Product Description
The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Boxing is the most comprehensive and up-to-date boxing-specific training guide in the world today. It contains descriptions and photographs of over 80 of the most effective weight training, flexibility, and abdominal exercises used by athletes worldwide. This book features year-round boxing-specific weight-training programs guaranteed to improve your performance and get you results.

No other boxing book to date has been so well designed, so easy to use, and so committed to weight training. This book supplies you with a year-round workout program designed to increase punching speed and power in your jabs, hooks, and uppercuts. Following this program will raise your stamina and endurance which will result in extraordinary footwork that will have you dancing around opponents and hitting them with sharp combinations until the final bell.

Both beginners and advanced athletes and weight trainers can follow this book and utilize its programs. From recreational to professional, thousands of athletes all over the world are already benefiting from this book and its techniques, and now you can too!

As an added bonus, this book also contains links to free record keeping charts which normally sell separately for $20. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Box like a heavyweight champ!
This is the best book I have seen for boxing training!No matter what level you compete at, this book is for you.I have really improved my agility in the ring after reading this book.I highly recommend it to anyone interested in being a better, more athletic boxer!

Yo Adrian!
If Rocky could do it so can you -- and this book is the secret how.The book (aka "the boxing bible") won't only put you on a plan to increase strength and stamina, but it will also boost your quickness and agility.After reading this book you'll be able to knockout Mike Tyson.

a boxer's bible
This book is perfect!A workout plan geared specifically toward boxing that really works!Appropriate for any level of boxing! I highly recommend this book!

A Knockout
This book made great suggestions for improving some of the most critical parts of being a successful boxer--endurance, power, agility, and speed.This book takes a healthy approach to boxing--it succinctly and clearly outlines how, depending on your experience and level of competitiveness, you should proceed on improving your ability as a fighter.I recommend this book without any hesitation.

Quick results
I started using this book a few weeks ago and I can already see the results.I can tell I am much faster and more flexible since starting this program. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (16)

going, going, gone!
This is hands down the best boxing book i've ever read! not to vague like most boxing instuction books. i recommend it to all my students as a guide. if you like this book i strongly encourage you to consider fighting fit. it's the sequel to boxer's start-up. both books don't take anything for granted. it's easy to follow, filled with practical advise and in perfect sequence. buy this book!!

A really good read and introduction to the sport
This was a really easy read and enjoyable book. The points and presentation are first class and explained very well.

On the whole a really good introduction to Boxing and its nuances.

Boxing Hopefuls - Welcome To The Basics
I really liked this book.

The first 2 chapters are an introduction to boxing and what equipment you'll need as you go deeper into training.

Chapter 3 through chapter 10 are the fundamentals - from stance (very important) through sparing.

Each function and mechanic of a technique is described very well and great and useful detail is given.

The section regarding wrapping your hands - don't worry too much if you don't get it here. It takes a while to figure out how to wrap. They have dvd's and videos dedicated to just wrapping your hands so don't stress out.

The writing has personality and the teaching isn't preachy or too butch or too vague. It's a nice and easy introduction to the fundamentals. Again - this is a beginners guide and is really for the beginner - NOT exclusively as I got some good detail regarding throwing a hook punch.

Also the pace of the book builds as your skill builds - the order of chapters and tools taught are exactly where they should be.

Chapter 11 is a brief history of boxing which I enjoyed.

Chapter 12 consists of the author's journal entries(a newcomer to boxing)- they are his first 6 months of lesson's with Alan Lachica - who sounds like one very cool guy and one of the best coaches out there for those interested in practicing the Sweet Science.

Great book for the beginner

Exellent instruction
I have previously thought that you simply can not learn a new physical skill by just reading a book. After being introduced to Boxer's start-up my opinion has changed. The book is filled with exellent photography to support the text, and you really can learn the techniques from just reading the book!

The book can be divided into three parts. The first part covers about 100 pages, and it is the actual instructional part of the book. It covers everything from the ground up (boxing gear, stance & footwork, the punches, punching combinations, hitting the bag, defense & counters, sparring, and so on). The second part is really just one chapter, and it covers the essential history of boxing, including the greatest fighters. The third part is shortened version of the author's diary, covering his experiences on learning to box. This part is about 35 pages long, and it's a matter of taste if this is too much. On the other hand, you don't learn much from reading this, but on the other hand it is fun to read other beginner's experiences.

In conclusion, I have to say that I was impressed with this book. It's amazing how good an intruction you can get from reading a book. Compared to the instruction I got from my beginner's boxing class, I think I learned more from this book.

great book on the basics
This is a great book for anyone interested in learning to box, as well as for martial artists interested in more practical striking and footwork.

