Combat Sports Books

Five years before the Saints took over the Superdome in 1985, New Orleans was one of the hottest cities in the Mid-South for Pro Wrestling. The reason for this was a man named Sylvester Ritter, AKA 'The Junkyard Dog'. He became a legend in the Big Easy, drawing nearly non-stop sellout crowds to the ...

World-reknowned experts George Dillman and Chris Thomas reveal the secrets of Pressure Point Fighting in unprecedented detail. In a work destined to become a martial arts classic, the authors reveal treasures of the combat arts that have been hidden for generations. Copiously illustrated and profoun...

Living and dying with bravery and honor is at the heart of "Hagakure," a series of texts written by an eighteenth-century samurai, Yamamoto Tsunetomo. It is a window into the samurai mind, illuminating the concept of "bushido" (the Way of the Warrior), which dictated how samurai were expected to beh...

"The Blueprint For Modern Self Defense: Adopting The Martial Way Of Life, " is the most complete manual ever written on functional self-defense and its application to everyday life. From gun and knife defense, to street kickboxing, street clinching, takedowns, and street ground work, this book has s...

In order to master Taijiquan you must begin with the most fundamental steps, and systematically work up to the advanced levels, slowly building up your knowledge and technique as you go. This book explains the five levels of Taijichuan from complete beginner to highest level practitioner. Presenting...

"The Internal Structure of Cloud Hands" offers readers an in-depth look into the art of T'ai Chi Ch'uan via the practice of Cloud Hands, a foundational exercise common to all schools of this popular martial art. Part theoretical treatise, part training manual, this book facilitates a deeper understa...

In the Ring With Tommy Burns is the sixth book in Adam J. Pollack's heavyweight boxing champion series. It thoroughly and meticulously describes Tommy Burns' boxing career, using multiple local next-day primary sources to give the book an unparalleled accuracy and authenticity that has been the hall...

Brock Lesnar has been, and is one of the most popular - and polarizing - figures in sports and sports entertainment. Whether fans love him or hate him, they never miss an opportunity to watch Brock when he squares off with an opponent. He is a celebrity of the first order, but disdains fame, avoids ...

With the success of the critically-acclaimed, Academy Award-winning film "The Fighter," the world stood up and cheered for the inspiring true story of Micky Ward--a heart-and-soul warrior who overcame the odds to make history in the ring. But that was only part of the tale... Now, in his own words, ...

Thanks to a combination of physical prowess, indomitable will, and sharp and unconventional powers of observation, Urijah. The California Kid Faber has risen to the top of the mixed martial arts food chain. In "The Laws of the Ring", he draws from these strengths, providing a unique and deeply perso...

Ultimate: The Complete Guide to UFC and Mixed Martial Arts - the full-contact combat sport that is taking the world by storm. Aimed at Australian MMA fans as well as newcomers, it combines photos, information and instruction like no other book, including: how MMA became the world's fastest-growing s...

The "Ninja" were the medieval equivalent of the SAS; the original men in black. They were Japan's spies, assassins, saboteurs and secret agents - and the subject of countless legends. But they were also real. Could they fly? Could they make themselves invisible? Of course not. But they did have rema...

William Lawrence Stribling, Jr. was born in a small southern Georgia town in 1904. He should have lived out his years in that rural setting, but he became a professional prizefighter by the age of sixteen. Though a fatal accident kept him from winning the championship title he sought, "Young" Stribl...

Originally published in 1991, the first edition of "The Wrestling Drill Book" was purchased by over 15,000 coaches and parents. Dennis Johnson, Ed.D., a former wrestler, successful wrestling coach, and expert in the science of sports skills teaching and instruction, provides coaches with a wealth of...

Mick Foley is a nice man, a family man who loves amusement parks and eating ice cream in bed. So how to explain those Japanese death matches in rings with explosives, golden thumbtacks and barbed wire instead of rope? The second-degree burn tissue? And the missing ear that was ripped off during a bo...

Named for his catchphrase, 'Listen, you pencil-neck geeks' and written with Keith Elliot Greenberg, this is the colourful autobiography of one of the most memorable personalities ever to enter the wrestling world. Freddie Blassie weaves vibrant tales of fellow stars like John Tolos, The Destroyer, K...

This is the only independent biography of Bruce Lee, and it is complete in terms of both the martial arts and the movies.Author BiographyBruce Thomas is the author of Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit -- the definitive full-length biography of Bruce Lee. He trained in Kung Fu with the late master Derek Jon...

Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was one extreme contradiction piled on top of another. It was an incredibly influential company in the world of professional wrestling during the 1990s, yet it was never profitable. It portrayed itself as the ultimate in anti-authority rebellion, but its leadersh...

This new series of illustrated paperbacks is designed to provide clear, expert advice for enthusiasts of the fastest growing martial arts, and sets new standards for martial art instruction. Each title is written by a highly qualified master/teacher who has been closely involved in the creation of t...

