Wrestling for Fighting: The Natural Way by Randy Couture, Erich Krauss, Glen Cordoza, Eric Hendrikx
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Book Reviews of Wrestling for Fighting: The Natural Way
Book Review: Excellent work by "The Natural"
Summary: 5 Stars
Randy "The Natural" Couture has recently shocked the MMA world by winning and then defending his UFC Heavyweight Title in two fights where he was an underdog. One of the major keys to his victories is his incredible use of wrestling inside the Octagon. In this book, he shares his best wrestling techniques, and how to use them in MMA competition.
After an introduction that chronicles his career in wrestling & MMA, Randy beggins to delve into the techniques that have won him five UFC titles. The book is devided into three parts: wrestling basics, Greco-Roman techniques, and wrestling for MMA. Randy teaches you how to wrestle first, before anything else. Each section beggins with an overview of what will be learned, and is color-coded.
The first section is on wrestling basics, and goes over the four basic takedowns (double, high crotch, low single & high single), then focuses on ways to finish the high single-leg possition. After that, Couture goes on to the basic tie-ups for the upper-body and how to execute takedowns from those possitions. Learning these setups are crucial to successful takedowns. He finishes the first part up with takedown defense.
In the middle section, on Greco-Roman wrestling, we are introduced to the skills that Randy excels at. Greco-Roman wrestling concentrates exclusively on upper-body wrestling, and Randy feels it's better for MMA compared to Freestyle & Folkstyle. This part beggins with basic pummeling, which enables one to gain control of your opponent's body, then moves on to some basic Greco takedowns. The next part is on armdrags, a favorite of mine, and includes drills and various entries to get the takedown. The second section finishes up with underhook defenses, but not before "The Natural" introduces the reader to some of the most crowd-pleasing Greco throws, including the arm spin, headlock throw, and bodylock suplex.
The third and last section is on utilizing the skills in the previous two sections in the MMA environment. This section shows the reader how to combine takedowns and clinch work with strikes and strike defense, and how to take down someone who's against a cage. It also includes some of Randy's favorite ground 'n' pound techniques and a few submissions from the headlock possition.
If there's any negative side of this book it's that Randy doesn't cover basic striking, striking defense, or ground possitions. This might sound like a large gap, but the purpose of his book isn't to teach a full MMA curriculum, but to show basic wrestling techniques and how they're used in MMA.
On a side note, I've been very pleased with the quallity of books that Victory Belt Publishing has put out. This is my fourth book from them, and they consistantly do great work. This book, like most of the others, has quallity photos, step-by-step instructions, and multiple camera angles of a single step. I look forward to their upcoming publications by Couture, Eddie Bravo, BJ Penn, Dave Camarillo and Marcelo Garcia.
I would recomend this book to anyone who wants to learn wrestling moves and apply them to the MMA environment.
Book Review: a great book by a great wrestler
Summary: 5 Stars
Some people say that Randy's record is not that good, true, they don't know who he has fight in that not to good record. He fought almost all the best fighters in the world, few of his losses are againts the best in the worlds, too, such Ricco Rodriguez, Josh Barnett (two naturally bigger guys with great skill sets), Chuck Liddell (twice but won once!), Vitor Belfort (due to a cut and he even won twice!), Brock Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (two of current best 5 heavyweights in the world on their early thirties, Randy was 45-46 when he fought them and still give them hell before his losses ;p )
He's one of the most accomplished wrestler (if not the most) in MMA arenas. His wrestling skills are way up there for his body size, especially on his age againts all odds!! One of the most beloved UFC champion, the only guy who has won 5 titles in UFC (3 times heavyweight and 2 times light heavyweight), is called Captain America and always up to any challenges.
His greco roman wrestling skills are superior and his freestyle wrestling skills are pretty elite, too. His boxing skills and heart, of course, helps a lot in his fights, too but he mainly uses his superior wrestling skills to adjust the distance, cut the angles, using great leverage, power and explosiveness then mixing them up with all his boxing skills and heart as big as a lion.
