Watch My Back

by Geoff Thompson

Watch My Back is the story of one man’s search for courage. Depressed, bullied, intimidated by life and indoctrinated to believe that this was his lot, Geoff Thompson, on the verge of a breakdown, decided to fight back. In a bid to confront his fears, he took a job as a bouncer in one of Britain’s roughest nightclubs. Over the next ten years, he was involved in hundreds of brutal and bloody fights that left two of his friends murdered and many more in prison; he turned himself into a fearsome fighting machine. Geoff reached the top of his trade and became addicted to violence.Then it all changed. After nearly being killed in a gang attack, and almost killing one of his attackers, he was forced to reassess his relationship with violence. After writing down his experiences, Geoff discovered a flair for writing.This is the story of an ordinary man who faced his fears and took himself from bedsit to best-seller but very nearly got killed on the way. Geoff Thompson is now the author of over thirty books, a stage play and a BAFTA winning short film.

Genres: Martial Arts, Biography, Nonfiction, Autobiography, Psychology, Biography Memoir

344 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 1992

About the author

Geoff Thompson is a BAFTA-winning writer, filmmaker, spiritual teacher, and martial artist with a prolific career spanning multiple disciplines. He has authored books on self-help, spirituality, self-defense, and martial arts, while also writing for film and stage.
Beginning as a martial artist, Thompson specialized in reality-based self-defense, drawing from his experiences as a nightclub doorman. He co-founded the British Combat Association and taught seminars internationally, including for Chuck Norris. His self-defense innovations include "The Wall" and "The Fence," practical techniques for real-world confrontations.
His transition into filmmaking brought critical acclaim. His short film Bouncer (2002), starring Ray Winstone, earned a BAFTA nomination, and Brown Paper Bag (2003), inspired by his brother’s struggles with alcoholism, won the BAFTA for Best Short Film. He later wrote the feature Clubbed (2008), based on his autobiography Watch My Back, as well as The Pyramid Texts (2015) and Romans (2017), starring Orlando Bloom.
Beyond martial arts and filmmaking, Thompson has established himself as a spiritual teacher and self-help author. His works, including The Divine CEO and Live Your Dreams, focus on personal transformation and overcoming fear. He has delivered a TED Talk on conquering fear and hosted a popular podcast on spiritual growth.
In 2020, he released his autobiography Notes from a Factory Floor, chronicling his journey from factory worker to internationally recognized author and teacher. Through his writing, coaching, and filmmaking, Thompson continues to inspire others in the pursuit of self-improvement and personal mastery.

Reviews

[Louis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite an unusual read. Extremely violent, in places funny, touching, annoying, inspiring all sorts. Geoff comes across as likeable and extremely relatable,although in places the structure of the narrative is not the best, and it's a bit repetitive.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

READ THIS BOOK IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU!




...'cos Geoff Thompson is a very hard man and if his 300 bloody fights isn't enough to convince you, then nothing will.

But no, seriously, you should read this book because this is the autobiography of man who has conquered his deepest fears and lived to tell the tale albeit clearly very angry with the world at the time. Not only does he conquer his fears but he tells you how he conquered them. The violence and the confrontation is laid on as thick as custard in places but by the end of this book there is a human being with a beating heart after all.




As a martial artist, he does inevitably talk about the martial arts and the different fighting techniques but there is only 1 out of the 30 odd chapters that are like that. Perfectly accessible to anyone in other words. On a lighter note, the bone dry humour should level out much of the graphics bits.




My personal favourite chapter has to be Chapter 14 for its description...or for it's storytelling. One of the two. In any case, may I suggest that once you're through with this that you read Fear: The Friend of Exceptional People by the same author?

[Matthew Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I have read other books of this type which are self serving and glorify the violence they describe. This book's honesty and redemptive storyline set this apart. The fight scenes are gripping and the author ratchets up the tension by sharing his fears. The book could have been edited better; it was too long and there were repetitions. Those minor quibbles aside I would recommend it.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gripping auto biography from an extraordinary man. His descriptions to glorify violence in a way but he is also a humble and measured man.
A must read for any martial arts enthusiast I could read this book over and over again

[Will G · Rating 2 out of 5]

The adventures of Mr. 1 Punch KO, undefeated in the world of bar fighting.


Nah. I don't buy it.