Advocating for an integrated, nonpartisan approach to the art of grappling, this handbook focuses completely on the fundamental defensive concepts and principles of mixed martial arts, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and submission fighting. Submission techniques are demonstrated in complementary positions--in...

First contested in 1993, the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) is a unique combat sport where elite opponents from a range of different fight backgrounds - Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, Boxing, Judo, Kung Fu, Karate and Kickboxing - all compete to identify the most effective martial art in a re...

Brock Lesnar has been, and is one of the most popular - and polarizing - figures in sports and sports entertainment. Whether fans love him or hate him, they never miss an opportunity to watch Brock when he squares off with an opponent. He is a celebrity of the first order, but disdains fame, avoids ...

Anderson "The Spider" Silva--Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, boxing and Muay Thai specialist and current UFC middleweight champion--is the most decorated martial artist in the UFC. In "Mixed Martial Arts Instruction Manual: The Muay Thai Clinch, Takedowns, Takedown Defense & Ground Fighting," Silva ...

An intimate profile of the legendary mixed martial arts (MMA) referee, this first full-length autobiography of pop culture icon "Big" John McCarthy details every aspect of his life - from his strong-handed Los Angeles upbringing to his involvement in the naming of the sport, his role in its regulati...

With his shellacking of Antonio Margarito in November 2010, Manny "PacMan" Pacquiao became the only boxer ever to win eight world championships in eight different weight classes. Proclaimed the "fighter of the decade" by ESPN and recently elected Congressman in the Philippines, he is an inspiration ...

From its early beginnings in the ancient Shaolin Buddhist monasteries of China to its depiction in scores of contemporary martial arts films, the classical style of Shaolin Kung Fu continues to reign supreme as the original and most important body of martial arts techniques in the world. This dynami...

Madison Square Garden... the Garden... that marvellous New York arena that has seen Pavarotti, Sinatra and Streisand, Elvis, Elton John and The Rolling Stones all hold centre stage; an arena that has hosted the very best in ice hockey and basketball, wrestling, athletics and cycling.Author Biography...

In 1956, Floyd Patterson became at age 21 the youngest boxer to win the title of World Heavyweight Champion and then, later, the first ever to lose and regain it. In "Floyd Patterson: The Fighting Life of Boxing's Invisible Champion", acclaimed author W. K. Stratton chronicles the life of 'The Gentl...

Sport can offer catharsis in times of crisis, but not this time. Liston was a mob fighter with a criminal past, and rumours were spreading that Clay was not just a noisy, bright-eyed boy blessed with more than his share of the craziness of youth, but a believer in a shadowy cult: the Nation of Islam...

A LION'S TALE documented Chris Jericho's journey from small-time dreamer to big-time superstar, from Winnipeg, Canada, to undisputed WWE heavyweight champion of the world. But UNDISPUTED kicks off just as the fantasy begins to unravel. Faced with endless internal politics on his rise to the top of t...

Budo transcends simple combat techniques to ultimately attain a world of peace. Budo includes an array of martial arts developed in Japan, among them Aikido, Judo, Karatedo, Kyudo, and Kendo. In this book, grandmaster Hatsumi explores the essence of Budo, and demonstrates a range of important techni...

Delivering an inside account of one of wrestling's most famous fighters, this autobiography offers a rare chance to learn about Joe 'Animal' Laurinaitis' life both inside and outside the ring. Revealing riveting stories about his participation in the 1980s and 1990s superstar wrestling team the Road...

What were the ten most fantastic knockouts in boxing history? Which pugilist had the greatest jab of all time? What were the sports most intense rivalries? Who scored the biggest upsets in the sports annals? Which fighters have the best nicknames? These questions and many others are answered in this...

'Did you see the big fight this weekend?' - this question used to be about boxing matches, when the giants of the fight world were Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis. Now fans are leaving the sweet science in droves for the combat sport of the future: Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). The MMA Encyclopaedia puts th...

Listen to an audio sample online in MP3 format--click here. Here is one of the most influential texts on the subtle arts of confrontation and victory ever to emerge from Asia. Composed in 1643 by the famed duelist and undefeated samurai Miyamoto Musashi, "The Book of Five Rings" analyzes the process...

Joe Louis defended his heavyweight boxing title an astonishing twenty-five times and reigned as world champion for more than eleven years. He got more column inches of newspaper coverage in the 1930s than FDR did. His racially and politically charged defeat of Max Schmeling in 1938 made Louis a nati...

"Ki "represents the life force behind the Japanese martial art of aikido. To aikidoists "ki" is the universal spirit present in all things, and it can also be compared to the Hebrew "Ruach" and the Greek "Pneuma," meaning "smoke," "wind," or "spirit." The book includes extensively illustrated step-b...

Manny Pacquiao, 31, was recently named Fighter of the Decade by the Boxing Writers Association and is the only fighter ever to capture seven championship belts in seven different weight classes. But few could have imagined that Pacquiao would have ever reached the pinnacle of his sport, considering...