Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    A Fighter's Heart: One Man's Journey Through the World of Fighting
    A Fighter's Heart: One Man's Journey Through the World of Fighting
    A Fighter's Heart: One Man's Journey Through the World of Fighting
    Ebook439 pages7 hours

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

    By Sam Sheridan

    4/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    This “whirling, no-holds-barred,” national bestselling memoir of mixed martial arts by the author of The Fighter’s Mind is “adrenaline-addled and addictive” (Playboy).
     
    In A Fighter’s Heart, former merchant marine and Harvard graduate Sam Sheridan shares a “fascinating” first-person account of his life inside the world of professional MMA fighting “and his behind-the-scenes access makes for a gripping read” (Sara Cardace, The Washington Post).
     
    In 1999, after a series of adventurous jobs—construction at the South Pole, ranching in Montana, and sailing private yachts around the world—Sheridan found himself in Australia with time to finally indulge a long-dormant obsession: fighting.
     
    After training in Bangkok at the legendary Fairtex Gym, Sheridan stepped through the ropes for a professional bout, embarking on an epic journey to discover what only a fighter can know about fear, violence, and most of all, himself.
     
    From small-town Iowa to the beaches of Rio, from the streets of Oakland to the arenas of Tokyo, Sheridan trained, traveled, and fought with Olympic boxers, Brazilian jiu-jitsu stars, and Ultimate Fighting champions. This chronicle offers an insightful look at violence as a spectator sport, as well as a dizzying account of what it’s like to hit—and be hit by—some of the best fighters in the world.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateFeb 19, 2008
    ISBN9781555847357
    A Fighter's Heart: One Man's Journey Through the World of Fighting
    Author

    Sam Sheridan

    Sam Sheridan joined the US Merchant Marines after high school and then attended Harvard College. He has written for Men's Journal and Newsweek. A Fighter's Heart is his first book.

    Related to A Fighter's Heart

    Related ebooks

    Martial Arts For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The End Of Fights

      Mar 17, 2022

      The End Of Fights
      4 min read

    • Article

      Living Legacy

      Sep 14, 2021

      Living Legacy
      8 min read

    • Article

      In Camp With Legends

      May 6, 2021

      In Camp With Legends
      5 min read

    • Article

      Wod God

      Dec 2, 2019

      Wod God
      10 min read

    • Article

      Birth Of Jeet Kune Do

      Sep 14, 2021

      Birth Of Jeet Kune Do
      8 min read

    • Article

      Bjj For The Street

      Nov 23, 2021

      Bjj For The Street
      11 min read

    • Article

      The Gentle Art Of Choking

      May 5, 2019

      The Gentle Art Of Choking
      9 min read

    • Article

      Going strong

      Nov 26, 2020

      Going strong
      5 min read

    • Article

      Modern Musashi

      Sep 14, 2020

      Modern Musashi
      12 min read

    • Article

      Life On The Warrior's Path

      Jul 20, 2021

      Life On The Warrior's Path
      10 min read

    • Article

      Fighting Fit

      Feb 6, 2020

      Fighting Fit
      2 min read

    • Article

      War Fighting With Tim Kennedy

      Jan 1, 2023

      Tim Kennedy is a rarity in the martial arts world — even though he denies it, as you’ll see. He started in the traditional arts (shotokan karate, Japanese jujitsu, wrestling, boxing and jiu-jitsu), then enlisted in the military, where he trained in t

      14 min read

    • Article

      Alan Ritchson Goes big

      Feb 29, 2024

      Alan Ritchson Goes big
      11 min read

    • Article

      The Lazy Diet

      Dec 22, 2022

      The Lazy Diet
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Case For casein

      Jun 22, 2023

      The Case For casein
      1 min read

    • Article

      Poetic Justice

      Oct 23, 2017

      Poetic Justice
      18 min read

    • Article

      ‘I Was The First Who Fell’

      May 16, 2023

      ‘I Was The First Who Fell’
      13 min read

    • Article

      Readers’ Letters

      Nov 19, 2020

      SHARE YOUR VIEWS Email: martin.puddifer@futurenet.com I was pretty disappointed to read Chris Warren’s Judge Height Lest Ye Be Judged article [October issue]. Once again, the ugly subject of ‘extreme’ high-bird shooting was discussed rather flippantl