[Enrique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Si valorásemos este libro por su estilo, tendría que darle sólo 4 estrellas. A veces la estructura se vuelve repetitiva, con tanto: llegó un tipo, la lió, sentí miedo, ¡pum!, ¡bam!; y un final un tanto: y la gracia de Dios (con todo el respeto para el de arriba) me salvó de las garras de la cárcel y de la muerte y me hizo escribir este libro.
Todo esto leído con la voz del abuelo Simpson.

Si valorásemos este libro por las veces que probablemente lo relea, tendría que darle 4 estrellas también. No creo que lo relea con frecuencia, como sí hago con libros como Meditaciones de Marco Aurelio, 365 Tao, o los de Epicteto, Séneca, Publio Siro, etc; aunque me encantaría volver a leerlo en 15-20 años con más experiencias vitales y con nuevas perspectivas desde las que valorar su contenido.

Sin embargo, si atendemos a su contenido, éste es sin duda el libro más ÚTIL, más REAL y más HONESTO que he leído en mi vida en lo referente a la autodefensa en la calle, especialmente en el aspecto psicológico de la misma. He oído que Nick Drossos tiene pensado sacar un libro sobre sus años y experiencias como portero de discoteca, pero hasta que llegue ese día y contrastemos los 2, este libro es el mejor que he leído sobre el tema. Punto.
Si atendemos a su contenido, este libro son 20 estrellas.
Este libro cuenta lo que realmente pasa cuando te buscan un problema en la calle, te ves obligado a defenderte, y sus consecuencias.
Sin florituras ni patadas voladoras ni ninguna de esas tonterías.

[Carl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soon after I started reading Mr. Thompson's book I asked myself how I ended up with a copy. I'm still not sure, because it's -- well unusual: a memoir of a British professional bouncer, factory worker, and martial arts instructor. Yet, I kept reading, because Mr. Thompson's life makes for an interesting story, and he has a way with words.

Although there's quite a bit of neighborhood and British jargon, and wow, he is quite misogynistic, but that is forgivable as it just represents his background and experiences, and doesn't seem mean spirited.

Okay, so what's it really about: at first glance this is a memoir of a professional bouncer's years of beating people up for a living. A layer deeper, however, and there's good content about fear management in violent situations, and forgiveness.

This book is certainly not for everyone, but if you're interested in boxing or martial arts, this might be a good read.

[Billy Tray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic nostalgic trip into 80s Coventry nightlife

Geoff Thompson was part of a team you wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of. I was always respectful of them and used to have friendly boxing bets with Colin but there were hundreds of bad eggs who wanted to have the respect/infamy of taking a doorman down. That it never happened to Geoff is testament to him, he was always firstly part of a team who enhanced your evening with keeping the general public safe and secondly had a sense developed by experience of where trouble would kick off. Thirdly, he is clearly a well read man with the ability of portraying his experiences into a worthwhile read. Good on him, it's always great to see a fellow Coventrian succeed .

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

An insightful and honest approach to how violence works on the street from a night club bouncer's perspective in one of the most violent cities in Europe at the time. I saw a real insight when the author talks about how adrenaline takes over. Brutal and compelling, he doesn't sugar coat the situations he was in and gives graphic account of how they finish.

There is also a lot of humour and humaneness here, even when the majority of it is him kicking several shades of shit out of someone. Changed my perspective on a lot of things, well worth a read even if it's just to know how to avoid the situations that he gets into and his perspective on life. The writing is compelling and I managed to get through this in around two days, which is usually unheard of for a book of this size for me.

[Ellis Amdur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Geoff Thompson was a pioneer in mixed martial combatives - in other words, inter-disciplinary study of various fighting methods for street survival, not ring fighting. This book is the trajectory of a once scared boy into a brutal man into a man who has not transcended violence itself (he is not a pacifist), but has apparently transcended violence as a means of avoiding facing one's own demons and fears. A fine writer, this was among his first books - colorful, frightening - and the root of all his subsequent work in both fiction and non-fiction.

[Garry Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely leave reviews for books, However from time to time, I come across an absolute gem of a book and feel obliged to leave a review...this is one of them books.

This amazing book sent me on a whirlwind of emotion. This book is at times sad, funny, shocking and inspiring...and also a brilliant page turner too.

It really is a must read! Please read this book folks it has left me feeling inspired I honestly cant praise it enough.

[Lewis Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant Read

An Excellent Book by Mr Geoff Thompson
Do yourself a favour and read it im very Late to the party as its been out some time however a Great Book is always Gonna be a Great Book and I wasnt disappointed

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story about about martial artist conquering his fears and working the doors in Coventry. Geoff is an inspiration and proud to train under the combat system developed by Geoff and Peter Consterdine.

