Another excellent source was the work of William Ewart Fairbairn, a former Royal Marine and member of the Shanghai Municipal Police. Fairbairn was trained in Japanese and Chinese martial arts and plied his trade in what was in the early twentieth century one of the most dangerous places in the world. One of his innovations was the 'Mystery House', a shooting facility later adopted by the SAS and renamed the ‘Killing House’. He also introduced the first version of a Police SWAT team. He later trained various arms of the British forces during the Second World War. His guiding principle was simple: what works in a fight? As such, his approach transcended style. Everything was simple, direct and aggressive. Pre-emptive strikes were used as much as possible and any defense was counter-offensive.
In the next chapter of Working With Warriors Martin introduces the favored techniques used by himself, Terry O'Neill and Gary Spiers. O'Neill was (somehow) able to maintain perfect form while working and fighting on the door. He epitomized the maxim of ikken hissatsu or 'one punch to kill' and was able to KO people – often multiple people – using karate techniques imported straight from the dojo. He was the same in competition. Though most self-protection instructors advise against it (including Martin himself) O'Neill was able to kick directly to the head effectively. This skill was the result of hard work and dedication, pure and simple. If you refer back to the first part of this review you will remember that O’Neill was far from being an athletic child despite his interest in Tarzan and the culture of physical training. His favorite kicking technique was the roundhouse, but he was also adept with the reverse roundhouse. He was also mixing it up with wrestling and judo long before Bruce Lee was talking about absorbing the best techniques from different styles and the need to be effective at different ranges, and certainly long before MMA was known.
A downside to this though is that O’Neill’s feet have become famously (in the karate community at least) deformed due to his heavy training but also due to him flexing his supporting foot to execute the kick well.
After every KO Martin and the rest of the bouncers were expected to play up to the situation and award a mock ippon.
Gary Spiers is described as being a specialist in delivering massive impact. He was both big and very fast. He was able to deliver combinations at speed with each technique having the power to end the fight. Unlike Martin and O’Neill, Spiers would also incorporate head butts into his arsenal. He never had the flexibility or technical expertise of O’Neill, but he was famous for his front kicks that saw him drive his foot into the bodies of opponents, leaving them crumpled up on the floor. He was also adept and comfortable wrestling. He was also famous for his love of knives and his willingness to use them if necessary (note that this is illegal in the UK and most likely where you live too).
Dennis Martin started using punching techniques drawn from karate but moved away from them for two reasons. The first was that as he got into body guarding he was aware that he needed to keep his hands healthy in order to potentially use a weapon. He didn’t want to get a broken hand that would prevent him from using a firearm. The second reason is that Aids came onto the scene and he didn’t want to be making people bleed while also seeing his own hands cut open (on teeth for example). He shifted to using slaps, and was able to knock people out with this simple technique. His main weapon was the elbow strike. Another useful technique is the rear naked strangle, which can quickly put people to sleep. Not only does this remove the immediate threat of an attack, but after they have been out when they come around they are disoriented and not looking for a fight anymore. People on drugs, even after being KOed, can easily come around and get back into it.
The chapter on favored techniques continues with notes on the importance of positional strategy and an overview of various, common questions presented to Dennis Martin over the years with full replies.
Martin next discusses how the role of the doorman, and of violence in general, has changed since he started out in 1969. He draws attention to the predominance of gang culture that is apparent nowadays. Not only are more and more people in gangs, but mobile phones allow a ‘crew’ to be assembled quickly and easily. Another major difference is the widespread use of CCTV used to monitor behavior around the doors (and in many urban areas). Martin is frank in saying that a few years ago bouncers worked by knocking out anyone who stepped out of line, but that is not so easily done nowadays as the cameras record any pre-emptive strikes and any follow up punishment intended to dissuade an aggressor from crossing the line again in the future. Another big factor is the increase in the use of weapons. The biggest change though is the use of drugs. This makes people more prone to violence and can grant them superhuman energy levels and recovery rates while making them more aggressive.
Working With Warriors ends with a hodge podge of collected anecdotes involving Dennis Martin, Terry O’Neill and Gary Spiers.
Working with Warriors - Conclusion
Working With Warriors is an excellent book. First and foremost it is about Dennis Martin and his life as a bouncer and body guard and later, as an instructor. I am not sure how much of this will be of direct interest to martial artists, but the first quarter to half of the book is fantastic reading as it concentrates on early training in the UK and Japan. Best of all, and a reason in itself to buy the book, is the reprint of the Fighting Arts International interviews with Gary Spiers. The book is thick with anecdotes, and although there is some occasional repetition of the same story, this makes the text a very entertaining read. The Kindle edition is currently selling at $3.49 on Amazon (and this review is based on the e-version), which makes it an absolute steal (and full kudos to the publisher for not over-charging on the e-book as many do). Very highly recommended.
