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'm a young kid heading to college and was wondering what martial art was right for me. what is the best martial art for self defense? when i say self defense, i mean to be able to devastate the aggresor to the point where i can just walk away. something that teaches defense not only against one assailant but multiple. i read your article on krav maga and it no longer seems that impressive. but if what you say is true, that the success of the art depends largely on the teacher, then what self defense art has been shown to be successful regardless of the teacher? meaning the techniques have been so successful that it would take a really dumb teacher to mess it up. also what kind of art is the easiest and quickest to be proficient at? because my budget is really limited and i can't afford to pay for too many classes. so in conclusion, what art is best for self defense, when taking effectiveness, ease of learning and quickness to proficiency are taken into consideration? also, i live in the nyc area, so if u find anything here, that would be great. thanks!
Answer Sorry for the delay, my office printer blew up and I've been caught dealing with computer issues.
Let me start by rephrasing your question: What style can I learn fastest to win fights and get myself arrested after wards?
Because that is what you're basically asking. And the list pretty long. Krav Maga, Mixed Martial Arts, any 'combative' or 'reality based self-defense system.' All can and will get you thrown in jail PDQ if you use them the way they are normally taught.
That's because they ALL insist on crossing the line from self-defense into assault. Then they defend this behavior by saying stupid things like "I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by six" or blatantly wrong comments like "There are no rules in a street fight."
The first one is going to cost you about 10 grand in lawyer fees and fines, the second one will get you killed. Because there are ALL kinds of rules regarding violence -- both legally and socially (like where you're at and who you're up against).
I often tell people that the "pool has been peed in when it comes to self-defense." Not only does every person who was involved in a fight suddenly claim it was self-defense when the cops show up, but damn near every training program I have ever come across takes whatever berserker /sports based MA they do and calls it 'self-defense.' http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/MASDtools.htm
They TEACH you how to go ballistic on someone and they call it self-defense. The law calls it assault, sometimes aggravated assault, other times attempted murder. And if you're REALLY unlucky, they'll call it manslaughter. And the more/longer the words they call it, the more it's going to cost you.
Yes it's long, but it's a layman's explanation of how you can cross the line from self-defense and get yourself -- rightfully so -- arrested. And between the habit of the losers of a fight running to the cops to whine and video cameras, you got a DAMNED good chance of not only getting arrested but sued too.
ANY system can be used for self-defense, provided you know what self-defense is. Again, any style can be used to 'block and run' -- which is closer to self-defense than standing there trying to throw someone a beating and calling it 'self-defense.' That's when things start falling apart.
Oh you want a strategy for multiple opponents?
Grab the 'mouthiest' and/or most aggressive guy and throw him into the toughest (or second toughest) guy and run like hell while they are trying to untangle themselves and get up.
Back before it was my job to go forward into trouble, that strategy saved my young butt many a time.
There ain't no such thing as a system that can train you to 'fight' multiple opponents. That's because it's a combination of strategy and the ability to 'GIT R DONE!' Because if you don't have the strategy and you can't get it done, then you're going down... no matter what 'system you know' or what the advertising of that system has said it will do for you.
