A powerful story of sadness, hope, pride, honour and triumph from the real-life Rocky! Raw, confronting and honest, UFC champion Mark Hunt's inspiring autobiography shows it is possible to defy the odds and carve a better life. Born into a Mormon Samoan family, Hunt details his harrowing early life, his troubled teen years, and his angry youth with no apparent future. After being plucked from an Auckland street fight and dropped into his first kickboxing bout, Mark went on to achieve unprecedented success in Australian and New Zealand combat sports. In an ongoing career that has spanned the globe, Mark Hunt has been in some of the UFC, Pride and K-1's most memorable battles. But in some ways those fights pale in comparison to that which he has overcome out of the ring and cage. As fearless with his opinions as he is in the Octagon, Mark pulls no punches in revealing the highs and lows of his extraordinary life.

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

Greg Jackson was raised in a neighborhood where he had to fight to survive. He tried every martial art he could get his hands on, only to find they all lacked practicality. He developed his own system instead, and is now the most accomplished and celebrated mixed martial arts coach in the world. In "Jackson's Mixed Martial Arts," he brings you into his stable of fighters, which includes UFC welterweight champion Georges St Pierre, former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans, and top ranked contenders Nate Marquardt, Keith Jardine, Donald oCowboyo Cerrone and Joey Villasenor. For the first time he unveils his methods of ground fighting that have enabled his fighters to dominate every MMA promotion and every grappling competition in the U.S. Every ground fighting situation is addressed from ground and pound to passing the guard, along with loads of submissions.

Winner - 2013 USA Best Books AwardWinner - 2013 IP's Book Award Finalist - 2013 Book of the Year Award by ForeWord Magazine Regardless of strength, size, age, or gender, you can learn krav maga techniques to fend off an armed attacker. Israeli Krav Maga is the Israel Defense Force's official self-defense system. The system is simple, instinctive, adaptable, and if necessary, brutally effective to thwart a life threatening assault. Krav maga is particularly world renowned for its weapon defenses. This book presents the most up-to-date and effective techniques to prevail against armed threats and attacks. These techniques are incorporated into the green, blue, brown, and black belt levels of the Israeli krav maga curriculum. Many of these updated defenses have never been seen before. Grandmaster Haim Gidon has improved and evolved this material with the late krav maga founder Imi Lichtenfeld's formal approval. Contents include these important topics: *Weapon awareness training; functionality, range, and deployment*Dominant control holds over a stunned assailant*Edged weapon defenses*Impact weapon defenses*Handgun defenses*Rifle defenses*Defending against weapons while on the ground*Defending against continuous attacks*Non-conventional weapon threats*First-party hostage situations*Kravist weapon defense drills The conditioning and hand-eye coordination achieved by practicing these techniques will tone your muscles, improve your reflexes, and get you street prepared. This is the most up-to-date, authoritative, and advanced guide to the world's premier weapons defense tactics.

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.

Winner - 2013 USA Best Books AwardFinalist - 2013 Book of the Year Award by ForeWord Magazine In a free and peaceful society where so many have been taught that all violence is wrong, citizens are often confused and dismayed when officers use force, even when the force is perfectly lawful and justified. This book allows you to 'take' a basic USE OF FORCE class just as if you were a rookie at the police academy. Below are some highlights of what is included in 'your' basic use of force class: SECTION 1. TRAINING. I explain policy and laws that officers are taught. We examine use of force, how to define a threat, and the difference between excessive force and unnecessary force. SECTION 2. CHECKS AND BALANCES. This section explains how an officer's decisions are examined if suspected of being bad decisions. SECTION 3. EXPERIENCE. We explore how officers see the world that they live in. Somewhere in the fog between training and experience, the officer has to make a decision. Sometimes decisions will be made in a fraction of a second and on partial information. Sometimes a decision will change the lives of everyone involvedforever. SECTION 4. ABOUT YOU. Review what you should have learned. Why does community action fail? What is it that can really be done? Know how to behave when faced by an officer. Until this section, I have tried to put you in the headspace of an officer, giving you an overview of his training and a taste of his experiences. Now I will try to let you feel like a suspect. That's a lot of mind bending for one book. Get plenty of sleep and drink lots of water.

