There's more to winning battles than fists and feetFor world-renowned professional fighter Georges St-Pierre, the greatest asset is not physical strength or athleticism--it's a sense of purpose. From his beginnings as a small, mercilessly bullied child first discovering karate to his years as a struggling garbage collector who spent all his free time in the gym, his hard-fought rise in the sport of mixed martial arts, and his long, painful recovery from a career-threatening injury, Georges never lost sight of his ambition to become the greatest martial artist of all time. In The Way of the Fight, Georges for the first time reveals what propelled him not only to become a champion but to embrace obstacles as opportunities to build character.Georges's story is interwoven with fascinating insights from those who know him best: his mother, who tells of his drive to master new skills, even as a child. His mentor Kristof Midoux, who describes a young fighter with an extraordinary sense of discipline. His Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu teacher John Danaher, who witnessed the development of an indomitable work ethic. His coach Firas Zahabi, who worked alongside the champion through a potentially career-ending injury. And his longtime friend, training partner and manager, Rodolphe Beaulieu, who may understand this intensely focused athlete more than anyone.The Way of the Fight is an inspirational look into the mindset of a master. To Georges, all life is competition, and there's no more perfect metaphor for competition than the life of a fighter. He explains the value of discipline, risk and even fear, with the wisdom of one who knows that nothing is assured--his next fight could always be his last. Drawing inspiration from fighting legends, Eastern philosophy and a trusted inner circle, The Way of the Fight is a powerful, life-changing guide to living with purpose and finding the way to accomplish your loftiest goals.

The legs are powerful tools that a grappler in any combat sport can and should use to their advantage. The purpose of The Triangle Hold Encyclopedia is to explore and analyze what makes a successful leg-based triangle hold, along with the numerous applications and variations that make triangle holds the most effective submission techniques in any fighting sport. The Triangle Hold Encyclopedia presents a comprehensive analysis of triangle submission holds and the numerous applications, variations, set ups, and positions from which they are applied. Included throughout are technical tips, and discussions of how to systematically teach and study triangle holds so they become an effective part of your fighting and grappling arsenal. Contents include Triangle holds starting from the bottom guard position Triangle holds starting from in front of an opponent Triangle holds starting from a top or back ride position Triangle holds starting from a holding or pinning position Prevention, defense, and escapes for triangle holds A central characteristic of this book is that the skills presented can be used in a variety of fighting and grappling sports. As important as the power of the legs may be, knowing how to use that power is even more important - and that's what this book is about.

Describing the principles and techniques that define Japan's most popular style of swordsmanship, this martial arts manual gives practitioners master-level instruction. This book is a collection of the most effective and proven fighting methods spanning from the feudal to the modern eras. It illuminates the art with masterful photography and is accompanied by in-depth descriptions of the methods perfected by Japan's ancient warrior class. Providing instruction on the etiquette, fundamental footwork, striking, countering, defensive tactics, test cutting, maintenance, and safety needed for proficiency in authentic swordsmanship, this expert guide transports martial arts practitioners beyond mere physical technique and opens the door to self-mastery through the use of the samurai sword.

The result of extensive research, including an analysis of over 140 active shooter/killer incidents, Krav Maga Extreme Survival provides an apolitical view of personal safety--concentrating on practical methods to survive violent situations. In his third book, Gershon Ben Keren explains how Krav Maga techniques can be used to survive some of the most relevant, extreme situations including carjackings, home invasions and attempted mass killings. The book also details predator profiling methods to aid in the prediction, prevention and avoidance of violence. Demonstrating effective solutions that have been tried and tested in both the real world and through reconstructions of real-life events, each section of Krav Maga Extreme Survival presents detailed instructions alongside a series of photographs that show how to defend yourself and others against: Attacks in workplaces, homes and public places Instances of domestic violence including violent and abusive relationships Assailants armed with knives, handguns, long barrel firearms, explosives, and improvised weapons Attacks in cars and other confined and restricted spaces Vehicular rammings Unarmed attackers One-on-one assaults and attacks targeting a group Emphasizing a dynamic assessment of your environment, combined with a rapid response, Krav Maga Extreme Survival teaches practitioners to neutralize an assailant's advantage early, before the situation escalates.