      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for A Fighter's Heart

    4/5

    44 ratings5 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      A Fighter's Heart is a memoir about fighting in competitive martial arts. It's about actually fighting in a ring or a cage, not just practicing katas or sets or working out in a school. That's part of the book too, but Sheridan is interested in exploring what makes a fighter a good fighter. Deep down, under all the fighting stuff, this is also a book about masculine psychology. It's a little bit of philosophy, a little bit of travel writing, fitness and diet, and some history regarding the recent evolution of organized fights. All these topics are integrated very well. Sheridan is an excellent writer and I found the book to be very engaging. It made me think quite a bit about violence and human evolution. I practiced a martial art for eight years during and after my college years but I never fought in a match. Part of me has always wanted to and for the same reasons Sheridan does and I was able to identify with his quest to test himself. Sheridan wants to know if he can hack it. If he can show gameness or not.In the last twenty years or so, MMA has exploded as has the BJJ ground game and Sheridan gets into the specifics of how that came about. He spends a lot of time interviewing coaches and other fighters while he is fighting and training with them at their various gyms and venues. The book follows him through Muay Thai Camp, MMA wrestling in Iowa, BJJ training in Brazil, Pride in Japan, Boxing in Oakland, CA, Tai Chi Chaun in New York, dog fights in the US and the Philippines, meditation back in Thailand (and more Muay Thai) and then stunt fighting for Hollywood movies. The similarities between all the fighting arts is fascinating to compare. Sam is writing from a journalist point of view but he is actually training and fighting through out the whole book. If you are interested in exploring the topic of violence then this is a great read. If you practice martial arts, especially if you do cage or ring fighting, then this book might be an interesting read too. I look forward to reading his second book, A Fighter's Mind.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. I felt like I was reading a book about what I could have done. Sheridan’s will to fight was intriguing. I found myself captivated by the experiences, won over (in most parts) by the explanations, and wishing I had a sparring partner to try the ideas out on. The writing was simple and easy to read. I liked how he cited many other books about fighting (in various styles). It was fun going through his experiences and discovering what would happen next. I kept forgetting about his nagging injury until he was finally, and painfully I might add, reminded of it himself. I found it fascinating that he did all of this at my age. I find it very intriguing that he’s still trying to do a little of it at 30-31 years old. I think this was an inspirational book for me, or perhaps I mean re-inspiring. This was a great book for anyone interested in learning about the world of professional fighting. Sheridan’s honesty and frank assessments of others is very entertaining. In retrospect (2011 looking back) he definitely had the correct vision for where MMA was headed. 
    • 5/5
      I will start with a confession - I got strange looks from people on the bus whilst reading this book, I suspect due to the cover photograph of a gruesomely bleeding fighter. I suspect the photo is of Sheridan himself, as he admits to being a bit of a bleeder in the book.I now have another confession. I really enjoyed this book, and have already recommended it to friends. Sheridan writes well, and paints word pictures about the experience of fighting, which is a challenging concept to get across in print. He also makes me interested in the process of fighting and learning to fight - so much so that I regretted when the book ended. Interestingly, one of the more moving chapters was the one on fighting dogs. Sheridan managed to throw light on the business of dog fighters and the experience of the dogs themselves, in a way that, even with the Michael Vick dog fighting scandal of 2007, I have never seen. For anyone who is a fan of MMA, Thai kickboxing, or boxing, this is a fascinating peek under the tent at a world that most of us only experience on television. Highly recommended.
    • 2/5
      I agree with the reviews that say this book needed an editor. Ideas are repeated just a few pages apart in paragraphs worded slightly differently.

      Sheridan offers a lot of insight about mixed martial arts training and fighting. Some chapters are a little too long, and I lost interest in the Brazilian jiujitsu and boxing chapters.

      I think it's hard to follow if you've never trained in martial arts. He goes into detail about a lot of different styles and their histories. I enjoyed the chapter about Muay Thai, largely because I have trained at the Fairtex camp he describes. I also found the dogfighting chapter interesting. (Not because I support dogfighting.)