If you're serious about learning to do it right though, find a qualified trainer. Books are great supplements to qualified instruction, but even well written ones like this can never replace it. ... Read more

Book Description

"This is a must-have for every martial arts book collection."-Rick Faye, senior instructor under Dan Inosanto

Customer Reviews (2)

Terrific Supplement for the Fighting Man
This short guide to keeping fit for the fight game is as good as it gets.Great pics, easy-to-follow instructions for drills makes for a hassle-free supplement to anyone's training regimen.It isn't geared to pros or novices as there aren't much tips for improving punching or strategies in the ring; in reading through this book, the reader must keep in mind that the content is primarily focused on building or prepping one for the rigors of boxing training.So for those looking to get a headstart to prepare themselves for intensive boxing training, Oliver suggests you get in proper shape.This book will undoubtedly help you.

great fitness book, especially for guys
i bought this book for my boyfriend. he is not a boxer but likes the sport and is into fitness. he REALLY liked it. the pictures are good and the explanations are great and there's a lot of good information in the book. i might even borrow it for some ideas for my own workout. ... Read more

Book Description
Defined arms; sleek shoulders; flat, tight abs; lean, firm legs -- this is the shape that women want to get from their workouts. World-renowned trainer Hector Roca and owner Bruce Silverglade bring Gleason's Gym's boxing secrets to your home with The Gleason's Gym Total Body Boxing Workout for Women, outlining a step-by-step program that gets any woman into knockout shape -- fitter, faster, and firmer than ever in just four weeks!

Boxing is not only a dynamic fitness program but also a powerful addition to other fitness routines. Using unique combinations of muscle groups and both aerobic and weight training movements, boxing works out the entire body at one time. You'll lose weight; build lean, toned muscle; improve cardiovascular fitness; and feel physically and emotionally stronger all at once.

Roca and Silverglade break down all the boxing basics, from how to make a fist and how to stand, to more advanced boxing moves and various ways of jumping rope and include a nutritional plan to maximize results. The Gleason's Gym Total Body Boxing Workout for Women offers the ultimate workout for women who want to look their best, feel their best, and be their best.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

I highly recommend $2.00 jump rope, a bean burrito and this book.
Being a Personal Trainer, I enjoy reading all the fitness books that hit the market. Most of them have gimmicky workouts and strict eating regimens that are almost impossible to maintain long enough to see good results. Admittedly, I thought this book would be the same. Boxing for women? Surely some marketing genius was riding the coattails of a blockbuster movie, but what the heck... I am a trainer... it is what I do.

World-renowned trainer Hector Roca and owner of Gleason's Gym (an icon in the world of boxing), Bruce Silverglade, have published boxing secrets for women in The Gleason's Gym Total Body Boxing Workout for Women. This book outlines a step-by-step program that promises to get any woman into knockout shape in just four weeks.

Four weeks? Okay, so everyone knows that boxing is a dynamic exercise program in and of itself, but four weeks? I had to put it to the test. I read the book, looked over the drawings that I found particularly appealing to the female eye, learned the moves and got started, but I was mystified. Where was the strict eating plan? I searched the book cover to cover to find that the eating plan for a boxer was just using common sense, and that the best food for boxers was beans and rice! My vegetarian self was overjoyed! I can eat my carbs and get lean too? I was eager to put this program to the test!

Using unique combinations of muscle groups and both aerobic and weight training movements, this program works out the entire body at one time! Very effective and time saving, this program won't send you to the poor house either; all you are going to need is a jump rope and the motivation to get started (look at Hillary Swank's arms in Million Dollar Baby). Hector Roca takes you from how to make a fist all the way to awesome combinations. The most difficult part for me was getting reaquainted with my jump rope. Boxers jump rope because it helps with balance, speed, agility and it burns fat like nothing else!

So here I sit 4 weeks after starting the program. Does it work? Well, it worked for me. I am down 8 lbs. and 6 inches. If you need to switch up to a more exciting workout program that won't leave you starving but give you results, I highly recommend $2.00 jump rope, a bean burrito and this book.

A MUST for any woman considering boxing
This book in an absolute need for any woman looking into boxing as a sport or just for fitness.It explains everything simple and clear.No diets!!!Good advice and good workouts any one can do.Now you just have to do it and want to do it.

Adramein Lopez CPT / US Cerified Boxing Coach
Solid foundation for anyone interested in learning the basics to boxing. Book progresses in a easy to follow manner that will allow user to become proficient in boxing to the point where they will be able to developed their own style and combinations. highly recommended!!!! You will never see my copy for sale on here so you have to get your own. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (14)

For the price, a fine manual...
Hatmaker and Werner's book Boxing Mastery is a fine manual on a few of the finer points of advanced boxing and you can't beat it for the money. Nice job tying in trad boxing techniques with modern "popular" techniques. I purchased this along with Werner's other collaboration with with Lachica and the pair make a great set. As one reads through these techniques you realize why so many mma fighters and run of the mill Taekwondo Toms constantly bad mouth the most widespread fighting art... because it can be effective against any attack. Not simple as it is often referred to (check out the total ineptitude of most ufc and mma fighters at striking in their opening rounds before they shoot in for the high school wrestling take down... they think its simple and obviously don't have a clue) and not just duking it out like some bar basement palooka either... but it is readily accessible and systematic in its effectiveness... as an aikido practitioner I will say that the two types of martial artists I think would be the most trouble to handle are the boxer and muay thai fighter, both technique systems so close in concept as to be called brothers. Buy this book... its great and you will learn real time tested concepts of fighting which should carry over into any other style. And, you can get in the ring and try them out full bore too...

A disappointment
Wow!Finally something from Hatmaker that I DON'T like!Savage Strikes is great, No Holds fighting is awesome.I've seen one of his videos and thought it was pretty good.However, this book is lacking.Lots of pictures, but many of the topics need more explaining.There are some drills that are unique, but if you want a good book on boxing, check out Ultimate Boxer.Its got just about everything covered (of course, its lacking in pictures, so maybe between both books you'll be in good shape).

