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Kelly McCann's: Combatives for Street Survival - Review 17 August 2009
This book epitomizes its subject matter right down to the bare bones of reality—lean, valid, relevant and practical, with nothing extra.
Throughout the entire 192 pages of oversized text, Kelly McCann accurately and concisely explicates on the unpredictable, uncertain, and dangerously consequential nature of violence in the real world, while offering ways and means to counterbalance potential threatening situations before they become problematic. In this first section of the three part book, McCann provided lessons on the importance of establishing and maintaining situational awareness, avoidance and the importance of understanding how to recognize pre-incident indicators.
McCann emphatically stresses the importance one must strive to development and maintain this skill set of situational awareness, and of being capable of quickly recognizing pre-incident indicators, while deploying the subsequent situationally correct proactive countermeasures.
He achieves the development of this unique awareness skill set for the reader this through a well-thought out and prepared photographed sequence of contextual resolve of four universal pre-incident indicators, which begin from a distance of twenty yards out closing in, digressing into an actual attack scenario.
In the second section of the manual, McCann demystifies the concepts of just what are sound combative principles, methodology and motor skills. Theory, guessing and pretend are thrown out of the window, and all that remains is an evolutionary foundation of pragmatic applications and proactions designed to operate and function in the worst case scenarios.
McCann’s career has been one whereby the man has been immersed in real world violence, and this book is a true testament to his skills used and taught over this career. He’s alive, writing the book. There is no conjecture found within the pages of this soft-cover manual—none!
In the final third section of the text, McCann offers ten unarmed situational self-offensive scenarios appropriate for the use of combatives on the street. The scenarios are broken down into the description of the scenario, and pre-incident indicators with appropriate avoidance opportunities and any available advantages. He concludes each scenario with a quick summary of actions. More importantly to the ten scenarios discussed and demonstrated are the legal responsibilities upon which McCann touches. We must accept full responsibilities for our choices and actions executed. He offers a glimpse into the criminal use of force and, briefly, what is a lawful use of pre-emptive force.
This is not a legal explication by any means, but more of a sound and solid slap in the face of one’s moral and legal obligations when using combatives, physically, and the dire consequences if or when miss-used. He does clarify that the legalities of using violence to counter violence can deep and muddy waters even for the Just.
Other topics McCann covers is the myth of muscle memory, and what it really is; ten personality traits and characteristics indicative of those who are capable of managing unexpected and unprovoked violence; and that sometimes, there really are no answers—we’re screwed. He discusses the Morton’s Fork Dilemma of violence where we are faced with two equally unpleasant alternatives, when we are confronted with violence. And, he discusses the all important aspect of what is and in how to develop a combative mind-set—the backbone of survival. He stresses that we must be aware of our legal obligations and responsibilities, but he also warns that it is a serious disadvantage to be worrying about such consequences once we are in the heat of the moment. We must be prepared to engage equal or greater violence to off-set the violence from which we cannot avoid or escape—hence the genuine need for keen situational awareness.
The construction of the book and photography presented are top quality, with just enough written explanations to provide the reader with valid, reliable, and credible direction and information. I am currently unaware of any book that has so comprehensively amalgamated photography and text into such a fluid blend of information pertaining to this subject matter. Black Belt Publishing has created a true gem in putting out this text, and the wait was well worth it.
This book has exceeded my expectations, and to my system of reviewing, the text overcomes all of the competition, at least in regards to what are combatives and the realities of violent street confrontation. The vast majority of the texts I have reviewed in the past focus solely on motor skill resolve—which is but a drop in the bucket of what is actually needed to manage this area of operation.
Sure, the motor skills are present in this book in the most clear, concise and vivid living color fashion. For once, however, we have a manual that focuses on the genuine crux of what are combatives and the realities of a violent confrontation (both with photography and written text for clarification)—in addition to the motor skills.
Unless Kelly McCann writes a sequel to this manual or an update in the future, I really don’t foresee another manual of this scope and magnitude coming along to usurp Combatives for Street Survival’s profound comprehensive of this violent environment.
Rev. A. Bodhi Chenevey, RM, DD
Hikaze Learning Corner
Wooster, Ohio
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