      Midway through, he starts talking about wanting to fight barefisted in Myanmar, so I expected that to be the big finale. But it never happens. I don't think the book necessarily would have been better if Sheridan had fought more, but I wish he'd structured it so that it had a more satisfying ending.
    • 4/5
      It's hard to describe that feeling... that feeling that drives you to try to prove something. Sam Sheridan does a good job in A Fighter's Heart. Reading as much like a travelogue as a "journey into the world of fighting", Sheridan takes his reader from Harvard to Thailand to Brazil and places in between detailing the local cultures, scenery, and the people in each location as well as he details any fights. I took some issue with the chapter on dogfighting. I know that it is woven into the fabric of fight culture in Brazil - from Filho's tattoos to Shogun's pet pits - it's there. Are there better ways to illustrate the concept of "gameness"? Quite likely - but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book.

    Book preview

    A Fighter's Heart - Sam Sheridan

    dbook_preview_excerpt.html}ےǑÚ4V"DQ$@$Z$,WQQUK1/](>F/k}ɞs#2άLlTeeK~qqn⛛o_{oŋO߼+opW?AWտw/޼o_ϋ_Y÷O_o_<s鳯y?-~Gs6C*t§MS±X]?1 SPŶo6mUǡ2VE;~h~ĒK~whg ?؅n)Lu! nY6sUw{aq ϟ:~yb;SqC[#zvCy#)2'7㉟fO1;8ѣ&^O168\H1z#Ä=S_b[|i"`±8-ױ(T[OşpsG}uX/漫 Wo0ֱxebh0Cd/G\ F`-3cC,Tq٘Bqm_3 U=S6bQUB j8tw>~M R:6qA1*k[jC^_=uy{:b豪}QПȣ7ū0Eۡgޱ@6Xj?a/f/tnz)0LU?o˃0w Va]aX 2 ]}y 6 x~0Xyj*`⯰<|‹49,dzp%54Pnh>8{#c wu ݒ{y{?my4~_7u{}ઋe҉X7qhNttCS`^ccGOypa q-)'/\䢮ji=..]ÍxxӮz吞Ny<$q__?4Żv[?ơ v=>-T4_6-M/?6jė% T[z'Ofqd؍^(<7X:t{Ѭ !ЦTcᩚ p*a3{| \}(߄ao1߷?~V2tO-2 _4s\ju%c1nۈiz[ N6mb!٧>Z Eikq@g r3 ]ġi\C`YwG_o'YT~}w_}?FUߦW+>Kp%pءqAM¾šq߹Pҕk+} Kc>?R%~y:|xg_<6&1{X+-'|RV`n5SA#f&5j!B:y_]رۡ'=`~9G(d*>ɛo_W7߼S1' .*9]Y7num}wd7|E4Lj,fcne@V,V -XSe,DSUI*zA+'8Ė_פT6vch jBu!iއrhKj|h$L spߔ} >Pt1n`rcÀ mGtƃ…/D="]RZ8iaG}(TET6p.y9ql' <2֜n}ږc8uxpHj~;>oKR`X`l{}0X6A]pO\U8NNwotA 5PL&ǑU;ۘop@!!l~Xc'W= Bʼn'Ƨo@ǞЈkJmAp}}(pJpF|:uWX,=0?nN;0ꎖ9#IZ;ܢ…cJZ0Vζ㏊#.