Finally Frank has brought his unique style of training unto the screen! A brief description of the contents of this epic training DVD is: Body Tone & Stretching; Blocking & Applications; Punching & Applications; Kicking & Applications; Knife Attack & applications; Grappling; Breathing & Meditation; and, Road Rage - Cashpoint Machines - Car Parks! Extra Features include History of Karate-Do / Interviews with students / Deleted Scenes! The perfect viewing - The Complete Guide! Approximate running time: 180 minutes.

The inspiration for the Jedi knights of Star Wars and the films of Akira Kurosawa, the legendary Japanese samurai have captured modern imaginations. Yet with these elite warriors who were bound by a code of honor called Bushido--the Way of the Warrior--the reality behind the myth proves more fascinating than any fiction. In Samurai, celebrated author John Man provides a unique and captivating look at their true history, told through the life of one man: Saigo Takamori, known to many as "the last samurai." In 1877 Takamori led a rebel army of samurai in a heroic "last stand" against the Imperial Japanese Army, who sought to end the "way of the sword" in favor of firearms and modern warfare. Man's thrilling narrative brings to life the hidden world of the samurai as never before.

The culmination of 25 years of research, Alex Bennett's groundbreaking English translation of Miyamoto Musashi's The Book of Five Rings reveals the true meaning of the original work. Plus, definitive translations of five more known works of Musashi! This piece of writing by famed samurai Musashi (1584-1645) is the single-most influential work on samurai swordsmanship, offering insights into samurai history, the Zen Buddhist state of "no-mind" that enables warriors to triumph and the philosophical meaning of Bushido--"the way of the warrior." Until now, English translations of The Book of Five Rings have been based on inaccurate copies of Musashi's long-lost original manuscript. Bennett's translation is the first to be based on a careful reconstruction of the original text by Japan's foremost Musashi scholar. By identifying discrepancies among the existing copies, adding missing texts and correcting over 150 incorrect characters, this source is the closest representation of Musashi's original work possible. Utilizing this new source, Bennett captures the subtle nuance of the classic Japanese text, resulting in the most accurate English translation of The Book of Five Rings available Enjoy complete, richly annotated translations of Musashi's most-known works: The Book of Five Rings Mirror on the Way of Combat Notes on Combat Strategy Combat Strategy in 35 Articles The Five-Direction Sword Pathways The Path Walked Alone The texts are richly annotated by Bennett, who includes an extensive introduction on Musashi's life and legacy. This paperback edition also includes a new introduction by Kendo Kyoshi 7th Dan Graham Sayer, who talks about the influence Musashi's writings have had on him as a person and martial artist. The Complete Musashi: The Book of Five Rings and Other Works will be widely read by those interested in Japanese culture, Samurai history and martial arts--setting a new standard against which all other translations will be measured.

A breakout success and a "New York Times" bestseller in hardcover, "Got Fight?" is the uproarious and out of control book from Forrest Griffin, one of the most outrageous personalities in the Ultimate Fight Championship (UFC). The former light heavyweight champ of the UFC, Forrest is one of the UFC's biggest stars in mixed martials arts, the fastest-growing sport in the world. Now in "Got Fight?", the man who's been called 'the most popular fighter in the UFC' offers personal stories from inside and outside the Octagon to give readers a glimpse into the mind of a mixed martial artist and illustrate his 50 principles of being a fighter, with topics ranging from mentally preparing before a professional fight to kicking it into high gear when your ring is the street. Mixing his fighting tips with his own booming personality and his trademark sense of humour, Forrest creates his own unique, self-depricating version of self-help. In these pages, you will learn about true mental toughness - whether it's scraping it out in the Octagon or picking up chicks.

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.