Traditionally, the martial arts community believed that engaging in weight training was detrimental to the performance of the art, that it would hinder one's flexibility, speed, and agility. To be effective fighters, martial artists had to be quick and light on their feet like Bruce Lee and other slim and small, but powerful fighters. They maintained that karate was all about good techniques and proper timing and that muscle size has little to do with it. After all, the art of self-defense lies in the premise that smaller, weaker people can defend themselves effectively against larger, stronger opponents. While it's true that good technique and proper timing are essential, there's no reason to believe that muscular fitness will hinder a martial artist's effectiveness. In fact, just the opposite is true: with increased strength comes the enhanced ability to defend oneself. A well-designed weight-training routine--in addition to regular martial arts practice--will make practitioners stronger, not slower. In some cases, it can even improve their speed. Fortunately, the attitude toward weight training in the martial arts community has changed--largely due to an abundance of scientific data showing the positive effects of weight training for all kinds of sports. Today's athletes have much to gain by using weights to improve their performance. For martial artists, these gains include increased strength, increased resistance to fatigue, and even decreased risk of injury. In this book, veteran martial artist and fitness expert Mikhail Krupnik shows readers how to design a weight-training program to fit their individual needs and goals. From all-important safety issues, determining one's levelof fitness, and setting goals, to specific exercises, sample routines, and even proper nutrition--he covers everything martial artists need to know to enhance their performance with weight training.

With over 45 years of experience in the ring, on the mat, and in the street, Loren W. Christensen understands the daily challenges martial artists face. In this book he has put together a collection of over 400 tips, drills, principles, concepts, and exercises to give you the edge, no matter what style of martial art you practice. Discover quick and innovative ways to improve your punching, kicking, sparring, and self-defense skills-plus dozens of tips to develop speed, power, and flexibility. If you are feeling stuck or bored in your martial arts routine, Loren's no-nonsense style will get you up and training with a fire you have not felt in years. Highlights include: *10 ways to improve your speed*5 ways to increase your power*10 ways to train for self-defense*10 ways to improve health and fitness*Dozens of tips for improving kicks, blocks, and hand strikes*Guidance on psychological preparation Fighter's Fact Book includes hundreds of training methods drawn from the author's vast experience, research, and interviews with top instructors from around the country. This is an essential reference for every martial arts student and instructor.

Pocket Tai Chi for Beginners is the perfect introduction to this popular exercise discipline--now in a handy, inexpensive format! This book presents the "Simplified Tai Chi" method created by China's Ministry of Physical Culture and Sports. Unlike traditional Tai Chi, which has over 80 complicated movement sequences or forms, Simplified Tai Chi has 24 short and easy-to-remember movement forms which provide all the health benefits but are far easier for ordinary people to learn and practice on a daily basis. This book provides everything you need--step-by-step instructions and over 160 clear and simple illustrations. Tai Chi is the fastest-growing martial art in the world today--due to its physical, mental and spiritual benefits--combining low-impact exercise, self-healing, meditation and a philosophy of life all in one. Benefits of Tai Chi include: Reducing falls by improving flexibility and balance Relieving joint pain Reducing stress and anxiety Lower blood pressure Strengthened core, legs and upper body Master Tri Thong Dang is one of America's most respected Tai Chi instructors who has trained many thousands of practitioners. His easy-to-follow method highlights the spiritual essence of Tai Chi and at the same time its graceful simplicity.

Breaking the MMA language barrier for those who don't know the difference between a wristlock and a wristwatch, this guide offers various perspectives and analysis of the sport. Presents a combination of facts, fundamentals, and fighters of this growing combat sport.

If you’re a serious shooter and reloader, you’ll find the cartridges you love — and many you never dreamed of — in this newest edition of the most widely read cartridge reference book ever published.

Here are the latest introductions in standard American sporting cartridges and hottest proprietary rounds, plus authoritative feature articles by the gun industry’s heavy hitters spotlighting everything from the esoteric to the state of the art in ammo. Cartridge design, application, selection, tips, and more ... this book is packed with everything shooters, handloaders and cartridge collectors need to know. Now more extensive than ever at 704 pages, you’ll find information and data on old, new and currently manufactured ammo. Heavily illustrated with more than 1,500 photos, this book is your ultimate guide to current and historical ammunition for handguns, rifles and shotguns.

Features:

• Details on more than 1,500 cartridges
• Updated spec and reference charts
• Full-color feature section on shooting and ballistics
• Expert advice on handloads and cartridge selection
• Dozens of new entries, including trendsetting wildcats

From the latest cutting-edge factory loads to wildcats that will set ballistic trends for years to come, plus updated cartridge descriptions and the newly expanded full-color feature article section, Cartridges of the World, 17th Edition is the most comprehensive reference of its kind and a must-have for your library or reloading bench.

Focusing on essential principles, this overview illustrates jujitsu's most effective trapping technique. From elementary figure-4 lock characteristics to variations on multiple positions, practitioners of all skill levels will learn how to utilize basic methods through detailed photographic sequences and easy-to-read captions. Accessible and comprehensive, this guidebook will prove invaluable to both beginning and advanced grapplers.

