In his acclaimed national best seller, A Fighter’s Heart, Sam Sheridan took readers with him as he stepped through the ropes into the dangerous world of professional fighting. From a muay Thai bout in Bangkok to Rio, where he trained with jiu-jitsu royalty, to Iowa, where he matched up against the toughest mixed martial arts stars, Sheridan threw himself into a quest to understand how and why we fight. In The Fighter’s Mind, Sheridan does for the brain what his first book did for the body. Every athlete knows that physical skill and conditioning are only a small part of what makes a champion. Sheridan heard time and again (in Yogi Berra fashion) that “fighting is ninety percent mental, half the time.” But what do fighters and trainers mean, exactly? Fighting—two guys in a ring smashing each other—is the ultimate physical endeavor. Are they spouting an empty cliché, or is there something more to it? To uncover the secrets of mental strength and success, Sheridan interviewed dozens of the world’s most fascinating and dangerous men. He spoke at length with celebrated trainers Freddie Roach and Greg Jackson; champion fighters Randy Couture, Frank Shamrock, and Marcelo Garcia; ultrarunner David Horton; chess prodigy (and the inspiration for Searching for Bobby Fischer) turned tai chi expert Josh Waitzkin; and the legendary wrestler Dan Gable, among others. What are their secrets? How do they stay committed through years of training, craft a game plan, and adjust to the realities of the ring? How do they hold strong to their identity, recover from crushing defeat, and rein in their ego after victory? How do they project strength when weak, and remain mentally tough despite incredible physical pain? This captivating book, bursting at the seams with incredible stories and fascinating insight will appeal to all readers, not just the large core of fighting fans. After all, as Sheridan writes in The Fighter’s Mind, “we’re all fighting something.”
| ||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
Review
"Another must read. . . . Sheridan never gets bogged down in psychology, rendering his book accessible even to non-fight fans. The lessons handed down from the book's subjects are fleshed out on their own and by Sheridan, painting a complete picture of the pain and joy it takes to get to the top, stay there, and eventually surrender the crown." --"FIGHT! Magazine"
"Fantastic ... One of the best MMA books I've ever read, and I've certainly read my fair share." --Eric O'Brien, "Way of the Warrior," ESPN radio
"You don't have to care about fighting, or even know that MMA stands for mixed martial arts, to find insights into human behavior in Sam Sheridan's The Fighter's Mind."--"Bloomberg"
"In tasking himself with peeling back the layers of a complex and multifaceted activity, [Sheridan is] raising the bar for everyone else. . . . If you want a better grip on a sport even some of its participants may not fully understand, his work is quickly becoming required reading." --Jake Rossen, ESPN.com
"The Fighter's Mind is an entertaining and enlightening read and is a worthy addition to any MMA fan's bookshelf." --Dave Doyle, Yahoo! Sports
"Sheridan wrote one of my favorite books of recent times, "The Fighter's Heart," and is one of those writers who could write about getting the oil changed in his car and still make it riveting ... So it comes as no surprise that "The Fighter's Mind" is a terrific read."--Jeff Fox, "MMA Manifesto"
"A must-read for fight fans." --Evan Holober, "The Queensberry Rules"
"Tirelessly curious and game, deftly sidestepping pretentiousness and macho posturing and all the other usual traps that snare writers who delve into the form and meaning of fighting, Sam Sheridan seeks out fearsome teachers and comes away with a rare prize a deep understanding of the mental aspect of the fighter's craft and what it can teach us about how--and how not--to live." --Carlo Rotella, author of "Cut Time, An Education atn --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
"Fantastic ... One of the best MMA books I've ever read, and I've certainly read my fair share." --Eric O'Brien, "Way of the Warrior," ESPN radio
"You don't have to care about fighting, or even know that MMA stands for mixed martial arts, to find insights into human behavior in Sam Sheridan's The Fighter's Mind."--"Bloomberg"
"In tasking himself with peeling back the layers of a complex and multifaceted activity, [Sheridan is] raising the bar for everyone else. . . . If you want a better grip on a sport even some of its participants may not fully understand, his work is quickly becoming required reading." --Jake Rossen, ESPN.com
"The Fighter's Mind is an entertaining and enlightening read and is a worthy addition to any MMA fan's bookshelf." --Dave Doyle, Yahoo! Sports