Dont hold your breath
I bought this book expecting it to have a lot of new information. If you have spent any time in a boxing gym, you will already know 75% of the book. A few new items and drills. Way too many pictures in my opinion. Need more instruction and a few relevant pictures.

awesome
I recommend anything from mark hatmaker, the guy really knows his stuff, and knows how to present it. This is imho the best single volume guide on boxing. Stance, footwork, punches, defense, history, tips, training tips, all covered. His penchant for true boxing of the golden age gives this book that extra charm, in addition to its top notch instruction and information. If youre a fan of boxing, get this , if youre into mma, buyall his books.

complete and concise
Very good reference book and does a good job of explaining the key point to every technique. ... Read more

Product Description
The whims of politics are at the fore of Guillermo Vincente Vidal s memoir, in which young boys become men in the shadow of revolution and personal turmoil. Vidal writes about his family's participation in events that forever altered U.S. Cuban relations after an effort to free children from the threat of Communist rule sparked Operation Peter Pan. From chance encounters with Fidel Castro and Robert F. Kennedy to life in a dismal Catholic orphanage in Colorado, Vidal perseveres to embrace life as a proud and successful Cuban American. His account is a poignant story of forgiveness and the joy of returning home. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Courageous & Thought Provoking
What a brave man, Guillermo Vincente Vidal (a/k/a "Bill") is for putting his life into words for all the world to experience!Boxing for Cuba is one of those books that really makes you "feel".You can't help but feel Bill's joy, his pain, his sadness and loneliness, his excitement, his fear and above all, his love for his family and his heritage.Boxing for Cuba is one of those rare finds that once you start, you simply can't put it down and even after you've devoured the final page you're left longing for more.

A vividly braided memoir
Guillermo Vidal's richly detailed writing makes the heart ache as he recounts his family's immigration from Cuba to the United States.An intimate family portrait emerges from the struggle and conflicts this family endures and ultimately overcomes. A worthwhile and inspiring read.

Insightful and thought provoking
Wonderful insight into the life and struggles of a refugee child, his relationship to the parents who had to send him on alone to a new land, and his thoughts on both Cuba and the US. Very personal and open. ... Read more

Book Description
For men and women--the boxing fitness guide that will put new "punch" into every workout...

Endorsed By Everlast!

An easy-to-understand, fully illustrated guide to achieving new levels of health and fitness with the art of boxing, this is the perfect learning tool for both the novice fighter and those looking for an exciting new way to exercise. It explains in detail what every aspiring boxer needs to know, including tips on

equipment
punches and combinations
defensive skills and movement
ring strategy
boxing styles
proper training techniques
tricks of the trade
and much more ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

NOT A LOT TO IT REALLY
It's not a bad book as such - but it's very basic. Pictures are good - but it needs a bit more content to make it worth the money.

Better than I expected
The author packs an awful lot of information into the text; there's hardly any gratuitous fluff.She covers basic boxing equipment, how to wrap the hands (three different ways shown), basic stance & footwork, basic punches & combos, very basic defense, different styles & ring strategy, and physical training.That last part is given the most space in the book.That's what makes the book a little confusing; it's hard to tell if the author is trying to produce another "boxercise" book (as advertising indicates: "The Ultimate Workout!") or is trying to give an introduction to fight training.If it's the former, there's a lot of unneccessary sections on strategy & equipment that someone just doing a routine for excercise wouldn't need; if it's the latter, there's really not much info on the psychology of a fighter, on having the discipline to train for a fight, on finding the right gym & living the fighter's life.While the author highlights some very important points and corrects common mistakes that begginers make as she goes along, I just get the sense that in trying to cater to both the "I don't want to be hit" gym rat and the "where's the ring, lemme fight" potential boxer, she ends up taking away a little from both.Speaking as a martial artist and someone who trains for fights, I'd still recomend this book to anyone who wanted to learn the basics of boxing for fighting (and learn them WELL), or someone who wants to add a little recreational boxing into their workout routine.It could easily be a textbook for the physical aspects of boxing training, though I'd prefer Mark Hatmaker's "Boxing Mastery" for a concentration on the fight game and Ned Beaumont's "Championship Streetfighting" for the use of boxing in self-defense.

Put down the book and pick up the gloves
I picked this book up in the city library because I've boxed as an amateur for a few years. Understanding that this book only covered the basics, I was still disappointed. The outline of different training exercises was practical, but the notion that anyone could learn anything about stance; positioning and correct form from a book is simply stupid.

This book seemed superficial and had that cash-in-rush-it-on-the-market feel. Not only that, but you can find ALL of the information contained in this book, on the net. Put down the book and pick up the gloves folks and step into a gym, it's the only way to learn.

No one should write more than 50 pages about boxing technique unless they've boxed more than 50 rounds. Case closed.

A book any beginner boxer can getexcited about
MUST MUST read instruction for beginners... I recommend it to all amateurs in my trainer course!

Ross Enamait's Books are far better
In my opinion, the best bang for the buck when it comes to boxing and martial art information is written by Ross Enamait.His products can be viewed at www.rossboxing.com.The forum there is also great.Check it out before you purchase anything else.I think you will be very impressed.I know for a fact that I was, and I own and have read countless boxing and martial arts "how to" books.

