Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training & Real World Violence | 
 enlarge | Author: Rory Miller
Publisher: YMAA Publication Center
Category: Book
List Price: $18.95
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Rating:  31 reviews
Sales Rank: 13251
Media: Paperback
Pages: 180
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6 x 0.6
ISBN: 1594391181
Dewey Decimal Number: 796
EAN: 9781594391187
ASIN: 1594391181
Publication Date: June 25, 2008
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Product Description
Veteran correction officer Sergeant Rory Miller distills what he has learned from jail house brawls, tactical operations and ambushes to explore the differences between martial arts and the subject martial arts were designed to deal with: Violence. Miller explores the complexity of violence, critical thinking, and the mind of the predator. He offers martial arts training guidance and resources, discusses how to overcome personal fears, and how to deal with the aftermath of violent encounters.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 26 more reviews...
One of the best books on self-protection ever written! September 5, 2008
Iain Abernethy (United Kingdom)
"Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training & Real World Violence" is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best books on self-protection ever written. I really enjoy books that cut through the crap and give useful (i.e. potentially life-saving) advice in a down to earth and accessible way. Rory has a great writing style and the hard-won information he presents is imparted in way that is very easy to digest. The student in the martial arts can run in to the problem of being given dangerous misinformation by people with no idea of what a real situation involves. There are also those who understand the realties of violence, but are unable to communicate it effectively. Sergeant Rory Miller is one of the rare, and much needed, instructors / authors who has both "been there" and is also able to effectively communicate what the unforgiving world of real violence truly demands. To get to the point, this in an outstanding book that all martial artist need to read.
A must buy September 5, 2008
T. Karls
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
There are many books on self defense or martial arts that you can whip through without any engagement. Not so with this book. If you are truly interested in applying your martial arts in a self defense situations, then you should buy this book, carefully study it and above all think about it. When thinking, the must important aspect should be how the advice in this book can and should be applied to your own martial art training. If you are a teacher of martial arts, you owe it to your students to integrate this information into your classes.
As a person who respects the advice and knowledge found in Loren Christensen and Marc MacYoung's works, I would add Sgt. Miller's book and any future books of his to the must have stack.
Shattered Notions/Saving Grace September 1, 2008
Keith V. Caswell (Glen Burnie, Md United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
THIS BOOK IS A MUST! You need it as a Martial Arts student, a Martial Arts instructor, a bouncer, a cashier working second shift. Your mom needs this book! Got a daughter away in school? She needs this book! Anyone concerned about violence and how it may (and will) affect them and their loved ones, needs to read this book!
From the moment I started to read this book I wanted to share it with the world.
I knew what was wrong with my training early on as a Martial Artist and could not convey it to my fellow students. Instructors? Forget it! It's like telling an enviromentalist that carbon offsets are a crock. In some ways martial arts are a religion and training is the ritual of worship... regardless of the end product.
You see the truth from the moment Miller begins to speak to you. In a very few moments he hammers home some very sobering realities THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!
Knowing the lay of the land before you is a major step towards surviving a violent encounter. This book strips away all pretenses. It leaves you "eyes wide open" and prepared to survive.
Please, do yourself two favors: 1) Read this book. 2) Pass it on.
An excellent work on the violence of the real world August 28, 2008
James A. Mccoy (KENNETT SQUARE, PA USA)
Most people, even those who train in some sort of martial arts, never experience real violence.
Sgt Miller is someone who lives, and survives on a daily basis, in a very violent world. In this book, he draws on his real world experience to paint a picture of what your typical martial arts teacher can not show you.
I am a teacher of Yoshinkan Aikido, a strongly police oriented martial art. Several of my teachers have had careers similar to Sgt Miller's. They passed along lessons gained from valuable experience that so many people in the martial arts world simply can not gain. I also have had several students who have been police officers and prison guards. What they have told me is pretty much just as explained by Sgt Miller.
So many times I hear people say "that style is no good" or "that would never work". But all they do is bash other styles and try to promote their own. This is not a book that promotes styles or the agenda of one martial arts organization. In that respect, it remains rather generic. What this author does is discuss real violence based on his years of experience in dealing first hand with the criminals who commit the violent acts. Sgt. Miller has enough experience in both the real world of criminal violence and the world of martial arts schools to deliver this exceptional work.
