The Combat Sports & Self-Defense category has 121 audiobooks on Listento.it, with an average listener rating of 4.6★ across 1,133 ratings. The most-rated is Undisputed Truth.
I Am Jackie Chan
Summary
In you are fan of action-adventure movies with the accent on action-then you no doubt love watching Jackie Chan risk his life to create sensational cinema. As one of the biggest stars to burst into U.S. theaters, Jackie has put America's hottest heroes to shame, wowing audiences with the breathless, death-defying stunts that are the highlight of such movies as Rumble in the Bronx, Supercop, Operation: Condor, and his newest blockbuster Rush Hour. But who really is the boyishly handsome, lightening-fast Charlie Chaplin of martial arts movie making? I Am Jackie Chan is the fascinating, harrowing, ultimately triumphant story of his life: How the rebellious son of refugees in tumultuous 1950s Hong Kong became the disciplined disciple of a Chinese Opera Master. How the "paradise" that young Jackie so eagerly embraced proved to be, in reality, a ruthlessly competitive place. How the dying art of Chinese opera led Jackie to the movie business-and how he made the leap from stunt man to superstar. Finally, after years of plunging off skyscrapers and living to tell the tale, Jackie Chan proves with this poignant, witty, and often astonishing memoir that it's always been a tale worth telling.
©1998 Jackie Chan (P)1998 Dove Audio, 2016 Phoenix Books
Cus D'Amato
Summary
Are you ready to learn lessons to improve your life in all aspects? If so you've come to the right place. Here's a preview of what this Cus D'Amato book contains: An introduction to Cus D'Amato The mind & professionalism Fear is like fire (how to harness it!) How to stay calm & focused How to set & conquer goals with purpose How to build iron discipline (and why this is the key to success) Deserving success The power of repetition - both physical & affirmations Harnessing the power of your mind And much, much more! Download your copy now and implement these lessons to improve your life!
©2016 R Shaw (P)2016 R Shaw
Why We Fight
Summary
Finally, we can talk about Fight Club! Or, a physical and philosophical mediation on why we are drawn to fight each other for sport, what happens to our bodies and brains when we do, and what it all means. Anyone with guts or madness in him can get hit by someone who knows how; it takes a different kind of madness, a more persistent kind, to stick around long enough to be one of the people who does the knowing. Josh Rosenblatt was 33 years old when he first realized he wanted to fight. A lifelong pacifist with a philosopher’s hatred of violence and a dandy’s aversion to exercise, he drank to excess, smoked passionately, ate indifferently, and mocked physical activity that didn’t involve nudity. But deep down inside, there was always some part of him that was attracted to the idea of fighting. So, after studying Muay Thai, Krav Maga, Brazilian jiujitsu, and boxing, he decided, at age 40, that it was finally time to fight his first - and only - mixed martial arts match: all in the name of experience and transcending ancient fears. An insightful and moving rumination on the nature of fighting, Why We Fight takes us on his journey from the bleachers to the ring. Using his own training as an opportunity to understand how the sport illuminates basic human impulses, Rosenblatt weaves together cultural history, criticism, biology, and anthropology to understand what happens to the human body and mind when under attack and to explore why he, a self-described “cowardly boy from the suburbs”, discovered so much meaning in putting his body, and others’, at risk. From the psychology of fear to the physiology of pain, from Ukrainian shtetls to Brooklyn boxing gyms, from Lord Byron to George Plimpton, Why We Fight is a fierce inquiry into the abiding appeal of our most conflicted and controversial fixation, interwoven with a firsthand account of what happens when a mild-mannered intellectual decides to step into the ring for his first real showdown.
©2019 Josh Rosenblatt (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers
Musashi's Dokkodo
Summary
Miyamoto Musashi (1584 - 1645) was arguably the greatest swordsman who ever lived, a legendary figure whose methods of thought and strategy have been studied and adopted across a wide spectrum of society, from martial artists to military leaders to captains of industry. The iconic sword saint of Japan was clearly a genius, yet he was also a functional psychopath - ruthless, fearless, hyper-focused, and utterly without conscience. Shortly before he died, Musashi wrote down his final thoughts about life for his favorite student Terao Magonojo to whom Go Rin No Sho, his famous Book of Five Rings, had also been dedicated. He called this treatise Dokkodo, which translates as, "The Way of Walking Alone". This treatise contains Musashi's original 21 precepts of the Dokkodo along with five different interpretations of each passage written from the viewpoints of a monk (Wilder), a warrior (Burrese), a teacher (Smedley), an insurance executive (Christensen), and a businessman (Kane). Each contributor has taken a divergent path from the others, yet shares the commonality of being a lifelong martial practitioner and published author. In this fashion you are not just hearing a simple translation of Musashi's writing, you are scrutinizing his final words for deeper meaning. In them are enduring lessons for how to lead a successful and meaningful life.
