Amazing, Easy to master and very effective street combat
594732
Great Training aid I love Rhys's "Gentleman Warrior Self Defines System" I really liked "Gentleman Warrior Self Defense System Volume 1, Defense Against Guns, Knives, Bottles, Clubs and Unarmed Attacks", but I think this one is even better because Rhys goes into more detail in this volume, the techniques are easy to masters with close ups, narration, slow motion, various angles and step by step guides, his style is also very effective. Rhys also mentions in an interview that his style is based on various martial arts he studied in his life especially Kempo Karate that he was taught for over 10 years by a British police office (and British police do not use guns so rely a lot on there fighting skills) who is also his current grandmaster. Rhys also teaches various fighting grips of the tonfas and how to change between them fast and effectively during combat, plus how to use 2 tonfas as a pair and single tonfa against various street weapons and unarmed combat including knives, bottles, clubs, grabs, chokes, punches and kicks, I can't wait to get his next training DVD "Gentleman Warrior Self Defense System Volume 3, Kubotan and Torch for Realistic Street Self Defense".God Bless and stay safe (With this DVD you will).
2447705
Very highly recommended. But, it is not perfect. It is 2 hours of instruction and demonstations along with practice ideas. Everyone who has ever done martial arts training and thinks it might be useful as self defense needs to watch this.

This DVD is about the transition from martial arts training to being prepared mentally and physically for real world self defense. The dojo is a safe place to practice. The bar or street can be a completely different environment. In the dojo you train with people who are helping you improve technique without getting injured. In the bar or street you encounter people who want to hurt you, steal from you, cripple you. Different places and different approaches are needed if you want to survive.

Rory Miller will show you why the techniques you have learned in the dojo are not going to protect you. For example, he has participants demonstrate a standard martial arts knife defense. Then he shows you why they will not work if you get ambushed by someone who wants to hurt you and who hides the knife behind their back until they are 6 inches from you. You have to learn how the bad guys think and act.

He also talks to you about how to deal with the police and the legal system after you have "won". Here is a hint: the bad guys will often claim that you attacked them. The police will often assume that the person who is standing at the end of the fight (hopefully you) is the criminal who initiated it. Even if you are not charged in a crimal court, you also have to be prepared to be sued in cival court to pay the expenses and damages suffered by the person who actually attacked you. Just because you won the fight does not mean that you have survived financially. He also talks about the medical consequences of your fight and the physical and mental therapy you may need to recover.

Most martial arts training involve what can best be described as "training exercise techniques" that are designed to build your fitness levels and teach your muscles how to do certain techniques. You block, then move and then counter attack. Too slow. You need to proactice single step techniques that combine the 3 steps into a single move. The exercise techniques are not even used after you get a black belt level and do free fighting exercises. They are strong. But too slow so you abbreviate them. Rory Miller describes the different approaches needed to survive violence in the real world.

Having praised the DVD, I have to mention some of the limitiations. First, it is just too shor to completely cover the subject. Several times he tells you to go read his book for more information. I am going to do that next. Finally, while he does tell you to develop and practice a single reflex technique that will give you a few seconds if you are ambushed, none of the reflex techniques he suggests would have protected you from that guy with hidden knife.
1959002
After I got the first gun I ordered two more and have plans to order one for every female friend of mine for Christmas. I'm a former police officer and a distributor and seller of Mace units/guns. I used to sell the keychain versions of small canisters at malls and flea markets. I've seen and tried a lot of these units and this is a thousand times better than anything I've used or tested. The fact that it comes with water canisters you can practice with makes it a great buy because you don't want to use mace for the first time in a self-defense situation. I would highly recommend buying several additional water canisters for practice. It only takes one to become familiar with what to expect, but for women without much experience in self-defense or using Mace, the water canister gives you confidence. The spray goes at least 10 feet and I would feel good about letting it fly at up to 15 feet, but it's only going to be really amazing at 5-8 feet, the distance of a real attack. I like the gun grip. I like the fact it looks like a gun for dealing with bad guys, but worry if cops would see it as a real gun and shoot rather than ask questions. The safety is easy to use, it's  a thumb activated knob on the back where a revolver's hammer would be. It's easy to load and unload. The directions are very well written. There's just nothing, other than no letter on the safety to indicate on or off, (only an orange color to show it's on, or off). that I don't like about it.

