At nearly six and a half feet tall and 300 pounds, heavyweight champion Primo Carnera was a giant for his times, but today ""the Ambling Alp"" is too often written off as an unskilled oaf and a product of the mob dealings that plagued boxing during the 1930s. He may not have been a natural in the ring, but he worked as hard as any boxer to learn his craft, to be in top condition, and he repeatedly showed that he was tougher than nails. This biography details Carnera's early life and boxing career, his success as a fighter as well as accusations of fight fixing, his strengths and limitations in the ring, and his later career as a wrestler.

Covering the years 1890 to 1910, this volume profiles the boxers who were acting during boxing's ""Golden Age,"" focusing primarily on George ""Kid"" Lavigne, Bob Fitzsimmons, Barbados Joe Walcott, Joe Gans, Terry McGovern, Sam Langford, and Stanley Ketchel. The accomplishments of these competitors in and out of the ring, as well as their standing in boxing history, are examined in detail. Each boxer is presented in his historical context, and detailed information about many of their opponents, also key figures in this critical era of the sport, is also provided, as are comparisons to recent fighters.

Beginning in the late 1970s, "Gentleman" Gerry Cooney's professional boxing career was marked by exhilarating fights, exciting wins, and a powerful left hook. In 1982, Cooney landed a lucrative match against world heavyweight champion Larry Holmes on one of the biggest stages in championship boxing. Yet Cooney's bouts in the ring were nothing compared to the inner turmoil that he dealt with and eventually overcame. Gentleman Gerry: A Contender in the Ring, a Champion in Recovery chronicles the career of a boxing legend, the challenges and triumphs of a trauma survivor, and an alcoholic's journey to sustained recovery. Gerry Cooney and John Grady provide a detailed account of how the former contender went from an abused childhood to becoming a two-time Golden Gloves champion. More than just a biography, this book explores the challenges of surviving difficult moments and overcoming obstacles such as alcohol addiction. The authors also provide historical perspectives of the era and behind-the-scenes insight into the world of professional boxing. Complete with photographs from esteemed sports photographer Joe DiMaggio and stories directly from Cooney himself, this book offers an unprecedented look into Cooney's life and the lessons he learned. Fans of boxing, as well as sports enthusiasts and others recovering from addiction, will find Gentleman Gerry a must-read.

This classic interpretation of Miyamoto Musashi's famous Book of Five Rings is explicitly intended for the martial artist--as Miyamoto Musashi originally intended. It explains the underlying truths necessary for a full understanding of Musashi's message for warriors. The result is an enthralling book on military strategy that combines the instincts of the warrior with the philosophies of Zen Buddhism, Shintoism, Confucianism and Taoism. It is a crucial book for every martial artist to read and understand. Like the original, this classic book of strategy is divided into five sections. The Book of Earth lays the groundwork for anyone wishing to understand Musashi's teachings; the Book of Water explains the warrior's approach to strategy; the Book of Fire teaches fundamental fighting techniques based on the Earth and Water principles; the Book of Wind describes differences between Musashi's own martial style and the styles of other fighting schools; while the Book of No-thing describes the "way of nature" as understood through an "unthinking" existing preconception. Famed martial artist and bestselling author Stephen Kaufman has translated this classic without the usual academic or commercial bias, driving straight into the heart of Musashi's martial teachings and interpreting them for his fellow martial artists. The result is an enthralling combination of warrior wisdom and philosophical truths that Musashi offered to other warriors who wished to master the martial way of bushido.

Judo Formal Techniques is "The most detailed explanation of Judo that has ever been published" (The Japan Times). A comprehensive training manual to the basic "free practice" forms of Kodokan Judo (the Randori no Kata), the book provides essential instruction in the throwing and grappling kata (Nage no Kata and Katame no Kata) that every Judo practitioner needs to master. The authors are two of the world's top instructors--Donn F. Draeger and Tadao Otaki. Both were instructors at the Kodokan Judo Institute in Tokyo--the headquarters of international Judo, which was founded by the creator of the martial art, Jigoro Kano. Draeger, considered by many to be the first non-Japanese Budo master, was an authority on Asian martial culture who held high ranks and teaching licenses in several martial arts. He was a prolific writer and was the first non-Japanese Judo instructor at the Kodokan. Otaki was not only a successful Judo instructor but also a university professor who was widely praised for his research on the role of Judo in education. Draeger and Otaki based their text on Jigoro Kano's published and unpublished personal writings. Recapturing the original spirit and intent of the essential Judo kata, they are presented in the standard Kodokan versions as refined by generations of practitioners. Richly illustrated with over 1,000 photos and drawings, Judo Formal Techniques offers complete step-by-step instructions for the roles of both training partners. In addition to the core techniques of throwing and grappling, it explains the important transitional movements as well as grips, stances, and postures. First introduced as an Olympic sport at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Judo is returning to its home city on the world stage at the 2020 Olympics. Practiced by more than 20 million people worldwide, Judo is only expected to continue growing in popularity. A new foreword by Judo instructor Neil Ohlenkamp sheds light on the book's lasting importance as the classic "Kata bible" for Judo students and instructors alike and an indispensable resource for all martial arts practitioners.

