Face it, there are only so many hammers you can fit in a toolbox: they're all useless if the nail pounds you before you can pound it. Plenty of books tell you "what" and "how", this book tells you "WHEN" and if you don't have the opportunity it shows you how to make it happen NOW.

You will learn to create and exploit windows of opportunity in the real world and on the mat. It's not some woo-woo discussion of "timing" over too many cold ones. Techniques and examples are drawn from the experience of the authors BOTH outside and inside the dojo. They have found these to work for them, and you can make them work for you.

Christensen's extensive background as a cop and Demeere's background as both a bouncer (doorman) and ring competitor fit together to present a bigger picture than you might be getting from your dojo alone.

Both authors are long time students and instructors of the martial arts. If you are a dojo enthusiast who is looking for a bigger picture than the one you are getting in school, or looking for an introduction to pragmatic or "reality based self-defense", but find yourself put off by the frequent disrespect for the martial arts, then this book is a good choice for you. It covers similar ground to other books, but the authors do it without feeling the need to tell you that all your training is useless. In fact, they build on your training to help you get more out of it, and it's all done with timing in mind.

You also get pointers to further reading on topics that are covered only in brief and many cool new drills. I like the "statue" one especially, maybe you will too.

I've studied a traditional Okinawan style for almost 7 years. Thankfully, much of the information in this book is being passed down to me through that system. Where this book seems invaluable is in the technical explanation of WHY what I have been taught works. I would recomend this book.