26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must-read for any sports or psychology fan, Feb 9 2010
By M. E. Bobola - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Fighter's Mind, The: Inside the Mental Game (Hardcover)
The Fighter's Mind is an incredible look at the mental part of competition and life. Through the lens of combat sports, Sam Sheridan goes around the world in search of answers to various questions about how top personalities think about fighting. The book is laid out in the form of short sections about each of the people that Sam talks to. People like Dan Gable, Freddie Roach, Greg Jackson, Renzo Gracie, and Randy Couture answer Sheridan's excellent questions with thoughtful and insightful responses that are presented in such a way that you get a very good look at how they think about the fight game and what in their lives have made them reach that point.
Sam also covers areas outside of fighting, but areas that are thematically related. He talks to David Horton about endurance running, and he talks to Josh Waitzkin about moving from chess to tai chi to jiu-jitsu. In each section, Sheridan lets the subject be as concise or explanatory as they need to be on the page. He interjects his own experience into the responses, always at the correct time and always with an astute bit to enhance what the passage is about.
I'd say that this isn't just the best combat sports book I've read. This is the best sports book I've read. It's the best psychology book I've read. It is as thorough a meditation on the human passion for fighting and testing oneself as has ever been written. If you are at all interested in mixed martial arts, boxing, traditional martial arts, the human mind, or competition, you owe it to yourself to check this book out. As far as Sam Sheridan's catalogue of modern combat sports goes, I can definitely say that he is the A.J. Liebling of this generation.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love it but a Caution, July 18 2010
By Caestus "Arnie Fan" - Published on Amazon.com
I am a huge fan of the author's previous work, "A Fighter's Heart" and this book is equally as good. A caution I would pose to a reader: the book is great fun if you read it as a travelogue, rather than a true in depth analysis into sports psychology as it relates to fighting.
13 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a great read!, Jan 24 2010
By T. Mcilwain - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Fighter's Mind, The: Inside the Mental Game (Hardcover)
As a fan of Sheridan's first book, I was optimistic this would be a good book. I was wrong.
It was great. As each chapter works as a stand alone excerpt, they all tied together beautifully. The insight from such a varied list of fighters (in all styles) like Andre Ward, Marcelo Garcia, Renzo Gracie, and others was
eye opening.
If you consider yourself any fan of fighting or want to know what makes successful competitors tick, you absolutely need to read The Fighter's Mind.