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My positive review, then? There is no need to rehash the accolades below; they are spot on. Regarding those who "poo-poo" the book, I offer this:
Only once have I ever had to defend myself in true "life or death" combat. What a truly horrible, horrible experience. I was deemed the victor. The only benefit realized was my condition (albeit bruised): I wasn't dead. Had I relied upon Brazilian Jujutsu (which has it's place) or Isshinryu Karate (my main discipline), I would not be here to write this. I relied on that which Mr. Perkins now promotes, and I did so--naturally--long before I read the book. The Essence of T'ai Chi Ch'uan: The Literary Tradition (North Atlantic Books) is a wonderful book, but it can be mystic to some. Mr. Perkins, however, presents essentially the same thing but in a way that all of us can understand. Better yet, in a way that might save us from destruction at the hands of some lunatic. Conclusion: 5-stars from me. The text, grammar, style? Excellent. The exercises? They are not easy, but they make me feel ready, confident, and fit. The guided chaos? The chaos, unfortunately, can be found almost anywhere these days; the "guided" you must find within, and you must nurture it. If you are lazy, this book is not for you. The future? To the dismay of those reviewers who cry foul, I will eventually buy some John Perkins DVDs. Some may cry "gimmick," but I don't care. While they may be thinking "gimmick," I will be thinking "attackproof." I prefer the latter. And I think you will, too." Dear Sir: "I have Black Belts in Karate, Jujitsu and Ninpo Taijutsu. In many ways I felt I have wasted all those years training. If only I had seen Attack Proof earlier." This is Jeet Kune Do as envisioned by Bruce Lee. I studied Tae Kwon Do for several years and stopped because of the rigidity of not only the style but also the mentality of the practitioners. I got a copy of Tao of Jeet Kune Do and found some freedom in it because of the concepts and radical ideas that Bruce Lee put forth. Now I have a copy of Attack Proof and I am on my second reading. "I believe this is the way Bruce Lee would have wanted his Jeet Kune Do to evolve. I also believe that Tai Chi, if practiced the way it originally was intended would be no different from Ki Chuan Do." I placed an order from you and you were of the utmost assistance. The materials are tremendously helpful. Even our younger children are practicing with us. They feel safer--it adds to the safety courses they already attended. We are talking pre-teen. Thanks a lot. …I have seen too many kids running around with their white robes and colored belts; totally self absorbed with their apparel and not their surroundings. If people pay attention to just some of your suggestions, they and their kids would be safer. MY daughter of a proud 70 lbs.,asked me why the girl that was grabbed by the arm and led away as advertised by the media a few years back- did not just pull out a pen or pencil and attack until the moment of release and escape, or drop to the ground and kick to the face screaming. So just one small thing among the many you mention can make a difference; it does take practicing this possible behavior to become reactive at the necessary moment; but with the proper knowledge and parent/tutor reinforcement; kids realize they have the power to self defend. And your program touches upon that. So thank you again. …You realize some parents will put their small children in karate classes and then are horrified when a 120 point kata does not connect once in real life; because of lack of self confidence and misapplication. I am a full believer a child should use any force necessary to defend and escape a predator. As adults we have to worry about using excessive force. But for children involved in instances when they are in the process of being abducted; it is war--- and unconventional methods are necessary. --SINCERELY, ORION The Best! I have done Tae Kwon Do and jujitsu, as well as judo and boxing, and read a lot of martial arts books. This one is the best. "The author has... REALLY FOUGHT in real life situations unlike a lot of martial arts authors who have only "fought" - i.e. sparred - in the dojo). At last I have found the holy grail of combat. For years I have been like a leaf in the wind, traveling from one school to the next looking for something that would save my life on the street. I wish I had known about you guys 5 years ago when I was still living in NJ. I have recently read your book titled "Attack Proof." I found that its theory and applications coincide with my longtime feelings on combat martial arts. I myself, understand the reality of street combat, coming from a family of law enforcement. As I came up through the arts learning Judo and Kempo, I too began to see a need to train for the unseen circumstances of real life combat. A few years ago I developed a system loosely based on some of the points you make, and also, based on my life experiences. I have seen in your book that you have really grasped these real life concepts, and from one martial realist to another I commend you for your work. Once again thank you for what you have contributed to the martial world it is definitely needed, and you touched on it superbly, thank you. I have over twenty years of experience in the field of psychology and have been involved closely with many cases of female battering cases and situations far worse. While there are some great books out there such as THE GIFT OF FEAR by Gavin De Becker I have found that although these guides help in assessing the potential dangers of certain individuals they fall short in the area of what to do if you are actually suddenly attacked. I have been taught by various members of local police departments on how to defend myself and have seen many videos as well as studied the methods of authors of self defense. I found that the information in ATTACK PROOF by John Perkins has been the most effective in helping women overcome a great amount of anxiety and has actually aided them when it came to having more courage when it came to actual legal actions. It is the one book which in reality gives the female an even playing ground when it comes to facing danger in the form of a dangerous man. "I can't stress enough how serious this book is." Whoa! KILL THE ENEMY is awesome! Great stuff! I have renamed your book "the tao of self-defense". It is clearly a magnum opus amongst self-defense books.