Learn how to target the weaknesses of an attacker and effectively exploit them in order to defend yourself. The 36 Deadly Bubishi Points gives detailed explanations on how the pressure points of traditional Chinese medicine found in the Bubishi, the venerable "Bible of Karate," are used in attacking an opponent and how to defend yourself against such attacks. This book closely examines these vital points and the science behind them. While much has been written about the vital points and their medicinal importance, thanks to the popularity of practices such as acupuncture, martial research on the subject has been lacking. Cardwell discusses the vital points from the perspective of an experienced martial artist--including how the body's vital points are related to the 8 extraordinary vessels and 12 meridians which circulate energy throughout the body. Through detailed step-by-step instructions and over 96 photographs and illustrations, The 36 Deadly Bubishi Points shows how this knowledge can be employed in self-defense. Respond to an attacker by employing these ancient methods in modern, violent situations.

Martial Arts and Well-Being explores how martial arts as a source of learning can contribute in important ways to health and well-being, as well as provide other broader social benefits. Using psychological and sociological theory related to behaviour, ritual, perception and reality construction, the book seeks to illustrate, with empirical data, how individuals make sense of and perceive the value of martial arts in their lives. This book draws on data from over 500 people, across all age ranges, and powerfully demonstrates that participating in martial arts can have a profound influence on the construction of behaviour patterns that are directly linked to lifestyle and health. Making individual connections regarding the benefits of practice, improvements to health and well-being - regardless of whether these improvements are 'true' in a medical sense - this book offers an important and original window into the importance of beliefs to health and well-being as well as the value of thinking about education as a process of life-long learning. This book will be of great interest to a range of audiences, including researchers, academics and postgraduate students interested in sports and exercise psychology, martial art studies and health and well-being. It should also be of interest to sociologists, social workers and martial arts practitioners. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/doi/view/10.4324/9781315448084, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

Learn the stories, history, and strategy of the sport's greatest champions-in their own words! Mixed martial arts (MMA) has become one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. With Dana White helping bring Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to prominence and respectability, as well as Conor McGregor becoming one of the sport's biggest stars, fans are skipping the squared circle for the Octagon. In Champions of the Octagon, writer Fiaz Rafiq interviews many of the greatest MMA and UFC champions of all-time, including Georges St-Pierre, Holly Holm, Daniel Cormier, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Randy Couture, and many others. Readers will learn of their upbringings, their introductions to the sport, and how they worked their way to be the best ever. Spending decades covering the sport and building relationships with those who have fought in the Octagon, Rafiq shares never-before-seen interviews and intimate stories from these greats. Learn from Royce Gracie how his family helped bring Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to America, Anderson Silva on challenging boxing champion Roy Jones Jr., BJ Penn on how he got introduced to MMA, Brock Lesnar on using his skills from WWE and bringing them to UFC, Alexander Volkanovski on a quest to dominate his division, Holly Holm on dethroning Ronda Rousey, and so much more. From the early days of the sport and its rich history to today's stars and the future of MMA, Champions of the Octagon pulls back the curtain on their lives and careers. Including interviews from thirty-six UFC champions (seventeen Hall of Famers), hear never-before-told stories from the fighters who helped build the sport to what it is today.

This book investigates the weapons, history and development of the English fighting system and some of the beliefs and social pressures that helped mould it. The second half examines various English fighting techniques drawn from historical texts and manuscripts including bare-fist fighting, broadsword, quarterstaff, bill, sword and buckler and sword and dagger.

BECAUSE NOT ALL KRAV MAGA IS THE SAME (R) Hardcover format includes all photos in FULL COLOR! 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. This book presents the most up-to-date and effective techniques to prevail against armed threats and attacks. 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 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 Regardless of strength, size, age, or gender, you can learn krav maga techniques to fend off an armed attacker.

KISS - 'Keep it simple, stupid', the US Navy's acronym goes. So we have: no long, complicated instructions, no steps 1-8 of illustrations to follow. Just brief descriptions of hundreds of tips, exercises and moves that you can use to protect yourself. 501 Unarmed Self-Defence Skills takes the reader through all kinds of situations, from how to defuse a confrontation through body language to putting someone into a lock hold, from grappling and striking to defeating someone who's holding a gun. Clearly and briefly explained, the instructions of moves, throws and dodges can be understood in seconds and just might save your life. Written by a self-defence expert and with 100 black-&-white line artworks, 501 Unarmed Self-Defence Skills is an expert, pocket-sized guide to ducking, locking, holding, throwing, kicking and deflecting your way out of trouble.

