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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Don't develop bad habits from this book., October 28, 2008
Mark Hatmaker series on submissions have been brilliant, practical, and informative. Unfortunately with this "Kicking Bible" he has crossed into a realm that he intellectualized but does not teach very well. Having trained under powerful kickers like Malaipet, Kongtalanee Payakarun, and grappling under Gokor Chivichyan, I think this book will cost many to develop bad habits in low kicks. He modifies the trademark low Muay Thai kick to lessen its power in the hope of increasing speed and avoiding over-rotation. Sounds good conceptually. However, looking at Cro-Cop, Anderson Silva, Chris Horodecki, Bas Rutten, Duane Ludwig, and other Muay Thai based fighters in MMA, they may modify the stance a bit to facilitate level changes in takedowns and takedown defenses, but they deliver the Muay Thai kick for the substantial power as intended.
Why does Hatmaker do this? I don't know the true reasons. Perhaps he felt the need to modify a proven technique in order to: (1) "originate" it or (2) to make it fit his paradigm of "non-Eastern-thus Western" form of fighting. Since without modification, Muay Thai is Eastern and doesn't really fit with what he describes as his "ESP" (i.e., his concept of a Western-art only system). Perhaps he felt the need to improve what is already proven in order to emphasize his contribution. Some people are just like that. Whatever the case is, when people modify a proven technique, they should prove their new form in actual competition, and not just in the form of scientific analysis with countless demos on their students.
I share Hatmaker's views on many of the wrestling principles from previous books and DVDs, which he understood very well. Unfortunately, with this one, I'd go with the more proven kickers and learn the low Muay Thai kick as it was intended. Check out Anderson Silva's book, Duke Roufus' very detailed instructional DVD, or other fine books available from proven strikers if you want to learn it in the context of MMA or Muay Thai. Leave this book alone - you will cheat yourself of necessary power and learn a very bad habit (which once learned will be hard to correct; hence, the saying "old habits die hard.") On the plus side, there are some useful coverage of foot stomping.
To be fair, I must admit that this review was based on my opinion and experiences only. I am not a Hatmaker hater; in fact, as I said before, his previous works were brilliant. I am upset with this piece of work. In fact, I really disagree with this one. The low kick is one of the few subjects that I really understand. After all, would you learn how to run from a decathlete or a runner? Sometimes you just have to pick the expert over the jack of all trades when you want to improve a certain skill. Hatmaker tried too hard with this one to be a jack of all trades. At this pace, he'll probably come out with an encyclopedia on combat in fighter jets next.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Decent book on basic kicks, December 28, 2008
This is the first time I've given a Hatmaker text anything below four stars. Though the material is still good, it doesn't quite hold up to his other material.
In the intro, Mark explains his bias when it comes to kicks. Low kicks are less risky and more high-percentage; also, he views kicks as punishment, not finishers. More of a means to an end. Here he also makes his case for the use of rounds over repetitions, and the use of controlled techniques on a "live" target as opposed to equipment work.
The first two chapters, on stance and movement, are valuable, but seem out of place. If you don't already know these basics, you shouldn't be reading a book on kicking only. They're also a bit redundant, having been featured in at least three of his earlier works.
Next he starts reviewing the offensive arsenal, starting with "outside" (non-clinched) kicks. The majority of these kicks are a variation of the round kick, and some space is wasted in this section by showing outside and inside variations of many of the kicks, alternately attacking the thigh and ankle. While it's good that the author draws attention to the ankle as a potential target, a two-page or so section on what parts of the body to target would have saved a lot of space and been more efficient. This section also includes a number of "point" kicks, done with the toes or ball of the foot, which Hatmaker acknowledges are probbly best done with shoes. Ring-legal kicks are mixed in with pure self-defense (groin) kicks; a section on pure self-defense techniques, as was done in "Savage Strikes", would have been more appropriate.
The next chapter is on kicks from the clinch, and includes a surprising variety. A short and out-of-place chapter on cut kicks (kicking the support leg during an opponent's kick attack) is inserted between this chapter and one on rear-clinch kicks, or kicks to perform while one is clinched from behind. He advises, rightly so, that one should never compromise one's base when throwing a rear clinched kick. While he's seen controling is opponent's arms in the photos, he never explains to do that, though.
There are two chapters on kicking combinations, one on kicking only and one on the use of kicks with punches. The first is text-only and is rather unimaginative. The second is very basic, and offers only a template. It has some interesting ideas but seems a bit brief.
The final chapter in the offensive section is the "Ax Murderer Series", designed around kicking a downed opponent. Considering the legal consequences of such action, this material isn't recommened for general street defense, something Hatmaker has neglected to mention here. As well, most MMA organizations don't allow this sort of striking, making this chapter as a whole a bit useless. Hatmaker starts by demonstrating how to kick an opponent on his hands and knees, including some stomping attacks to the hands and achilles tendons which might have been good targets of opportunity back in the Pride FC days. Then he moves on to attacking an opponent who is on his back, in "open guard". Finally he closes out with the "sprawl and kick" drill, which is exactly as it sounds: defend the takedown by sprawling, then kick the opponent who is on his hands and knees.
The next few chapters are the defensive section. The first two chapters cover the low round kick, followed by medium and high round kick defense. Most of these defenses are basic: checking with the knee, using footwork evasions, covering the upper body, and using a foot jab (front kick) to intercept the round kick. The next three chapters cover more of the same, except the defense is against straight kicks. Again, basic stuff that is essential for a work like this, but why split the material up into three chapters? The defensive section finishes up with "pick offs", also known as weapons destructions, where the kick is struck by an elbow or knee in order to attack the limb.