It's a great protection for men or women. Lightweight, well constructed and while the price is a little high compared to other units on the market, it's worth it. A better price point would be $29.99, but I'm paying the $49 because I want something simple, effective and solid. Buy one for your vehicle and one for your home. They're a great investment.
708924
This game is even better than GTA3! Ultra-violent stuff is what you get, I personally like going in to the nightclub and kill everybody with a chainsaw. I didn't think anything could top GTA3 but this one did! You'll find a lot of improvements in this game. You can drive a motorcycle, fly a chopper and go to the mall and rob people. I can't wait 'till the next one comes, which is probably even better! I played this game 17 hours a day and i'm still not tired of it. It's Brilliant!...
2397487
This is not a work dvd but you will sweat it teaches you fighting moves . I learnd how to do trangle choke arm barr and more sure you have to do and learn more for the cage but if your an average Joe its great for a street fight or if your bouncer or if your getting bullied i debt like fighting but Im not going to let someone hurt me or my love one nether should you. if you can't afford an mma gym or boxing this is the next best thing. thanks john and the pit crew make more.
3056947
A couple months ago, I taught a class down in North Carolina for Nick Hughes' Krav Maga Lake Norman school.  While there, Nick gave me a pre-release copy of his recently updated book How To Be Your Own Bodyguard.  I recently finished reading it and I have to say that it is one of the best books available on the topic of general personal protection.

Nick is incredibly well qualified to write such a book.  He's a veteran of the French Foreign Legion, has worked as a bouncer/doorman at some of the roughest clubs in Australia, and has made a career traveling the globe as a celebrity bodyguard.  In addition to all this, he has earned black belts in more martial arts than I can count.  Nick is a legit force in the world of combatives instruction.

The book is a masterclass on how criminals select their victims and what you (the potential victim) can do to avoid such a selection.  This isn't academic research, it is knowledge learned the hard way on the streets.  I guarantee you have never considered many of Nick's innovative tips and tricks.  I also promise that you will find a handful of his suggestions to be truly life saving.

Lots of books cover the physical aspect of fighting.  What I like about this book is that the author also covers the "soft skills" and verbal techniques necessary to stop a potential attack in its tracks.  My favorite parts of the book are:

- My male readers have seen numerous fights in bars and clubs start with a drunken patron yelling "Hey!  What are you staring at?"  or "Are you looking at my girl?"  Nick talks about a phenomenal strategy to verbally diffuse this situation without violence.

- Nick describes a couple great verbal ruses that a single person can use to make it seem like he or she is with other people who may dissuade an attack.

- Nick's description of pre-attack indicators is the best I've seen anywhere.  It is simple, but amazingly useful.  Reading his advice on what to look out for before an attack caused me to completely revise the chapter I'm writing on pre-attack indicators and threat cues in my upcoming third world travel book.

How to Be Your Own Bodyguard is without a doubt one of the most useful and complete books available on the topic of personal protection.  Nick covers everything from avoiding an attack, to verbally diffusing potential attackers, to physically fighting them off, to the legal aftermath.  It's truly a graduate-level education in the art of self protection.  I think most of you will really enjoy it.
3803325
This is a great companion with the widowmaker 1 DVD. I actually have both DVDs that I ordered way back in 2009. Mr. Franco lets you know the essential concepts even much better with the accompanying books that come with these DVDs. The method that the instructions were carried out were presented in such a way that it could be easily be understood. I am more of a follower of practical, real-world self defense methods that I can eventually apply in the streets where the situation is very much different from the dojo or the octagon. Well, I have learned of news about blackbelts getting stabbed by criminals who don't even have white belts in any martial art. I'm glad that Mr. Franco is generous enough to share his vast knowledge and experience so that we might survive in the "urban jungle" out there.
1150917
This is a great book put together and written by a true master of the martial arts and street self defense.  What Gershon and his team teach is both practical and empowering.  I was excited to get my hands on this book for Christmas and I was not disappointed.