I have thoroughly read ATTACK PROOF and have compared it to various books on close quarters combat and internal and hard style martial arts. I at first thought that the book was about self-defense but found it to be a serious guide to a well integrated martial art. If you are interested in how to fight for real from deep inside then get this book. My background is in law enforcement. I've studied extensively both in police/military technique and have applied them for real. I have also studied Tai Chi Chuan, Shoot Fighting, Boxing, Jiu Jitsu, and Karate over the last two decades. --Jeff, a real fighting fanatic “I have enjoyed your book very much and this is what I have been seeking for a long time. A simple, down and dirty system of defense that is no frills and is direct, immediate and devastating. If possible I would look forward to corresponding with you or your staff and exchanging ideas, training tips, etc. I have been involved with the martial arts many years and this is the best most effective system I've seen come along in a long time. Thanks to you and your staff for all the work you put into this book and video series.” "I have made this book required reading for my students, as well as required reading for security personnel that I help train." Hi Master Perkins. It has taken me close to 30 years to find a reality based system that is timely and practical, such is yours. Your book "ATTACK PROOF" has been a cornerstone in my personal training and I have been doing considerable reading and studying of WW 2 combatives ala Fairbairn, Applegate, Styers, and Biddle and have adapted many of their
Anyone interested in self-defense should read this book - regardless of previous martial arts experience. The information is provided in such a logical and interesting way that it should be easy for a beginner, or an advance martial artist, to benefit from reading it. The first chapter, called "Awareness", provides extremely valuable information on avoiding potentially dangerous situations. The topics include safe jogging, home protection, travel, car-jacking, muggings and more. This short chapter alone could keep you from making a mistake that could cost you your life. Then the book really kicks into gear with the basics of close combat and then moves through some of the essential principals of John Perkins' methods of self-defense. There are many drills in the book that are very simple to perform (most can be done alone). The drills develop the attributes necessary to survive a violent encounter. Experienced martial artists will probably be impressed by the way that advanced concepts from other martial arts are conveyed in these drills so that the concepts become practical and spontaneous in a short period of time. This book contains truly cutting-edge material and, in my opinion, is likely to become a classic text on the subject of self-defense. --Brian C., NY
This book is a terrific source for learning real life self defense. It presents, explains and illustrates - in a clear, straight forward manner - how people can avoid becoming a victim, as well as how to successfully defend against virtually any kind of physical attack. It is based on the principles of Ki Chuan Do, the martial art that was created by John Perkins. I attended a seminar by Master Perkins and his colleagues several months ago, and I was astounded by the effectiveness of Ki Chuan Do in action. The ease and speed with which Perkins - along with several of his students - made short shrift of various attackers, was simply amazing. These were not rehearsed or choreographed "plants", as I was later able to verify, but actual volunteers from the audience, some of whom were advanced black belts in different martial arts. I have trained as a kick boxer for a couple of years in a Tai Chi school that has a reputation for turning out good kick boxers. But seeing Ki Chuan Do was a revelation. It is based to a large extent on Tai Chi prinicples, but it is COMBAT Tai Chi combined with various other combat arts, and is light years ahead of anything that I had seen or experienced before - either in Tai Chi or any other martial art. The Attack Proof book takes the basic principles of Ki Chuan Do and explains how they can be used effectively by anyone, regardless of their physical condition or experience. A great companion to this book would be the Attack Proof video, available at attackproof.com. There are loads of methods being taught out there for people who want to learn how to defend themselves against attacks in a dojo. But if you want to learn how to defend yourself against attacks in real life, I highly endorse this book. --John G, Long Island NY
