Fighting the Pain Resistant Attacker by Loren W Christensen

Most people who have engaged in a number of fights have experienced the "now what" moment when a technique didn't produce the desired result, or when they faced someone of humongous proportions or obviously out of their mind due to some intoxicant. ("Now what" is probably not what you were thinking, it was more like, "Oh - and you can fill in the expletive") I've always taught that nothing is 100%, and I like seeing that Loren W. Christensen teaches the same thing. He mentions it more than once in his book "Fighting the Pain Resistant Attacker: fighting drunks, dopers, the deranged and others who tolerate pain." This book is full of advice and techniques to use against those who don't feel or react like most people to painful techniques. These are techniques for the "now what" moments. The book doesn't attempt to cover everything. It focuses on a collection of techniques for a specific purpose, and in that regard, it is a very good book.The book is just over 200 pages long and divided into ten chapters. These chapters consist of: The Nuts and Bolts of Feeling No Pain; Back of the Head, Temple, Mastoid and Eardrum; Eyes and Nose; Brachial Plexus, Vargus Nerve, Throat & Back of the Neck; Carotid Artery Constriction; Head and Neck Combinations; Torso; Biceps, Forearms and Fingers; Legs, Femoral Nerve, Knees & Peroneal Nerve; and Takedowns. The table of contents pretty much sum this book up. Strait forward, Christensen teaches techniques aimed at those body points specifically for attackers who are not feeling pain. They are brutally effective and for the most part simple to execute, which self-defense techniques need to be. There are many black and white pictures that illustrate very well the moves Christensen teaches.Additionally, there are "Key Concept" and "Caution" side bars that impart extra little nuggets of information important to anyone studying self-defense and wanting to learn to better defend themselves, both on the street and in the courtroom after the violence has ended. Christensen also adds a little levity and humor in what is otherwise a serious topic. In one picture sequence where he is attacking a female model, the caption starts out, "The handsome attacker grabs your left arm." Another time, after telling a story about asking a student to hit him at a level 2 on a 1 to 10 scale, he acknowledges, "it's not that I'm a coward, I just don't like pain."Overall I really enjoyed this quick read, and it reinforced some of the techniques I already teach, and I picked up a couple variations to work into my training. I also appreciated some of the medical explanations because I don't think the person studying martial arts or self-defense, and especially those of us who teach, can know too much. We must always be learning and bettering ourselves. This book was a very good addition to my marital art and self-defense library and it will be a good addition to yours too! seuss book collection sets cat hat