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

by Sam Sheridan

In 1999, after a series of wildly adventurous jobs around the world, Sam Sheridan found himself in Australia, loaded with cash and intent on not working until he’d spent it all. It occurred to him that, without distractions, he could finally indulge a long-dormant  fighting. Within a year, he was in Bangkok training with the greatest fighter in muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) history and stepping through the ropes for a professional bout. That one fight wasn’t enough. Sheridan set out to test himself on an epic journey into how and why we fight, facing Olympic boxers, Brazilian jiu-jitsu stars, and Ultimate Fighting champions. Along the way, Sheridan delivers an insightful look at violence as a career and a spectator sport, a behind-the-pageantry glimpse of athletes at the top of their terrifying game.  An extraordinary combination of gonzo journalism and participatory sports writing, A Fighter’s Heart is a dizzying first-hand account of what it’s like to reach the peak of finely disciplined personal aggression, to hit—and be hit.

Genres: Martial Arts, Sports, Nonfiction, Biography, Mixed Martial Arts, Autobiography, Memoir

320 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2006

About the author

After high school Sam went into the Merchant Marines, then quit and spent some time traveling Europe. He went to Harvard, also working a summer on the largest cattle ranch in Montana. Immediately after graduating, Sam took a job on a private sailing yacht for 18 months all the way to Australia. From there Sam went to Thailand, where he lived in a Muay Thai camp and fought, featuring on National Geographic’s “A Fighting Chance.”

Later Sam got a job doing construction in Antarctica, where he met a smokejumper who got him into Wildland Firefighting.
He continues to do yacht deliveries and has been writing books for the last few years. His first book, “A Fighter’s Heart,” took him on a lengthy odyssey to Brazil and Japan. Sam's second book, “The Fighter’s Mind,” is an investigation into the mental game of fighting, with essays and interviews with the best fighters and trainers in the world.

Reviews

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The only way a fighter could truly suffer is not fighting" Ryu Street Fighter Alpha 3. I know this quote is from a video game but it has always stuck with me and I think it sums up the message in the book brilliantly; also I love that game almost as much as I like this book. This book is excellent. It ticks all the boxes the subject is excellent, why people fight, excellent research from fighters, teacher, and even philosophers, covering the topic from all angles.

Sam Sheridan graduated from Harvard. This could have probably have gotten him any white colour job he wanted. In fairness he tried many jobs but they did not take. He boxed a bit in Harvard and "fell in love at first punch". The book follows his journey of discovering the different fighting arts from around the world. From Hard combat fighting arts like Mau Thai, to soft arts like Tai Chi.

The thing that made this book special is Sam really immersed himself in each art. Studying it months at a time, and managing to meet and train with some of the best trainers and practitioners in each art. As Sam says in the after words this book is for people like him who love training and fighting. Even though it will never be a career for most of us, but we are still willing to dedicate most of our time and energy to it.

He talks about the mental and as well as the physical needs of a fighters in a positive light. Now with the impressions of MMA and educating people about martial arts this book is great to anyone wanting a greater understanding into the fighting world or the technical aspects of martial arts. The difference in perceptions of fighter and martial artists can be summed up in one line of this book. "People though this book would be a hard sell, as fighter don't read books". If thems not fighting words what is? Great book get it enjoy it, learn from it and prove the uneducated wrong. On a side note there is a nice story about Paul Walker (R.I.P) in the second last chapter of the book.

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure I like how the narrative flows throughout each of the chapters (seems to jump from one unconnected story to another), but I do like how Sam investigates the various fighting styles and seems to train with such enthusiasm. I think that Sam had a great idea by personally studying the different fighting styles, and I admire his perseverance. There was a bit on dog fighting that I didn't care for very much, and it didn't seem to make as much sense to me - the idea (I think) was that fighting requires a certain amount of willingness to fight, and that the good fighting dogs will want to keep fighting regardless of how tired they become...just like a good human fighter. However, that same point could have been illustrated using human fighters...people that keep on pushing on even though they are beat up, can't see straight, are tired, etc. The inclusion of the dog fighting portion seems like an endorsement, and the fact is that regardless of how self regulated these fights might be - it is hard to believe these animals choose to fight v. having a very strong instinct for fighting for survival and obeying their master (at least when they are first introduced to fighting as sport). My point - interesting book with some parts that were a little distasteful to me.

