Victim-Proof

Publisher's Note: This iBooks format of VICTIM-PROOF includes video content embedded into the book’s text file. Embedding video clips results in a file that is quite large (>400MB), but may be preferred by those who have limited or sporadic online access or want immediate video playback. An iBooks version with hyperlinked (streaming) video is also available—in that version, video content streams via hyperlinks and is accessible to a wider range of reading devices (including many that cannot play embedded video). The ISBN for the iBooks version of the book with streaming video is 978997338416. 


Books about and classes that teach self-defense, especially based on martial arts, are plentiful, but most share a shortcoming—they assume that the potential victim of an attack is aware of the attacker and has the time and open space in which to react. That situation is rare in the real world, however. Quite often an attacker uses surprise as an advantage, and by the time the victim is aware of the attack, attacker and attackee are in physical contact, often with the attacker holding the attackee in a clinch or bear hug. 


Learned techniques that rely on assumptions of fair warning and open space in which to move are largely ineffective in close quarters. For that reason, the author has developed techniques, based on knowledge and skills acquired over more than four decades of martial arts training and teaching, that assume that the victim of an attack has been taken by surprise and has little room in which to maneuver. He shares these techniques with the reader both in text descriptions and with the aid of short video demonstrations. These techniques are easy to understand and practice, and can be effective for persons of virtually any size, strength, and age. 


Author Simón Samaniego III shares his techniques following a discussion of the state of self-defense in the United States today, which touches particularly on the legal and safety aspects of defending oneself. The techniques themselves are covered in three lessons, each of which includes a scenario, a practical exercise, and a case study example. The book also includes sections on stop-timing, breathing, and Fong Sifu.