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Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Combat sports & self-defence
"I have this one term for the kind of woman my mother raised me not to be, and I call it a 'Do-Nothing B-tch'. It's the kind of chick that just tries to be pretty and be taken care of by somebody else. That's why I think it's hilarious when people say that my body looks masculine or something. Just because my body was developed for a purpose other than f-cking millionaires, doesn't mean it's masculine. I think it's femininely badass as f-ck because there isn't a single muscle on my body that doesn't have a purpose because I'm not a 'Do-Nothing B-tch'!."
When Ronda Rousey made this speech she inspired women everywhere. Beyonce even played a recording on-stage and it went viral. But Rousey has been inspiring others her whole career. The journey to the top for the most dominant mixed-martial-arts fighter in history has been filled with challenges. From a childhood marked by speech problems to the painful loss of her father, she grew up repeatedly pushing her mind and body to the limit in order to win. She battled prejudice to become the first female fighter in UFC. Now she is the biggest name in the sport, breaking attendance levels and re-writing the history books with her astonishing knockout victories, most in under a minute. She has also forged a successful Hollywood career as an actor. In this honest and inspiring book, Rousey relives her greatest fights and shares her secrets for success and mental toughness. She reveals how we can all be at our best, even on our worst days, and how we can turn our limitations into opportunities.
It will leave you ready to face your own challenges in life, whatever they may be.
On bended knee, he leaned over the stricken boxer and counted him out. When he waved the fight over, there was exactly one second to go in the dramatic and brutal world championship bout and Víctor Galíndez had retained his title. But the referee, his shirt stained with the champion’s blood, had cemented his reputation as a cool professional, one destined to become an esteemed figure in world boxing.
South Africa’s own Stanley Christodoulou has officiated an unprecedented 242 world title fights over five decades, some of them among the most iconic in boxing history, and became his nation’s very first inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He rose from humble beginnings, learning his trade in the South African townships of the 1960s, and went on to lead his national boxing board as it sought to shed the racial restrictions of the apartheid era. It was a contribution to his country’s sporting landscape that saw him recognised by the president of the ‘new’ South Africa, Nelson Mandela.
The Life and Times of Stanley Christodoulou is Stanley’s memoir in boxing. It takes the reader to a privileged position, inside the ropes with champions and into the company of boxing legends.
In Hero Living Rudy Reyes, the latest recruit in Channel 4's
smash-hit SAS Who Dares Wins introduces his philosophy to life -
part Homer, part Bruce Lee and part Spider-Man. He outlines various
stages towards revealing your inner hero: recognising the hero's
call, following the hero's path and returning from life's
battlefield with the hero's hard-earned wisdom. Taking readers
step-by-step through his tried and tested program, Rudy draws from
his own heroic story of how he triumphed over harrowing childhood
experiences of poverty and abandonment. Rather than giving up hope,
he heeded the hero's call to live up to his full potential - first
as a martial-arts champion, then as an elite warrior in the
mountains of Afghanistan and on the sands of Iraq and finally in
his post-Marines life as a personal trainer, actor, motivational
speaker and now TV star.
Two of the most prominent and celebrated athletes in the world,
Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard came together to
contest the $100million SuperFight on April 6, 1987 at Caesars
Palace in Las Vegas. From Frank Sinatra to U2, Joan Collins to
Whoopi Goldberg, the stars were drawn to ringside by the huge
box-office appeal of the blue-collar, dominant world middleweight
champion facing his nemesis, the charismatic and flamboyant Sugar
Ray, who was coming out of virtually five years of retirement.
Drawing on his deep reservoir of nerve, outstanding technique and a
strategy which Budd Schulberg - who provided Marlon Brando with the
immortal line, 'I coulda been a contender' - called a compound
optical illusion, Leonard won on points. It was boxing's greatest
comeback, but to this day the judges' decision remains bitterly
contested and not merely by the protagonists. But the story of The
SuperFight is much more than the story of the fight, for it details
two remarkable lives, the demons that drove both men and the
formidable challenges they overcame inside and outside the ring.