Todd Reinhard
ISSA--CFT ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (3)

pulling no punches
A beautifully edited anthology that will appeal not only to devotees of the sweet science, but to any fan of great writing.Silverman includes work by some of America's greatest essayists (Liebling, Plimpton, Mailer, Baldwin) and most popular fiction authors (O. Henry, Jack London, Dashiell Hammett, Damon Runyon, Richard Ford).The excerpt from Pierce Egan's 1829 classic BOXIANA (a favorite of A.J. Liebling's) is a special treat. The only thing missing is David Remnick on Muhammad Ali; but you can't expect everything from a 368-page collection.Highly recommended.

Awesome...
the only thing that I can rite negatively about this boox is that there isn't any story about me.Did you know that I'm a former amateur boxing champion of Alvin, Texas.

A knockout
There is so much good writing on boxing that it's hard to know where to start picking the best, but Jeff Silverman did an amazing job of putting together a collection that honors the old warhorses and still comes up with new surprises. Some of the great writers of the 20th century are represented with their short stories -- Ring Lardner, Damon Runyon, Dashiell Hammett, Irwin Shaw and Jack London. It was fun to find that writers like O. Henry and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote about boxing, too. Inthe non-fiction corner, selections by Frank Deford, Norman Mailer, George Plimpton, James Baldwin and Robert Lipsyte were all first rate, and some of the really old writing from the 18th and 19th century was lively and entertaining. With its sweep of boxing history and literature, it'sa must for every boxing fan's bookshelf. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (2)

thou shall buy this book!
i found this book to be havenly. most boxing books are to vague, only offering general instruction or overwhemling with to much info. having 10 commandments, made it easier to learn and therfore made my workouts more meaningful. all the best in your efforts great book!

VERY GOOD
great material, well written with good details and instructions, another good book by this author! ... Read more

Book Description
A boxer's workout is a fantastic way to burn calories-it is engaging, exhilarating, and effective. Going beyond jumping rope and punching the heavy bag, Fighting Fit describes intermediate and advanced boxing skills that will help anyone improve their performance in the ring. This boxing workout will help develop body and character so that athletes can get into the best shape of their lives, build self-confidence, and be winners in and out of the ring. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Fighting Fit:
This is the second book in a series of three collaborations between Doug Werner and Alan Lachica on the topic of boxing.
The book "Fighting Fit", is the best of the three.It is packed with boxing wisdom, is well written, and the photographs easily show the techniques being taught.
From a person who wishes to learn boxing for fitness purposes, or for people like myself who compete, this book is a valuable tool.
I highly recommend it.

Good For the all around athlete
I'm a soldier currently deployed in Afghanistan (airborne infantry).I ordered the book to try to pick up on a new sport.The pictures and descriptions in the book are very descriptive and very helpful in learning the moves.Although I would consider this a great book for the beginner boxer or someone trying to improve, the lifting section could use alittle more detail.I would also like to see alittle more about nutrition.Other than that, the technique and fundamentals described in this book are excellent.

Good introduction
Fighting Fit is a solid introduction for boxing that's easy to follow even if you have no prior experience.Its combination of sparse text and extensive photography is a good way to learn punches, defensive moves, combinations and so on.I have a few minor quibbles that prevent me from giving the book five stars - there's no discussion of the speed bag, and the weight training information is minimal - but all in all it's well worth the price.

New to boxing
I bought this book wanting to both get in shape and learn boxing skills.I felt it was excellent in both areas.For those of us without access to a gym or a trainer, or without the time to access a gym or a trainer, as some have mentioned, this is the closest thing to having a trainer with you.The book uses all black and white photos which I am sure is to reduce cost, but they are quite clear and get the point across.To hopefuls out there, wanting to learn how to box, just get in shape or both, this book in my opinion is to boxing what a Chilton manual is to car repair.

Disappointing
As the earlier book by the same authors (Boxer's start-up) was an excellent book, I was expecting this to be at least a four-star book. I was badly disappointed, however.

Much of the written material in the book is taken directly from the earlier book, and there is not much text added. Instead, the book relies heavily on photographs. There is nothing wrong with that, per se, but it places high demands on the quality of the pictures. Sadly, the pictures don't fill the expectations. They are not entirely bad, however, as you can see what you are supposed to see from the pictures. But they are far form good quality.

Much of the book is filled with different punch combinations, counters and flow drills. In these pages, there is hardly any text, instead the reader is supposed to study the pictures and learn from them. This is hardly satisfying, and there is a genuine need for exhaustive written instructions. There is also some instructions about stretching, weight training and sparring, but these issues are not given very thorough presentation.

There is some merit to this book, but you need to have a more complete textbook to support the pictures in this book. For one, the book is missing a complete training program, instead the reader (beginner-intermadiate level) is supposed to construct one on his own, based on the limited information given in this book. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Yes, the same Joyce Carol Oates who packs one of the most lethal punches in American literature also happens to be an astute observer of the sweet science. Oates filters her knockout collection of essays through multifaceted prisms of art, history, sexuality, and politics to directly confront and explore boxing's physical and commercial brutality, but also the sense of human struggle and survival that's at boxing's purest core. "In the boxing ring," she writes, "man is in extremis, performing an atavistic rite ... for the mysterious solace of those who can participate only vicariously in such drama: the drama of life in the flesh. Boxing has become America's tragic theater." And from her ringside perspective, Oates, a true heavyweight of letters, analyzes the performances just brilliantly.Book Description

A reissue of bestselling, award-winning author Joyce Carol Oates' classic collection of essays on boxing.