^K9V_74łV^iTMzΎb5vVE!+ k*> u/v4n<F`"8e{<ݞ^C Vc0+8o'1ӗd*x/ȼerghS eWPmĕPHb!4]xL".cyvRWC ;wmq NT1H'^з΋Rs!-51Lf }Bф*J! pt'V7=Mc}& XxƽW͵~G`y]wH$xEMoaաN$VlΗ6q"@PkH.ȩj5gv^;XwD qz&i5ؔJ9&{c:g4Pf &p8hb<ݞjM66l[m. @`qf}:VgC'G,8GflngC2dۻk1ڤi碚]Q^J'\kW#[ N1  Jb2f;{!Ł!I\~~.klv⎚&c29.|>dXPoɤ $`}**_J]3Jc Da$hӮoNaKMF@62<w„l 96u %dhkxTg" N=Xb_ykaS719]L+O-կhqѴ~ bWGia] We+OZ3)Pm&H23-+6McfSb eu $[$ռmN1&XM}hS8WAe%ﴨaT~5ۙ7cj*-͠ڎ[eQQ %Fmf8P:$'O-t,Q[{/_s]" w:4@B3|1eh@yA(`Fx2XSOӆ'Efc aj1⻺+CNT Lf#)O\ {`.[A^n*O_~f5TkyO;7xň>#& aw-@/gJhzOh*GĥGw Z-tT[D(kcl#G \rNj|_YB(>`.B7'̢]H;*z;1Pp0(hͶı GZtf[#1yS9ʝ1Vhdg/;vH)E wp*TB%ӻpG؆&1wCGoV;&o(93.jw#P(}* UPj>ģ%>fʫ0RQ|賍XAUԂɏn;<3U7 &Az?+>b:^/05k`ٕ ᬮv2o6,:?&ĕ?4>m?*uA%]bh(1DRa`L. ^FYr𴙤RN}E{uNC\9~U솳fLH[qJNNfnO!00$7PG*\;sx>Bp"rrpӾL Y:`'&`'3X-F>b/b%qIΓ:بB^@H?$ٔoc*5e<F9<ݷvr&Or3!'$bn!pɚ$dxU?;#M4Op¡C#Ϋɤ2r8g7jOk4PgH4lOլȒ02{ӗ"5:I3M9fo83طwÓӱ8~^LP<l{H}:2Y Z<۷ϟ~)?ҿW񬆶C@V9-[%AMpFeq(0yYWW쇰բ-ݜw*%gBFN`s,c|b7:xXkN!+C%W'`tyoKzC7IIG\7nL͠A0NvmKB ko!o‰5|fKp YS&,?KΙ U$ V `IN1BEytc̈́x'=xţ?$٦!LP^}్ {Fʮo`αL%!w213o+gnXv]1w+Y$b5 װ)ri- )"yA0e -L= ORr:D[4OGf$C~`Ў9ϱiXJ)!X@cW&K0BC1ucĸsAO{Gﰒ+.Ml6E@4mkf`w5T#>>m qtf 1 #f0#ubIuݭ E c۟79#p6ːն)d*#S >0&^y0f q'n:D 5_8}-"Kd8|rEOc1 #>dnzKɺ?wg0&JBLgl#M|GˁCc)0a[^֫W#\ѮH)!鮏:zc q$@kG&}"coJ{~xZ±nN e9C̮'jˮ2DzuR"fi/lQ{==x73tKb][Œu`lɹfQ؟`!0K L0C"Xx>^XB-)wҴhK9饲HޫvvTk&%V棔A'e3n BɁ@5Όmq:7Q"©5>yYVVS_\1808FnuɊkstYЃiu^.JAAPqeAj VGt)DJ 4ةԦe>3ttjdagqH~CKk&#bdoFF[>MZ,Zq (,]HVDW澬8tT 3Ҫ m6r YٴUҁ}|WePH=Ta'wc\%Bf"KISNo&đpT< k 9~u Tn0JE3_/1 2LA5G }u3aIQơ[ =G1iQO1z#ixs,uI d?[1sdӹ4c4!Pkug~w}oא 'cS;( P|r<yeөc6ɘCX PpG:*Xv@D}T߻O&8kEc X6_N@- )u#(L]hlf;|ـm L7.1zf2zYZss0nܻ@A;Rc讒xH @:X,$}͙[J1e;1U=5}"W뇺3.Ec:2eٕ?Rߙ~t~S:9h h叒KR#H ¾m;6FJA;&E |/TK:-y$U\=TA;e}[ g~4-@%$tY2  j̦ 1PuQ0r,J%DYI}xü5ȭgUeo7!3h-ԓJt{m\:Bߴ p^qD߫e]y`USg!XFgɆDF* oDwlTd\_f5CzJ#qCp L/tjl>WQ"sYx+iE4{`3.9P"RsǮ #:2d{TӠ ( pf;1R|җ/{W@+SNG++Eib(!TKbu4l*KyBՂ' {Zں.TY]߬Z|ZEDsJb N!9'bTiso,vZgmc=(ճGxdDcΉ2ܧ^QZaRS4&5X:~i%bݧ @~U{87eLr*; ̚Mh^aVy}V8TU/{XE !