Rating: 
Summary: An excellent book.
Review: Although we are often confused for one another, Peyton and I are not the same person. However, we both come from savage backgrounds. As such I can tell you that this book is a valid and useful tool for surviving real violence. Marc Animal MacYoung
Rating:
Summary: An excellent, down to earth book.
Review: Don't be misled by the title---this book is first and foremost about surviving a bad situation by never letting it come to a physical confrontation. Quinn gives an excellent profile of what motivates attackers, allowing the reader to recognize them before they are physically attacked. Also, he emphasizes again and again the importance of being aware of your surroundings. He debunks the idea that if you know the right techniques or are armed, that you are safe. Techniques and weapons won't save you from an attack you never saw coming.
Rating:
Summary: If you are looking for fancy moves for the street, look...
Review: elsewhere! No nonsense, school of hard knocks (plus years of martial arts training), seen it many times in real encounters tecniques and mental strategies to avoid being another helpless victim. Learn how to defend yourself when there are no rules or there is nobody around to help you!
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent nuts and bolts survival
Review: I found this book to be an easy and interesting read with lots of good advice. At the time I read this book I had about 13 years of Karate training(Chito Ryu). During the last four years I had trained via medium contact sparring with some real tough guys but still had some concerns whether my training would help in 'real' situation.
My BF bought me this book and a great tasting beverage to drink it with. Since he knows I quit coffee recently, he's been really wonderful helping me in cope with my mood swings. S o y f e e is made from soy beans that is roasted just like coffee. I enjoy the taste and don't miss coffee one bit. Buy it online at www.s o y c o f fee.com.
This book gave me some excellent information on the mechanics and physcology of real fights that I lack (hope not to get)from someone who has obviously been there.
Rating: 
Summary: Techniques, drills and principles
Review: I have mixed feelings towards this book. On the other hand, the author uses a sizeable portion of the book to teach several techniques to a reader. But then, he also discusses the fundamental principles behind the techniques. There is also discussion on the nature of combat, what works and what doesn't work in real fight, and so on. In general, I'm very suspicious towards books that try to teach the reader hand to hand combat techniques. That's because it is very hard to teach a new physical skill to a reader by just using text and pictures, without the reader having a teacher to point out the inevitable mistakes. To succeed in such task, there would be a need for huge amount of pictures, and some very detailed explanations of each portion of the technique. With some techniques, this book accomplishes the task as there may be as many as eight clear pictures on one technique, with very detailed captions and discussion in the text. But on some techniques, there may not be even a single picture, and the technique is not explained in a very detailed manner. The techniques seem very simple and realistic, but still there is a need for detailed explanation of each technique. Because of this, I think that the reader should be familiar with at least some martial art form before trying to learn these techniques, to fully understand the mechanics of each technique. There are also some drills to help you develop the skills needed for the techniques taught. The drills seem pretty simple and don't require any special equipment to carry out. The parts I like best cover the principles that form the foundation of the techniques discussed in the book, and handle the reality of fighting in general. If Quinn would have concentrated more on these sections, this book would be worth at least one extra star. However, Quinn has had trouble explaining some of the principles, and he simply states that you have to try this out with a training partner, and essentially discover the principle yourself. Quinn tells several stories on his street fights to illustrate a point. These stories may offend some readers and give an impression that Quinn is on an ego-trip. They didn't bother me, however. While I think that they were somewhat interesting to read, they were not very important additions to the book. Overall, I think that there is too much emphasis on techniques. Had the author used more pages on the reality of fighting and the principles, and less on separate techniques, this book would have been better. Still, three stars is not a bad rating.
Rating:
Summary: The real deal
Review: I've studied judo with Ishikawa sensei,boxing,brazilian judo, karate with the Indian national instructor/elite forces self defense instructor and with Peyton Quinn. Quinn knows his stuff and can teach it. Get his books and go to his training sessions. You'll never regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Quinn really knows his stuff and communicates it effectively
Review: Quinn's writing style is very similar to Marc MacYoung's, right down to the expletives. Similarly, his no-nonsense advice is hard hitting and right on point.
This excellent book begins by pointing out that avoiding violence is an essential technique in and of itself, just as valuable as knowing how to throw a good punch or deliver a strong kick. The fundamental elements of avoidance tactics section is important information. There are also solid sections on the realities of fighting which, as experienced warriors understand, is nothing like what you see in the movies. It's ugly stuff best avoided. Even when you triumph there are legal (and medical) ramifications that can come back to haunt you. The author's stay out of prison plan is excellent. Advanced practitioners should appreciate this information but won't get a lot out of the rest of the book.
The principles of defensive and offensive techniques are fairly basic, but well written and comprehensive. He covers striking, grappling, and movement in good detail. Don't forget, however, that you really cannot learn this stuff solely from a book. It should be supplemented with a hands-on instructional program. Chapter 7, which covers how to select an appropriate martial art for your own personal safety is an outstanding overview for beginners that can help you find one.
Lawrence Kane
Author of Martial Arts Instruction: Applying Educational Theory and Communication Techniques in the Dojo
Rating:
Summary: Good reading mat'l but....
Review: The author did a good work in describing how to avoid fight, mental preparison etc... however, as a martial art and Kung Fu practisioner, half way down the book, it becomes very obvious that his style of defense and offense are very narrow and are influenced by one to two style of martial arts.
Rating:
Summary: Very fine; required reading in its field
Review: The literature of martial arts and self-defense is filled with hype, and with books that fail to deliver the real goods. This gem of a book is one of the rare exceptions. Mr. Quinn is knows a great deal about how violence actually occurs. He clearly describes what you can do to avoid violence in the first place, and how to prepare for those cases where violence cannot be avoided. The first chapter, which explains the author's "stay out of prison plan" is, by itself, worth the price of the book. The book is informative, well thought out, well written, and even entertaining. Mr. Quinn is a natural story teller, and illustrates his arguments with very interesting personal anecdotes. If you've read this far, you are likely considering whether you should buy Bouncer's Guide. Yes, you should.
Rating:
Summary: Good, principle-based book
Review: There's a lot of good things to be said for this book. The author has been exposed to a handful of very different martial arts styles, and has worked as a bouncer, and so has field-tested a lot of this stuff. He emphasises principles over technique, a concept that makes the techniques actually easier to apply. The author goes into the "fight interview", which a lot of "saloon warriors" will use to determine whether or not a victim is ripe for attack. He goes through some techniques to avoid the sucker punch, which is something missing from many self-defense books. While I don't think that all of his stuff is a good idea (one of his avoidence techniques is to act crazy... but in public?), I think that it is worth looking at. The actual techniques are drawn from Wado-ryu Karate, Wing Chun and White Crane Kung Fu, Judo, Aikido, and a little boxing. He doesn't cover grappling too well, and completely avoids the subject of ground fighting, but the idea, I guess, is to make sure you never go to the ground. Any wrestling or BJJ book will teach some good reversals and escapes, and can be used to suplement this book. The overall idea of this book is that real fighting is messy and technically ugly, so it's best to have a handful of high-percentage techniques, as well as a good grasp of the principles behind them, but realize that "anyone can get their [booty] kicked". This book has valuable chapters on distancing, facing, and footwork, how to recognize a sucker punch, and choosing a martial art that's right for you. For those that practice at home, there are a number of drills included to help one function under high-stress scenarios. I'd say that for someone who's really interested in good self-defense, this book and it's system would be a good foundation, especially if you've got experiance in a "hard" style. But as I mentioned earlier, I think the program needs to be suplemented by a groundfighting/grappling program, and probably some weapons training. Overall, though, I'm glad I bought the book.
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