Customer Reviews (15)

Whatever Oates sets her mind to, shoe does well.
Joyce Carol Oates, On Boxing (Doubleday, 1987)

The blurbs on the back of this book gush. A lot of very talented, very famous writers were quite enamored with Joyce Carol Oates' meditation on boxing, and they should have been. This is not only Oates writing with her best critical eye, but it's also Oates at her most approachable; this is easily as readable as any of her fiction, and more so than a good portion of it. She responds to the art of pugilism both, and often simultaneously, with a critical and an emotional eye. It's quite a nice little book, and as someone who knows nothing about boxing myself, I can attest that Oates' writing is not just for the aficionado; if you're old enough to remember the names Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns, you'll find this interesting and often enlightening. Another solid entry in the Oates canon. ****

Touching insight into the world of boxing from a wonderful writer
Oates takes a step away from her normal family drama fare to step into the ring with a slim series of essays that reflects her long-time love for the sweet science.Passed down from her father, her obsession is sincere and her understanding and compassion for the fighters she writes about is palpable.Including an essay on the young Mike Tyson, who comes off not as the subhuman monster he's portrayed as these days, but instead as a thoughtful man who just happens to have the power to crush men's skulls, this book was engrossing, rich prose from beginning to end.Coincidentally, I just read a new thriller that focuses on a talented young boxer who gets in over his head like Tyson, called The Castro Gene by Todd Buchholz, famous mostly for his non-fiction.Like Oates, he stretches in a new direction and succeeds.

For making me think about it in a different way
I boxed a bit as a young person although nothing really serious. I did however know something about the 'game' as it was a real part of my childhood world. Our upstairs neighbor Ike Newman was a boxing manager. A friend of my father who he used to visit in his shack down by the Hudson River was a man who once had been a very good featherweight, Joe Bedell. I too in those years saw many fights especially on the Gillette Cavalcade of sports. The greatest of another era were there, the Sugar Ray- Lamotta fights, the sad spectacle of Joe Louis being stopped by a decent Rocky Marciano , the great pleasure of seeing lightweight Jewish Algerian boxer Alphone Halimi take the title in a dancing victory over a now nameless- for-me- opponent.
For me in those days 'boxing' was about 'toughness' and 'proving oneself a man'. There was also identity- politics and ethnic struggle with I naturally rooting for the Jewish fighters in those days. I also of course rooted for the underdog 'Negro' fighters when they were not fighting someone Jewish.
All this is perhaps irrelevant to a review or Oates thoughtful, insightful and as usual beautifully written essay on Boxing. She sees it not as a 'sport' but rather sees each boxing match as a ' story, a highly condensed dramatic story' She says 'when nothing much happens' failure is the story. She speaks about boxing as a masculine world involving highly complex and refined skill 'especially in the lighter divisions'. She distinguishes boxing from fighting. " Fighting seems to belong to something predating civilization , the instinct not merely to defend oneself - for when has the masculine ego ever been assuaged by so minimal a gesture? - but to attack another and to force him into absolute submission. Hence the electifying effect upon a typical fight crowd when fighting suddenly emerges out of boxing - the excitement when a boxer's face begins to bleed."
She speaks about boxers being angry and about anger being a fundamental emotion of boxing. She speaks of it too , and its 'obsessive appeal' as a kind of art form an'emotional experience impossible to convey in words' She also does not shy away from something many seeits 'brutality' She discusses the humanitarian interest in doing away with the sportbut defends it .
She raises many questions which I had not really thought about it.
I will only add that I have not really had any interest in boxing for many many years. One reason is that I am one of those weak- hearted people who just cannot bring himself to take pleasure from seeing someone beaten and bloody.My own mixed feelings about the sport I guess have shifted with the years. In youth I had more enthusiasm for it . In age while still understanding the excitement it can give I am more repelled by it.
This is a book well- worth reading for anyone who truly wishes to think again about the 'sport'.

A Boxing Book Unparalleled
Where the most eloquent writers display their best prose is through passion.And the seeds of passion thrive in sex, exploitation, and violence.The human condition, written about by every writer but only successfully by a minority, is dissected and shaved away and exposed layer by layer until one gets to the core of what the soul is, of what separates us from our basest instincts.To that end, boxing is the true display of the human condition and the greatest writers have recognized this and have poured forth their own souls to capture the brutality that occurs inside the squared circle.

Joyce Carol Oates at first seems like an odd choice as an expert on the sport.A frail academic known for her moving stories of family interaction, she wouldn't at first strike you as a devotee to a sport that most academics abhor.But she is a lifelong fan.Her father was a fan and it seems that it runs in the blood.She's been going to matches and watching them on film since she was a young girl, and due to her thoughtful approach and extraordinary access she manages to coax the true spirit of the athletes from a myriad of interviews.

Many spectacular authors have written about the sport.Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, Norman Mailer, and A.J. Liebling are a few that come to mind.None of those giants bring to the sport a cautious sensitivity that Oates does.Her prose are so rich that when reading this book, I had to frequently set it down and digest what I'd read.Like a rich chocolate, too much at one time would overload my senses, dulling me and causing me to miss nuance and ramble through the poetry.Her book is a treat, slowly and steadily read.It's a beautiful, sad, witty communique from someone who recognizes that we need the outlet, the raw power and relentless destruction that representatives of all of us can administer.Trained to the height of physical perfection, but unrestrained by conscience, boxers show us what we are all capable of doing, what we are all capable of enduring.