Ǭ A 'zb?2 u3V7&ƉD!2ws72KZ+*u2玡 t)[αL$*viu"ֱF.8;3P3T몜]ќ;%՗hU&ʛE~ Cpa˰[jKP(O$r[=j( tKXGjPe iY(:9꯲Fm" ,Ʒ!P2u.Rc-Do$1VbɩPn#$?*u+%t8wN7r^0O{ݸ,r {=Y~yݚa!Yֳnz|[2JL<09:U |d5;r*G,),ԚR:r+/%?ѳ;gN}ܰ2yvSRDrp{bcw1٠LG]u1,[qA"oV1,@cL!gGorJؔ fz294ZWV6ubSg13]O;(!fu^`q[0Jb; _5`qYzZy0=BgE;S9ػWWͲ~/ȦTrJ0'UUgbO̓k ɀG y׾b[VWPQ1>KZĝ2A*dORkn/a$gqqzZY'/՘!UdI}).זl# iVKZX3TO4WmCAȘ ɼ2D ($-jJxwefs :y8UYq1 IDX;4s◍(j~7x = -h#G-51 |M8=ԣ,Rj|,&.)4P'fk'xhd6i{ eNKYiœ2uQ^B6f! \<6NO 1ZeS}b#j G8$.{v&@ -l\-!Jli$J'Za#'V%31wi_()u}ZMyoփB)]AeV@ T޾F-rszFĖw6`\zO|mD?I`Hb3J݉ɽ%Vu"7 U%Eb4*lѝ/iq2; .QbrK,XƧflR:7iV5L>c#@{E|e'xkٌ$;Q1VFp"[p(d8JܒHݠI!2[!n4 X|KzIReNtrcy({rAms$ւ @~:הK`7d7t%LP1zP[%=e; q7Fh6ݤqzZC"[­ؙ1Nb].ǜ>駛1Zv97ҶfRl0뷥UŻnH*O<F]+Uj^F,V233(|)kS0 +"ڸTq_ Q`%;'Ù @ ӗ^D5v- :JÇLm?DƓwqza$:oücl' Y6WyEOB?̻]Rn 9-C:~<]kE֭uaCcӔ9t`ͬd%5*0^/ 5xcy P[5?˩^=r*1XQRaY鞺.\GEQ$b,=MgL^-8M֜Yw3Ļd?$$zI+,[ʦЈ8sVk rZ|uFez{mCn͐l?Bw`B-Qʇe] gMI5M'OV_%F:XiCG;26H9<b3#!E/=KUYzJC"8ߪ<7 >1b#G?͞Q#f:%sJ҅Z졔\P ǥbz]l[ 6 fl9RAp( %ث\z?u[׆~oT}ٛ=;;ezmq,{,|Uu{:1R4&GJlBɉ܊$k]"czϽA/ПxxT)Pgx=D[6T溞nܖ0!Yq}hTje,RiYqHelfƶX5SҤ|e0cXli궝l0VX;`Vp->bʿ'lRzb=͙kq*_5os`uTXUŶoi<΋bދ޴NHvǩP"z]νOk*~gIL ;-x +I*Qt#)xSg^!+Ėa~&,1gW{iE"UD[ a(WkrAi4ᐢ&jȵS)~c[}=mSv@=,Pu۪dl^Ij@ޜ MnO"=hJMhwj 9Y;N?> }($]] fl&0K2SM[UT. VxNNl,例̇s X{Zu*坰Ns<'ۮ/GOW`K(C/5V0zS α:#ӛPayLJ% )W`"[y)+ԕ5on=}Z`j+rS[xFuΌE.-1Am꒪N;S~{цEI%J,j>6`\x_O~H0uy8dXM#jip%G`hW_s)pYŲ{:).tIo+{n'S %^dc sxinw &G>+R('Zo2`OS|!]|S:GMm`v\z Emِ-M.-禨8ԴTc#+v)TD\RP!׎Mڸ(g?z"UJ65/W/MU҂DUjg:gX/D#} a|tKO ;KJS[.$eMZJAiۚ~qI3nܨs AKϳ;ÌU,!EDn=%iV^Ur$)+ZӢ"cC{mVA#rtڟQ_{4Y7$<Nث쵔9c"7SjL hbij'{)T- NS'S֕`t^k/K/Z?N/>#X~3Ɗ|\cs05{59iW,N1ssZXo0xїF/Um|{E)U֢մqT]fn`f-BpL"PXcR0yϞMJ<.o9|chzSoHupLHilOI,ryG49es}9˷TOW%%jsSF/=:ziK^9T*RmO:`rltIdg7)םc]B4X /MvWKDMƗPoHy.MW[re/$5tc> g \|͜q)=昚.=PKyJ.}Na 8#}l'Q/Zrպ;N>'ca PV%a[d I=xGoH"齏 ^=&yI\+֠ʼ<Z T6r\_k큧4cWN[M:Jm fW~$nS%W! (Kb1>
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1