"Sheridan wrote one of my favorite books of recent times, "The Fighter's Heart," and is one of those writers who could write about getting the oil changed in his car and still make it riveting ... So it comes as no surprise that "The Fighter's Mind" is a terrific read."--Jeff Fox, "MMA Manifesto"
"A must-read for fight fans." --Evan Holober, "The Queensberry Rules"
"Tirelessly curious and game, deftly sidestepping pretentiousness and macho posturing and all the other usual traps that snare writers who delve into the form and meaning of fighting, Sam Sheridan seeks out fearsome teachers and comes away with a rare prize a deep understanding of the mental aspect of the fighter's craft and what it can teach us about how--and how not--to live." --Carlo Rotella, author of "Cut Time, An Education atn --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
<B>Sam Sheridan</B> joined the U.S. Merchant Marines after high school and then attended Harvard College, from which he graduated in 1998. He has written for<I>Men's Journal, Newsweek,</I> and<I>FIGHT!</I><BR>
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.ca
5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars
45 reviews
34 of 35 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
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
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.
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.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good Book on Sports Psychology
Sep 1 2011
By Crimson
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
With interviews from some of the best fighters and trainers in mixed martial arts and boxing, The Fighter's Mind is replete with the insights and words of wisdom of the elite in the fight game. The author travels to different top-notch gyms across the country, asking about the mental side of fighting.
With interviews from Frank Shamrock, Freddie Roach, and Greg Jackson and many others, you get to go briefly inside the minds of the best of the best. At about midway through the book, however, you pretty much get the point: if you want to great at fighting (or anything) you need to have a burning desire to be great, an obsession, really. That obsession, coupled with unshakable self-confidence in oneself, is what creates champions (among other things, of course).
The only problem I had with this book is that it kinda lost steam towards the end. After reading about two-thirds of the book, you begin to see the common thread between elite warriors, and it starts to get a little redundant. Ok, work very hard, want it more than anything else, and just believe, never give up...gotcha. And some fighters spoke of fighting in a very philosophical, poetic way that didn't make much sense, or at least not at first. The author goes into that tangentially in the final chapter titled "The Long Koan."
Overall, a decent book. It has all the ingredients to inspire and motivate, even if you have no serious interest in fighting.
With interviews from Frank Shamrock, Freddie Roach, and Greg Jackson and many others, you get to go briefly inside the minds of the best of the best. At about midway through the book, however, you pretty much get the point: if you want to great at fighting (or anything) you need to have a burning desire to be great, an obsession, really. That obsession, coupled with unshakable self-confidence in oneself, is what creates champions (among other things, of course).
The only problem I had with this book is that it kinda lost steam towards the end. After reading about two-thirds of the book, you begin to see the common thread between elite warriors, and it starts to get a little redundant. Ok, work very hard, want it more than anything else, and just believe, never give up...gotcha. And some fighters spoke of fighting in a very philosophical, poetic way that didn't make much sense, or at least not at first. The author goes into that tangentially in the final chapter titled "The Long Koan."
Overall, a decent book. It has all the ingredients to inspire and motivate, even if you have no serious interest in fighting.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Fighter's Mind
Oct 17 2012
By Michael J. Amos
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
This a a great look at the concept of excellence or mastery. The author is a Brazilian jujitsu guy so there is a lot of attention paid to BJJ and MMA which gets boring if you're not also into that but the tenants and principles are well founded and well thought out. There is some repetition in the book but I didn't find it as bothersome as other reviews I've read of it. To me the repetition worked well to further support the points this author was making. There are no great discoveries here just reaffirmation of old principles but they are things we all need occasional reminders of.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 45 reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