Her prose?Check this out:

"No sport is more physical, more direct, than boxing. No sport appears more powerfully homoerotic: the confrontation in the ring--the disrobing--the sweaty heated combat that is part dance, courtship, coupling--the frequent urgent pursuit by one boxer of the other in the fight's natural and violent movement toward the "knockout": surely boxing derives much of its appeal from this mimicry of a species of erotic love in which one man overcomes the other in an exhibition of superior strength and will. The heralded celibacy of the fighter-in-training is very much a part of boxing lore: instead of focusing his energies and fantasies upon a woman the boxer focuses them upon an opponent. Where Woman has been, Opponent must be."

This book, to me, is an inspirational, a prayer book, a series of thoughts meant to get me through life more positive and more in tune with my soul.

Livingstone Brambles, of whom I have acquaintance and of whom Oates writes glowingly, when told that she'd written about him in On Boxing said, "Man, she loves me."

Yes, she does, Champ.She loves all men who've donned gloves and tested their instincts in the ring, but more than most, she loves men like you who held nothing back, who gave their entire being over to training and instinct and sacrificed everything to survive and conquer.She loves you Livingstone, because you are who we all wish to be.

CV Rick

Oates on Boxing
Oates psychoanalyzes fighters and boxing. On some points she was probably right, on others she was way off.
... Read more

Book Description
Ken Regan was a young photographer in 1964 when he covered Muhammad Ali's first fight: his historic victory over Sonny Liston in Miami Beach. Afterward, the young photographer embarked on a life-long love affair with the sport of boxing.

For the next four decades, Regan would go on to chronicle the greatest fights and the greatest fighters of the age. His extraordinary photogrpaphs include many of the most enduring images ever created in the annals of boxing, as well as portraits of notable trainers, managers, promoters, writers, and the whole panoply of celebrities associated with the sport. Featuring some of the greatest ring action in boxing history, Knockout takes us from sparring sessions and press conferences to weigh-ins and post-fight sessions.

Knockout also features Regan's compelling stories and firsthand accounts of his amazing photographic journey into the heart of boxing. Beginning with his early magazine work shooting prizefights and throughout the following decades, Regan developed close personal friendships with some ofthe greatest fighters. Regan captures intimate moments showing fighters with their families at home and on the road. With numerous black-and-white and color images, many of them seen here for the first time, Knockout is destined to be one of the most celebrated books ever published on the subject of boxing.

Foreword by Norman Mailer, preface by Budd Schulberg, afterword by Chris Murray. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Beautiful collection of pix
This is a fantastic collection of pictures from one of the great photographers of our time.Even if you're not a fan of the sweet science, it's a perfect gift for someone who is.

Wonderful book!
Bought this as a Christmas gift for my hard-to-shop-for Dad - he loves it!He couldn't put it down and has been showing it off to everyone who comes to his house.Highly recommend for all boxing fans!

Undisputed heavyweight champion of the world
Ken Regan is the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World!

Absolutely brilliant photographs. A magnificent book.

A "Must Buy" for any fight - or photo - fans.

Lincoln Russell ... Read more

Book Description
A practical boxing guide covering developmental and fitness exercises, skill tips, technical information, and competitive strategies. This handbook contains essential information for competitive boxers, fitness boxers, martial artists, coaches, and fans.

Find answers to your boxing questions, including: Why should a boxer lead with the shoulder? How should my boxing strategy change, depending upon the style of my opponent? How do judges score bouts? Which drills will make me more effective in the ring?

Easy-to-follow instructions, diagrams, charts and tables help you understand competitive boxing skills and strategy you can put to use in the gym or in the ring. Learn to make informed decisions about your training, and gain the competitive edge for immediate success. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

How to box - here.
If you have to get only one book on how to box, this is the one.It has almost all amateur (and some pro) boxing covered.Lots of good exercises, drills, and tactics.The ONLY thing it is lacking in, is pictures - could use more photos for a couple of the techniques.

Excellent - motivating
The book is laid out in a very logical fashion and includes answers to all the basic questions a boxer in training has.Very detailed and practical.Also very motivating.A must have source for new boxers or boxers looking to kick it up a notch

Good content
Very good and detailed info, but the grammar is horrible.Every other sentence is the politicaly correct "he/she" instead of the correct "he" which makes this book somwhat annoying and tiring to read.So buy it, but if you too find plain bad grammar annoying,like me,get your white out ready.

Most Knowlegable Book on Olympic-style Boxing
This is the most knowledgable book ever writtien on Olympic-style (amateur) boxing.
The finer points of the game that most people don't even consider, including boxing for judges positioning, computer scoring, five critera for a scoring blow, what to expect as a boxer at a venue, and boxing different styles of boxers are all included.It really shows how boxing is not just getting in the ring and slugging, but a precise and measured art.

The self reflection worksheets are also a valuable tool for keeping track of your training progress for both Olympic-style and professional boxers.I look foward to the next book!

Ulitmate Boxer, wish it was Ulimate book
I train boxers in New York City and am also a boxing historian. I collect boxing manuals and this one is just average, not enough information on how to do techniques.Good for someone just starting out but not for anyone looking for detailed information. ... Read more

Book Description
Whether you want to box for fitness or competition, Boxing: The American Martial Art is an excellent guide to getting started. Professional boxing coach and trainer R. Michael Onello has created a 12-week, step-by-step boxing course that can be followed at home or in the gym.

