AboutMarc MacYoung Expertise Street self-defense, crime avoidance and personal safety
Experience I grew up in the streets of Los Angeles in 'situational poverty.' I have dealt with criminals and violent people all my life -- both personally and professionally. I have written 15 books and 6 videos on surviving street violence. I was originally published under the name Marc Animal MacYoung. (Animal was my street name). I've taught police and military both internationally and within the US. I've lectured at universities, academies and done countless TV, radio, newspaper and magazine interviews. I'm a professional speaker on crime avoidance and personal safety. And I am an expert witness recognized by the US court system.
My bio is at
www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/marcmacyoung.html
My abridged CV (Curriculum Vitae) is at
http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/seminarEW.htm
Organizations See CV
Publications Too numerous to list here. My CV (for my expert witness work in court) is at
http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/seminarEW.htm
Question Hi Marc. I've been reading about different martial arts for quite some time now, yet I still haven't decided on which one I might do yet. There was an interesting quote I saw saying something like ''Train to fight like an old man, because one day you will be one''. I think I might have saw it on your site. That got me thinking that maybe the 'softer' martial arts would be better long term, rather than going for something like Thai boxing which would be harder to do as you get over 35 or whatever. I'm in my mid 20s now, and would like to maybe do something that will last my whole life, or most of it. What's your view on it all?
Also, RBSD like krav maga seems like an interesting option, but as you say, it depends on who is teaching it, rather than the art itself. I've been reading about a guy called Geoff Thompson, he has the same sort of life story you have. He pretty much has the same opinions you have as well, from what I've read. It looks like he just does the simple things really well. I teacher like that would be great. So in your opinion, what would be the best long term option?
Answer Honestly, try them all. If you're talking about a life long process then pick and choose what system interests you at different parts of your life. What tickles your fancy now will not be the same as what works for you in five years. If you're looking at this in the long term, there's no reason not to look at it in the long term
