Customer Reviews

A Fighter's Heart: One Man's Journey Through the World of Fighting

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've often wondered why I'm driven towards karate and boxing. Based on Sam Sheridan's fine book "A Fighter's Heart," it seems I'm testing my gameness, enjoying purity of purpose, and examining my life and motives (and at 40, I may have also fallen short developmentally somewhere along the line).

On the surface, Mr. Sheridan doesn't appear to be the fighting type. He grew up in a relatively stable family situation, attended Harvard, and likes to write. But he clearly wanted more excitement from life than cranking out human interest articles at the local bistro. Instead, he joined the Merchant Marines, got into wilderness firefighting, and along the way was bit hard by the fighting bug.

To indulge and understand his compulsion, the author traveled the world to try his mettle in various full-contact martial arts: Muay Thai in Thailand, MMA in Iowa, jiu-jitsu in Brazil, and boxing in California. In addition to testing himself in these potentially harmful venues, he also wanted to seek out other seasoned fighters and trainers for mentoring and instruction. He even checked out animal fighting and action movie stunt work to broaden his perspectives. Finally, Mr. Sheridan concludes his book with an analysis of why humans fight.

I found his detours into the more obscure aspects of fighting quite interesting. For example, he briefly explores the internal arts by studying under a Tai Chi master and engaging in Buddhist meditation at a Thai retreat center. These segues rewarded him with a greater understanding of body mechanics and a sharper mental focus. He even discovered commonalities between the various martial arts, such as the relationship between shadow boxing and kata. Mr. Sheridan's foray into stunt work for actor Paul Walker to understand the lure of action movies was also intriguing. And I enjoyed meeting the many fighters, teachers, and other colorful personalities he encountered.

Despite its superb insights, "A Fighter's Heart" suffers from two shortcomings. First, Mr. Sheridan kept getting injured, so he didn't engage in formal competition very much. Indeed, his physical limitations often relegated him to the role of observer and hanger-on. Also, his journey into the seamy world of dog and chicken fighting was an unwelcome diversion. The sweetest pet I ever owned was a pit bull, and I hate to see them tear each other up for money. To be fair, he made some interesting observations about this darker form of fighting. But I could've lived without it.

"A Fighter's Heart" is not only a fascinating look into various martial arts (and a good travelogue to boot), it's also a window of understanding into why otherwise sane individuals try to hurt each other. After reading this book, I'm more aware of the internal motivations and external forces that drive me towards karate, boxing (and even motorcycle riding). I recommend it to anyone who's curious about his or her own compulsion to face off against someone in the ring.

In this nonfiction book, Sam Sheridan ventures into the world of mixed martial arts. He is more than a journalist. From a Muay Thai camp in Thailand, to working with Pat Miletich in Iowa, he subjects himself to grueling training. He signs up for fights. He wins, he loses, he gets hurt.

"A Figher's Heart" is memorable, inspiring, and instructive. He points out - being a fighter is all about figuring our who you are, what works for you. It's interesting how that idea comes up again and again throughout the book, whether he is training in Asia or in Brazil. By studying seemingly unrelated arts - Muay Thai, wrestling, boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Chi Gun, the author discovers surprising parallels.

I found it very interesting to read about the psychological aspects of professional fighting. The author covers a wide range of topics - from intreviewing a boxer who had killed his opponent in the ring and how it affected him, to his own experience of preparing for a fight. If you haven't ever made a conscious decision to face crippling injury or even death before - this book will tell you exactly what it feels like, to step into the ring. If you have - it will make you want to buy this guy a beer. The part where he talks about an old injury - that kept haunting him, and maade him unable to continue a fight - almost made me cry.

The author doesn't stop there - he talks about dealing defeat, violence, dog fights, feeling alive, celebrity. This is the kind of book that makes you forget about your stupid day job and your cubicle, and makes you realize how good it is to be a man.

While Sam Sheridan's story revolves around fighting, the questions and themes he teases out apply to all athletics, and competition in general. What makes us compete? What makes us suffer? Maybe A Fighter's Heart is even more interesting to fighting fans, but as a non-fighter I can attest that it is enthralling.

This story outlines the young author's quest to understand what makes fighters tick. Following prep school graduation, Sheridan becomes a smoke eater fighting fires in the American West, a merchant mariner, crews on a yacht and winds up in Thailand where he studys Muay Thai boxing culminating in a fight with a Japanese ex-Judo champion.
Bored from the constant training, he travels to Iowa and meets some of the early MMA fighters.
Sheridan writes well with evocative descriptions of fighting techniques and the exotic locales his quest takes him. His exploration involves two segments on dog fighting and cock fighting, taboo subjects in our PETA publicity world. He does not advocate this but instead writes of the complex human/animal relationships of this shadowy world in the US that is popular across Asia.
Sheridan explores these topics as a literate observer and adds to the timeless theme of why men fight. I enjoyed the descriptions of mixed martial arts techniques and the quirky personalities of some of the early UFC stars.
It's not for everyone, but he sheds much light on fighting.

