Review: Developing the mindset to prepare for real life attackers
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 23, 2012
I remember as a grade schooler being scared to walk home at night. I read about self-defense and took ju-jitsu classes. Those lessons stay with me to this day, which is why I believe strongly in the importance of quality self-defense instruction.Miller exudes credibility that comes from hard-won experience. In this book, he doesn't teach moves, he teaches mindset. Mindset can be applied to whatever martial arts/self-defense system you're learning. One principle that he emphasizes throughout the book is that there's a difference between the classroom/dojo, and a real life street fight.His "5-D" (Discern, Defend, Disrupt, Deliver, Defend) structure gives a clear framework for any fight and what to do during each phase.Miller gives training exercises for observation and footwork (including a link to a video about proper walking), as well as blocking and shielding drills which can be applied to your martial arts/self defense practice.I would have liked more details about the "Disrupt" phase, especially psychological/emotional/mental unbalancing of an attacker.There are also spelling errors, typos, and broken links in the book - but these can be fixed. For me, the book is still easy-to-read, and these errors don't detract from the value of the information that Miller is providing.I'll apply Miller's teachings to any future martial arts/self defense training that I take - making sure to prepare for real life attackers, not just classroom students who "follow the rules" and aren't really trying to hurt me.