Master Cherng's translation of Discourse on Sitting and Forgetting, an 8th century classic text on meditation by Si Ma Cheng Zhen, is accompanied by his extensive explanatory commentary, unique in its ability to make this complex text accessible to the Western reader. In the introduction to the text, Master Cherng explains how to practice the Purification of the Heart method of meditation and photographs clearly illustrate the correct postures. He deciphers the Chinese metaphors and abstract language of Si Ma Cheng Zhen to give a clear explanation of the processes involved and the resulting changes to mind, spirit and body. His translation and explanatory commentary present the classic text in a way that can be easily understood and applied, allowing Western students of Daoism, and anyone with an interest in meditation, direct access to the meaning of this text in practice.

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.

Advance Praise

"The Fight of the Century brings back memories of a different and troubled time both in sports and in our country. It is vividly reported and a perfect example of the old saying that the genius is in the details."

--John Feinstein

"The Fight of the Century just floats like a butterfly and sings like a canary. Arkush recaptures the period of the late '60s when America was in a quandary about Vietnam, Ali's refusal to be drafted, about Smokin' Joe Frazier's claim on the heavyweight title, and the amazing build-up to this great fight. I saw the fight and remember the intensity in Madison Square Garden; people were fainting in the aisles. The electricity of that fight buzzes through this book."

--Phil Jackson

"Ali-Frazier I was the greatest sports event I ever saw or ever expect to see. With his landscape portrait of the men and their times, Michael Arkush takes us again to that historic moment in Madison Square Garden when two of boxing's proudest warriors began their blood feud."

--Dave Kindred, author of Sound and Fury: Two Powerful Lives, One Fateful Friendship

"Arkush not only gives us the inside story on one of the century's signature sporting events, he frames it politically and socially. I was there, and now I know much more about what happened. This is flesh and blood and history."

--Robert Lipsyte

"The Fight of the Century transcends the mere sports story. In Michael Arkush's capable hands, this classic duel and its surrounding pressures and personalities show us where we have been as a society and where we are going. It is a story that truly stands for a place and time. It is a fully engrossing read."

--Michael Connelly, #1 New YorkTimes bestselling author

"Never is a long time, but there'll never be another cosmic boxing event like Ali-Frazier I. Michael Arkush brings alive that melodrama with all its political-social implications, wheeling and dealing, hyping and hitting."

--Larry Merchant, author and boxing commentator

"A richly detailed history of Ali and Frazier's first big fight and the social and political forces at play. A great read."

--Ron Shelton, director of Bull Durham and Tin Cup

This first nationwide study of boxing regulations in the United States offers an historical overview of the subject, from the earliest attempts at regulating the sport to present-day legislation that may create a national boxing commission. It examines the disparity of regulations among states, as well as the reasons for some of these differences. The work features interviews with boxing officials, analysts and boxers, and includes the results of a national survey of state athletic commission personnel.

In-depth case studies of boxing regulations in Nevada and Kansas provide a close look at different states' methods, and Argentina's centralized system of regulation is presented as a comparison to the U.S. approach.

Joe Gans captured the world lightweight title in 1902, becoming the first black American world title holder in any sport. Gans was a master strategist and tactician, and one the earliest practitioners of "scientific" boxing. As a black champion reigning during the Jim Crow era, he endured physical assaults, a stolen title, bankruptcy, and numerous attempts to destroy his reputation. Four short years after successfully defending his title in the 42-round "Greatest Fight of the Century," Joe Gans was dead of tuberculosis. This biography features original round-by-round ringside telegraph reports of his most famous and controversial fights, a complete fight history, photographs, early newspaper cartoons depicting boxers, and discussion of contemporary cultural representations of and tributes to the man considered to be among the finest boxers in history.

