PRESENTS
AN INTERVIEW WITH
DEC / 2005
By Shihan William Rivera
MartialForce.Com
The phrase above comes from the Latin language, with its roots being:
Servo - To watch over, protect, save
Servare Vitas is a term I use with respect. Associated and used as the motto for the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s revered Hostage Rescue Team (HRT), it is the foundation of “Martial Analyst”, Marc MacYoung.
Hello and welcome to Martialforce.com. My name is William Rivera a Yudansha and student of Eddie Morales Shihan.
“Violence, encountered in a moment can affect you a lifetime.”
She was dragged the last few feet, her legs were torn from knee to ankle. Her hand was sliced to the bone and where the chain had been there now was a red patch of skin. It was 3 in the afternoon, on a busy shopping street, Graham Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. She was 76 years old and she was my grandmother.
Days after the attack (yes, she survived and walked that same street) my grandmother said to me, “It was my fault, I was not paying attention.” I knew what she meant. She should not have been fumbling through her bag unaware of her immediate surroundings at that moment.
Linda and Jeff are the triggers for writing this article. Linda is a parent, wife, teacher, and student. Jeff is a student pursuing his college degree with a twin brother a loving intelligent girlfriend and is a Security Forces Journeyman in the Air Force Reserves. Both co-workers have done their homework researching extensively Self-Defense.
Their questions were diverse but direct. Jeff wanted to know more on application and control of situations he would encounter. Linda was concerned with finding a martial arts school for her children and on personal safety. Unfortunately, both found the excessive amount of information available on self-defense and the Martial Arts to be overwhelming. Turned off by the hype and rhetoric, they badly needed direction and straightforward answers to cut through the maze. They asked for my advice
Immediately a name came to mind. It was someone who presents self-defense and personal safety the way it is, and not the way people want to sell it. His name is Marc MacYoung.
Marc MacYoung is a name synonymous with Reality Based Self-Defense and he has answers. He will be the first to tell you he does not have all of them, that his is just one piece of the pie.
Let me tell you his piece is one mighty chunk of that pie. Along with his wife, Dianna Gordon (her life is an inspiration and a story in itself), an instructor of martial arts and self-defense, their site www.nononsenseselfdefense.com is one of the most comprehensive you will ever find on self-defense and personal safety.
Marc MacYoung is the author of numerous books and videos on the subject of self-defense and personal safety. His video, “Safe in the Street” is internationally recognized by many to be the true standard for teaching personal safety.
He has literally, been written about, criticized, cursed at, wished dead and attacked verbally and physically ad nauseam by his critics.
Seriously, there are probably not many adjectives in the English language left that have not been used at one time or another to describe Marc. For good reasons: the man deserved it and much more (next article). He unquestionably stands high among the very few that truly knows what he is talking about.
Yes, the subject of discussion is “self-defense”, and boy, it is a hot one. In the world of martial arts, “reality based fighting”, “combat fighting”, “hard-core fighting” (yeah, OK), etc., when it comes to addressing self-defense instruction within their disciplines, their many known icons cannot back it up, cannot explain it. Oh sure, they can show you how to injure, maim, even kill, but what do these abilities have to do with self-defense?
Well folks, it is a good thing we have Marc MacYoung, who has staked a claim, put himself, his integrity and his life out there to set the record straight. His objective is simply: teach self-defense in a manner that people (regardless of who you are or what you do) can grasp and understand how to protect themselves.
“Self-defense and the Martial Arts are seeped in a controversy that keeps us so wrapped up we ignore the answers.”
“All martial arts instructors, regardless of whether they are traditional, reality based, mixed martial arts (MMA), etc. must consider their moral responsibility to the public. Presenting their art as “self-defense” must be taught within the context of their training, or in other words, the self-defense aspects or implications are shown in the basics of the art.”
“Most importantly, self-defense cannot be taught solely in terms of physical strengths or attributes, which can result in the ability to deliver force or harm to a potential attacker. The core component of self-defense must be taught as the ability to successfully remove oneself from potential situations resulting in physical harm.”
Marc Mac Young - Martial Artist, Martial Analyst
M.Force.com: Please give us your definition of self-defense?
M.MacYoung: “The working definition we use is, “Using whatever means necessary to quickly end a situation that offers you grievous bodily injury.”
Self-defense is not a limited skill. Physical techniques and the use of force is just a layer of the skill sets associated with self-defense.
Self-defense is knowledge, awareness, and behavior and is an integral part of a larger subject called “Life Skills.”
M.MacYoung: “The objective of self-defense training “Is to get you out of a dangerous situation as quickly and effectively as possible while using a level of force that is appropriate to the situation.