Begin with the thorough boxing conditioning program designed to tone and strengthen your entire body, with a special emphasis on the abs, chest and arm muscles. From Lesson One, you'll learn stance and movement, defensive tactics and a simple method of wrapping your hands to protect them during training. As you work through the twice-weekly lessons, you'll learn the jab, straight right, uppercut and hook, then practice them alone and in combinations to increase your punching speed, accuracy and power.

The step-by-step lesson format guides you through the same drills used by professional boxing trainers and includes specifics like the number of reps, the type of equipment to practice on, strategic advice and key points to pay attention to as you progress. Once you've got the basics down, get together with a sparring partner to work on the offense-defense drills, counterpunching and putting your new skills to work in sparring practice.

The lessons wrap up with advice on creating a rotating 12-week training schedule by introducing more advanced training concepts and variations on the workouts. Also included is a chapter for trainers and coaches, including sample program handouts and training advice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Very poorly organized, overly basic
Don't be fooled by the title of this book.It is not a twelve week boxing course.It is an unintelligible hodgepodge of various boxing training techniques and descriptions of basic punches thrown together in an utterly disorganized fashion.There is no "program" at all in this book.No one could learn anything useful about boxing from this. It just describes the punches and a few simple boxing workout routines in a disjointed and very cursory way. The "routines", as such, are so elementary as to be useless. Just telling the reader to practice a jab, for instance, does not make a "program". I have to believe it was self-published, because no editor would let this pass muster.It reads like a series of unconnected chapters, with one describing a jab, another a hook, etc.
I guess if you were from Mars and had never seen a boxing match or had seen a boxing gym, you would learn a little, but that's pretty much all it would be good for. They actually show you a photo of a heavy bag, in case you have no earthly idea what it is.A complete waste of fifteen bucks.It makes me wonder if the other positive reviews are legitimate.

Straightforward & simple approach that produces real skills
This book works.It lays down a solid foundation.The exercises and practice drills continually produce and reinforce positions that the practitioner will appreciate later on.Its subtle but it will become quite apparent IF one does exactly as the book says.A good place to start.

The best how to box book available
The American Martial Art is the most comprehensive boxing book now available. It covers all the basic punches,and defenses. However, I enjoyed the sugggested workouts covering the heavy bag work,shadow boxxing and counterpunching. No other book I have seen covers counterpunching in any detail.This book offers several counterpunch workouts. Anyone one who puts in the time and effort and completes the 12 week course offered in The American Martial Art, will become a much better boxer. I highly recommend it.

Basic Introduction to a Great Sport / Art
The book gives a basic outline of the great American art of self-defense, Boxing. The author introduces the foundation to the necessary basics to train and compete, if desired. Yet, boxing is a hands on sport that must be physically executed to truly learn. A book can serve as a guide or to attempt to enlighten one to the basics, but without a coach or sparring partner it can never be understood.

The recent trend to train in the exercises of a boxer has gained popularity because it is one of the toughest sports, if not the toughest, to obtain to appropriate amount of fitness in order to safely compete.

Just another wantabe book
This is a very basic book meant mostly for the beginner.There are many other books out there which will take the up and comming boxer well beyond the info in this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (8)

A quick read
As a boxing fan, I wanted to check this book out to see the workout ideas of the great boxers. To be honest, the glimpses into their training regimes are fairly short and repetitive. I would have liked a bit more on even just one boxer but the author did give his own training routine and some good tips.

The pictures were pretty good in the book. A quick read.

Well laid out - worhwhile
book is very well laid out with workouts from all the champs and details of their personal training schedule and nutrition program.Excellent for the new boxer or the experienced boxer looking to vary their workout schedule.Lots of great pictures.

totally awesome read
what a great book. i read it over and over again, and i now have it stored in my locker at the gym. totally awesome read. cant wait for volume 2. rob,new york

knockoutbook.
great book. ive read loads of boxing books, but this has a different read altogether. i loved it. shane, miami

Boring
This is not at all what might be expected.The book is filled with pictures, the same 10 or so interview questions and a list of workout routines that vary, slightly, with each athlete.There is no rationale included in the benefits or strategy of each boxer's workout or routine.There is very little here that would be of use or interest to anyone interested in learning. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

A Class Act-Floyd Patterson
Floyd Patterson's book is less of a guide for boxers than it is reflection of a man who put others above himself. His kindness, restraint and humility are what youth today should aspire to rather than emulate the big mouthed thugs that came after him. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

An Excellent Introduction to Kick Boxing
This is a remarkably well illustrated book which provides an excellent overview of kickboxing, The book begins with a concise discussion of the history of kick boxing and then leaps right in to chapters on "the fundamentals", "secondary techniques", defense and counterattacks, "speed and power" and "conditioning" to name a few. The techniques described virtually always include sequential photos demonstrating the particular move which will be of great value to students of this combat art. Many of the conditioning techniques and as well as the training schedule detailed in the book would likely be applicable to many other martial acts as well as those readers just interested in general fitness. The book even includes a chapter on the role of the coach. This book is certainly recommended reading for all present students of kickboxing as well as those who are curious about this martial art or just interested in physical fitness ... Read more

Book Description
Fitness boxing is one of the hottest workout trends across America, with over 10,000 health clubsfeaturing fitness boxing and boxaerobics programs. But what is fitness boxing, exactly? It's anexercise program that uses aspects of professional boxing training and aerobics to build strengthand confidence, and of course, burn calories. And, it's fun—especially with a partner.

