The Fighter's Mind: Inside the Mental Game

The Fighter's Mind: Inside the Mental Game
by Sam Sheridan

The Fighter's Mind: Inside the Mental Game
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Book Summary Information

Author: Sam Sheridan
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2010-02-02
ISBN: 0802119352
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Product features:
  • ISBN13: 9780802119353
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

Book Reviews of The Fighter's Mind: Inside the Mental Game

Book Review: A fine work by a good writer
Summary: 5 Stars

Sam Sheridan, who published A Fighter's Heart in 2007, follows up with this truly enjoyable survey of what happens in the minds of elite fighters. While Sheridan himself is not a high-profile competitor in any of the combat sports he reviews, he has put in enough time in Muay Thai and a few other disciplines that we feel comfortable that he is writing from the perspective of an insider. He has sufficient understanding and experience to "earn his props," as the kids say. At the same time, the book is accessible to general readers. He does not assume familiarity with different martial arts on the part of his readers, yet he is still able to capture the attention of those who have considerable expertise.

The first thirteen chapters of the book take turns looking at the legends of various martial disciplines -e.g. Dan Gable, Freddie Roach, Randy Couture, and Renzo Gracie. MMA folks are certainly featured more dominantly, but he also included a chapter on ultra-marathoner David Horton. Sheridan is not simply telling biographies, however, but reporting what he gleaned from extensive interviews with all of the featured athletes. Rarely did the interviews take place in isolation, often being conducted in gyms or on the mat, and so other figures who happened to be around are brought into the conversations as well, e.g. jujutsu instructor Eddie Bravo or former boxer Donny LaLonde. In fact, insights and wisdom from all sorts of people, from cut-men to psychologists, fill the pages. The stories, analyses, and questions that Sheridan recounts are engaging and thought-provoking. He doesn't try to solve the problem of the "fighter's mind," but pass on the experiences and reflections of those with considerable expertise on the subject.

The final two chapters provide Sheridan's best effort to make sense of his countless hours of discussion with legendary fighters. He works through what he has discovered with the help of some Zen-inspired classics on the subject: Musashi, Munenori, and Herrigel. While his grasp of these materials is not profound, he is able to bring them into the conversation with good critical scrutiny.

By the end, the reader is certainly left with more direction and insight into the issue, along with a few more questions and good recommendations of where to learn more. And it's not all academic; athletes will be inspired and given something concrete to take to the gym or dojo. It will never be a definitive work on sports psychology, but it doesn't pretend to be. The book is a fun read, well worth the time and $14.95.

Summary of The Fighter's Mind: Inside the Mental Game

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 in MMA, 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. To uncover the secrets of mental strength and success, Sheridan interviewed dozens of the world?s most fascinating and dangerous men, including celebrated trainers Freddie Roach and Greg Jackson; champion fighters Randy Couture, Frank Shamrock, and Marcelo Garcia; ultrarunner David Horton; legendary wrestler Dan Gable, and many more. 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 project strength when weak, and remain mentally tough despite incredible physical pain? A fascinating book, bursting at the seams with incredible stories and insight, The Fighter?s Mind answers these questions and many more.

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