Hagler grew up in the Newark, New Jersey ghetto of Central Ward,
where a riot/rebellion rooted in racism claimed the lives of 26
people, injured 1,000 more and, to the young teenager, was "like
the end of the world". Fuelled by anger, he climbed to the top of
his domain and ruled for seven years as champion, one of the most
accomplished in boxing's annals. Leonard was an Olympic gold
medallist and all-American hero whose career was cut short by a
detached retina after he became the world welterweight king. He was
Muhammad Ali's gifted and anointed successor but he succumbed to
alcohol and drug abuse and for years was tormented by a secret -
the sexual abuse he endured as an amateur boxer by a trusted coach.
As provocative and polarising in its own way as Ali's defining
rivalry with Joe Frazier, this is the story of The SuperFight, of
Marvin Hagler and Ray Leonard and a fierce fire that still burns.
Pulitzer prize nominee and William Hill award-winning writer Thomas
Hauser's tribute to Ali, the greatest sporting icon the world has
ever seen. Few global personalities have commanded an
all-encompassing sporting and cultural audience like Muhammad Ali.
Many have tried to interpret in words his impact and legacy. Now,
Muhammad Ali: A Tribute to the Greatest allows us to more fully
appreciate the truth and understand both the man and the ways in
which he helped recalibrate how the world perceives its
transcendent figures. In this companion volume to his seminal
biography of Ali, New York Times bestselling author Thomas Hauser
provides an updated retrospective of Ali's life. Relying on
personal insights, interviews with close associates and other
contemporaries of Ali, and memories gathered over the course of
decades on the cutting edge of boxing journalism, Hauser explores
Ali in detail inside and outside the ring. Muhammad Ali has
attained mythical status. But in recent years, he has been
subjected to an image makeover by corporate America as it seeks to
homogenise the electrifying nature of his persona. Hauser argues
that there has been a deliberate distortion of what Ali believed,
said, and stood for, and that making Ali more presentable for
advertising purposes by sanitising his legacy is a disservice to
history and to Ali himself. Muhammad Ali: A Tribute to the Greatest
strips away the revisionism to reveal the true Ali, and, through
Hauser's assembled writing and hitherto unpublished essays,
recounts the life journey of a man universally recognised as a
unique and treasured world icon.
Shihan Mark Kirton 6th Dan Jisushinkai Karate has been training
continuously for over 35 years. The physical training has been
beneficial because it has given me a positive mental attitude and a
new found integrity, discipline and a sense of purpose which is as
important to this Karate master as the self defence ability
instilled in his students. It is my belief that martial arts should
stand for a Truth, Integrity, Honour, Discipline and High
Integritya . A martial art has to be applicable for the times we
are living in because of the changes that occur in our society.
This has led me to adapt my training and teaching to fit with the
changes that are occurring in our modern society. A a realistica
need for practical self defence is a must. Therefore a teacher or
master must teach students in a truthful, realistic manner to
prepare them for what could happen in a possible street attack or
altercation. My journey has led me to learn many things and has
given me a great insight into the make up of potential attackers
and how to avoid potentially bad violent situations. I always try
to instil in my students that try to avoid any confrontation at all
cost, if you can walk away from a potential bad situation do it if
need be run away if you have to your objective is to keep yourself
safe so you can live your life as peaceably as possible. However
sometimes things can go wrong and you have to engage and you have
to rely on your possible self defence skills. a Remember: life is
for livinga Shihan Mark Kirton 6th Dan
Thirty years after he burst onto the scene as a gold medal light-heavyweight at the Rome Olympics, Muhammad Ali is still a magical figure. His accomplishments in the ring were the stuff of legend -- the two fights with Sonny Liston, when he proclaimed himself "The Greatest" and proved he was; the three epic wars against Joe Frazier; the stunning victory over George Foreman in Zaire; and the shocking loss and final win that made him the first man to win back the heavyweight crown twice, fourteen years after he had first claimed it. Ali's life has been played out as much on the front pages as on the sports pages. With brilliant immediacy and unprecedented candor, bestselling author Thomas Hauser recreates this extraordinary man. In the words of more than 200 of Ali's family members, opponents, friends, world leaders, and others who have known him best, the real Muhammad Ali emerges: deeply religious, mercurial, generous, a showman in and out of the ring.
