Pool Cues, Beer Bottles, & Baseball Bats: Animal's Guide to Improvised Weapons for Self-Defense and Surviaval - Review by Alain Burrese

You have to hand it to Marc "Animal" MacYoung, he has some of the most creative titles in the self-defense genre. "Pool Cues, Beer Bottles, & Baseball Bats: Animal's Guide to Improvised Weapons for Self-Defense and Survival" is definitely a creative title.

Once the creative title catches your attention, MacYoung hits you with his first sentences, "You know, I don't write these books so people can go out and kick somebody's... In fact, I write them so people don't go out and get their ... kicked." This was one of the earlier books MacYoung wrote, and you can see that he is not far from the street in his writing. There is a considerable difference between some of his more recent works and his earlier ones. Some of his language is much rougher in his earlier works, so if you are offended by this, you may want to stick to his later books. However, one thing that you find in all of his books is practical advice on keeping yourself safe and various aspects regarding fighting and self-defense. He has put out a lot of good information. You might not agree with everything he says, but I guarantee you if you read his works he will give you things to think about and will assist you with the topics he writes about.

This book is shorter than some of his others, but within the 136 pages are some very practical guidelines for using improvised weapons for self-defense. He starts out with a chapter on the seriousness of weapons. He then briefly explains keys to look for and patterns.

He then explains some different types of improvised weapons and things they share in common. The next chapters cover specific types of weapons, the first being a chapter on long weapons such as quarter-staff, polearm, and spear. MacYoung describes grips, stances and how to use long weapons, including shovels.

MacYoung then covers swords and bludgeons in the next chapter, covering a brief history, grips, blocking, swinging, physics and effects of the weapon. Basic blocks, guards and stances are also shown.

The focus of the next chapter is on strike enhancers. He covers a variety of enhancers such as brass knuckles and saps to keys and other improvised implements that enhance one's striking power. He finishes with short chapters on flexible weapons and diversions.

As I stated earlier, this book is only 136 pages long. So it was not meant to be a complete treatise on improvised weapons. Rather, it is an introductory text and a quick and dirty guide on using improvised weapons to protect yourself and survive violent encounters.

I read the first several books MacYoung wrote before meeting him. I remember reading and going, yep, I've seen that. I also applied some of the things I read in his book and they helped me during various fights and physical encounters. Later MacYoung and I met and became friends. I've learned a lot from his books, and even more from him in person. I recommend his works to anyone who wants to further their knowledge in self-defense and survival. You don't have to agree with him on everything, heck he will tell you he doesn't know everything and you shouldn't blindly agree with him or anyone. But I do guarantee he will open your eyes regarding various topics and give you something to think about. And I also guarantee that he will provide you with information to help you stay safe and survive.

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, and articles including a regular column on negotiation for The Montana Lawyer

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The Truth About Gun Control, Part II by Robert Ringer

Here is an excellent article by Robert Ringer - Alain


The Truth About Gun Control, Part II

By Robert Ringer

At the end of Part I of this article, I told you that I am not a big fan of the Second Amendment. It's not that I disagree with its content. It's just that I have a problem with the concept of the government granting rights to Americans through amendments to the Constitution.

The concept of amending the Constitution to grant rights implies that any rights not specifically granted by government edict or Constitutional amendment do not exist. It's a dangerous trap, and one that we have walked into willingly while anesthetized by the phenomenon of gradualism.

So, while it's nice that the Second Amendment grants us the right keep and bear arms, it is, more importantly, superfluous. You have the right to own a gun for the same reason you have a right to own anything. The corollary to this is that the government has no right to forbid you to own a gun for the same reason it has no right to forbid anyone from owning anything.

The term gun control, therefore, is a misnomer. When politicians talk about "gun control," what they are really talking about is people control. As Morgan Norval put it: "'Order' may be the excuse; 'law' may be the argument; 'keeping someone else in his place' may be the emotional rationale; 'supporting the police' may be the civic slogan; 'ending violence' may be the dream - but the nightmare of reality is total tyranny of the state."

Thus, not only are all arguments that favor gun control invalid on the basis of logic, fact, and morality, but even those who are against it usually miss the real point. Gun control is a freedom issue. Guns are a tool for self-defense, and when government takes away any tool of self-defense, it not only violates our rights, it endangers our lives.

A gun is the individual's ultimate means of preserving his freedom, which is why the right to bear arms should be defended to the bitter end. Because in the bitter end, as the American Revolutionaries discovered, it may very well get down to a matter of whether or not you have access to weapons.

One last word of advice: A gun is a means of protecting your life and property from those who would try to take them from you. You should never point a gun at someone for any other reason.

Also, never pull out a gun unless you've already made the decision to use it. It is not a toy. It is not a means of threatening someone. It is not a prop for showing off. Though it is socially impolite to talk about it, guns were invented for the purpose of killing people (which is why governments own millions of them).

Bottom line: If you're not ready to kill, don't pull out a gun. Better yet, don't even own one. You'll only end up getting yourself killed.

But for the sake of your own freedom - whether or not you choose to own a gun - you should oppose any attempt to restrict the right of law-abiding citizens to own firearms. The right to own a gun, as with the right to own anything, is inherited at birth. It is not up to a group of politicians to grant such a right through a Constitutional amendment.

If you're tired of politicians telling you what you can and can't do, stand up and be counted. Consider the idea of teaching freedom as an avocation. Remember, every person you educate is one more person on the side of freedom - and in a democracy, numbers count.

Copyright © 2008 by Tortoise Press, Inc.
Robert Ringer is the author of three #1 bestsellers, including two books listed by The New York Times among the 15 bestselling motivational books of all time.

You can now tap into his profound wisdom and life-changing insights on a regular basis by signing up for a FREE subscription to his one-of-a-kind e-letter, A Voice of Sanity in an Insane World, at www.robertringer.com.