Gold Winner - 2012 eLit AwardFinalist - 2012 USA Best Books AwardHonorable Mention - 2012 Eric Hoffer Award Seven Steps to Legal, Emotional and Physical Preparation This book stands alone as an introduction to the context of self-defense. There are seven elements that must be addressed to bring self-defense training to something approaching complete. Any training that dismisses any of these areas leaves you vulnerable. 1. Legal and ethical implications. A student learning self-defense must learn force law. Otherwise it is possible to train to go to prison. Side by side with the legal rules, every student must explore his or her own ethical limitations. Most do not really know where this ethical line lies within them. 2. Violence dynamics. Self-defense must teach how attacks happen. Students must be able to recognize an attack before it happens and know what kind they are facing. 3. Avoidance. Students need to learn and practice not fighting. Learning includes escape and evasion, verbal de-escalation, and also pure-not-be there avoidance. 4. Counter-ambush. If the student didn t see the precursors or couldn t successfully avoid the encounter he or she will need a handful of actions trained to reflex level for a sudden violent attack. 5. Breaking the freeze. Freezing is almost universal in a sudden attack. Students must learn to recognize a freeze and break out of one. 6. The fight itself. Most martial arts and self-defense instructors concentrate their time right here. What is taught just needs to be in line with how violence happens in the world. 7. The aftermath. There are potential legal, psychological, and medical effects of engaging in violence no matter how justified. Advanced preparation is critical. Any teacher or student of self-defense, anyone interested in self-defense, and any person who desires a deeper understanding of violence needs to read this book.

Weighing in with a balance of the visceral and the cerebral, boxing has attracted writers for millennia. Yet few of the writers drawn to it have truly known the sport and most have never been in the ring. Moving beyond the typical sentimentality, romanticism, or cynicism common to writing on boxing, The Bittersweet Science is a collection of essays about boxing by contributors who are not only skilled writers but also have extensive firsthand experience at ringside and in the gym, the corner, and the ring itself. Editors Carlo Rotella and Michael Ezra have assembled a roster of fresh voices, ones that expand our understanding of the sport's primal appeal. The contributors to The Bittersweet Science journalists, fiction writers, fight people, and more explore the fight world's many aspects, considering boxing as both craft and business, art form and subculture. From manager Charles Farrell's unsentimental defense of fixing fights to former Gold Glover Sarah Deming's complex profile of young Olympian Claressa Shields, this collection takes us right into the ring and makes us feel the stories of the people who are drawn to or sometimes stuck in the boxing world. We get close-up profiles of marquee attractions like Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr., as well as portraits of rising stars and compelling cornermen, along with first-person, hands-on accounts from fighters' points of view. We are schooled in not only how to hit and be hit, but why and when to throw in the towel. We experience the intimate immediacy of ringside as well as the dim back rooms where the essentials come together. And we learn that for every champion there's a regiment of journeymen, dabblers, and anglers for advantage, for every aspiring fighter, a veteran in painful decline. Collectively, the perspectives in The Bittersweet Science offer a powerful in-depth picture of boxing, bobbing and weaving through the desires, delusions, and dreams of boxers, fans, and the cast of managers, trainers, promoters, and hangers-on who make up life in and around the ring.Contributors: Robert Anasi, Brin-Jonathan Butler, Donovan Craig, Sarah Deming, Michael Ezra, Charles Farrell, Rafael Garcia, Gordon Marino, Louis Moore, Gary Lee Moser, Hamilton Nolan, Gabe Oppenheim, Carlo Rotella, Sam Sheridan, and Carl Weingarten.