[Gareth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring story. very tense. I couldn't put it down.

[Huzaifa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who woulda thought a book written on the loo would be so good... Kudos to the factory workers for encouraging Geoff to put his stories on paper.

[Rhino_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many of these types of books are written by career criminals. Was refreshing for this to be from a different perspective, even though some of the actions where criminal.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eye opening, scary, inspirational and fascinating

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. Absolutely loved it. Violent and funny.

[Dane Rumble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Brilliant book couldn't put it down. Being from Coventry and knowing the places being talked about made it very real. Would definitely recommend

[Jak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought Watch My Back was a very interesting read as it more about the authors personal journey than simply rehashing a few old war stories. That said, the style is very informal and more like story telling than high literature, which was no issue for me as I really enjoyed it anyway.

As many other reviews point out the descriptions of the violence are pretty brutal, but then violence always is, right? Even so there is no glorification, the violence is shocking not cool. GT is honest in his appraisal on its negative effects even on the victor.

As someone who’s never thrown a punch in anger it is hard for me to be judgemental about the actions of GT when faced with a violent adversary particularly as I understand where his motivations come from. The only chance he had of being a successful doorman was to build a frightening reputation to let all the young bucks know that if you took him on their would be a cost, and not just small cost but a very big one.

GT says he’s a veteran of 300+ fights but I’d imagine he’s staved off just as many with adversary working out the answer to the question “Do you know who I Am?” Then there’s self preservation. If you want to stop someone attacking you incapacitate them by cleaning their clock.

All that understood, it’s still pretty shocking when he tells tale of stamping on faces and kicking unconscious foes in the head.

[Kev Bickerdike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this book, partly as a martial arts enthusiast but probably more so because of the fact that Geoff constantly held on to his desire to write and escape the routine of factory life. The violence is hard to stomach at times but certainly not glorified. The world in which these incidents occurred is one that required Geoff and his fellow doormen to be more brutal than those who would seek to prey on the peaceful club goers. A must read for anyone interested in how traditional fighting styles have been pressure tested in real situations, and adapted for maximum efficiency, and how Geoff's studies led to the kind of cross training styles that are now so commonly recognised as mixed martial arts.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Geoff Thompson's biography, chronicling his life from being a bullied child, in which he seeks salvation in the martial arts, and finally works on the door in a bid to confront his fears. The violence is brutal, but he never glorifies it. He also has an honest look at the fighting arts, and gives his views on whether they would work in a 'live' situation, and takes a philosophical look at violence in society, which sets this apart from other books of this ilk. Geoff also adds a lot of wit throughout, with some humourous stories. Probably my favourite ever book, which I have read on loads of occassions.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this some years ago and liked it a lot. As someone from a similar working class background with little in the way of prospects I was inspired by the author to try and achieve my own long-standing ambition of writing books. This book is the very opposite of the 'celebrity' gangster nonsense that was popular for a while in that it does not glorify violence in any way and instead charts the authors journey away from that world. A great read.

[Vaughan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brutally honest, covers a whole gamut of emotions from depression, lust, tears, bullying, and fear, to overcoming them with the direct method of confronting all his human fears, this book is captivating, enthralling, and laugh out loud funny in many places. A must read for all martial artists and those in the Security/LEO industry, as well as curious people who want to overcome their fears.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly gritty and shocking exposure of the bouncer lifestyle that holds nothing back and keeps you (right, I couldn't resist) hooked until the very end. Although it's far more than the typical bullish violence you expect from such things, whilst the violence is heavy it isn't glamourised or put in a pleasant light. In short a fantastic and surprising read.

[Peter McLean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Geoff perhaps isn't a natural writer but he has an easy, likeable style and definitely knows his stuff. The anecdotes in this book are fascinating, hilarious and horrifying by turn, and his journey is truly gripping at times.

[Dan A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this as ex library stock and then left it on my bookshelf for over a year.
Picked it up and couldnt put it down , passed to other family members who also enjoyed it
Written with honesty and feeling and one guy you could rely on to watch your back

[Kiran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book based on anecdote with some significant insight into the work of real self-defense and personal protection. Definitely a book any and every martial arts student should read. looking forward to reading Animal Days now too.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It was difficult to put down at times. It had humor, but also offered insight into one man's journey that is not so unlike our own. The places, names and careers may be different, but it is a representation of rising above it all to be who you want to be.

[Cate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just couldn't get into it