This book is freely available in an open access edition thanks to TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem)-a collaboration of the Association of American Universities, the Association of University Presses, and the Association of Research Libraries-and the generous support of Duke University. A portrait of the game of capoeira and its practice across borders. Originating in the Black Atlantic world as a fusion of dance and martial art, capoeira was a marginalized practice for much of its history. Today it is globally popular. This ethnographic memoir weaves together the history of capoeira, recent transformations in the practice, and personal insights from author Katya Wesolowski's thirty years of experience as a capoeirista.Capoeira Connections follows Wesolowski's journey from novice to instructor while drawing on her decades of research as an anthropologist in Brazil, Angola, Europe, and the United States. In a story of local practice and global flow, Wesolowski offers an intimate portrait of the game and what it means in people's lives. She reveals camaraderie and conviviality in the capoeira ring as well as tensions and ruptures involving race, gender, and competing claims over how this artful play should be practiced. Capoeira brings people together and yet is never free of histories of struggle, and these too play out in the game's encounters. In her at once clear-sighted and hopeful analysis, Wesolowski ultimately argues that capoeira offers opportunities for connection, dialogue, and collaboration in a world that is increasingly fractured. In doing so, capoeira can transform lives, create social spheres, and shape mobile futures. Publication of this work made possible by a Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

"The Book of Five Rings " is one of the most insightful texts on the subtle arts of confrontation and victory to emerge from Asian culture. Written not only for martial artists but for anyone who wants to apply the timeless principles of this text to their life, the book analyzes the process of struggle and mastery over conflict that underlies every level of human interaction.
"The Book of Five Rings " was composed in 1643 by the famed duelist and undefeated samurai Miyamoto Musashi. Thomas Cleary's translation is immediately accessible, with an introduction that presents the spiritual background of the warrior tradition. Along with Musashi's text, Cleary translates here another important Japanese classic on leadership and strategy, "The Book of Family Traditions on the Art of War " by Yagyu Munenori, which highlights the ethical and spiritual insights of Taoism and Zen as they apply to the way of the warrior.

An examination of women's self-defense culture and its relationship to feminism.

I was once a frightened feminist. So begins Martha McCaughey's odyssey into the dynamic world of women's self- defense, a culture which transforms women involved with it and which has equally profound implications for feminist theory and activism.

Unprecedented numbers of American women are learning how to knock out, maim, even kill men who assault them. Sales of mace and pepper spray have skyrocketed. Some 14 million women own handguns. From behind the scenes at gun ranges, martial arts dojos, fitness centers offering Cardio Combat, and in padded attacker courses like Model Mugging, Real Knockouts demonstrates how self-defense trains women out of the femininity that makes them easy targets for men's abuse.

And yet much feminist thought, like the broader American culture, seems deeply ambivalent about women's embrace of violence, even in self-defense. Investigating the connection between feminist theory and women physically fighting back, McCaughey found self-defense culture to embody, literally, a new brand of feminism.

This seminal work by historian Alexander Bennett presents a broad overview of the Japanese "Way of the Warrior" as it is expressed in scores of classical Japanese texts written by famous Samurai themselves. Bennett's analysis of these writings shows that the essential meaning of Bushido, the Samurai's code of conduct and ethics, evolved significantly over time--from the 12th century when the warrior class was elevated to become an elite group, to the 19th century when the Samurai class was suddenly disbanded. Bushido Explained takes a visual approach to presenting important concepts and terminology, helping readers easily navigate the complex world of the Samurai. The text is written in a highly accessible style, with sidebars presenting interesting concepts, facts and important Samurai figures who were central to Bushido's evolution. The different types of Bushido--which vary by region, time period and Samurai rank--are presented with over 300 informative diagrams and illustrations. No other book offers such a wide-ranging, yet clear analysis of Bushido--debunking myths and misconceptions about who the Samurai truly were. Bushido Explained presents a precise overview of Samurai ideals and culture in a logical, chronological order. Author Alexander Bennett--a professor of Japanese history, martial arts and Budo theory at Kansai university in Japan--uses this information and teaching methods in his Japanese Studies: Introduction to Bushido class. Now, readers all over the world can sit in on the unique lesson.