Master the art of filipino kalis with this illustrated martial arts guide. The Filipino martial art of ilustrisimo hails from Cebu, Philippines, where martial arts are still considered a matter of life-and-death survival--rather than sport or exercise. Named after Antonio "Tatang" Ilustrisimo, the master who taught the style to both of the authors of this book, the art of kalis ilustrisimo has been in the Ilustrisimo family for more than five generations. Based on traditional Philippine stick and sword fighting methods--and refined by Antonio Ilustrisimo's vast personal experience in challenge matches--it offers a powerful, flexible, dynamic, and effective fighting style. The Secrets of Kalis Ilustrisimo is the first book to deal with the techniques and theories of this very effective system of personal combat including the history of kalis ilustrisimo and structure of the system, the fundamentals of practice, the defensive movements and applications, and the training techniques used to prepare for actual personal combat. It also includes hundreds of photographs showing the essential movements and techniques of this martial arts style. Sections include: KALIS ILUSTRISIMO IN PERSPECTIVE--History and Development; Structure of the Ilustrisimo System FUNDAMENTALS OF PRACTICE<--Preliminaries (Weapon Length; Weapon Grip; Combat Ranges); Stances and Footwork; Methods of Striking DEFENSIVE MOVEMENTS AND APPLICATIONS--Fundamental Fighting Techniques; Methods of Disarming THE COMBATIVE ENCOUNTER--Combative Sign Language; Spiritual Fortitude; Fighting Principles and Strategies AND MORE!

The indigenous martial arts of the Philippines archipelago are known by a variety of names including Arnis, Arnis de Mano, Eskrima or Escrima, and are widely respected for the development of combat-effective defensive strategies and skills. The Filipino martial arts are fast and dynamic and utilise a diverse range of training methods to augment the journey towards achieving advance abilities in defending against weapons-based or empty-hand encounters. Supplemented by over 320 colour photographs, this exciting book explores the fundamental, intermediate and advanced techniques of double and single stick categories that are standard across many systems of the Filipino martial arts.

On September 6, 1892, a diminutive Black prizefighter brutally dispatched an overmatched white hope in the New Orleans Carnival of Champions boxing tournament. That victory sparked celebrations across Black communities nationwide but fostered unease among sporting fans and officials, delaying public acceptance of mixed-race fighting for half a century. This turn echoed the nation's disintegrating relations between whites and Blacks and foreshadowed America's embrace of racial segregation.In this work of sporting and social history we have a biography of Canadian-born, Boston-raised boxer George Dixon (1870-1908), the first Black world champion of any sport and the first Black world boxing champion in any division. George Dixon: The Short Life of Boxing's First Black World Champion, 1870-1908 chronicles the life of the most consequential Black athlete of the nineteenth century and details for the first time his Carnival appearance, perhaps the most significant bout involving a Black fighter until Jack Johnson began his reign in 1908. Yet despite his triumphs, Dixon has been lost to history, overshadowed by Black athletes whose activism against white supremacy far exceeded his own. George Dixon reveals the story of a man trapped between the white world he served and the Black world that worshipped him. By ceding control to a manipulative white promoter, Dixon was steered through the white power structure of Gilded Age prizefighting, becoming world famous and one of North America's richest Black men. Unable to hold on to his wealth, however, and battered by his vices, a depleted Dixon was abandoned by his white supporters just as the rising tide of Jim Crow limited both his prospects and the freedom of Blacks nationwide.

"Toft adeptly shows this to be the legacy Ron Lyle left behind, one that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with a boxing legacy that is nothing short of remarkable."-Rafael Garcia, The Fight City "[Ron Lyle's] life was a remarkable one and the story of it worth re-telling, which makes the book's new edition thoroughly welcome. Off The Ropes is absolutely recommended reading."-Gary Lucken, Boxing Monthly "Nobody ever hit me that hard. No question. I'll remember that punch on my deathbed. A great puncher, a great guy."-Earnie ShaversIn a life as tough as his battles in the ring, Ron Lyle had already served hard time for second-degree murder before he started his amateur boxing career at the age of twenty-nine. After he turned pro, fans knew him as the man who had Muhammad Ali beat on the scorecards for ten rounds in a fight for the heavyweight title; as the man who fought George Foreman in a legendary brawl with four knockdowns that nearly saw Foreman knocked cold; and as the man who was arrested for murder a second time. Off the Ropes: The Ron Lyle Story is not your typical boxing biography, exploring not only the greatest era of heavyweights in boxing history, but also telling an equally compelling personal tale. Ron Lyle grew up in the Denver projects, one of nineteen children in a tight-knit, religious family. At twenty, he was convicted for a disputed gang killing and served seven and a half years at the Colorado State Penitentiary at Canon City, where at one point he was nearly shanked to death, and where he learned to box before he was paroled in 1969. After a meteoric amateur career, he turned pro in 1971, and over the next six years established an outstanding professional record, which, in addition to the near misses against Ali and Foreman, included a brutal knockout win over one of the era's most feared fighters, big-punching Earnie Shavers. Then, in 1978, Lyle was indicted for murder a second time and, even though he was acquitted, his career was effectively over. The years that followed were filled with struggle, a captivating love story, and eventual redemption. Today, a youth center in Denver that he ran still bears his name. Off the Ropes: The Ron Lyle Story is the poignant, uplifting biography of a singular man.

