Urban Escape & Evasion Tactics From A Former LA Gang Member (Podcast 474)
Marc 'Animal' MacYoung
These are the tactics you’ll need when you’re being hunted in the dark shadows of an urban battle zone!
Marc 'Animal' MacYoung
Growing up on the gang-infested streets of Los Angeles not only gave Marc MacYoung his street name "Animal," but also extensive firsthand experience about what does and does not work for self-defense. What he teaches is based on experience and has proven reliability for surviving violence. He is considered by many to be one of the most analytical thinkers on the subject of surviving violence and personal safety today.
Marc has taught police, military, martial artists and civilians around the world, and his message is always the same: Hand-to-hand combat is a last ditch effort when other, more effective, preventive measures have failed. The best preventative measure of them all is not to put yourself into situations where you need to fight your way out. He knows that from personal experience and that is what he teaches, lest people find themselves in the same kind of situations that he did.
Unlike many martial arts instructors, who claim to have been street fighters, his past is not a marketing promotion. Nor is it an exaggerated list of victories against legions of thugs through use of his undefeatable martial art style. It is filled with tales of ambushes, hit-and-run gang warfare, drugs, alcohol, bad behavior, stupid mistakes, weapons flashing in dark alleys, homicides, funerals and long nights spent in hospital waiting rooms praying for wounded friends to survive. That is the reality of being a street fighter. It is nothing any sane person would brag about -- much less pretend to be. As he often says It's a whole different ballgame when the other side shoots back!
Yet, as one who lived despite the blood-splattered streets, MacYoung knows that survival isn't a matter of how "tough" you are or your ability to fight. Nor is it how many stripes you have on a black belt or how many tournaments you've won. Although some physical skill is indeed necessary, survival is more a matter of knowledge and awareness. And that is what he stresses. Without those two key elements, you won't make it out of a dark and lonely parking lot.
These are the tactics you’ll need when you’re being hunted in the dark shadows of an urban battle zone!