I have been involved in a good number of fights from push/shove to knives and clubs in my life. I lived in southern Fla. for over 10 years in the eighties and worked as a bouncer in a few rough places. I trained in Judo and various forms of Kung Fu and Karate over a period of 16 years. I have read the books and seen the videos from many of the gurus of "real fighting" many from Paladin Press. Much of the information seemed to have been written by guys who have backgrounds in the real world. Some of the stuff will just plain get you killed. The martial arts that I studied also had some good techniques, but most of them only worked when I knew what was going to happen ahead of time. After reading ATTACK PROOF and applying some of the concepts I found that much of what I already knew worked much more freely without a setup. I can hit much harder than before and can keep my feet as well as my head when the fight is on. I just want to thank the authors of ATTACK PROOF for their great contribution to the world of keeping alive. --A reader from West Palm Beach, Fla.
The “O.J. Defense” notwithstanding, violent confrontations, with or without weapons, are over in seconds. If you are the intended victim, your response must be immediate -- pre-emptive – to have any chance of succeeding. The popular forms of martial arts, while often good sport and exercise, require many years of training to have any effect. Even then, in the split-seconds available to counter an attack, you are at risk of not engaging the precise choreography required to counter a specific choreographed move by the attacker. More to the point, your attacker probably doesn’t know the particular ballet you learned. Under the influence of psychosis, too much (or not enough) drugs, or the adrenaline rush of committing an armed robbery, the bad guy will be coming at you in a chaotic, unpredictable way. I was first told of John Perkins' methods by two retired, high-ranking Yonkers, New York cops who had worked with him. His legendary prowess in violent confrontations was matched by his skill as a forensics homicide investigator. This, combined with a lifetime of traditional oriental martial arts and Native-American ground fighting studies, led to the evolution of a system that is stunning in its simplicity. Perkins may not be the first proponent of “attack the attacker,” but he sure does have a knack for teaching it. Starting with basic awareness, this book brings home the concepts of balance, looseness, and a system that he refers to as “guided chaos.” It is liberally illustrated with sequential photographs of the basic moves (not orchestrated dance-steps) and practice drills that prepare you to act instantly in dangerous situations. There are helpful pointers throughout. Sidebar accounts of actual violent confrontations make this much more enjoyable than just an excellent textbook, although it certainly is that also. Disclosure: After reading, enjoying, and gaining confidence from “Attack Proof, the Ultimate Guide to Personal Protection,” this reviewer, a fifties-something, financial services executive, found that Master Perkins teaches classes in the next county and signed up. Can a “disciple” be an honest reviewer? You bet! Perkins’ methods simplify what you must know to deal with violent confrontations. This stuff works. --Barry R. from Blooming Grove, NY I'm a martial arts practitioner from Scranton, PA. I’ve been training my whole life in both external/internal arts. I love the internal arts, but it always seems that everyone is so focused on forms and external appearances, instead of focusing on awareness and other internal attributes that are conducive to both well being and surviving a violent conflict. I was excited when I started reading Attackproof. the concepts reminded me of what Wang Xiangzhai was doing when he created Yiquan by removing all forms and techniques to focus on awareness, balance, and economy of motion. Your system does these "I can feel in my heart of hearts that this is the single most important contribution to true combative arts that I've come across in years." For those of you interested in surviving violent crime which is a very common threat to survival which IS real (muggings, car jackings, rapes, etc.), I would like to personally recommend the following resource:
This one is a real sleeper and the title is a fooler. It is the best bridge between internal and external, and internal arts to fighting that I've seen so far. He is missing some things with regard to Neijia but good material none-the-less. Some incredible training drills here. Dear John PERKINS and friends; I would just like to say that I really enjoy your attack proof manual. So much so that Mike and I have started teaching it in our little Tai Chi dojo. I have been a policeman for 29 years this summer. Without going into our backgrounds we both know what crime is and enjoy preparing people for a "real struggle" in a sometimes ugly world. I like drills from your book more and more. After having the complete idea of your work I will start to use them in my training with students. In fact the natural way of working is something that is taking my attention. And reality, of course. I studied Silat and Filipino arts, I really enjoyed them but found something a little amiss so I went to looking into Hsing-i ba-gua and taichi I really liked what I saw but again I felt the "teeth" either wasn't in these arts ever or had been removed through time, then started looking into Military hand to hand material as well as taking a look at Peyton Quinn’s Adrenal response stuff of which was a real eye opener but still enjoyed all of them. So basically resigned myself that I would have to study numerous systems and pick out what works etc. "This book is a terrific source for learning real life self-defense. It presents, explains and illustrates - in a clear, straight forward manner - how people can avoid becoming a victim, as well as how to successfully defend against virtually any kind of physical attack. It is based on the principles of Ki Chuan Do, the martial art that was created by John Perkins. I attended a seminar by Master Perkins and his colleagues several months ago, and I was astounded by the effectiveness of Ki Chuan Do in action. The ease and speed with which Perkins - along with several of his students - made short shrift of various attackers, was simply amazing. These were not rehearsed or choreographed "plants", as I was later able to verify, but actual volunteers from the audience, some of whom were advanced black belts in different martial arts." I first became aware of close-quarters combat movements from John Kary's videos and the Applegate/Fairbairne book a few years ago. After that, two years of Tai Chi, two years of Pa Kua and extensive reading and trying things out on my own have convinced me that you are exactly right. I've wondered for a long time what would happen if someone put together the principles of CQC and internal martial arts. You've done a great job. I have read through your book twice and your approach is by far the best I've encountered for self-defense. Thanks again for your book. It is among the best instruction manuals I have read on any subject.
I have to tell anyone who is serious about not only basic self defense but taking it beyond the limits about ATTACK PROOF. I have worked with members of various military and police organizations over the years while I was employed as a security specialist. As a professional I have seen my share of violent situations. Most of the time my work was routine. When things went out of control they never resembled anything that I studied in the dojo or saw in the many books and videos on martial arts or self defense that I had studied. When I spoke about this to my cohorts they agreed. Last year one of the men told me about ATTACK PROOF. I read it and had to read it again. It took me a bit of time to realize what [those other] books and videos were missing. Most of them were written by people who had mostly dojo experience or only had some military or police background without really mixing it up. The fellows who wrote this book [Attack Proof] have been where I have been and know the difference. The pages are full of great methods to help me hit harder, avoid blows and be on balance far more than before. Get real, free your mind. --Jack from Texas MARTIAL ART OR SELF DEFENSE? "I did some background checking and called a couple of my marine buddies who told me that they trained with one of their instructors and they said that the Attack Proof instructors refer to themselves with a trade marked label, Martial Realists. The information in this book will not only keep you alive when the dung hits the fan but I found the exercises to really strengthen many of the attributes that my traditional training tries to teach but just misses the mark. I work in law enforcement and have used some of the sensitivity and balance principles to great effect."
"At last you demystify the internal martial arts for the average western person..." I've just read your excellent book and am very impressed. It's good to find that some sense is now being talked with regard to real street defence. I studied martial arts for twenty years and learned the hard way that 99% of it goes out the window in a real fight. I had to break my hands twice before realizing that punches don't work.
...mostly because the books I've read include pages and pages of techniques, which I quickly realized wouldn't work with all of the factors of fighting. I'm also quite impressed by the exercises, which I started doing daily, and the sensitivity portions are very intelligent. The video commercial was also very impressive. --Ross
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Money Well Spent, September 28, 2006