For me, the best part of the book is the mental coaching and conditioning to help deal with the dynamics of violent encounters.  This book covers simple and effective techniques to get you through the most common armed and unarmed violent situations.  And he teaches you how to think in all of these situations.

More important than anything though is the focus on the "timeline of violence".  Gershon is not just teaching you how to fight if you have to, he is actually teaching you how to not have to.  How to shrink the possibility of attack.  Shrinking the possibility of assault is the best self defense there is and Gershon makes this abundantly clear throughout.  He makes it OK to avoid a fight

Last but not least is the fight.  This book provides instruction on how to think about a fight and how to fight if you have to.

Great job.  A perfect companion for any practitioner.
1182713
I really LOVE this workout program! I am on Day 4 and I keep coming back for more. I must say that I am also a lover of Turbo Fire but there is something so hardcore yet empowering about Les Mills: Combat. I used to teach kickboxing/boxing classes at Title Boxing Club and this is right in line with the workouts without the body punching bag and using other methods for the workout like Tae Kwon Do, Karate/Kung Fu, Capoeira, Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai/Kickboxing, and Boxing. Learning different styles to add to my workout is exciting. After I finish a full round of LM Combat I will be back with a full review, but just know that it is totally worth the affordable price to purchase LM Combat. Again you get out of it what you put into it so if you are not sweating, you have to push harder and Stay With The Fight~
2529691
I've seen the reviews from others who played the previous games in the series, claiming this one isn't fun. They're full of it. It has the same basic elements, in a much easier, more fun to use interface that beginning gamers and old hands both can very easily grasp the concepts of and truly enjoy a strategy game right away, without the harsh learning curves.  There's no overwhelming manual to read for three days beforehand.

The tutorial is built right into the game play to naturally and gradually ease you into the things you need to do to make your city work.  Gradually may make it sound unexciting, also not true.  The game opens with your village under attack, and after dispatching the enemies, you must begin to repair and rebuild, so it is definitely exciting and challenging without being overwhelming.

You are introduced to how to control the hero and all other game aspects as you need them in the game.  The game gets progressively harder, making you use what you've learned to come up with tactics.

I've never been the hack and slash type even though I love city builders and rpgs.  The fighting in this game is smooth, easy to control, usually with plenty of time to prepare.  The heros add their own special abilities and personalities to the fighting.  In the previous Settlers games, it was next to impossible to figure out how to easily move cannons around to where you needed them, they got hung up on terrain.  I didn't have to spend an hour figuring out how to get trade centers to move needed tools from one settlement to another, as all resources were able to be used anywhere I chose to build.  The efficiency was still required as your working people need their homes and farms near their place of work.  They wouldn't walk half way across the map to find a bed.  Frequent saves on harder levels before moving your troops out is a very good idea though.

I loved the combination of RPG elements of heros and storylines, with little things to discover on every single map.  Improvements could be made in some areas in that we should be able to sandbox every scenario, there were many I completed the scenario before I finished exploring the maps.  We should be able to continue playing the same map if we want to.  Another area for improvement would have been goods for our people to buy that we had made.  Who can live on food and housing alone?  No one, people want *things*.  Add a bit of that, and you'd have a powerhouse of a game.

