8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
What "Inside" should have been, April 3, 2006
This review is from: Beyond the Lion's Den: The Life, The Fights, The Techniques (Paperback)
Having read "Inside the Lion's Den" years ago, I was very happy when this book came out. It makes Shamrock's first book seem like an abridged version of this one.
As in the first book, the first part is autobiographical. In it, Shamrock goes in depth about his troubled childhood, his time on the American pro-wrestling circuit (including a detailed description of the Nasty Boys incident), his time in Japan, and his return to MMA fighting up to his fight with Kimo. Without a doubt, some of the accounts are embellished or one-sided, but I think any fan of MMA, especially the early days, will be pleased at the insights Shamrock gives. My biggest complaint, as a pro-wrestling fan, is the constant misspelling of wrestler's names, but I don't think that'll effect most readers.
The second part of the book is on submission fighting. This is MUCH more detailed, technique-wise, than "Inside", but is noticeably missing sections on training, strategy and nutrition which were found in the first book. This section starts with stance and mobility and moves on to striking, including basic defenses, combinations, and striking from the clinch. Next he addresses takedowns, both offensively and defensively. He covers shooting, takedowns out of the clinch, takedowns off of the wall, takedown defense, takedowns to counter strikes, and many of his techniques end in a submission hold of some sort, allowing the fighter to finish his opponent off. After that is groundfighting, which is really Ken's specialty. He addresses, by chapter, the top guard position, side control and it's variations, the mount, the rear mound (including variations), and the bottom guard. In each section, he gives striking and submission options, proper positional control, and usually a bit on mobility and escapes. Fans of leg locks will love this part of the book.
Considering the length and cost of the book, I'd recommend it primarily for those interested in both the history and techniques of MMA. Though he's lost a few steps in the ring, there's no doubt after reading the instructional section that Ken still knows the techniques that work in an MMA fight. An excellent follow-up to his first book, and a very good book overall.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Biography...Great moves, October 2, 2005
This review is from: Beyond the Lion's Den: The Life, The Fights, The Techniques (Paperback)
Where 'Inside the Lion's Den' Leaves off, this book picks up. Beyond chroniciles shamrocks early pro wrestling days along with his reign in the UFC, his move 2 WWF, and finally his return to MMA. Written in first person, Shamrock comes across much more humoriously than 'Inside.' Of the books 278pages, 212 of them R NHB technique instructions. Having practiced MMA on a much more amature level, I can say that the techniques contained in it are both effective and basic. Shamrocks descriptions get to the heart of each move, teaching the most important parts of ever technique, and explaining them thouroughly.
All in all, this has to go on the shelf of any MMA of UFC fanatic.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
If you are a Ken Shamrock fan it's worth checking out!., October 22, 2005
This review is from: Beyond the Lion's Den: The Life, The Fights, The Techniques (Paperback)
This book contains a brief autobiography which is 64 pages long which is OK especially if you read "Inside the lions den" because that was a fairly detailed autobiography so this is mostly recap of that with some new details that you didn't get in the first one. The rest of the book is a "How to" guide on submission fighting.
The Good:
The auto biography was better written than "Inside the lions den" which at points made you think you were reading Clark Kents Auto biography instead of Ken Shamrocks. There are clear pictures of the fighting moves along with step by step instructions on how to do them which was pretty cool if that kind of thing interest you.
The Bad:
Nothing memorable. I wish he would have elaborated on where all the lions den fighters are now and whether or not would could expect to see all of them fighting again in the near future.
Overall if you are a Ken Shamrock fan you will enjoy this book and even though it is a little pricey it's worth picking up and checking out.
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