Miami, 1963. A young boy from Louisville, Kentucky, is on the path
to becoming the greatest sportsman of all time. Cassius Clay is
training in the 5th Street Gym for his heavyweight title clash
against the formidable Sonny Liston. He is beginning to embrace the
ideas and attitudes of Black Power, and firebrand preacher Malcolm
X will soon become his spiritual adviser. Thus Cassius Clay will
become 'Cassius X' as he awaits his induction into the Nation of
Islam. Cassius also befriends the legendary soul singer Sam Cooke,
falls in love with soul singer Dee Dee Sharp and becomes a
remarkable witness to the first days of soul music. As with his
award-winning soul trilogy, Stuart Cosgrove's intensive research
and sweeping storytelling shines a new light on how black music lit
up the sixties against a backdrop of social and political turmoil -
and how Cassius Clay made his remarkable transformation into
Muhammad Ali.
For any woman who's ever felt burned out, beaten down, or needs a
reminder of how powerful she is, third-degree black belt and
motivational coach of ABC's "My Diet Is Better Than Yours" teaches
a unique brand of badassery--how to get back up no matter what life
throws at you; how to level up your mind, body and spirit; and how
to turn your setbacks into secret weapons. Jennifer Cassetta is a
nationally recognized keynote speaker, health and empowerment
coach, and a 3rd-degree black belt in Hapkido. After a brush with
death on September 11th, 2001, three blocks south of the World
Trade Center and then fending off an attacker late one night months
later, Jenn took a deep dive into martial arts training where she
learned how to harness the power of mind, body, and spirit. Now she
teaches women from colleges to corporations how to unleash their
inner badass by using dojo wisdom as a metaphor for life. Whether
the opponent is a financial hardship, a difficult boss, or being in
a manipulative relationship, Cassetta teaches readers how to flex
their mental muscle, how to rise above fears, and how to turn
setbacks into superpowers. Through thought-provoking exercises and
no-holds-barred humor, she shows women how to close the door on
blame and shame; how to grow from their Greatest (S)Hits List of
life disappointments; and how to disarm and defend against the
blocks that hold them back. In life--just like in martial arts--we
get pushed and pulled and kicked down. We get banged up and bruised
and stretched to our limits. Cassetta champions women that while
they may bend, they will not break, and that they have the power
within them to rise up and stand tall. Chapter 1: WHITE BELT:
Embrace the Suck Chapter 2: YELLOW BELT: Bounce Back Chapter 3:
ORANGE BELT: Block the Bullshit Chapter 4: GREEN BELT: Find Your
Roar Chapter 5: BLUE BELT: Elevate Your Energy Chapter 6: RED BELT:
Connect with Your Warrior Within Chapter 7: BLACK BELT: Take the
Lead
Aged fifty, on a whim, Marion Dunn joined a boxing gym. Training to
improve fitness quickly became something of an addiction, and then
a source of transformation. This is her myth-busting tale of four
years of slogging in an amateur boxing gym in northern England.
Marion's story is one of a developing love affair with the 'sweet
science'. It's also about obsession, hard work, companionship and
occasional bravery. But The Boxing Diaries is not just a story of
hard graft. It's a revealing account of life in the amateur boxing
gym: its idiosyncratic inhabitants, non-judgmental spirit,
dedicated coaches and respect for all comers, irrespective of age
or gender - provided their commitment to training is total. From
the sweat and toil in draughty halls, Marion takes us through the
years of preparation before she is finally ready to spar in the
ring. Every micro-improvement, every emotion is laid bare, and
along the way she considers the influences and events that might
have ignited her passion for the sport in the first place. Warning:
this is a knockout memoir that could make you want to start
swinging punches, too.
One of the most charismatic showmen ever to grace a WWE ring
recounts his life, his phenomenal career, and how he finally found
the one thing that gave his life meaning--his faith. Reprint.
35,000 first printing.
BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR. SHORTLISTED FOR
THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR PRIZE 2017. SHORTLISTED
FOR THE JAMES TAIT BLACK BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR. WINNER OF THE
PEN/ESPN AWARD FOR LITERARY SPORTS WRITING. THE TIMES SPORTS BOOK
AWARDS BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR. The most comprehensive and definitive
biography of Muhammad Ali that has ever been published, based on
more than 500 interviews with those who knew him best, with many
dramatic new discoveries about his life and career. When the frail,
trembling figure of Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic flame in Atlanta
in 1996, a TV audience of up to 3 billion people was once again
gripped by the story of the world's most famous sporting icon. The
man who had once been reviled for his refusal to fight for his
country and for his fast-talking denunciation of his opponents was
now almost universally adored, the true cost of his astonishing
boxing career clear to see. In Jonathan Eig's ground-breaking
biography, backed up with much detailed new research specially
commissioned for this book, we get a stunning portrait of one of
the most significant personalities of the second half of the
twentieth century. We are not only taken inside the ring for some
of the most famous bouts in boxing history, we also learn about his
personal life, his finances, his faith and the moments when the
first signs of his physical decline began to show. Ali was a symbol
of freedom and courage, a hero to many, but this is also a very
personal story of a warrior who vanquished every opponent but was
finally brought down by his own stubborn refusal to quit. An epic
tale of a fighter who became the world's most famous pacifist, Ali:
A Life does full justice to an extraordinary man. 'Ali: A Life is
the business - 640 pages of patient scholarship and intelligent
reassessment written in crackly prose' Giles Smith, The Times '[A]
richly researched, sympathetic yet unsparing portrait ... Ali: A
Life is an epic of a biography' Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times
Damage has been shortlisted for the 2021 William Hill Sports Book
of The Year award! "This is the book that boxing has always
needed...It is shattering yet moving, informative yet tender...An
essential read for anyone who cares about boxing and its
courageous, damaged fighters."-Donald McRae, The Guardian "Anyone
who loves boxing-even the sport's most die-hard supporters-must
take a longer and more serious look at the issues that Tris Dixon
writes about with such nuance and humanity in Damage..."-Greg
Bishop, Senior Writer, Sports Illustrated It's an old story-a
fighter gains fame, drives fast cars, makes piles of cash, and
dates beautiful women. Then comes the fall-booze, drugs,
depression, poverty, illness. This dark narrative has been playing
out for a hundred years. Doctors first identified "Punch Drunk
Syndrome" in 1928. It later became known as "Dementia Pugilistica."
Today, we call it CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). The
secret history of this disease in boxing has never been fully told-
until now. In Damage, Tris Dixon uncovers the difficult truths of
boxing and CTE and chronicles the lives of fighters affected by it.
He interviews some of the sport's biggest names, some lesser-known
journeymen, and highly respected trainers and other figures to try
to understand why no one wants to discuss CTE or take
responsibility for it. Ultimately, Dixon takes aim at what boxing
can do to help the warriors who sacrifice their health seeking
glory in the ring. Will this book finally drive the sport to
address the issue and help fighters get the help they deserve?
One of the most talked-about and bestselling books of last year,
this is the no-holds-barred autobiography of a sporting legend
driven to the brink of self-destruction The bestseller that has
everyone talking. In this, his first, autobiography, 'Iron' Mike
Tyson pulls no punches and lays bare the story of his remarkable
life and career. Co-written with Larry Sloman, author of Antony
Keidis's best-selling memoir 'Scar Tissue', this is a visceral, and
unputdown-able story of a man born and raised to brutality, who
reached the heights of stardom before falling to crime, substance
abuse and infamy. Full of all the controversy and complexity that
you would expect from a man who delighted as much as he shocked,
this is a book that will surprise and reveals a fascinating
character beneath the exterior of violence. If you think you know
all about Mike Tyson, read this book and think again.
There have been numerous books written on the subject of Karate,
including many that claim to show an easy, step-by-step, way of
becoming a black belt by the third chapter. In a martial art such
as Karate, it is extremely rare to find a book that can help the
student with the physical aspect of Karate to any great degree.
However, every now and then a publication appears on the bookstands
that can do just that. One such book is this one. The following
pages contain a wealth of information on the Kihon, Kata, and
Kumite aspects of Traditional Shotokan. Written in an easy to
follow manner, and supplemented by an extremely comprehensive set
of photographs, this handbook is easily one of the more superior
publications available.
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