The book finishes up with a chapter on technique training, which is well worth reading, and a final one on conditioning. The conditioning includes not only exercises to help build the muscles needed for these kicks, but also a drill to condition the nerves to recieve such kicks. Both chapters make a nice addition to this book.
I am a tremendous fan of Hatmaker's training methods, and if you train your kicks as he recomends in this book, I am confident you will improve at a faster rate than using other methods. The book was also pretty exhaustive on low kicks and general kick defense. However, I found the format a bit inefficient and slightly redundant. As well, for a no-holds-barred kicking bible, medium and high kicks were sorely missing. However, if this text was rename "The LOW Kicking Bible" I'd have no problem with that. If you are new to kicking, this is a good book to get. It can be a good supplement to a self-defense program, or a striking program that lacks low kicks. However, it wouldn't be my first recommendation for kicking in general, or for kicking for MMA.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Kicking Bible? Not By A Far Cry! Basic Guide For Low Kicking In MMA? Most Definitely!, October 13, 2008
I feel that I must start this review off by first stating that since I myself am not only a martial artist, whose primary arts are Tae Kwon Do and Karate, but also the author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence series of books which focus solely on kicking that I may be a bit too critical of other authors who write on the subject of kicking. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, so I will leave that to you, the reader of this review to decide.
Although I am not a huge proponent of MMA (as most people view it), it isn't because I don't think there is a need for mixed martial arts (I am actually an outspoken advocate of cross-training in the martial arts), but more so because I don't believe that any one art is superior than another, although I do concede the fact that under certain circumstances and situations one art may be more appropriate than another. With this in mind, I find that the author has produced a fairly decent series of books that attempts to focus on those techniques which are most common and also most useful when fighting in a sporting contest that takes place between two willing combatants under restricted conditions in a caged arena, and for this I give him many kudos. However, when it comes to this particular book, I find that the author has left a lot to be desired concerning his take on the subject of kicking.
To start with, any book (regardless of subject matter) that purports to be a "bible" had better be the sole outstanding literary treatise on that particular subject. I would categorize "bible" in the same manner as "ultimate" and "complete," only more so and to a much higher standard. If you are using these words in the title of your book, you had better make sure that the contents live up to the title. In this case, the contents don't even come close.
The second problem I have with the title and its related contents, are with the words in the subtitle; "Strikes for MMA and the Street." Well anyone who knows anything about fighting for real compared to fighting for sport, knows that there is a HUGE difference between the two. Now I am not implying that the techniques you use in the ring or in the dojo aren't effective on the street, quite the opposite in fact. Most techniques that you learn in the dojo will work on the street, if they are executed and applied correctly under the appropriate circumstances.
Now I am not going to go into the specifics of this in this review, but suffice to say I feel that the author should have left out "and the Street" from the title and just stuck with "Strikes for MMA." It would have been a lot more accurate.
Now I do have to commend the author for the information and insight he provides the readers in his "Kick Start" section of this book which runs from pages 7 to 14. He provides a lot of solid information on kicking and the effectiveness of kicking at a high section level compared to kicking at a low to lower midsection level. Very good information and with but a few minor changes, I would have to agree with pretty much everything he states in that section.
The next section in the book deals with a variety of different kicks that are shown being used primarily to the hips, groin, and legs. If these are intended to be a basic overview of the techniques then I would say that the author has done a fairly good job in that respect. However, if these examples were intended to teach someone all of the subtle intricacies that are so important to proper kicking, then it has not lived up to its purpose.
Now as far as the self-defense aspect of this book goes, it should not have been included in this book at all. What is being shown is not appropriate for this book and, for the most part, should not even be bothered with. If you are interested in a book that focuses solely on low kicking for self-defense, then I would highly recommend this book Low Kicks: Aiming Low For Maximum Punishment In Unarmed Combat as it is perhaps one of the best books that I have seen so far on the subject.
I was extremely disappointed in the kicking combinations section as it consisted of only three pages and had no pictures whatsoever demonstrating any kicking combinations. There were only two pages of written combinations that were used to give you an idea of what to do. Horrible section! There should have been some actual photos to go with the routines so that the reader could have a better idea of exactly what they were supposed to be doing. Now the next section, which focused on the use of hand and foot combinations together, did use a series of photographs to describe each combination, but there really wasn't any accompanying text to go with it. And I had to actually question a couple of the combinations that were shown.
The next section was interestingly named, "The Axe Murderer Series," and was a tribute to Vanderlai Silva. This section basically covered the use of kicks and stomps against a grounded opponent. Not a bad section, but like I said before, the self-defense aspect should have been eliminated entirely from this book.
The remaining sections of this book dealt with defenses against low kicks, training routines, etc., and were fairly well put together, although it was very brief and basic.
If this book had taken "bible" and "and the Street" out of the title and put in "A Basic Guide" in the title, while eliminating the self-defense portions out of the contents, then I would have happily given this book a 4 star rating. If the author had been more detailed with the explanations of the correct execution of each kick and provided a better kicking combinations sections, then I would have more than likely given this book a 5 star rating.
If you are looking for a basic overall guide for low kicking in MMA, then this book would probably be your cup of tea. However, if you are looking for a book on low kicks for self-defense or books on how to really improve your kicking skills, then this book is definitely not for you.
Shawn Kovacich
Martial Artist/Author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence series.
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