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5*.Stellenweise sehr interessant, vor allem die Kapitel zu MMA und Boxen. Allerdings für meinen Geschmack führt der Autor zu viele Personen ein, die dann 1-2 Sätze lang erwähnt werden, aber nicht wirklich was zur Sache tun und viele Kapitel sind sehr unstrukturiert. Der Fokus liegt auch extrem stark auf Männern und ihrem Instinkt zu dominieren was auch daran liegen mag, dass der Hauptteil der Handlung in den 90er stattfindet und Frauenkampfsport damals noch sehr nischig war. Aber nach dem 100mal “Men must fight to show other men how strong they are” wurde es dann doch etwas fad. Das Kapitel zu Dogfighting tut dem Buch auch nichts gutes und war ziemlich überflüssig.

[Katie M · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting tour across several continents. We follow the author on his personal journey through the world of professional fighting. I appreciate the author's willingness to try out a variety of styles and really get deep behind the scenes of professional fighting; and his own participation offers a unique perspective on the sport for laypeople.

The book is, by some necessity, male-oriented. I think there were 3 women mentioned in the entire book, and they were mostly throwaway comments, with the exception of a brief description of a lone female boxer training for a time at the same gym. Given the dearth of mainstream female fighters until very recently, I'm not going to hold this against the author.

What I will hold against him is his bullshit chapter glorifying dogfighting. He claims that he is neither condoning nor condemning the pastime, but he humanizes the men who participate in the sport and is very sympathetic to them, while acknowledging that they torture their animals. In his own words: "The fight itself is not cruel...What is cruel is the life on the chain, being kept from physically bonding with one another or a human owner, and especially the isolation of [training] for a pack animal...like solitary confinement for prisoners."

Also his own words: "The losing dog is either killed or given away...but they are hard to find homes for and don't make great pets if they have been fought...So, usually, a losing dog is killed"

He makes an effort to draw parallels between dogfighting and human sport fighting, but his argument falls apart when you consider that humans choose whether or not to fight (dogs don't get this courtesy), humans aren't kept in mentally torturous isolation (unlike the dogs in training), humans can bow out of training or a fight whenever they want (not an option for a dog), and humans aren't executed when they lose (losing dogs are).

So, his idiocy on animal cruelty and torture are the reason this book only gets 3 stars from me. It was otherwise pretty interesting the peek behind the curtain, even if the author's writing would have benefited from several rounds of editing.

[Cody Lasko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I guess I’ll go ahead and say it, this is one of the best non-fiction reads I’ve ever come across. Bias for the fight game and martial arts pushes this all the way into the territory of love.

I love this book.

Sam lives it and eloquently digs straight to the heart of fighting (pun meant thoroughly!). And the experiences to be vicariously had through this weaving story are tremendous to say the least.

Amazing for fight fans. Great for those interested in a quasi adventure tale, and good for those who want another angle on the human condition. This is a read I will recommend again and again

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

I earned a black belt in taekwondo back when I had surging testosterone levels. But it takes more than simply brute force to put oneself through the martial rigors. Discipline, courage, dedication make an appearance too.

The author does well recounting his extended forays into a number of fighting styles while reflecting on what it takes to put yourself out there (and literally, in there - the ring, the microcosmic war zone) in a test of corporeal wills.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings, here. Great information and experiences. The writing is not compelling in parts and absolutely perfect in others.For those wanting to learn about those who mix-it-up regularly, and why they do so--read this book. Understand this book is inconsistent and far from great. That being said, it is worthwhile for the content.

[Beth McLoughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been doing muay thai for a few years now, which was why I was curious to read this book. Sheridan starts his journey through the world of fighting in Thailand, where I went at the end of last year to train, and follows it to Brazil for Brazilian jiu-jitsu, spending time with US boxer Andre Ward and his trainer Virgil Hunter along the way.