Sam Sheridan is a smart and stable guy who wanted to put himself in the fight game to test his limits, and (unfortunately for all of us) he found them quickly.

He essentially spent all his money traveling the world, studying various martial arts with legendary trainers at the most exclusive locations, with intentions of running a gauntlet of fights in boxing, MMA, and eventually a bare-knuckled, headbutts-permitted brawl in Myanmar.

Though Sam presents great insight and background stories on every person he meets and place he visits, he projects a serious inability (or unwillingness) to stick with anything he starts long enough to master it. The way he tells it, all his coaches are pretty much fine with this, which seems unlikely. His first Muay Thai fight in the book is short and disappointing and it seems like he cancels or declines every other bout opportunity presented him for the rest of the book, a period of about six years, according to his own account.

Most of the book was still interesting, as Sam traveled and studied in an effort to fully understand the fighting world. Unfortunately he fills in the final pages with an unpleasant walk through the world of dog and cockfighting, making paper-thin connections between that world and respectable, legitimate sports. Finally, he drags us through his time serving as an extra in a Paul Walker film I'd never heard of. By the end of the book I was flipping back through in disbelief at what was included in the final pages.

Sam admits early on that he sold this story as a means to pay for his travels and unfortunately it shows. Some of the events and exchanges that took place seemed unusual in some spots and improbable in others. By the end of the book I understood why I'd never heard of the author in either the literary arena or that of career fighters. A ton of potential, not much follow-through.

Two stars awarded for the inclusion and mention of better work by other authors.

This is a very aptly named book. It is not so much a book on fighting, although there is a lot about fighting in it, but it's a deeper insight into what makes a fighter tick.

I've never understood what makes a fighter tick. Why would someone want to take life and limb into a ring with just the goal of beating someone up? Mr. Sheridan can't answer that question for everyone, but he comes closer than most. It provides a bit of background and understanding for the famous Muhammad Ali quote:

'Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them-a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.'

Well, now I understand a little better, but I still don't want to go down the road he took.

I couldn't put this book down! Sam Sheridan has done a great job in his sweeping personal study of the Art of Fighting. I say this as someone who has boxed a bit, and know first hand what it takes to step into a ring. But this book is much more than that. It's part travel memoir, part fight diary, and really brings the reader full circle through his journey exploring both the physical, and equally important, mental aspects of combat sports. I highly recommend this book! It's high on my list next to Teddy Atlas' memoir and "The Gloves" by Robert Anasi.

I expected to share in the blood, sweat and tears with Sam as he journeyed through one form of fighting to the next, but with the exception of his experiences while muay Thai fighting, the rest of the book seemed like filler material to me. Without a doubt, Sam's an adventurous guy that has led a life that few lead, but 'A Fighter's Heart' is more about his commentary on fighting than his personal experiences fighting. Although I found the sections on dog and cock fighting as well as the chapter on fictional fighting to be out of place, the most disappointing chapter for me was the one detailing Sam's stint in Oakland. A rather long buildup results in Sam's anticlimactic first and only boxing match that was over in three rounds. At times, it occurred to me that a better title might have been 'A Fighter's Entourage', given that most of what Sam discusses is observations he has made while tagging along with other fighters' crews. I'm sure that Sam is tougher than your average tough guy, but he often came across as a journalist trying to finish a book.

If you are a fan of the UFC, Pride or MMA (mixed martial arts), you will devour this book. It provides a fascinating first-person narrative into the world of fighting and the physical/psychological underpinnings of that experience. Harvard-educated Sam Sheridan seems to be an unlikely person to travel such a path, but his tale is literate and thoughtful, devoid of any macho-man posturing.

"A Fighter's Heart" strays toward the end with its foray into dog fighting and cock-fighting, but overall this is a fascinating book. Even with all the high-tech gadgetry than man uses to address conflicts, there remains an elemental fascination with fighting that political correctness cannot purge.

I'm not sure what the deal is with Ivy leaguers and their social experiments, but this story proves once again that good marketing is all that is required to be considered an authority on something.

I will agree with the majority of folks who have read this book that the first part is pretty interesting simply because the reader keeps expecting a big payoff; however, the reader never gets one. Sheridan would basically go hang out and "train" with exclusive groups of fighters, but only accomplish wannabe status. The last part about being an extra on some B-movie was the most blatant example of name-dropping, and was not even remotely relevant to the story - unless you want to make the argument that putting a behind-the-scenes look at a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie belongs on Best of UFC DVD...

The dog-fighting part could have been covered in about five pages.

Don't let the subject matter fool you - this guy is yet another rich kid who leverages his connections for his own social experiments. A modern day Thoreau (Thoreau spent one night in a prison, and then lamented over how horrible "prison life" was). The world of fighters, which at least he realized, is one that is filled with guys who have come from broken homes, lived hard lives, and/or have something deep down that they have to prove. It's not a life for yacht-sailing pretty boys who have turned to journalism for a career.