A good self-defense program will include aspects that effectively develop your personal safety habits. The instruction will be multi-layered and include information on awareness, avoidance, legal explanation and repercussion, danger recognition, the psychology of violence and physical technique.
Self-defense is about personal safety and the safety of your family. Physical self-defense is only one aspect inherent in a self-defense program.”
M.MacYoung: “William you sent me a list of questions, more than half dealt with crime avoidance strategy and the others were about fighting. Self-defense is not fighting or hitting someone, it is about taking responsibility for your life. Remember, self-defense is legal fighting is not.
Sure, physical skill, technique, your ability to back it up are parts of what makes up a personal safety strategy, but understand, physical self-defense is the last ditch effort.
You will read it on my site. I have said it countless times that when it comes to personal safety "fighting prowess" is no more than 5% of the equation. If you choose to ignore the issues that make up the other 95%, you will be more vulnerable to crime and violence than if you had no training at all.
Avoidance is always better than fighting. Combined with knowledge and awareness you will be able to recognize how crime and violence develop, and avoid putting yourself in a self-defense situation.”
M.MacYoung: “No. I am on record for saying this: any martial arts system can be used for self-defense. The martial arts can give you the tools that help you develop the elements to be used in self-defense. Your skill at using the tools is what will make it effective when it comes to self-defense or as you say, street survival.”
M.Force: “Why the controversy between martial arts or self-defense?”
M.MacYoung: “The controversy stems from people who are more concerned with making money than the people they teach. The martial arts and self-defense have become a lucrative business and that is fine, the problem arises when the selling and business aspects become more important than what you are teaching.”
M.Force: “Is it necessary to be in good shape when it comes to self-defense?”
M.MacYoung: “Only if you expect to be in a long drawn out fight, and the reality is that is not self-defense. Physical fitness, being in shape is great but when it comes to a self-defense situation we are talking about ending it, not how long it will last or how good you look. The physical techniques you use should be adaptable to your abilities, structure and not be complicated.”
M.Force: “Is there an age considered too young or too old for self-defense training?”
M.MacYoung: “No, self-defense is about life skills and that is something you can develop and work on at any age. When it comes to personal safety, think of it as a pyramid where knowledge and understanding are the foundation. Physical self–defense is the last ditch effort. Violence and crime can enter your life at any time with no consideration to age.”
M.Force: “How do I go about finding a martial arts school or a self-defense program?”
M.MacYoung: “And this is why I am so loved (laugh). It begins with knowing what you want and then, research. The criteria for finding a martial arts school and a self-defense program are different. Martial arts training is not self-defense. Understand that there are martial arts instructors that can teach self-defense but they are two distinct subjects.”
M.MacYoung: “If it does than it is not self-defense. As I have said before self-defense is much more than just physical technique. Self-defense is a state of awareness, knowing where you are, who is around you, life skills that you can put into effect right away.”
M.MacYoung: “Awareness without knowledge is paranoia. What we are talking about here is being prepared. Crime and violence are realities that do not exist if you choose to ignore them. Sure, you may be lucky and never find yourself in a self-defense situation, but do you really want to depend on luck when it comes to your safety or that of your family?“
The second part of this article will appear in our next issue.
Violence and crime are not problems solved with simple solutions. Learning self-defense and its many aspects does not come with any guaranty. There is a saying “It is simpler to avoid a problem than it is to get out of it, but if you encounter the problem be prepared to deal with it.”
Marc MacYoung does not give simple solutions he offers a realistic approach, and when it deals with violence and crime that is the edge that can save your life.
Marc MacYoung’s specialties are crime avoidance, crime prevention and surviving high-risk situations.
Marc stresses knowledge and awareness when it comes to self-defense, but you may have wondered, can he fight? Well, do your research or go to one of his classes or seminars, and watch out for his smile. If you do not want to travel to Colorado where he lives, you might just want to take the word of Men’s Fitness. In their recent edition, they named him, THE ULTIMATE BADASS.
What is discussed in this article does him no justice. The text of any article cannot possibly describe in depth what Marc MacYoung teaches about self-defense and personal safety so extensively. I urge you to please click on to his website and learn. www.nononsenseselfdefense.com
Marc MacYoung has two new books on the market and both have received rave reviews,
“Secrets” of Effective Offense: Survival Strategies for Self-defense, Martial Arts and Law Enforcement (Marc MacYoung)
Becoming a Complete Martial Artist: Error Detection in Self-Defense and the Martial Arts (Tris Sutrisno, Marc MacYoung with Dianna Gordon)