©2015 Lawrence Kane & Kris Wilder (P)2017 Lawrence Kane & Kris Wilder
The Murder of Sonny Liston
Summary
On January 5, 1971, Sonny Liston was found dead in his home - of an apparent heroin overdose. But no one close to Liston believed that his death was accidental. Digging deep into a life that Liston tried hard to hide, Shaun Assael treats the boxer's death as a cold case. The result is a riveting whodunit that evokes a glorious and grimy era of Las Vegas. Elvis Presley was playing two shows a night at the International. Howard Hughes was running his empire from the penthouse suite of the Desert Inn. And Middle America was flocking to the Strip, transforming it from an exclusive playground for the mob to a mecca for corporate dollars. But the city was also rotting from within. Heroin was pouring over the border from Mexico, and the segregated Westside was on the cusp of a race war. Driving through town with the top of his pink Cadillac down, Liston was the one celebrity who was unafraid to bridge the two sides of Las Vegas. Cashing in on his fading notoriety in the casinos, he was dealing drugs, working for a crime syndicate, and trying to break in to Hollywood - all with a boxer's faith that he could duck any threat, slip any punch. Heroin addiction was the only knockout blow he didn't see coming.
©2016 Shaun Assael (P)2016 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
Blood in the Cage
Summary
Based on unlimited access to the Ultimate Fighting Championshipand its rival leagues, Blood in the Cage peers through the chain-link Octagon into the frighteningly seductive world of mixed martial arts, which is exploding in popularity despite resistance from every corner. Wertheim focuses on Pat Miletich, a mixed-martial-arts pioneer and six-time UFC champion, who currently runs the most famous MMA training school in the world. Miletich has Single-handedly transformed a gritty town on the banks of the Mississippi into an unlikely hotbed for his sport. He has also transformed many an average Joe into a walking weapon of destruction. Wertheim intertwines Miletich's own life story, by turns tragic and triumphant, with the larger story of the unholy rise of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, from its controversial, back alley roots to the fastest-growing sporting enterprise in America. For fans of Jeff MacGregor's Sunday Money and Sam Sheridan's A Fighter's Heart, Blood in the Cage takes readers behind the scenes, right down to the mat, from a punch in the kidney to the ping of the cash register, as Wertheim brilliantly exposes the no-holds-barred reality of the blood sport for a new generation.
©2009 L. Jon Wertheim (P)2009 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
Life Is Short and So Am I
Summary
Heart, determination, and triumph This is the story of a boy who fell in love with wrestling before he was able to walk. Born with achondroplasia, a condition that causes disproportionate dwarfism, Dylan Postl had endured multiple surgeries by the age of 12. And yet, he held on to the dream that he would one day become a professional wrestler. Ignoring the naysayers and against doctors' recommendations, Postl began training in his teens, and he soon began appearing on local independent shows. Before he turned 20, he was signed by WWE to play the role of Irish grappler Finlay's feisty sidekick, Hornswoggle, and remained a fixture in the company for a full decade. While most of Postl's adult life has been spent in the wild world of the wrestling industry, his is more than a story of a little person's journey through a world of giants; it's a memoir of elation and anguish, triumph and disappointment, and of how an endlessly positive outlook combined with the unwavering support of family and friends helped a long shot become a success in his industry and a loving, responsible father.
©2019 Dylan Postl (P)2019 Tantor
American Shaolin
Summary
Bill Bryson meets Bruce Lee in this raucously funny story of one scrawny American's quest to become a kung fu master at China's legendary Shaolin Temple. Growing up a 90-pound weakling tormented by bullies in the schoolyards of Kansas, young Matthew Polly dreamed of one day journeying to the Shaolin Temple in China to become the toughest fighter in the world, like Caine in his favorite 1970s TV series, Kung Fu. While in college, Matthew decided the time had come to pursue this quixotic dream before it was too late. Much to the dismay of his parents, he dropped out of Princeton to spend two years training with the legendary sect of monks who invented kung fu and Zen Buddhism. Expecting to find an isolated citadel populated by supernatural ascetics that he had seen in countless badly dubbed chop-socky flicks, Matthew instead discovered a tacky tourist trap run by Communist party hacks. But the dedicated monks still trained in the rigorous age-old fighting forms - some even practicing the "iron kung fu" discipline, in which intensive training can make various body parts virtually indestructible-even the crotch. As Matthew grew in his knowledge of China and kung fu skill, he would come to represent the temple in challenge matches and international competitions, and ultimately the monks would accept their new American initiate as close to one of their own as any Westerner had ever become. Laced with humor and illuminated by cultural insight, American Shaolin is an unforgettable coming-of-age tale of one young man's journey into the ancient art of kung fu - and a funny and poignant portrait of a rapidly changing China.
