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DNUK Book Review: Headlocks And Haymakers
By Scott Taylor
www.door-network.com
Many of us, (especially those of us in the door steward profession)
have encountered more than one altercation whilst on or off duty.
Many times we've been lucky enough to be the victor, whilst other
times we've been forced to drag ourselves home, pitifully licking
our wounds as our minds go over what the hell it was that we did
wrong that led to us getting our asses handed to us on a platter.
Many people believe that if it came to a fight in the street, they
would be prepared and would be able to handle their own. They may be
under the belief that their many years spent in a dojo prepares them
for any eventuality, or their time spent in the ring smacking pads
has fully equipped them with a knockout blow that will take out any
comer. However the reality of street fighting is that no one tussle
is ever the same, and techniques that may have worked against one
may not work against the bigger next assailant.
In fact, unless you see street fighting for the fluid, ever changing
beast that it is, then there's a good chance that you'll be sampling
the local hospitals stale Macaroni for a week or so.. Possibly
through a straw.
Not only does Ari Bolden recognise this fact in his recently
finished book, he also ensures that those reading with a cocky,
invincible outlook are left in no doubt that they need to change
their thought patterns.
Ari makes no bones in showing the reader how situations ranging from
locks, punches and grapples can all go wrong, and that their is no
100% sure way of ensuring victory in any confrontation. However,
with the right mind set, awareness and practice, practice, practice
Ari gives the reader the tools needed to ensure that they have more
than a fighting chance should any confrontation come to hard
contact.
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As he says
in his book, being prepared for the probable rather than the
possible is key. The street fighter is the most dangerous of
all as there is no safety switch in place that many Martial
exponents have developed through training, discipline and self
control. This book makes no bones about what's going to happen
when things turn nasty, and Ari does an excellent job of
illustrating some essential techniques using a combination of
pictures and text to get his points across.
 From
Grappling to Garrotting, Punching to Palm Strikes and (funnily
enough) Headlocks to Haymakers, Ari's techniques are focused
squarely on those looking for basic, useful and effective self
defence techniques. Through a clear and informative layout, Ari
explains each situation clearly and concisely, so the reader is
left in no doubt what effect each defensive technique will
have. Also Ari does a good job of pointing out the 'trigger'
signals that can be seen before an attacker launches his
assault. Everything from the whitening of the knuckles to the
lowering of the chin and widening of stance is covered here, and
it's refreshing to see a book that doesn't just advise attack as
an option, but also retreat if it's safe enough to do so.
Ari also includes
video clips in this book, however depending on your computers
settings it can be difficult to access them, and although a
clever idea it might have been better to have left these out and
stuck with illustrations and photographs only. This is only a
minor grip though on what is an otherwise essential book, and
any author that can include quotes from such luminaries as Sun
Tzu, Royce Gracie and (strangely enough) Dr Who gets a
thumbs up from this reader.
If you're looking
for an effective, self defence book that clearly shows and
explains various offensive and defensive techniques then this
book is for you. However, if you're looking for something to
scan through on a long journey then $24.97 for this e-book might
put you off picking it up for a browse.
Scott Taylor.
For more
information on 'Headlocks and Haymakers', check out Ari Bolden's
website at
http://www.headlocksandhaymakers.com
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