There are moments of anti-climax, when Sheridan or the fighters he is hanging out with can't fight because of injury, but then the reality for most athletes is not Rocky, it's the hours of waiting around, the frustration, and for most, the eventual realisation that you won't make the top grade. Sheridan continually says about the people that he meets that they are "the real deal" and after a while, he turns his efforts towards pondering what this is. For a woman interested in fighting, it's an odd read, as he is preoccupied by fighting as a kind of masculinity test, a link to caveman days of hunting and protecting the tribe's women and children. Where does that leave female fighters? In the "homosocial" all-male environment of fighting clubs, UFC, boxing, etc, we are told that a female fighter is "not important", presumably because she can only test her mettle against other women and is not a real competitor for them.

Sheridan references a lot of other writers' works, and observes that they have frequently fallen in love with boxing, that most visceral of sports, and reached levels of hyperbole that can border on the ridiculous. This is almost a way of excusing himself from the competition (given that it contains such heavyweights as Ernest Hemingway, Norman Mailer and Joyce Carol Oates, I can hardly blame him), and betting his game instead on a reportage-style account of his real experience, of being in the fight, and more than that, in the gang. A passage towards the end where he stands in for the (now no longer with us) movie star Paul Walker is evidence of that: this obsession is as much about belonging as it is about anything else. He is keen to be in the Hollywood gang and bides his time until he is allowed to stand in for Walker in a few scenes, and conversely, Walker is assessed for his keenness to learn seriously about fighting, and wins approval from the real fighters for doing some of his own stunts. For a female fighter, it is the opposite. To fight is to defy society's expectations and separate yourself from the majority of other women, not to fulfil them and be included. It is a transgression.

When you try to define things like masculinity and femininity, they tend to escape from you like a fight opponent who is just too speedy and skilled to catch. Sheridan's assertion that love is born of aggression, that we form bonds to make ourselves stronger against the outside world just as we hone our aggression to defend ourselves, strikes me as erroneous. You can either attack another or help them, they are opposites. Traditional roles would have men as the fighters and women as the nurturers, but we are more complex than that and within us we contain both archetypes. At one point in the book, Sheridan ponders the fate of trained fighters who beat their wives, speculating that they have been trained to fight everything and so can't stop when they go home, the same logic people use about soldiers coming home from war. There is enough to say about that topic to fill another book (at least), but my experience of domestic violence would suggest this is at least as much to do with destructive fantasies of masculine "toughness", excessive ego and a hatred of the feminine as it has to do with any physical habits. Like most women who have experienced it will tell you, the physical violence is not as hurtful as the psychological abuse. It cannot be understood without understanding the psychological dimension. Cowardice is a word that springs to mind more than toughness. An abusive man is the opposite of someone who fights openly and honestly in the ring, abiding by rules with an opponent who knows what is coming. There can be a dark side to some tough guys, they are not just heroes. It is missing something to explore the concepts of masculinity, aggression and violence without touching on this. You can't have the ying without the yang.

Ultimately, Sheridan seems to still be enamoured with the fantasy and mythology of masculinity and toughness, but I don't want to dismiss that entirely either. Masculinity and femininity are fantasies, but fantasies have a lot of power over us. I would be a liar if I didn't say I admire it too, even that I envy it, whatever it is. When I am sparring or punching and kicking the bag in the gym, I feel like the burden of femininity, the pressure to look pretty, to be yielding, to be polite and constantly check myself, is all gone, and I feel something of what I imagine it is to be this kind of macho man, pushing forward, only aware of the present moment and my power to impose myself on the world.

All that aside, Sheridan's definition of what we admire in fighters, their "gameness" to have a go and keep going against all the odds, even when exhausted and almost defeated, is compelling. Not everyone wants to do that inside a boxing ring, but it is a metaphor for all human striving and goes some way towards explaining the enduring fascination with fighters and fighting.