As it stands, I would say this game is a must have for rpg, city building, AND strategy gamers, which is a unique combination that should appeal to many types of gamers.  Give it a shot before you let the harsh critics turn you away, at least try the demo.  I'm already looking for the expansion pack I just read on their site has come out.  ;)
447044
Excellent in its delivery of wrestling principles/techniques into the guard (or bottom scissor) position.  I'm no stranger to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Russian Sombo and Wrestling and I still think this is one of Hatmaker's most useful set of instructional DVDs.  Applying arm drags, whizzers and switches to escape from the bottom is brilliant and feels very natural to me.  It has worked too well for me while rolling.  Even my guard has become more active in that I squeeze the ribs with my legs more often than what I used to do in the traditional "lazy" guard. It's a great set of arsenals to have.  Brilliant work.  Great coaching.
157049
I'm a gay man, and I was threatened with death by two complete homophobic strangers. With that in mind let me say this DVD was very helpful. I learned enough basic techniques that give me peace and confidence that I can defend myself if I need to. What comes to mind is the palm strike for someone in front, the elbow strike for attacks from the side, and the importance of posture to de-escalate a tense situation. I know how scared I was when those guys were threatening me, so the purchase price of this DVD is so well worth the confidence to feel safe walking down a public street again. I can safely say, if I met those guys today, I could escape the situation or f them up if it came to that. This is a good training DVD, believe me.
1446107
Awesome fighting game, it continues the very well do guilty gear series, and makes it (In my opinion) better. I won't go into details here, but Roman cancel and many other fighting techniques have been refined. Easy to learn, hard to master!
2263270
I purchased the Hori Real Arcade Pro 3 on March 1st 2009 and have been using it religiously for the last three months. I had been using pads to play the  Street Fighter franchise since Street Fighter II was released in July of 1992 on the SNES. It took me about a week to become comfortable with the HRAP3. Now I can pull off Street Fighter 4 combos and dragon punches with ease. In fact, I can pull off combos and chains that would be nearly impossible with a pad.

The stock buttons are not bad at all. I may upgrade to Sanwa buttons once the demand dies down, however the stock Hori buttons are adequate.
The Sanwa joystick is very precise once you get used to the square gate.

At $100, the Hori Real Arcade Pro 3 is a tremendous value.
It is an extremely durable, professional grade, PS3 fighting stick.
The HRAP3 also works flawlessly with MAME UI, which means you can use the stick with all of the classic fighters of yesteryear on your PC!

Do yourself a favor and avoid the scam artists selling this stick at inflated prices. Amazon stocks HRAP3 sporadically, be patient.
I couldn't be happier with my Amazon purchase.
2902721
I'll start off by saying that until I got this, I had never owned a Street Fighter game, in fact the only time I sat down and played one was a looooong time ago. (I didn't even know what I was playing, I was like 6)

I have always been a Mortal Kombat and Soul Caliber fanboy and didn't really give much credit to other games.  I bought my 3DS without any games mostly because I didn't have any money for games. After awhile I decided to buy this as it seemed to be the only one worth checking out in my opinion.

I do not regret buying this at all, and in fact this game has turned me into a full blow Street Fighter maniac. SSF IV 3D is a significant portion of my time each day and has entertained me unshakingly.

Gameplay:
This is a very smooth fighter, and very balanced. Button mashing does not pay off here as you will probably just end up jumping around and doing weak punches.  You can really learn a character and develop a technique that is beyond knowing a few basic moves (Mortal Kombat generally has that feel to it).  Timing and attack choice really have weight and can make or break you when trying to pull off combos.  Some characters do seem to have a few unfair advantages (Bison can fly across the map and dart right back to the other side, Adon can pinpoint you if he is close enough) but overall it is very well balanced.  Highly offensive characters (Juri, Blanka, Sakura) tend to be in tight spots when they are not attacking, and defensive characters do well in the pocket.

Graphics:
From what I have seen from a bit of browsing the graphics are noticeably toned down from the console editions but for a handheld they look amazing. The 3D looks very crisp in the menus and such but because this is a fighting game you will probably give the system a fair amount of shaking, causing you to quickly drift in and out of the sweet spot.  I usually play with the 3D on, but don't feel like the game is detracted by having it off. Dynamic view (over the shoulder) makes the 3D effect rather intense, but I dislike it because it causes most of the screen to be your character.