This is the only book of its kind to lead the reader through each dynamic stage of fitness boxing.From stretching and jumping rope to sit ups, toning, and leg work, to each kind of punch and theircombinations, expert Tom Seabourne puts it all together in this knockout of a fitness title. And, tomake it even easier, he and two of his students demonstrate the program on a professional 30- minute DVD, produced for and packaged exclusively with this title. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Fitness Boxing Illustrated
I have taught boxing aerobics for many years, and I have published reviews of numerous boxing books in the past.This book is one of the best books I have ever read on Fitness Boxing.It is one of the most comprehensive and well illustrated books ever published on using boxing as a total fitness activity.It covers every aspect of fitness, not just the punching exercises of boxing.This book also includes a 650-minute DVD which demonstrates the fitness exercises and movements in the book.However, there is one flaw in the DVD in that it promises to take you through12-two minute boxing rounds, but all it does is show you how to do the exercises.Nevertheless, the book is still worth purchasing.This text is broken down into four parts.Part one provides an introduction and reasons to choose fitness boxing as your workout choice. Various warm up exercises are also shown in this section.The second part covers training tools of boxing,taking a fitness boxing class, how to use power and balance balls, using weights and how to do partner exercises. Part three finally gets into the actual mechanics of boxing.This part covers stance, balance, footwork, how to throw the basic boxing punches, and using workout bands in your boxing workout.The final section covers various workout routines such as shadown boxing and bag work.In conclusion, if you are interested in boxing for total physical fitness, you will want a copy for your personal library.I also recommend this book to fitness professionals who teach or would like to teach boxing for fitness.
Joseph J. Truncale

Book Great - DVD NOT
The Complete Idiot's Guide books are always well put together and contain lots of information.This is an excellent book on Fitness Boxing.I was really excited about getting the DVD to supplement my other workouts, but unfortunately, I was greatly disappointed.It is pretty bad.Each exercise is demonstrated, but the fitness models are not very good.They use poor form in a lot of the exercises; each demonstration is very short; the instructor is annoying - you get the idea.The book is great, but the DVD is not. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Another Hauser Knock Out
The Black Lights

It's no wonder that after reading this Muhammad Ali chose Thomas Hauser to write his story.

How this book got it's name is another great example of what Hauser can do with just one paragraph!

I had assumed that this would be somewhat of a dry read or just not as good as Hauser's other books on boxing and the world of boxing. I had thought that since it's Hauser's first attempt at writing about boxing that it would be just ok - maaaan was I wrong - THIS is a fantastic book!

Hauser is an amazing writer and is exceptional in all his writings about the sweet science.

This is a great example of a book successfully covering and achieving what it set out to do. You get educated on the inside story of professional boxing and get a great and personal insight into the world of Billy Costello.

I was caught up in every chapter and did not want to put this book down. I've never heard of Billy Costello before this book and found myself being nervous for him, being excited for him, cheering for him and feeling now like I was there with him.

Great book for anyone.

The greatest ... a must-read for boxing fans
I first read The Black Lights soon after its publication in the mid-80s. I felt then that it was as good if not better than any non-fiction examination of boxing. Rereading it recently, I was still impressed by its thoroughness, insight and candor. Sadly, the same characters who held a stranglehold on boxing then are still in charge - King, Sulaiman, Arum. The only new player is HBO, which has replaced the three networks as the major bankroller of big fights. The fighters are still used for all they are worth and then tossed aside.
Billy Costello, whose Nov. 1984 title defense is the book's focus, had a distinguished ring career. Fortunately, he also had Thomas Hauser to record his grace under pressure. You cannot help but admire Costello for his dedication and decency amid the scoundrels who flock to the sport. Readers are sure to come away from The Black Lights with the feelings of true boxing fans - a mixture of fascination, admiration and revulsion.

Take a look at the real world of boxing
This is a great book by a writer I truly admire. Thomas Hauser wrote an incredible biography of The Greatest, Muhammad Ali, and in this book he really gives the reader an inside look at boxing.

Focusing in the careerof former champ Billy Costello, the author provides an interesting viewabout promoters (Don King included, of course), managers and the terribleagony of the fighter and his fears, in and out of the ring.

Reallyrecommended!

This Book is a Definite Contenda!
This is a nice quick read that gives a behind-the-scenes view of what it takes to put together a world championship fight. The book follows the career of former Superlightweight champion Billy Costello and theindividuals that comprise help him reach the top. Interspersed throughoutthe book are anectdotes regarding the promoters, trainers, televison execs,and boxers who all want a piece of Costello.

The book really takesoff when Costello's camp tries to set up a title defense for the champ.From the stuggles to find an opponent who won't pose much of a risk toCostello's crown, to the virtual soul-selling that occurs to get the fightbroadcast, to the fight itself, you feel the turmoil that Costello, histrainer and manager all go through. The description of the actual fight iswritten so vividly you feel like you're the one in the ring.

Thistrue story makes you sorry you never followed Costello's career as it washappenng in the early 1980's. And as an added bonus, the author gives youone more reason (as if you needed another) to despise Don King. ... Read more