[Stephen McNett · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was good but felt like it was drawn out.
I think Sheridan does a good job at talking about the fight game, but some of this felt like it was more about his travels.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scratch. That's how dog trainers tell if their dogs have guts -- gameness -- in a fight. Dogfights run thus: the dogs go at each other to the point where they can't find any grips, or when one begins to turn away, to look for an escape. Then the trainers separate them, bring them about 14 feet apart behind 'scratch' lines. The dog that turned has to scratch, which means the trainer releases him first. If he goes for the other dog, he's still in the game. If he refuses to fight, he's lost.

I'm sitting on the porch with the rain coming down, finishing the last few pages of A Fighter's Heart, by Sam Sheridan. Title is a little cheesy, perhaps, but the book is excellent, despite its jock-like subject, its an intelligent mix of reportage and autobiography but no less action-packed for that.

What makes the book intelligent -- how often can you use this adjective for a book about guys beating each other up -- is how he philosophises about violence. For example, he points out how thats the crucial characteristic we look for in action movies -- the point where the hero is beat, but makes scratch, meaning he pushes himself to fight on, somehow lands a hit, and wins. And its in a way what he was looking for in himself in training and fighting -- am I up to scratch, am I game?

Basically, Sheridan, a Harvard grad, tries out different martial arts for a few months to a year, doing full time training, and writes about the experience and the guys he meets. He sells the story, which finances the move to the next martial art. He sounds like he's dabbling, but despite this he gets good at some of these sports, has a couple fights, and most times looks like he manages to get accepted as one of the crew (a wonderful journalistic talent).

Its fascianting. Through muay thai at Fairtex in Thailand, BJJ and vale tudo in Brazil, MMA with Pat Miletich in the US, boxing in Oakland, etc, Sheridan throws off anecdotes about fighters, as well as principles behind fighting styles. Not in a comprehensive lecture sort of way, but in a late night coffee shop talk kind of way. (There's a lot of hanging out and talking through fights at elite fight clubs, apparently.) My favourite was pehaps the boxing chapter -- ton of respect to those guys, and interestingly, a lot of similar principles to WingChun. And the chapter on BJJ just makes me even more sure the next martial art I'm gonna try pick up is grappling.

What makes it interesting and readable above all is Sheridan's motivation -- he doesn't want to hurt anyone, but he's fascinated with the idea of prizefighting, fascinated with the guts, dedication and skill needed to win. Fighting, he says, is in some ways the most civilised act -- two people get together, try to kill each other for 3 minutes, then at the tap of a hand or ring of a bell, embrace in mutual respect, thanking each other for the opportunity to test oneself. After all, you can't go around beating people up, you need someone else to fight against.

In discussing ego, he notes its the good fighters that learn to lose the ego. I've heard before the advice to fight/train until you're beyond ego, but never quite understood it. In Sheridan's context, it means to get beyond the self-questioning and self-doubt, the nagging fear of fear, to have answered those questions satisfactorily for oneself, to not have to prove anything to yourself any more -- and from then to be in the game for the sheer hell of it, and to keep learning.

And I agree with what he says at the very end. He quotes Cormac McCarthy in Blood Meridian, in which a judge argues that war is the ultimate human endeavor. Sheridan counters this: man's ultimate purpose is not to destroy but to build. The top fighters in the book -- e.g. Pat Miletich is a 5-time UFC champ, one of the first few who really integrated the striking and ground games -- are all, apparently, really nice guys, beyond posturing, instead working to bring up other fighters, to keep learning, to get their families a better life, etc.

I've felt this too, not that I'm in any position to teach anyone much, but that a good, well-run, tough but fun class would be so good for kids (and adults, but most adults are unteachable) in terms of discipline, fitness, camaraderie, fighting spirit, dedication. Also, that no knowledge is sacred, all techniques can be challenged, the only rule is whatever works.

