as your punch goes out, it should be just as fast coming back in."
Kicks: Now before I get into the "nuts & bolts" of this section, I have to admit that the subject of kicking is a sore spot with me. Not in the sense of being against it, as a matter of fact it is quite the opposite, but as being totally in favor of kicking as a means of self-defense when the kick is executed correctly, and applied properly. This in itself can be the deciding factor between improving your chances of victory, or total humiliation with a smattering of pain thrown in for good measure.
Here are two important points to remember when reading this section.
a. For the most part, a lot of what Marc says about kicking is correct.
b. However, it is not the kick that is ineffective, but rather the improper application of the kick that is ineffective.
Anger, Bullies, and Berserkers: Marc gives you an extremely good profile of the 3 types of people you are most likely to be confronted by during a self-defense type situation. He also gives you sound advice on how to handle each one of these threats.
Sucker Punches, Low Blows, and Tricks: In this section Marc discusses the theory and principles as well as some myths about cheap shots and so forth. Very informative information that, like the rest of the information in this book, should be stored in the old grey matter.
Weapons: Marc discusses various types of weapons you are likely to encounter and spends a good deal of that time discussing the most common of them all, the knife. He also includes 4 rules for using a weapon that are very sound and should be followed.
Martial Arts vs. Street Fighting: Once again I have to take a bit of an exception with Marc's comparison of PKA (Professional Karate Association) to self-defense. To me, this is like comparing apples to oranges. Although I do understand the comparison he was trying to make. Again I must emphasize that, "One bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch babe."
Teachers: A good teacher is worth their weight in gold, just like a bad one is worth their weight in crap.
Like all of Marc's books, this one is straight forward and well worth the price.
 Mixed Bag December 28, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This has some good advice mixed with lots of unnecessary filler.
First, the good:
1. It has lots of valid criticisms of the martial arts and their applicability to self defense such as there is too much emphasis on 'polite fighting' and rules. He makes a good case for why martial arts instructors should have students practice fighting in different environments such as uneven ground, confined spaces such as hallways, different environmental conditions, etc.
2. He defines 'fighting' and 'combat' differently and makes a case for much a much different approach for 'combat' situations.
3. He is very good on discussing environmental awareness and avoiding possible setups by criminals.
Now, the bad:
1. The book is full of braggadocio. If the author has really been in as many fights as he claims, he evidently does not practice what he preaches. His book has lots of information about how to avoid street fights, yet it seems that he boasts about some situation he was in on every other page. The best self defense is avoiding a bad situation. That being the case, MacYoung either is not that great at self defense or else loves storytelling.
2. He is rather crude. It is fine to be realistic, but his language is gutter level throughout the book. It adds nothing and makes him sound like he doesn't have a big enough vocabulary to write without crudity.
3. He uses some goofy terms that he evidently thinks are quite clever but are not commonly known and frankly add nothing to the content. Here are some examples: 'Nighty Nite Bunny Rabbits (NNBR's)' referring to a knockout punch commonly known as a 'haymaker'. Another is 'rattlers' which is a term he uses for a jab like punch. 'PIBU' is another one of his 'homemade' terms that is meaningless to most readers.
Although some of his information is very good, I would recommend finding another book if you're looking for something good on self defense. One that is particularly good is 'Strong On Defense' by Sanford Strong. I believe it is out of print and hard to find, but it excellent.
Entertainment and Advice September 24, 2005
17 out of 22 found this review helpful
After reading several of his books, I feel like I've come to know Animal. I'm familiar with some of his old stomping grounds in Ventura and have met the acqaintance of people like him. The real tragedy is that there are areas across the U.S. that breed brash troublemakers who not only put you in the precariouis position of haing to defend yourself with a crude weapon like a knife, but themselves. Many such punks routinely bite off more than they can chew, relegating them to mere predators, and not too smart ones at that.
Animal says it and I've seen it, but the best way to stay out of trouble and avoid the situations he teaches you how to deal with when things have gone too far, is courtesy. I'm sure Animal would never say so in print, but I'm certain he's forced loudmouthed louts into fights when they would rather not have fought because they said or did something that he found to be rude to himself or someone else. One can't be in that crowd without being part of it.
Now, looking back on it, he's realized how senseless it all is. He still commands respect in his circle and under some situations others might find innocuous, he's probably capable of being driven to violence to this day. And if he's known as the author of books, there are probably those who are anxious to take him on.
All this brings not only a wealth of knowledge to his books, but a tremendous sense of the senselessness of violence. Dying for a noble cause--something one believes in--is honorable. Dying because you are piss poor drunk and said the wrong thing to the wrong person is a tragedy that, like AIDS, can be avoided by keeping everything where it belongs.
If you're a yuppie or a retiree, you're probably not going to be in situations Animal describes; however, it's still insightful to see how the psychology of the biker bar stand works. Long hair, bandanas, pony tails, leather jackets, leather armbands, hairy arms, ego and, of course, knives, beer bottles and puke. This is the world you'll be hearing about in Animal's books which are in essence guides to living in his world. When you're done with the entertainment there, pick up a book on the mob and learn how to survive with the Sopranos.
I enjoy Animal's books, but I've never been part of that world and never hope to be. But hey, if you ever find yourself living in a post-nuclear world with Mad Max, it might come in handy.
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