Replay:
It's a fighter, if you are getting this you probably have a *very* high expectation for replay value, and this game delivers it well. I tend to change characters around a lot in most fighters to give it a fresh feeling, but with SSF IV I played a collective 4 hours in a row with Juri and didn't get tired of it AT ALL. (I've also done the same with Cody, Ryu, Ken, Guy... you get the picture)

If you are already a SF fan I'm sure this game will deliver just what you expect.
If you aren't, I suggest you give it a try. I wasn't a fan but I really love the series now, I've gone back and played a few of the classics and older editions and love them the same.
If you are new to fighters this is probably the best out there to get started with.

In summary: Don't miss out on this, get it on whatever system you have! Doesn't have to be on the 3DS!
1505919
This game is great! No, it's stupendous. It may have been stripped down a bit, so it would fit on the Game Boy, but it is fun and full of cool action and bad-@$$ fighters nonetheless. It has awesome and slick graphics, cool sounds and music, and of course some nifty and  wicked controls such as multiple punch, high power kick, and even a way to pound on your opponent and deal a ton of damage. Also, all of the very best characters are in this game. Here's how I rank all of them, from best to worst. Or favorite to least. Same thing.

1. King-Always been my favorite character, still is to this day. His punches and kicks are devastating, and he is part jaguar.

2. Yoshimitsu-This is a robot and a ninja put together. He wields  a glowing sword and has many punishing moves. He's a must have.

3. Nina-She's one of the best villainesses of all time. Very well trained in the martial arts and has lots of tricks up her sleeve.

4. Jin-Where to begin? He is a tough, no nonsense karate fighter, and is utterly intrepid and never gives up. Also is cool looking.

5. Paul-Cool getup, cool hair style, cool moves. And he is a very  strong man. This guy is a challenge to nearly any Tekken player.

6. Gun Jack-He's a hero, but he's an engine of destruction. He is the strongest fighter and real tough. Not too fast, but powerful.

7. Heihachi-He's a cool and dastardly villain, and he's trained in the best karate. He's also the final boss in this very game.

8. Hoawrang-This is a really good fighter. He has awesome powers and cool combos and is very challenging. Nice look to him, too!

9. Forest Law-I like Marshall Law better, but this guy's still pretty good. I mean, he's got a way of getting around fights.

10. Xiaoyu-I still think she's pretty good. Unfortunately, none of the handful of Tekken fighters I like less than her are in this game, so she has to be at the bottom. But at least it goes no lower than one that I like pretty good, instead of awful/bad.

All in all, this is a terrific game and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes Tekken, Mortal Kombat, or any other fight game. Trust me-it is well worth your time, effort, and of course money.
735130
This game is superb. I'll keep it short and sweet. You can choose between 4 characters (initially, 5 eventually) in the story mode. Each of these characters is powerful in his or her own right, showcasing fighting styles ranging from ninjutsu (Ginjiro) to old fashioned street fighting...with a sword (Han). You get to command an undead skeletal warrior with superior fighting abilities and an awesome sword and he is an extremely handy ally when in battle. Eventually, it is possible to encounter another undead skeletal warrior and if you have Han as your character, you will reap his sword and a TON of attributes to go along with it. Very cool.

It is not a free-roaming brawler/hack-n-slasher like Final Fight or Streets of Rage: the boards feature 3 "planes" through which you can cycle to gain an advantage or retreat when the heat gets too much to handle. But this is okay because a free roaming environment would make it difficult to execute some of the special moves that each character possesses. The action on screen is pure PANDEMONIUM. It is absolutely awesome, as sometimes you can't even tell where you are or what the he** is going on but bodies are flying everywhere. The music draws you into the action. The combos are insane and you can certainly juggle your foes with good timing. There's a good dose of humor here, too.

Anyway, I was going to keep it short and sweet but I guess I failed. So what. This game is a must have because it doesn't get much better. And yes, the multiplayer/duel mode allows you to take control of some of the awesome characters you will encounter in the game, each with a robust set of moves! JUST GO GET THE GAME.