[Reynolds · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a fight fan, and I love reading about different fighters, their mentality, and various fighting systems/techniques. But this book is in desparate need of an editor. I've heard the publishing industry has cut back on things like editors, and this book shows it. There is a serious lack of organization, the structure is horrible, it's at least 75 pages too long, if not more. An experienced editor could have made a really good book out of this - the material is obviously there. Compare this book to, for example, The Gloves, by Robert Anasi, and you will see what I mean. I don't blame the author so much as the publisher.

[Jade Church · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with some interesting interviews and subjects to highlight. My main problem with it, and it's not really a fault of the writer's, is that it just feels dated. He highlights a lot of fighters who are long since retired and don't necessarily fall under the all-time greats. Again, not the fault of the writer, but when he's talking about Tim Sylvia as a great HW, you know some of his opinions didn't age well. I enjoyed the book, though, the end started to drag as he meanders off more into art and chess and I would've enjoyed more discussions and stories about fighters. Oh well! Still a fun book for anyone into martial arts and fighting.

[Mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the most part, this was a great book and I identified with a lot of it. I don't mind that it jumped around from combart art to combart art or place to place. You got an understanding of all the things that Sheridan had experienced. I did not enjoy the dogfighting/cockfighting section and skipped over most of it. I get that he wanted to explain the concept of gameness but I think it could have been done in another way and perhaps without trying to justify the dogfighting as much as he did. Other than that I found it a great read with good insights into the emotions of fighting.

[Frankie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would've given a higher rating, but i had a real problem with the dog fighting section. Still not sure i understand why it was included in this. Well, no, i understand why it was there, i just don't understand "why". IF that makes any sense outside of my head.

[Z W · Rating 1 out of 5]

If the dog fighting chapter wasn’t in it, I would give it 4 stars.

[Stu · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half was great, but the chapter on dog fighting was awful and the chapter on being on a Hollywood film added nothing. Kind of soured the experience.

[Ruqayyaxx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing for fight fans. Great for those interested in an adventure tale, and good for those who want another angle on the human condition. This is a read I will recommend.

Mixed feelings, here. I liked it but needed editing. Great information and experiences. The writing is not compelling in parts and absolutely perfect in others. That being said, it is worthwhile for the content. It ticks all the boxes, the subject is excellent, why people fight, excellent research from fighters, teachers, and even philosophers, covering the topic from all angles.

Plot:

The thing that made this book special is Sam really immersed himself in each art. Studying it months at a time, and managing to meet and train with some of the best trainers and practitioners in each art. As Sam says in the afterwords, this book is for people like him who love training and fighting. Even though it will never be a career for most of us, we are still willing to dedicate most of our time and energy to it.

Its fascinating. Through muay thai at Fairtex in Thailand, BJJ and vale tudo in Brazil, MMA with Pat Miletich in the US, boxing in Oakland, etc, Sheridan throws off anecdotes about fighters, as well as principles behind fighting styles. Not in a comprehensive lecture sort of way, but in a late night coffee shop talk kind of way.

What I liked:

What makes it interesting and readable above all is Sheridan's motivation -- he doesn't want to hurt anyone, but he's fascinated with the idea of prizefighting, fascinated with the guts, dedication and skill needed to win. Fighting, he says, is in some ways the most civilised act -- two people get together, try to kill each other for 3 minutes, then at the tap of a hand or ring of a bell, embrace in mutual respect, thanking each other for the opportunity to test oneself. After all, you can't go around beating people up, you need someone else to fight against.

In discussing ego, he notes it’s the good fighters that learn to lose the ego. I've heard before the advice to fight/train until you're beyond ego, but never quite understood it. In Sheridan's context, it means to get beyond the self-questioning and self-doubt, the nagging fear of fear, to have answered those questions satisfactorily for oneself, to not have to prove anything to yourself any more -- and from then to be in the game for the sheer hell of it, and to keep learning.

And I agree with what he says at the very end. He quotes Cormac McCarthy in Blood Meridian, in which a judge argues that war is the ultimate human endeavor. Sheridan counters this: man's ultimate purpose is not to destroy but to build. The top fighters in the book -- e.g. Pat Miletich is a 5-time UFC champ, one of the first few who really integrated the striking and ground games -- are all, apparently, really nice guys, beyond posturing, instead working to bring up other fighters, to keep learning, to get their families a better life, etc.

