Marc "Animal" MacYoung (born in Los Angeles, California) is an American author, lecturer and martial artist. Initially known best for his street-violence survival books, he later went on to write personal safety / self-defense books and make instructional videos. MacYoung is considered to be one of the pioneers of reality-based self-defense. He has studied numerous martial arts since the age of ten, including Wing Chun, Eskrima, Silat, Karate, and Baguazhang.