This book is totally worth more than the price you pay around Amazon's. Just like the title "Wrestling for Fighting" , He teaches you mainly about the fundamentals of the wrestling technics and tips then he slowly shows you how to use them in fighting, particularly in MMA sport. The lessons are precious, the quality of the book and explanations are crystal clear as other Victory Belt, Cordoza/ Krauss's books. It's great for anyone seriously want to learn about wrestling and how to use them in MMA arenas. In wrestling area, I personally trust Randy the most to learn since he successfully apply them over and over again in the cage. In judo area (throws, pins and submission), I personally recommend Karo Parysian book, in striking area, especially striking positioning, Anderson Silva or Lyoto Machida, in BJJ, BJ Penn, Royler Gracie or Rodrigo Gracie, Fedor is the best heavyweight ever and I respect him the most but the book by itself is okay.
Thanks
Book Review: Knucklepit.com
Summary: 5 Stars
WRESTLING for FIGHTING
by Randy Couture
with Erich Krauss & Glen Cordoza (Victory Belt)
© Marc Wickert October 31, 2008
www.knucklepit.com
Wrestling for Fighting is jam-packed with powerhouse coaching from one of MMA's most successful gladiators.
Randy `The Natural' Couture has blazed more boundaries than any other fighter on the planet, including holding the UFC Heavyweight Championship Title, then the UFC Light-Heavyweight Title, before snatching back the UFC Heavyweight Title in swashbuckling fashion.
Now 45 years of age (another boundary crossed), Randy is putting his UFC World Heavyweight Title on the line against Brock Lesnar, and most critics are tipping The Natural to take his belt home on November 15.
In Wrestling for Fighting Randy Duane Couture splits his book into three sections: Wrestling, Greco and Wrestling for Fighting. And this Bobby Fischer of MMA provides his readers/students with hands-on tutorage. From the start, Randy makes you feel like he's right there in your corner. When he's explaining how to set up your opponent, Couture whispers in your ear, "I'll send you along this path by demonstrating the basic ways to tie-up an opponent, and then showing how those tie-ups can be used in tandem with movement to set up your various takedowns."
Randy also keeps his students in the loop by running through all his moves and then constantly referring to when these moves were used in past UFCs by himself and other MMA stars.
Although the title refers to wrestling, The Natural also covers his cage tactics, g'n'p-ing, and his legendary `dirty boxing' techniques.
A masterpiece by MMA's mastermind.
Book Review: Outstanding Book On Wrestling For MMA!
Summary: 5 Stars
Randy has put together this book in much the same way that he put together his MMA career, brilliantly!
I have read through this book many times and really am having a difficult time finding anything really wrong with this book. Sure you could henpeck it to death with trivial inconsequential things, but really to what point.
This book was very well done and the layout is really quite remarkable. I really like the fact that Randy and his opponent are dressed in opposing colored shorts and shirts, which makes it a lot easier to distinguish between each of them and some of the moves that are being demonstrated in a lot of the photographs. It is also quite helpful that the photographs are all in color and printed on glossy paper.
Randy takes you through a wide variety of wrestling moves and situations that you will undoubtedly find yourself in when competing in MMA competitions and does so with the utmost professionalism and instructive ability that one can get from reading a book. Not quite the same as live one-on-one instruction, but it is pretty darn close.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in wrestling and not just those involved in MMA. You definitely get your monies worth!
Shawn Kovacich
Martial Artist/Author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence series.
Book Review: Highly recommended!
Summary: 5 Stars
Wrestling for Fighting is an essential addition to anyone's MMA library.
The other reviews have already done a good job of describing the contents of this book but in brief:
The first section of the book covers basic wrestling.
The second section is Greco wrestling (upper body wrestling/throws).
The thrid section covers wrestling techniques used in MMA.
This is a very high quality book (as are all the books co-authored by Krauss and Cordoza). It is full of photos showing the techniques from mutliple angles. The written instruction is thorough and easy to understand.
Some things to keep in mind. As the title hints, this is a book about wrestling. What you're getting is a top notch instructional on all aspects of wrestling by one of the greatest wrestling based MMA fighters of all time. Do not buy it expecting to learn submissions (other than a few basic "wrestling" subs) or standup striking (though there is plenty of ground n' pound instruction). This of course does not detract from the book in any way. There are already excellent books that cover striking and submissions. And since wrestling is an important, if not arguably the most important aspect of MMA (deciding where the fight takes place), it deserves its own volume.