I've felt this too, not that I'm in any position to teach anyone much, but that a good, well-run, tough but fun class would be so good in terms of discipline, fitness, camaraderie, fighting spirit, dedication. Also, that no knowledge is sacred, all techniques can be challenged, the only rule is whatever works.

I liked how the book is not just about the physical part, Sam is also interested in the psychological. Why do we fight? What motivates so many men (and yes, also some women) to do this, when it is so damn hard and painful? Where does one find the will to continue fighting even badly beat up, or past the point of extreme physical exhaustion and come out on top? What is gameness and most importantly, what exactly is "A Fighter's Heart"?

I related to it on so much levels as someone who is training kickboxing and Muay Thai. I loved how especially in the beginning half he went through the basics of each sport, the techniques, the rules, the culture etc. Ive highlighted stuff on nearly every page and I feel like I will always come back to this book especially throughout my martial arts journey.

Things that could be improved:

For the most part, this was a great book and I identified with a lot of it. I don't mind that it jumped around from combat art to combat art or place to place. You got an understanding of all the things that Sheridan had experienced.

However, I’m not sure I like how the narrative flows throughout each of the chapters (seems to jump from one unconnected story to another), I got used to it but I think this book could’ve flowed better and made for a better reading experience if it didn’t jump around too much. It made it feel disconnected. It made the book lack structure and organisation. It felt like it needed a good editor.

This book did loose me towards the last half of the book. The chapter on gameness via dog fighting/cockfighting was such a drag. I did not like it at all. I understand the point that the author was trying to make, that fighting requires a certain amount of willingness to fight, and that the good fighting dogs will want to keep fighting regardless of how tired they become...just like a good human fighter. However, that same point could have been illustrated but I think it could have been done in another way, eg using human fighters...people that keep on pushing on even though they are beat up, can't see straight, are tired, etc.

Overall:

If you are a fighter yourself, or even just a fan who likes to watch combat sports, I'm willing to bet that you'll find this book interesting and entertaining. But even if you aren't, and think that fighting is just a stupid pastime for brutes and meatheads, this might help shed light on the issue and show you, that it actually is nothing like that. Definitely worth reading.

[Jacob Bertram · Rating 4 out of 5]

I related to this book in some telling ways, and not in others. It made clear to me that at my core, I am a martial artist, not a fighter. Sheridan writes that he got into martial arts because of a deep curiosity - am I a coward? This, in fact, is why I also got into martial arts 2.5 years ago. Just like Sam, I wanted to know. So I started kickboxing, forcing myself to seem tough, to take shots. I remember vividly the night after my first class and sparring, with my shins completely bruised and a feeling of elation, of “where has this been all my life”. With time, just as Sheridan describes, I felt I had proven my masculinity, my “gameness”, my willingness to stare a punch in the face and walk into it. But therein lay my issue; I was getting hit needlessly, seeing martial arts as an ego feeder rather than a craft. So, I switched to BJJ due to increasingly concerning symptoms of brain damage after a little over a year of kickboxing. Brazilian jiu jitsu grappling tests you on a regular basis the way striking sports just can’t. You spar (or roll, as we call it in the ground game) for anywhere from a third to two thirds of each class, multiple times a week. Additionally, since it all happens on the ground and there is much less impact, you can go pretty much full intensity. In that sense, it is the truest art for testing gameness short of fighting in kickboxing or MMA. BJJ tests your gameness (as Sheridan puts it) by asking: when someone is crushing you and you can barely breathe, what do you do? Do you tap out (admit defeat and reset the round) or do you explore that space of suffering? And when i explore that suffering, I feel alive. I feel accomplishment at finding a pocket of air.

Striking is like a gunfight. Ground grappling is like fighting to swim or drown in a choppy sea.