As a study of one of jujitsu's most essential principles, this book breaks down the art's most effective trapping technique. From fundamental figure-4 lock characteristics to figure-4 variations from multiple positions, practitioners of all skill levels will learn how to utilize these powerful pressure holds through detailed photographic sequences and easy-to-read captions. Accessible and comprehensive, this guidebook will prove invaluable to both beginning and advanced grapplers.

Barbaric. Savage. Violent. Words often used by critics to describe the sport of mixed martial arts. To this can be added lucrative, popular and flourishing. MMA has seen astronomical growth since the 2000s, spurred on by its biggest promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC). Along the way, legal issues have plagued the sport. This book provides an overview of the most important cases and controversies arising both inside and outside of the cage-antitrust suits by fighters against promoters, fighters suing other fighters, drug testing, contractual issues, and the need for federal regulation.

The surprising roots of the self-defense movement and the history of women's empowerment. At the turn of the twentieth century, women famously organized to demand greater social and political freedoms like gaining the right to vote. However, few realize that the Progressive Era also witnessed the birth of the women's self-defense movement. It is nearly impossible in today's day and age to imagine a world without the concept of women's self defense. Some women were inspired to take up boxing and jiu-jitsu for very personal reasons that ranged from protecting themselves from attacks by strangers on the street to rejecting gendered notions about feminine weakness and empowering themselves as their own protectors. Women's training in self defense was both a reflection of and a response to the broader cultural issues of the time, including the women's rights movement and the campaign for the vote. Perhaps more importantly, the discussion surrounding women's self-defense revealed powerful myths about the source of violence against women and opened up conversations about the less visible violence that many women faced in their own homes. Through self-defense training, women debunked patriarchal myths about inherent feminine weakness, creating a new image of women as powerful and self-reliant. Whether or not women consciously pursued self-defense for these reasons, their actions embodied feminist politics. Although their individual motivations may have varied, their collective action echoed through the twentieth century, demanding emancipation from the constrictions that prevented women from exercising their full rights as citizens and human beings. This book is a fascinating and comprehensive introduction to one of the most important women's issues of all time. This book will provoke good debate and offer distinct responses and solutions.

Gong fu, the indigenous martial art of China, was exported into American popular culture through numerous "kung fu" movies in the 20th century. Perhaps the most renowned of the martial arts in the U.S., gong fu remains often misunderstood, perhaps because of its esoteric practices that include aspects of Daoism, Confucianism, Buddhism and other syncretic elements. Using the science of embodiment-the study of the interaction between body, mind, cognition, behavior and environment-practitioner and teacher R.F. Gonzalez explores the relationships among practitioner, praxis, spirituality, philosophy and the body in gong fu. Drawing on familiar routines, films, artifacts and art, the author connects the reader to ancient Chinese culture, philosophy, myth, shamanism and ritual.

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.

Winning Fights focuses on 2,500 years of proven fighting principles originating from Eastern concepts and proceeding to the modern era. This book is for pugilists seeking an edge in competition as well as soldiers and law enforcement officers facing conflict. Like The Art of War and The Book of Five Rings, however, many of its lessons also apply to the world of business and negotiation. Dr. Stephens looked beyond the technical to the conceptual and found that winning fights requires twelve core principles: preparation, awareness, commitment, lethality, efficiency, discipline, power, focus, fierceness, surprise, timing, and fortitude. This book features: Twelve principles for winning fights A survey of Eastern and Western traditions An intelligent yet accessible discussion of these concepts With this book you will Learn to see beyond fighting tactics, which change, to fighting principles, which endure See your training in powerful new ways “Winning Fights is based on principles, not techniques,” Dr. Stephens writes. “Technique is important, but techniques change, adapt, and evolve. Principles are timeless.”

You will fight how you train. That's why Fighter's Fact Book 2 presents a critical look at training and real-world applications. When you've mastered the skills taught in this book, you will truly be ready to defend yourself in some of the most desperate situations imaginable. You will learn how to defend yourself against multiple assailants, violent dogs, and knife attacks. You'll learn how to contend with close-quarters attacks and adversaries who are impervious to pain. You'll also get no-nonsense instruction on fighting wounded and the justified use of extreme tactics. Loren W. Christensen shares lessons from his decades of martial arts training and law enforcement experience. He has also enlisted a host of expert contributors: *Lt. Col. Dave Grossman*Iain Abernethy*Rory Miller*Kris Wilder*Lawrence Kane*Alain Burrese*Wim Demeere*Richard Dimitri*Mark Mireles*Tim Delgman*Dan Anderson These men are proven survivors, and their multidisciplinary analyses will change the way you see training and fighting. The authors will show you how to make your street techniques fast and explosive, and how to prepare yourself mentally to use extreme force. These skills are not for the faint of heart. They are hardcore techniques intended to save your life or the life of a loved one.