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A Fighter's Heart: One Man's Journey Through the World of Fighting | 
 enlarge | Author: Sam Sheridan
Publisher: Grove Press
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
Buy New: $0.67
You Save: $13.33 (95%)
New (35) Used (16) from $0.66
Avg. Customer Rating:  48 reviews
Sales Rank: 67085
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.1
ISBN: 0802143431
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.8092
EAN: 9780802143433
ASIN: 0802143431
Publication Date: January 21, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In 1999, after a series of wildly adventurous jobs around the world, Sam Sheridan found himself in Australia, loaded with cash and intent on not working until he’d spent it all. It occurred to him that, without distractions, he could finally indulge a long-dormant obsession: fighting. Within a year, he was in Bangkok training with the greatest fighter in muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) history and stepping through the ropes for a professional bout. That one fight wasn’t enough. Sheridan set out to test himself on an epic journey into how and why we fight, facing Olympic boxers, Brazilian jiu-jitsu stars, and Ultimate Fighting champions. Along the way, Sheridan delivers an insightful look at violence as a career and a spectator sport, a behind-the-pageantry glimpse of athletes at the top of their terrifying game. An extraordinary combination of gonzo journalism and participatory sports writing, A Fighter’s Heart is a dizzying first-hand account of what it’s like to reach the peak of finely disciplined personal aggression, to hit—and be hit.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 43 more reviews...
Enjoyable September 19, 2008
I'm into fighting so of course I had to read this. It's pretty interesting and easy to get into. It does get a little slow in parts but over all a good read.
 Great writing, compulsively readable June 23, 2008
Maybe my favorite book of the last 2 years. The only book I've given out as a gift more than once - to my martial arts teacher, and to a co-worker who appreciates MMA.
Highlights for me: Sam writes well. He's simply a clear, thoughtful writer who reminds me of Hemingway. Clear, simple - but with real insight and smarts, and toughness. The story is fascinating. Makes me want to retrace his steps though the modern gravity wells of fighting - Bangkok, Brasil, Northern California, NYC, the US midwest.
Read it if you enjoy the strategy dimension of MMA, and wonder what motivates these guys to test themselves in combat.
Plenty of "Heart" June 20, 2008
A Fighter's Heart by Sam Sheridan decodes the mystery of the pugilistic, roughhousing or mixing it up instinct, one I never really "got." There has been plenty said and written about the urge or instinct, but "Heart" provides a context, a ringside view in setting after setting, one fight then another, on one continent and then another, in the experiences the author (also a fighter) has in Eastern and Western styles, from the ancient, classic and traditional to the newer, Mixed Martial Arts fighting forms. If you never really understood why a person would as an amateur, a pro or for play start, join or continue a fight, then you'll be intrigued by this page turner. The reasons for the fight are more than "just meet me outside," more than we ever might have figured. On the home front, Sheridan gives us a look at the making of 2004 Olympic Gold medalist for the U.S., Andre Ward and his trainer, Virgil Hunter.
A great journey into the world of fighting June 19, 2008
From the Mauy Thai training camps in Thailand, to the Jiujitsu dojos of Brazil, to Boxing and MMA gyms across the USA, Sam Sheridan goes on a mission of self discovery and lives the fighters life of training and competing in various martial arts. He makes you feel like you are right there with him in the ring, or on the mat training; but more importantly you get an insiders account of the misunderstood sub-culture of pro fighting, and a look into the heart and minds of the people that do it. A must read for any aspiring martial artist or anyone who has ever stepped into a ring, onto a mat, or has entertained the idea of doing it. If you are a fan or practitioner of MMA, boxing, or any competitive martial art this book is a must read.
 you can do with out it June 18, 2008
I try really hard to motivate myself in finishing this book - I am about 3/4 into it after one month. For some reason I feel that Sam's aspirations are never quite achieved: a) to be a fighter, not just train to become one and b) write a book that is coherent. Interesting cover. I would not buy this book.
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