So, to relate this back to sheridan’s book; it provides insights to the fighter, the martial artist, displays the romance and simple beauty of training in a way that only someone who has experienced it can understand.

I was bothered by the dogfighting and cockfighting chapters, as in that case it is not the fighter himself who decides to put himself in the fire, the fighter is put into it agnostically from his own desire. That is the only reason this is 4 stars instead of 5.

[Christos · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the beginning of the book. Up to the part where he left Thailand and started exploring MMA. It seemed like this was a real effort to explore martial arts in depth and share the experience with the world. However, i could not get over how self involved this author became progressively in the course of the book. He tries to convince his audience that this is a genuine exploration of different martial arts with the goal of becoming a fighter. But that is not the case. He only has a couple of fights and the rest is preparation for fights that never happen for a number of excuses. It's really anti climactic. And i m ok with that. I don't expect anyone to fully engage in battle after a few weeks of training. So that is not why i did not like the book. The reason i did not like it was that the author tried to present himself as a fighter and as a protagonist of this story. Again and again trying to convince you that he is the real deal. As if you really care. The real protagonists are the people he meets and the actual fighters he encounters and trains with. The author is a mere observer, a journalist who is in exploring a topic of his interest. And he engages in it in part so as to really understand it. He fails to become the protagonist and in his effort to convince you he becomes annoying and loses any credibility. Its a pity because he had the experience. The real thing. But in my opinion he failed to identify who the protagonist should be which resulted to a poor delivery. Also i skipped the part about dog fighting. I could not get through it. I don't understand how a human being could go into that and experience the suffering and the killing of the animals for the entertainment and gambling fetishes of people and tried to present it as an analogy for martial arts.I thought it was an unfortunate chapter. And i am not a militant animal activist in any sense.

[Antonín Praus · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, its the size of the fight in the dog. " - Mark Twain

"A Fighter's Heart" is indeed one man's real-life journey through the world of fighting. Since combat sports and martial arts are one of the things most near and dear to me in my own life, it was very easy to identify with Sam and immerse myself in his 5 year quest (the book begins in the year 2000 and ends in 2005). It was very interesting to see how the sport was before my time (I first stepped into an MMA gym in 2012), during its pioneer era and meet some of the biggest legends (such as Pat Miletich, Jens Pulver, Rogerio Nogueira, Robbie Lawler, Andre Ward etc.) and travel to Thailand, USA, Brazil and other countries vicariously through the authors eyes.

But the book is not just about the physical part, Sam is also interested in the psychological. Why do we fight? What motivates so many men (and yes, also some women) to do this, when it is so damn hard and painful? Where does one find the will to continue fighting even badly beat up, or past the point of extreme physical exhaustion and come out on top? What is gameness and most importantly, what exactly is "A Fighter's Heart"?

If you are a fighter yourself, or even just a fan who likes to watch combat sports, I'm willing to bet that you'll find this book interesting and entertaining. But even if you aren't, and think that fighting is just a stupid pastime for brutes and meatheads, this might help shed light on the issue and show you, that it actually is nothing like that. Definitely worth reading.

[James Iron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic story across places I’ll never visit and a life I’ll never have. The writing is descriptive enough you can practically smell cigarettes and feel the heat of the fight camps in Thailand. Strange details emerge about the kick-boxers there that make for fun conversation. Little secrets like how they’d drink bottles of hard liquor (in my head I always imagined Havana Club for some reason) and lathered them in oil to grind on their shins down to the nerve. This was a bizarre fact about the fighters, a lot of them would self mutilate to deaden the nerves so when striking they’d feel no pain.

It’s a great journey, though I wish he had tackled more of the mindset of combat sports. In a line he mentions he learned the secret to being fight, and the secret was that “…it’s fun to hit, and get hit…” and he speaks about delighting in being hurt as all part of it. I found that sinister and wanted to read more about it, then the book ended. At least I have the secret, though.

[Antoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book as it goes through the life of Sam Sheridan, and his fighting experiences. The book starts out with a 1st person interpretation of Sam Sheridan as he moves to Thailand to pursue a career in fighting. There he learns the discipline and responsibility of becoming a fighter and even wins his first fight. As time goes on and his visa expires he moves back to the United States and finds jobs in crazy places and even ends up working with a research team in Antarctica for some time. Finally he goes back to fighting realizing he can't live without it and joins team militech where his career skyrockets. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in fighting as it really shows what it takes to become a fighter and how hard it really is. This book also taught me about the discipline and responsibility it takes to be a fighter and how hard it is to make it a career.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I typically plan which books to read. This time I just picked up a book to browse it a bit, and before I knew it I was halfway through it.

I have always been interested in martial arts. The author actually went and did some serious study and fought some real fights, muay thai and MMA. He talks to and trains with some top fighters around the world and learns what makes them tic. He investigates what makes people (men, mostly) engage in a fist fight and brutalize other men they don't even dislike. Civilized people should not watch, much less partake in, such barbarism. Yet, many of us find the topic endlessly fascinating.

It is a sad fact that just about every book written about fighting generally and MMA especially sucks. This is an exception.

[David Brennan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a re-read. I originally read this in 2007 or 2008 and enjoyed it back then. I chose to reread it now because after 13 years of jiu jitsu under my belt, I’d have a different perspective. It remains one of the best books on fighting I have read due to the quality of the writing. The chapters in the book dedicated to jiu jitsu are a let down, the writer clearly has more of an interest in the striking arts and the chapters dedicated to boxing and Muay Thai are excellent. When I first read it I skipped over the chapter on dogfighting, but this time I was strangely very captivated by it and I think it’s some of the best writing in the book and on fighting in general

[Manolo Macchetta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Che fatica finirlo. Avevo letto questo libro un bel po' di anni fa.
Ricordavo con piacere i suoi racconti di sangue e sudore ma il mio cervello non aveva memoria di 3/4 di libro... poi ho capito: Inizia davvero benissimo con il suo racconto in Tailandia, e lo stesso si può dire anche della sezione in Brasile... poi si trascina in capitoli poco ispirati (pugilato) oppure filler (taichi) o addirittura fuori luogo (combattimento tra cani). Verso la fine migliora, ma è stata una faticata leggerlo. Incomincia anche a soffrire l'età: non è ancora così vecchio da essere un reperto storico, ma non è nemmeno così fresco.

[Theo Kokonas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read if you've got even a passing fascination in the martial arts. There were parts of the book which were real page-turners and kept me reading until really late.
The general structure of the book was a little disjointed; the directions the author took seemed to coincide with where his funding opportunities led rather than where the story would logically go. I found the final chapter somewhat weak because of this; however the chapters that really gripped me more than made up for this. Full 5 stars.

[Pryz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book on a recommendation. I don’t know what I expected when I started reading, but it’s certainly not what I got. The book is an interesting premise of a young man seeking to explore himself through the world of fighting and martial arts. As the book progresses, however, I started questioning the author, whether they were at all learning anything from their experiences, and whether the book was going anywhere.

The premise had a lot of potential that that author failed to deliver on. The book is inconsistent and meanders a lot. It’s in desperate need of an editor.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readers experience a gamut of emotions following the author of this perfectly-titled book, exploring why fighters fight, why spectators watch fights (humans, dogs, even roosters), and even what makes for interesting cinematic fighting. It's really an ethnography of fighting, written primarily for an audience of people who already love fighting. The journey is colored with convincing versimilitude, but its the big ideas in the concluding chapter that make this a satisfying read.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually have trouble reading nonfiction, but I kept coming back to this story and might it through. There’s a lot of machismo in here that I rolled my eyes at to start. There’s also some good nuggets on self-discipline, friendship, and of course, fighting. I’ll be paying more attention to my feet after reading.

[Mitch Berkson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to ditch it. I thought it was going to be more about the mental game, but the title is accurate. Those more interested in the fighting world would appreciate it more and likely recognize many of the famous fighters he mentions. I enjoyed Sheridan's writing which no doubt understates his accomplishments but not in an overly self-deprecating way.