Archive for Book Review
Book review: Warrior Wisdom by Bohdi Sanders
Posted by: | CommentsI received my copy of “Warrior Wisdom: Ageless Wisdom for the Modern Warrior“ by Bohdi Sanders a while ago and frankly, I had a good time reading it. This is not one of those books you just pick up an read in one go. You can, obviously, but then you won’t get the most out of it.
Warrior Wisdom is a collection of quotes and sayings by martial artists, writers, poets, politicians and philosophers amongst others. Each quote pertains to living the life of a warrior. In and of itself, these quotes are usually worth reading, but that wouldn’t make for a good book. Bohdi Sanders takes it up a notch by providing context and an explanation for each of these quotes. He shares his personal insights to help you interpret the quote and make it applicable in your daily life and training.
One way to think of this book is as a motivational one; when you’re feeling down and want to sit on your butt while you whine like a little girl about how unfair something is, read a couple pages of Warrior Wisdom. You”re bound to find a quote or saying that lifts your spirits and helps you decide to get back on track.
But that’s just the superficial stuff. There are tons of books like this already (this is the one I like best; I always feel great after reading in it…) and they’re often not all that practical. Mr. Sanders digs a little deeper than just the “happy-joy-joy” level and tackles some difficult subjects like honor, integrity, violence, anger, and much more.
These are things the warrior has to face every day. Sometimes, you can end up feeling very conflicted about them. Or in the opposite case, forget all about them and stray from the path. Then this is the book for you. By reading and more importantly, thinking through what you find in the pages, you re-evaluate your own position on those matters. It isn’t really important whether you agree or not with Bohdi’s interpretation of each quote. As long as it makes you think, you’ll get something out of it.
Conclusion
This isn’t a book about techniques or a “how-to” guide on anything. Think of it as a book that gives you a nudge in the right direction regarding the life you lead, the values you hold dear and how you go about implementing them every day. For that purpose, I highly recommend it. If you’re a martial artist, self-defense enthusiast, LEO or soldier, you’ll get a lot out of this.
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Book review: Back Kick (Achieving Kicking Excellence, Vol. 1) by Shawn Kovacich
Posted by: | CommentsA while ago, Shawn Kovacich sent me a truckload of his books for so here’s the first review. It covers his first book: “Back Kick (Achieving Kicking Excellence, Vol. 1)” of the kicking excellence series. The review was supposed to auto-publish while I was abroad but WordPress apparently swallowed the post. So I rewrote the review quickly. Here it is.
Shawn Kovacich
“Back Kick (Achieving Kicking Excellence, Vol. 1)” starts with a preface, covering some good info on kicking techniques and specifically the back kick. Shawn then gives some pointers on how to use the book to learn the most from it.
The first chapter covers the anatomy of the back kick, which muscles and joints are used and how they interact. The author provides plenty of clear pictures and drawings to explain everything. Good stuff. Then he explains how you should warm up and stretch for practicing your turning back kick. He moves on to describe many important factors of a successful back kick: timing, distance, targeting, balance and loads more.
After you’ve digested this preparatory information, it’s time to get into the meat of the book; how to do a turning back kick and it’s many variations. In the next chapter, Shawn covers in extreme detail and step-by-step how you should perform this technique. He not only gives you a clear description but you also get pictures, drawings of how to position your feet at each step and a pictorial guide at the end. I particularly enjoyed this last one as it gives you a quick summary of the kick, perfect for when you don’t want to read an entire chapter and only want a quick refresher.
The next part of the book goes into the same amount of detail for several variations on the turning back kick: Read More→
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Book review: Jim Cirillo’s Tales of the Stakeout Squad by Paul Kirchner
Posted by: | CommentsJim Cirillo’s Tales of the Stakeout Squad by Paul Kirchner is the closest thing to a biography there is of one of the most famous law enforcement officers of the last 50 years. Jim Cirillo is one of the few who survived over 17 shootouts. Aside from his police work, he also taught his firearms knowledge to others as an instructor. Tragedy struck when he died in a car accident in 2007.
The book begins with a short review Cirillo’s life: growing up in a working class family, getting married and having kids, his career as a police officer and firearms instructor. This chapter is perhaps shorter than I’d personally have liked be but most readers will probably anxiously skip through it to get to the “juicy” part: information on the firefights he was in.
In the following chapters, the author describes Cirilo’s life as a rookie police officer, his work with the Stake Out Squad, Emergency Service Unit, his life outside of the job and his competition record. In the last chapter, people who knew him reminisce on his life and tell some stories of how they remember him. Read More→
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Book Review:Street E&E by Marc Animal Mac Young
Posted by: | CommentsBook review: Street E&E; Evading, Escaping, and Other Ways to Save Your Ass When Things Get Ugly by Marc “Animal” Mac Young
Marc “Animal” Mac Young is what you could call a “reformed streetfighter”. He grew up in the wilder parts of Los Angeles and was confronted with violence and death early on in his life. He has made numerous books and videos on these topics. His focus has always been on debunking myth’s about martial arts/self-defense and stress the importance of awareness and avoiding conflict. That’s why I chose this book of his to review first.
In the introduction, there is a basic outline on the reality of street violence and some pointers on situations to avoid. This brings you the proper perspective and in the right mindset that are needed for Street E&E.
Marc and I having a beer in Leuven, Belgium
The first two chapters show an important flaw in most self-defense training: Evading and escaping street violence is something few people actually consider in a practical way. They have a vague idea of what to do in an extreme situation, but no specific game plan. They have fighting techniques, but no larger frame to use them within. They say they will run away when attacked in a certain way, but fail to recognize the specific stages and techniques that are involved in this.
Marc also shows the 9 angles of attack and how you handle them with both counter attacking and running away in mind. The concept of the 9 angles is dealt with in more detail as in how to avoid getting hit along these angles. There is some sound advice regarding multiple attackers, starting an escape and couples confronted with violence.
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