fight

Fight: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Ass-Kicking but Were Afraid You'd Get Your Ass Kicked for Asking
$34.95
Great book, very well written, tons of storys and anecdotes that will make you laugh and that will conjur some deep thoughts!

If you are into the world of MMA and/or combat sports it is a must read!

Fight Quest
$24.98
This is a solid DVD set. I have watched most of the episodes now, and was impressed.

The guys train boxing in Mexico, Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil with a Gracie camp, Muay Thai, Kali, and Krav Maga to name a few. All of which were highly entertaining. This may not be a "how to" DVD, but rather a peak inside each of the different styles.

I would not advise using these as training DVDs, as some of the stuff they do is pretty brutal, and I'm thinking this was done for entertainment purposes. Thats not to say that this is all fake, I believe what they were doing, and even use some of the things I saw in my training, but my advice is not to beat training partners into a pulp everyday!

Got Fight?: The 50 Zen Principles of Hand-to-Face Combat
$23.99
Most people who don't understand the booming popularity of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) believe the following:

1) The main attraction of the sport is watching two guys pound the living daylights out of each other in a cage with the audience thirsting for blood.

2) MMA fighters are a bunch of unintelligent, psychotic and violent nutcases who should either be committed to a high-security mental health facility or locked up in prison.

Most MMA fans (of which I am one) know that neither is true.

For me, the appeal of MMA is that the sport is, at essence, a contest of wills. Often, it's not physical skills that determine the outcome of a fight, but the will of the fighter. And it's not just the will of the fighter in the cage; it's the will of the fighter in the months of preparation and training prior to the fight. The fighter who has the will to train hard, learn with discipline, study his opponent, and not quit is usually the one who will have his arm raised in victory.

The appreciation of MMA deepens once you get to know the fighters. These are not street thugs. Chuck Liddell has a business degree from Cal Poly. Kenny Florian has a bachelor's degree from Boston College. Randy Couture has a degree in German from Oklahoma State. German! Who majors in German?

Which brings me to Forrest Griffin. He is a top fighter. Although he looks like a street thug and the cover of the book resembles a mug shot, Forrest is a former police office with a degree in political science from the University of Georgia. And he's written a book.

If you're easily offended by crude stories and vulgar language, Got Fight is not for you.

If you're looking for an autobiography or an in-depth, serious look at MMA techniques, this book is not for you.

If you're looking for a hilarious and uniquely enlightening read, look no further. I've read several books on MMA and this is the only one that had me laughing on every page. Forrest entertains while giving insight into the life of a professional fighter, warts and all.

The book starts with a test to see if you're manly enough to read it. Now that I've warned you, don't go trying to study for it. It won't help. Either you're manly or not. It's too late to do anything about it now.

Once you get past that hurdle, Forrest covers the physical, mental and business aspects of fighting. Then he gives you 42 fighting tips and miscellaneous advice on how to pick up women, get into the hot nightclubs, and deal with MMA groupies. Along the way, there are little "asides" where Forrest's buddies tell funny, humiliating stories about him.

As a bonus, Forrest ends the book with a chapter titled, "The Vault of Supersecret Techniques". But don't cheat and jump to the back of the book without first passing the test and reading the other chapters. Forrest will know and he'll come after you.

If there's one thing I can say to recommend this book is that by the time you're finished, you're guaranteed to not just admire Forrest and not just know more about him, but you'll find that you really like the guy (in a manly way, of course).

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Michael Mihalik is the author of Debt is Slavery: and 9 Other Things I Wish My Dad Had Taught Me About Money. Learn how to gain control of your finances, pay off your debt, and create financial security.
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Here are some other MMA books you might enjoy (but don't expect them to be as funny as this one):

Blood in the Cage: Mixed Martial Arts, Pat Miletich, and the Furious Rise of the UFC

A Fighter's Heart: One Man's Journey Through the World of Fighting

Title Shot: Into the Shark Tank of Mixed Martial Arts

The War of Words
$6.99
Powerful showing from Rob Halford's first band. Had the album long ago but lost it, so picked it back up for collection purposes. Favorite songs are Nailed to the Gun and Into the Pit. Must own for Judas Priest / Rob Halford fans.