Floyd Patterson delivered a number of knockout punches during his Hall of Fame career, but it might have been the fights he won beyond the boxing ring that made him great. Born in 1935, he overcame poverty and prejudice to become the youngest world heavyweight championship in history. He would later became the first man to regain the crown after losing it. Boxing legend Muhammad Ali called Patterson the most skillful fighter he ever faced.In the first biography of the former heavyweight, Alan Levy covers Patterson's meteoric rise as boxer while giving equal attention to the boxer's life away from sport, including Patterson's work as an activist for civil rights causes in the 1960s. Joining Ali and George Frazier as boxers who used their celebrity to bring attention to social issues, he became an icon of the movement.

The remarkable story of Eamonn Magee's life takes in a childhood lived during the height of The Troubles, a youth spent involved with the IRA, and the constant presence of drink, drugs, gambling and violence throughout his life. It may be hard to believe but it was against the background of all this that Eamonn won the WBU world welterweight and Commonwealth light welterweight titles. The author, Paul Gibson, has managed to decipher a very dark, very troubled, very flawed individual who happened to have an exceptional gift to box at the highest world level. The Lost Soul of Eamonn Magee reads like the screenplay of the kind of gritty rags-to-riches-to-rags boxing story that Hollywood producers seem to love.

Silver Medal Finalist - 2009 IP's Living Now Book Award Each day, millions of people worldwide practice Tai Chi Chuan (Taijiquan), which has been known for centuries to promote deep relaxation and excellent health, to prevent injuries and illnesses, and to improve martial skills. Tai Chi has steadily become a popular form of mind/body exercise as more and more people in the west discover the rich rewards of living in a holistic way. Tai Chi is a journey through the mind, the body, and the spirit, that can be practiced by everyone. Increasingly, you can see people practicing in the park - moving slowly in a meditative state, or even perfecting their martial arts skills. But what is Tai Chi really? This book clearly introduces the history and underlying principles of Tai Chi Chuan from a modern and unique perspective. For the beginner, this program is a comprehensive introduction to authentic Tai Chi, allowing you to fine-tune your mind/body skills and create balance among them. For the intermediate and advanced, it includes important instructions and refinements, helping you expand your knowledge of the internal arts. In the end, you will understand and experience:* the ultimate goal of Tai Chi: the harmonizing of the three forces - human, earth, and heaven* Develop symmetry and balance between strength and flexibility* Loosen and strengthen muscles, tendons, and ligaments* Improve circulation of blood and Qi energy* Learn how to increase bone density* Massage internal organs with gentle movement* Boost your immune system to help heal chronic conditions, including arthritis, osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and cancer* Improve your quality of life and daily physical performance* Tap into the abundant energy of the universe* Learn and improve your martial arts skills

Inside stories of some of the greatest prizefights of all time, including Floyd Patterson-Ingemar Johansson II, Joe Frazier-George Foreman I, and The Fight of the Century: Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier I. Referee and elder statesman of boxing Arthur Mercante gives behind-the-scenes glimpses into his world and into the lives and careers of the greatest boxers of all time. Mercante has officiated more championship fights than any other referee, and his blow-by-blow accounts are peppered with grit and telling details.

Former World Heavyweight champion Smokin' Joe Frazier and William Dettloff, senior writer for The Ring magazine, present a complete guide to the fight game - from the history of the sport to how to throw a crushing uppercut and take a punch without flinching.

Drawing from the experiences of one of the masters of the sport, "Box Like the Pros" is a must-have for anyone pursuing boxing as a hobby or who is interested in training to become a professional boxer. Frazier, with longtime boxing writer William Dettloff, presents a complete introduction to the sport, including the game's history, rules of the ring, how fights are scored, how to spar, the basics of defence and offence, the fighter's workout, a directory of boxing gyms, and much more. "Box Like the Pros" is an instruction manual, a historical reference tool and an insider's guide to the world's most controversial sport.

Before 1940, Nathan Shapow, a young Latvian, had nothing more on his mind than enjoying his teenage years and becoming a champion boxer. But the Nazis' systematic extermination of the Jews quickly put paid to his dreams. Soon he was to face a different sort of fight, where the prize for victory would be his life. Escaping certain death time and time again, Shapow saw his youth disappear in the terror of the Ghettos and the horror of the camps. Fighting for his very existence for the simple reason of being Jewish, remarkably, he survived, fell in love and forged a new life in what was then British-controlled Palestine. There, he joined an underground military organisation and quickly became involved in the struggle to create a Jewish state. Extraordinary and powerful, The Boxer's Story is the inspiring true story of one man's enduring fortitude.

