| 02 May 2010
For the naive among us, mixed martial arts (or "fighting") must seem like a purely physical, primitive exercise. Two half-naked, muscular, tattooed dudes go into a cage or ring and slug each other half to death. True connoisseurs of the sport, however, know that it is as much mental as physical, and Sam Sheridan's new book, The Figher's Mind, goes to great lengths to illustrate that very fact.
Sheridan wrote one of my favourite books of recent times, The Fighter's Heart, and is one of those writers who could write about getting the oil changed in his car and still make it riveting (hopefully that isn't his next writing project, though). So it comes as no surprise that The Fighter's Mind is a terrific read. Each chapter is set up almost like a magazine article, with Sheridan visiting a different athlete to try to get to the bottom of the mental mysteries that are involved in fighting. Such luminaries as Randy Couture, Greg Jackson and Royce Gracie have their brains picked by Sheridan, as well as wrestling coaches, chess masters and artists. Because, as the book shows, similar mental approaches can help you excel in any endeavour.
Which further goes to show that this book can be an interesting, enlightening read for fight fans and non-fight fans alike. It can be used to motivate you to do something with your life (it may have played a role in motivating me to cut my lawn today, for instance). For, as Sheridan puts it in the book, we're all fighting something in life.
Buy it here (you won't be disappointed):
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