As you can see in the article, and as your own initial response indicated as well, lots of folks make it seem like it's a joke. It's not, and the situation is never as simple as anyone who has never experienced it makes it out to be. Plenty of men have gone to jail because when they restrained the woman, they bruised her arms and that is what the cops saw when the arrived. Quite frankly, the best advise for the man is to skedaddle if things get out of control and she starts hitting or throwing things, and never accept someone hitting you in a relationship. If the person cannot do that, either call the cops or get out of the relationship. Trying to restrain someone often just escalates the violence, because if they are angry enough to hit, they are already out of control and have no desire to be controlled in any manner until they have calmed down.
In this we can agree - male or female - accept no physical abuse. And if it occurs, the relationship needs to end barring colossal changes.
We do disagree that restraint properly applied, can be a last ditch option. (Wild children, enraged women, mentally unstable people)