A lightning-swift form of kung fu based on the concepts of short-range attack and defense, wing chun achieved worldwide renown as the favored martial art of Bruce Lee. This expanded edition of the popular wing chun guide features a tribute from Lee's wife, Linda, plus new material from Yip Chun, the world's leading master teacher of this form. Also included are never-before-published photos of the late Yip Man, former grandmaster and the last in a line of disciples originating with wing chun's 18th-century founder, Ng Mui. The book introduces practitioners to sil lim tao, the first training form, and goes on to describe combat applications. Readers will also find a brief history, notes on training, and useful discussions of centerline theory and the seeds of wing chun.

Essentially the last of the bare-knuckle heavyweight champions, John L. Sullivan was instrumental in the acceptance of gloved fighting. His charisma and popular appeal during this transitional period contributed greatly to making boxing a nationally popular, ""legitimate"" sport. Sullivan became boxing's first superstar and arguably the first of any sport. From his first match in the late 1870s through his final fight in 1905, this biography contains a thoroughly researched, detailed accounting of John L. Sullivan's boxing career. With special attention to the 1880s, the decade during which Sullivan came to prominence, it follows Sullivan's skill development and discusses his opponents in detail, providing various viewpoints of a single event. Beginning with a discussion of early boxing practices, the sport itself is placed within sociological, legal and historical contexts including anti - prize fighting laws and the so-called ""colour line."" Ironically, Sullivan's personal adherence to this final concept with his refusal to fight a coloured opponent remains the one blemish on a phenomenal career. A complete record of Sullivan's career is also included.

Self-defence • Tactical Driving • Terrorism • Kidnap Fire Safety • Home Security • Practical First Aid Situational Awareness • Planning. This practical handbook explains how to deal with many emergencies, from break-ins, fires, accidents and floods, through to hostage situations, bombs and kidnappings. Defensive moves are clearly illustrated and explained. Scenarios include being attacked by a drunk, indiscriminate violence, and attacks with weapons. The book shows step-by-step how to dispatch a bag thief, handle a burglary at home, deal with a gas leak or survive an air emergency. It also gives vital information on what equipment and supplies you should keep stored at home for an unexpected prolonged stay. The no-nonsense text encourages readers to anticipate possible dangers, to know the best course of action to take in each scenario, and to protect themselves and those around them. Protect yourself, your family, and the things you value, at home, at work and on the urban street. How to be streetwise, with mental strategies to help you cope. Teaches vital self-defence moves to keep you safe, including disarming attackers, tackling a burglar and preventing sexual assault. Learn what to do in extreme situations: in war zones, under chemical attack, in a flood, in a fire, in a bomb situation, if kidnapped, or if your vehicle is hijacked. Expert guidance helps you to develop survival instincts by conquering fear and practising a calm, confident response in emergency situation. Illustrated with more than 500 photographs and action sequences.

Finalist - 2006 Book of the Year Award by ForeWord Magazine Taekwondo, literally translated, can be defined as "foot, hand way" or "the way of smashing with hands and feet." Such descriptive nomenclature understandably implies a curriculum rich in self-defense. Too often, however, this is simply not the case. Given the current popularity of sport competition in the martial arts, many techniques of defensive value have been stripped away or forfeited altogether in favor of those certain to score in the ring. While the thirst for Olympic gold has clearly played a significant role in propelling taekwondo into the forefront, it should be remembered that this native Korean martial art contains over 3200 distinct self defense techniques. This book describes in detail, the history and evolution of Taekwondo from its ancient roots to modern day applications. Also included are exercises in "Ki" or internal energy development, meditation practice, and practical self-defense strategies. This work focuses on the traditional aspects of Taekwondo rather than on its sportive component.

The sport of boxing is dying in a last explosion of dollars. Its beleaguered performers are reaching up for a last payday with bravery, one-liners and self-delusion. Fittingly it is in boxing's capital, in a faded downtown Vegas casino with a hooker for company, that the author, a boxing writer and sometime boxer's agent, reflects on his own exit from the scene. As the boxing world starts to recede, the characters he has lived with, and for, rear sharply into focus one last time: the astonishing Jack Kid Berg, and Kid Chocolate the Havana Dandy, and 'Sweet C' McMillan. This Bloody Mary is the journey of an obsession. It started innocently enough. But as it proceeds, the arc lights begin to shift, until even the shadows in the minds of those who inhabit and surround the ring seem caught in their glare.