Ultimate Sparring is the most comprehensive book ever written on sparring and dueling methods around the world. It contains the rules and methods of sparring for cross-training, competition, and self-defense in dozens of Eastern and Western martial arts. Ultimate Sparring also features dozens of methods of sparring for the development of skills, or for keeping training interesting and fun.

Brings readers the history and information surrounding the contemporary world of MMA.

With its intense action and the unbelievable skills of its athletes, kickboxing has gained worldwide popularity in a way that few international sports ever do. It requires perfect timing, incredible speed, and relentless power, and this guide details the techniques and methods needed to win. Author Pat O’Keeffe is a coach, trainer, and champion with three decades of experience, and his book includes dozens of techniques to prepare both body and mind for this dangerous and exciting sport. Helpful step-by-step illustrations demonstrate the techniques of defense; counter-attack; timing, distance, and mobility; sparring; speed and power; conditioning; and more. Perfect for the amateur kick boxer or the experienced fighter, Kick Boxing is a must-read resource written by one of the sport’s top experts. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. In addition to books on popular team sports, we also publish books for a wide variety of athletes and sports enthusiasts, including books on running, cycling, horseback riding, swimming, tennis, martial arts, golf, camping, hiking, aviation, boating, and so much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is an emergent sport where competitors in a ring or cage utilize strikes (punches, kicks, elbows and knees) as well as submission techniques to defeat opponents. This book explores the carnal experience of fighting through a sensory ethnography of MMA, and how it transgresses the cultural scripts of masculinity in popular culture. Based on four years of participant observation in a local MMA club and in-depth interviews with amateur and professional MMA fighters, Spencer documents fighters' training regimes and the meanings they attach to participation in the sport. Drawing from the philosophical phenomenology of Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Jean-Luc Nancy, this book develops bodies-centered ontological and epistemological grounding for this study. Guided by such a position, it places bodies at the center of analysis of MMA and elucidates the embodied experience of pain and injury, and the sense and rhythms of fighting.

Techniques and tactics for a competitive edge.

Taekwondo Kyorugi is the authority on taekwondo sparring. Written by Korean Olympic Gold Medallist Kuk Hyun Chung, WTF Deputy-Secretary General Kyung Myung Lee and renowned martial arts author Sang H Kim, it is a direct translation of the original Korean text. Learn the skills, drills, strategies and methods used by Korean coaches and competitors for years. Footwork, kicks, hand target drills, heavy bag workouts, coaching, combinations, strategy, professional training, opponent analysis, conditioning, weight control, competition tips, official Olympic rules, scientific analysis of scoring and more.

No longer the no-holds-barred blood sport that garnered the "human cockfighting" label from Senator John McCain, today's regulated and televised version of mixed martial arts (MMA) is one of the fastest growing professional sports in the United States. And co-author Rich Franklin is arguably its biggest star. In The Complete Idiot's Guide to Ultimate Fighting, a three-time UFC Middleweight champion and star of Spike TV's reality show, The Ultimate Fighter, Rich Franklin, along with co-author Jon Merz, introduces new fans to the world of mixed martial arts and give them an introductory primer on the basic techniques used in the sport.

A comprehensive and detailed history of the UFC and the men who participate in ultimate fighting showdowns.

Audisee® eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and sentence highlighting for an engaging read aloud experience! What if a boxer and a wrestler fought? Who would win? What if a fighter skilled in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tangled with a foe trained in traditional judo? These were questions that fans of combat sports asked for years, but how to settle it? The answer: mixed martial arts. In this action-packed book, you'll meet the superstars and record holders of mixed martial arts, get behind-the-scenes details about some of its most dramatic moments, and find out what the future holds for this radical hybrid sport.

Step sparring is a traditional form of drill training used by Taekwondo students to practice and perfect stances, blocks, strikes and kicks with a partner. In Taekwondo Step Sparring, Sang H Kim progressively teaches you nearly 70 step sparring techniques, from beginner to black belt. The step sparring techniques in the book incorporate dozens of strikes, blocks, stances, kicks and footwork in sparring and self-defence style partner applications. In addition to detailed instruction, Sang H Kim shares training tips and mastery points to help you take your fundamental Taekwondo skills to their highest level. Each step sparring sequence is illustrated with clear photographs including reverse views, close-ups and transition photographs so you can perfect each skill. You will also learn how to adapt blocks, strikes and kicks for step sparring applications and how to create your own step sparring techniques. This is a comprehensive introduction to step sparring for Taekwondo students of all skill levels. Learn: What is Step Sparring?; How to Practice; Step Sparring Etiquette; Practice Progression; Beginner Techniques; Intermediate Techniques; Advanced Techniques; Skills Reference Guide; Variations; Training Tips; Mastery Points; Adaptations; Multiple Views; Teaching Step Sparring; Create Your Own.