No Holds Barred Fighting: Savage Strikes: The Complete Guide to Real World Striking for NHB Competition and Street Defense

I have read dozens of books about martial arts and self-defense, and this one totally stands out in its complete lack of BS and filler! Not just for the NHB student, but for anyone interested in realistic self-defense tactics. The photos and instructions are wonderfully concise and practical, telling you exactly what you need to know---nothing more, nothing less. No self-aggrandizing, overbearing machismo like that commonly found in most allegedly "reality-based" self defense books such as Marc McYoung's (I like his books overall, but sometimes his verbal swagger gets a bit annoying), just straight, to the point, economical and efficient writing...ah, the sweetness of SIMPLICITY! In all seriousness, you still need a competent instructor or at least a training partner if you want to really pick up these techniques, of course. But if you absolutely can't have either, this book is the next best thing and simply wipes the floor with all other books on this subject. Ten stars!!!

This is truly an excellent book. Ive purchased all of Mark Hatmaker books and think he is truly an excellent instructor. His explanations and teaching skills make it very easy to learn and understand all his techniques. I encourage all serious Martial Artists Students & Instructors to buy all of Mark Hatmaker books. Ive learnt a lots of new tactics and my skills have improved a 100 percent. Buy the book!

I must confess right away that I am very impressed with everything I've ever read or watched on fighting that Mark Hatmaker has put out. This book is no exception. First off, Mark is an excellent writer/teacher. The book is very well structured and clearly laid out so that the concepts presented flow together seamlessly and build layer upon layer. The interested reader will find a ton of useful offensive and defensive techniques (and some that are both - e.g., "pickoffs" wherein a defensive technique is used to inflict pain and damage - what the Filipino martial arts refer to as 'defanging the snake') that can be put into practice. Much of it is essentially derived from what is termed 'dirty boxing' because it includes things that were made illegal by the Queensbury boxing rules for pure sport boxing application. This is NOT a book about the sport of boxing (or kickboxing, for that matter), although a sport boxer who sought to bend the rules when possible could certainly derive benefit. However, the information is presented from the more familiar/traditional boxing framework. Beyond just specifying the creative use of more traditional tools (jab, cross, hook, uppercut) and less traditional tools (elbows, knees, gouges, stomps, etc.), Hatmaker lays out the concepts such that the reader is encouraged to be a bit innovative and improvisational in the application of the specific strikes and patterns/combinations - which is what you need to do anyway when in a real fight or match. This work is not just a re-hash of Muay Thai handwork (e.g., using fist and elbows), either. There is a lot of stuff on 'how' you use your fist, elbow, forearm, etc. to create specific strike variations. If you think about it (and Mark mentions this in his video series on the subject - see below), adding in the less traditional boxing tools with the more traditional creates a very large number of possibilities. I would suggest the person to whom this type of approach seems logical/interesting look at the practice of Panantukan from the Filipino martial arts - some overlap with the 'dirty boxing' or 'old style boxing' framework, but relatively more in terms of grabbing and controlling your opponent and using imbalance and directional force to augment the power of strikes. There is some information in the book on using the legs for strikes (and as the target for strikes on your opponent), but its emphasis is much less than on hand strikes. Hatmaker is clear on this in the text, and his rationale is pretty solid, I think. I would suggest that the person interested in augmenting this text with other information on legwork search on information on Dumog (learn especially about foot trapping!) and perhaps Pananjakman/Sikarat from the Filipino martial arts, which, in my opinion, blends well with the hand and upperbody work presented here. Hatmaker has two separate video series that each contains two VHS tapes: "Extreme Boxing" and "Illegal Boxing". Betwe

I was lucky come across this little gem at the book store the other day. I quickly flipped through it and new I had to have it. This book is packed with good information and photos all in a convenient and affordable package. It's just what I've been wanting: a boxing based martial art. I thought I'd have to mix the stuff in my boxing books with some good tricks from some of my other books and then hope for the best, but it's all right here. The techniques are tried and true. The book is like a blend of Ned Beaumont, Jeet Kune Do, and Muay Thai. I think this book goes great with Beaumont's "Championship Streetfighting" and "The Savage Science of Streetfighting". Beaumont's books are seriously lacking in illustrations, but are very interesting reading. "Savage Strikes" simply doesn't have room for a lot of text, it's just straight to the point. Mark Hatmaker has brought back Western martial arts from before boxing and wrestling had so many rules, when wrestling was about submission. He calls his self defense system "Extreme Self Protection". I couldn't be more pleased. I can't wait for his upcoming "Boxing Mastery" and I'm looking forward to getting his grappling books as well. Thank you Mr. Hatmaker.

Once again, Mark Hatmaker has put together a book that focuses on the most essential techniques for No Holds Barred fighting, providing the reader with expert advice. His 21-page preface may be the most concise, useful, and insightful one ever written on the striking arts. Alone, it covers which side to put forward in a fighting stance, how to get maximum power into the punches, some tips on timing and how to take a punch, and how the 80/20 rule applies to the fight game... and his explains all of it clearly and thoroughly. Amazing. His first actual chapter lays the groundwork, on a physical level, for a good NHB striker. He explains how to roll a propper fist and which knuckles you REALLY want to hit with; assuming the propper stance, including some common errors to avoid; upper body mobility, including the pull, the duck, the slip, and why the bob and weave is a poor choice for NHB fights; and foot work, such as the pivot, slide-shuffle, shift, and mistakes to avoid. The second chapter is on the basic boxing arsenal, covering hooks, uppercuts, straight punches, and the overhand. Following that is a chapter on inserts, which are little hammering and forearm blows that can be done off a missed punch. His section on elbow shots is much the same. By the end of the fifth chapter, we've seen elbows both on thier own and as inserts, as well as a sample combination using forearms, elbows, and punches in concert. The next two chapters diverge a bit, showing low blows and then "self-defense strikes", which consist of shots to the eyes and throat. Next is a chapter on headbutts, including the propper striking surface and how to sneek one in from the clinch. Then he goes over "clinch inserts", including basic stomps, some more forearm shots, shoulder shots, and how to cut of a guy's air while in the clinch. Following that is how to break a clinch, a neccesary tactic for those who feel more comfortable striking. His chapter on leg work is all strikes to the shins and thighs, which include the rear "purring kick". The next two chapters are on free and clinching knees, respectively, which can be very damaging blows. Chapter fourteen starts his section on defense, beggining with basic boxing defensive blocks. Next is a chapter on elbow defense, which includes several drills. A short headbutt defense chapter follows, after which is a very good chapter on knee defense (including foiling clinched knees), leading into a chapter on kicking defense, which blends well with the punching 'd' chapter. After that is a chapter on 'pick offs', also called weapons distructions, which is essentially how to make someone pay for throwing a punch or kick at you. The chapter on "Ground and Pound" is very good, showing strikes from the mount, side control, and guard (do you know how to use heel kicks? THere's a better target than the kidneys!). The chapter on combinations shows how to combine all the various tools, from kicks to punches to clinching, and show 24 different combos,