I strongly urge all martial art students of all styles who have never truly experienced violence and those who can not train in the law enforcement environment to read this book.
Avoid, Run, Fight, Survive, Kill Or Be Killed, Reality Or Fantasy, Ultimately The Choice Is Yours! August 20, 2008
Shawn Kovacich (The Greatest Little City in the World)
A MUST READ and MUST HAVE Book for Everyone's Library!
I must admit that I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I first picked this book up and browsed through it, and then five minutes later when I was standing in line to purchase it, I knew that I had a book well worth reading, keeping, and definitely worth reviewing and ultimately recommending.
I have been a practicing martial artist for over 25 years and during that time period have also been employed in numerous violence prone professions such as; law enforcement, special duty aide for a state mental hospital, bouncer, security officer, bodyguard, casino security officer, among others, and can personally attest to a lot, if not most, of the things that the author speaks about in this book. And in that capacity, he is "dead on" with pretty much everything he is saying in this book. Having that in mind, I decided to do this review citing a little bit of information about each individual chapter of this truly remarkable book.
Please keep in mind that there is some much useful information in this book that I have chosen to only pick one or two particular points that stood out for me from each chapter. So without further ado, let's get started.
CHAPTER ONE: THE MATRIX
The author explains in this section the difference between what you may think a self-defense situation really is, and what a self-defense situation actually is. He uses a pretty good system to show this which he calls the "Tactical Matrix." A really good section, but a little hard to really explain without going into a bit longer explanation than what I can realistically put in this review.
CHAPTER TWO: HOW TO THINK
I guess the best way to summarize this chapter is as follows; it teaches you to take off the rose colored glasses and get rid of all your preconceived notions concerning violence and to open your mind and eyes to the true reality that, for the most part, has eluded the vast majority of people regardless of profession or walk of life.
CHAPTER THREE: VIOLENCE
The discussion and explanation of the "Monkey Dance" is of and by itself perhaps the single most important thing that you could take away from this book other than the "Permission" section. I also enjoyed the sections dealing with "chemical cocktails," which you really must read in order to fully understand what I am referring to.
CHAPTER FOUR: PREDATORS
The author describes a variety of types of predators and the things they think and do. It really should be a wake up call to all of those people that think that all criminals are misunderstood and had a bad upbringing. That maybe they do have some good in them. Sure they do, I'll bet Adolf Hitler was kind to his mother too, but not so kind to over 12 million people he murdered. Some people are just plain evil, no ifs ands or buts about it.
CHAPTER FIVE: TRAINING
The author brought up some very good points in this section concerning the various types of training that is most common and their relative shortfalls when it comes to their effectiveness and/or applying them in a self-defense situation.
Personally, I would have to say that the best way to teach an individual how to get the most out of any and all methods of training, is simply this, "Put anything and everything you do into the proper perspective in relation to the possible benefits it may or may not have in a particular situation."
For example; I don't think anyone would argue with me that non-contact point sparring in and of itself is for the most part useless for self-defense. However, some of the principles are effective and should be utilized as much as possible in a self-defense situation like the principle of hitting your opponent without getting hit yourself.
CHAPTER SIX: MAKING PHYSICAL DEFENSE WORK
I really enjoyed the "Go Button" and "Permission" sections and really see the relevance of both principles in more than just self-defense. I also enjoyed the bus stop story which the author retells concerning a situation he found himself it that he actually made worse through errors he committed on his own part.
CHAPTER SEVEN: AFTER
This section covers the consequences of dealing with the after effects of violence and what you can do to deal with them. This is a very good section and one that shouldn't be overlooked or glossed over.
I really can't say enough good things about this book and the very solid information that is contained within its pages. The author is very credible and although I don't agree with 100% of what he says, I do agree with 90+% of it, and the other 10-% I also agree with, however with just some slight variations and/or modifications.
I highly recommend that you purchase, read, and reread this book. You won't be disappointed!
Shawn Kovacich
Martial Artist/Author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence series.
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