Alan Scott Haft provides the first-hand testimony of his father, Harry Haft, a holocaust victim with a singular story of endurance, desperation, and unrequited love. Harry Haft was a sixteen-year-old Polish Jew when he entered a concentration camp in 1944. Forced to fight other Jews in bare-knuckle bouts for the perverse entertainment of SS officers, Harry quickly learned that his own survival depended on his ability to fight and win. Haft details the inhumanity of the "sport" in which he ...

Are today's boxers better than their predecessors, or is modern boxing a shadow of its former self? Boxing historians discuss the socioeconomic and demographic changes that have affected the quality, prominence and popularity of the sport over the past century. Among the interviewees are world-renowned scholars, some of the sport's premier trainers, and former amateur and professional world champions. Chapters cover such topics as the ongoing deterioration of boxers' skills, their enduranc...

This collection of award-winning boxing journalist Mike Silver’s best articles from the past 40 years features a colorful mix of hard-hitting exposes and light-hearted stories that include legendary boxers such as Sugar Ray Robinson, Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali, Oscar De La Hoya, and more.The boxing world has witnessed some spectacular and iconic moments, from the “Thrilla in Manila” to the last encounter between Sugar Ray Robinson and Jake LaMotta. In The Night the Referee Hit Ba...

From Jack London to Joyce Carol Oates, The Hurt Business is the ultimate boxing book covering a century of the greatest fighter and the writers who have followed 'the sweet science'.Beginning with Jack London's account of the 1910 championship bout between Jack Johnson and James Jeffries (for which the Call of the Wildman called for and coined the term "The Great White Hope"), and ending with Carlo Rotella's 2002 homage to Larry Holmes ("Champion at Twilight"), The...

In his prime Mike Tyson was the most dominant fighter the sport of boxing had ever seen. At twenty he became the youngest heavyweight champion in history after winning his first nineteen fights by knockout, half of them inside the first round.This biography covers Tyson's life and professional career, beginning with his criminal childhood, through to his amateur career, his meteoric rise to heavyweight champion, his shock fall from grace and eventual retirement from boxing in 2005....

Hapkido, "The Way of Coordination and Internal Power," is one of the three major Korean martial arts. Founded in 1963 by Master Choi Young-Sul, it is a complete system of self-defense, encompassing striking, kicking, and grappling techniques. Conceptually, Hapkido techniques more closely parallel those of Aikido than Taekwondo. In fact, as the author describes, there is a parental link between the arts.In Hapkido: Korean Art of Self-Defense, Scott Shaw presents a precise d...

Taekwondo Basics teaches you all the fundamentals of this Korean martial art form in a clear and easy-to-understand manner!This basic introductory survey contains the following vital information:The origins, philosophy, and history of TaekwondoHow to find a teacher and a class that are right for youGetting ready for your first class—what actually happens in a Taekwondo class?The essential elements—stances, blocks...

'A riveting read about an amazing man' THE SUNLegendary boxer Muhammad Ali visited Michael Parkinson's chat show sofa four times, culminating in an iconic interview in 1971.Muhammad Ali: A Memoir is a fresh, revealing and personal account of the life of the most important and enduring cultural figures of our age. An icon of boxing who has inspired the biggest names in boxing, from Mike Tyson to Anthony Joshua, this is the ...

"Clearly written, easily understood…one of the most significant contributions to the art of footand fist fighting.” - The Japan TimesTae Kwon Do is a fighting art which employs almost all parts of the body in offensive and defensive moves. The techniques consist of many individual moves which are practiced as individual units and joined together for maximum efficiency in free fighting. These practice units are: basic drill in stances, kicking, punching, striking, blockin...

The Secrets of Judo is a revealing Japanese martial arts manual that focuses primarily on the scientific principles at work in judo.It offers clear-cut explanations of the numerous techniques involved in throwing and grappling. In addition to the precise detailing of judo's physical aspects, this book provides insights into the psychological factors related to judo's underlying philosophy.The Secrets of Judo, a fascinating and valuable wor...

"For the person who has already mastered the fundamentals, the present volume, profuse with diagrams and photographs, will serve as a handy guide to expanding [the options]." - Yomiuri ShimbunPractical Karate: Defense Against Multiple Assailants is the third volume in the classic six-volume series by Masatoshi Nakayama and Donn Draeger.Written for those with an understanding of karate techniques, all methods described are workable, easy-to-learn ka...

This is the story of the lineage of Boxing's World Heavyweight Championship from 1882-1915 and how it explains a cultural attitude toward race and identity in that era.The first true national and international sports celebrities were boxers in the late 1800s. Soon after the abolishment of slavery in the United States the first World Champions of the sport were crowned. As the Champion of the World these boxing heavyweights were held on a pedestal of athletic dominance, and in the e...