Abandoned on the streets of Philadelphia at age four, Matthew Saad Muhammad (1954-2014) survived orphanages, street gangs and prison to become one of the most exciting prizefighters of boxing's last Golden Age of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Time and again he battled back from the brink of defeat to win against the best fighters of the era. His victory over Marvin Johnson for the WBC Light Heavyweight Championship was described by one veteran boxing writer as the only fight he covered where it seemed both fighters might die. He fought not just for wealth and fame but to discover his identity--he had no idea who he was, where came from or what happened to his parents. This book reveals the full story of "Miracle Matthew" and how he became one of Philadelphia's great ring legends.

Master Richard Chun takes us on a first hand account of his life story and his dedication to the art of Taekwondo. We begin in Korea just before the Korean war and learn why Taekwondo is a noble and positive recreation for children, offering them challenges and lessons that they will reflect upon for their entire lives. We follow as he takes Taekwondo to America not knowing how he and his art will be received. We see how Taekwondo plays a major role in this Grand Master's pursuit of a life in America and we cheer him on as he overcomes the difficulties a non-english speaking immigrant discovers in the USA. From celebrity students and their families (Donald Trump, Mayor Guliani, Gregory Hines) to everyday citizens, Master Richard Chun offers us the key to living a life of contribution to humanity through Taekwondo.* Deepen Your Understand of Taekwondo Traditions.* Inspiration and Advice for a Lifetime of Practice.* For All Styles and All Levels of Eperience.

Legendary fencing instructor Maitre Bac H. Tau described what he called the 'six essentials that are in a fencer's mind': 'The first is called spirit; The second, rhythm; The third, thought; The fourth, technique; The fifth, tactic, and the last is strategy.' As a fencer you can fight with spirit, experience rhythm, think your way around problems, and develop technique, tactic and strategy by training with top-flight fencing masters. But there is more. Modern fencing is a highly competitive speed and endurance sport and the 'seventh essential' in a high-performance fencer's mind is how to prepare themselves physically and mentally to fence. In High Performance Fencing: The Seventh Essential, Ed Rogers covers every aspect of the preparation required by a fencer competing at the highest level. The book provides sound practical advice and is based on tried-and-tested training principles that have repeatedly proved successful.

Kodokan judo, one of the most well-known martial arts in the world today, was originated by Jigoro Kano (1860-1938). Kano was a martial artist and career educator who developed the art after studying several types of jujutsu, sumo, and Western wrestling. Openness and refinement were hallmarks of his personal and professional style, and he relentlessly searched for the best way to practice, teach, and perform techniques. This biography shows how Kano saw judo as a vehicle not just for self-defence, but for physical, spiritual, and moral development as well.

Ramla Ali's life inside and outside the ring represents her ruthless refusal to quit and passion to fight for what she believes in. In her first book, Ramla details ten key fights - a combination of life's constant challenges and real bouts she's endured both in and outside of the ring - that have shaped her remarkable rise to date. From her arrival in England as a refugee to being drawn to the energy and spirit of her first boxercise class; from the adrenaline of her first amateur fights to how she often powered on alone, searching for a community of women like her, and her biggest win of all: letting love into her life. Each relatable lesson is packed full of honesty and urgency, powering the reader on to become their own champion.

For six decades the World Colored Heavyweight Championship was a useful tool of racial oppression--the existence of the title far more important to the white public than its succession of champions. It took some extraordinary individuals, most notably Jack Johnson, to challenge "the color line" in the ring, although the title and the black fighters who contended for it continued until the reign of Joe Louis a generation later. This history traces the advent and demise of the Championship, the stories of the 28 professional athletes who won it, and the demarcation of the color line both in and out of the ring.