©2018 Matthew Polly (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
We Promised You a Great Main Event
Summary
Unauthorized. Unrestricted. No holds barred. In We Promised You a Great Main Event, longtime sports journalist Bill Hanstock pulls back the curtain to give a smart fan’s account of WWE and Vince McMahon’s journey to the top. Untangling the truth behind the official WWE storyline, Hanstock does a deep dive into key moments of the company’s history, from the behind-the-scenes drama at the Montreal Screwjob, to the company’s handling of the Jimmy Snuka scandal, to the real story of the Monday Night Wars. WWE is an extraordinary business success and an underappreciated pop cultural phenomenon. While WWE soared to prominence during the Hulk Hogan years, as the stakes grew more and more extreme, wrestlers faced steroid scandals and assault allegations. The whole story is here, good, bad, and ugly, from the heights of iconic cultural moments like Wrestlemania III to the arrival of global superstars like The Rock and John Cena. We Promised You a Great Main Event is an exhaustive, fun account of the McMahon family and WWE’s unprecedented rise. Drawing on a decade of covering wrestling, Bill Hanstock synthesizes insights from historians, journalists, and industry insiders with his own deep research to produce the most up-to-date, entertaining history of WWE available. Full of amazing characters and astonishing stories from the ring to corporate boardrooms, it is a story as audacious as any WWE spectacle.
©2020 Bill Hanstock (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers
The Fight
Summary
In 1974 in Kinshasa, Zaïre, two African American boxers were paid five million dollars apiece to fight each other. One was Muhammad Ali, the aging but irrepressible "professor of boxing." The other was George Foreman, who was as taciturn as Ali was voluble. Observing them was Norman Mailer, a commentator of unparalleled energy, acumen, and audacity. Whether he is analyzing the fighters' moves, interpreting their characters, or weighing their competing claims on the African and American souls, Mailer's grasp of the titanic battle's feints and stratagems - and his sensitivity to their deeper symbolism - makes this book a masterpiece of the literature of sport.
©1975 Norman Mailer. Grateful acknowledgment is made to Grove/Atlantic, Inc., and Faber and Faber Ltd. For permission to reprint an excerpt from The Palmwine Drunkard by Amos Tutuola (published by Faber and Faber Ltd. as The Palm Wine Drinkarct), © 1953 by George Braziller, © the Estate of Amos Tutuola. Reprinted by permission of Grove/Atlantic, Inc., and Faber and Faber Ltd. (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.
Becoming the Black Belt
Summary
Roy Dean retraces the trials and tribulations he faced in learning the sophisticated art of Brazilian jiujitsu from early competition experiences in Southern California to running a world class academy and sharing that journey online. The lessons he learned are the lessons he shares with you. A must-listen for martial arts professionals and serious students of the path.
©2016 Roy Dean (P)2019 Roy Dean
No Excuses: The True Story of a Congenital Amputee Who Became a Champion in Wrestling and in Life
Summary
Born without arms or legs below his elbows and knees, Kyle Maynard excels as a champion athlete, inspirational speaker, college student, and male model. No Excuses is his inspirational autobiography that shows how a positive, can-do attitude gives someone we might see as disadvantaged the advantage over life.
©2005 Kyle Maynard (P)2012 Regnery Publishing
Unstoppable
Summary
The powerful and inspiring story of an all-American wrestler who defied the odds Anthony Robles is a three-time all-American wrestler, the 2011 NCAA National Wrestling Champion, and a Nike-sponsored athlete. He was also born without his right leg. Doctors could not explain to his mother, Judy, what led to the birth defect, but at the age of five, the one-legged toddler scaled a fifty-foot pole unassisted. From that moment on, Judy knew without a doubt that her son would be unstoppable. When Anthony first began wrestling in high school, he was the smallest kid on the team and finished the year in last place. Yet Anthony's family and coaches supported his decision to continue, and he completed his junior and senior years with a 96 - 0 record to become a two-time Arizona State champion. In college, Anthony had to prove all over again that he could excel. Despite hardships on and off the mat—including the temptation to quit school and get a job to help his family when they lost their home to foreclosure - Anthony focused his determination and became a champion once again. Since winning the national championship in March 2011, Anthony has become a nationally recognized role model to kids and adults alike. But Unstoppable is not just an exciting sports memoir or an inspirational tale of living with a disability. It is also the story of one man whose spirit and unyielding resolve remind us all that we have the power to conquer adversity - in whatever form.
©2012 Anthony Robles and Austin Murphy (P)2012 Penguin Audio
Life Lessons from the Mat
Summary
You discover who you really are when you can stand in front of and stare down a punch or kick coming at full speed without pissing your pants. It’s the kind of confidence you get when you really understand what you’re capable of. In this audiobook, I share stories of times when I’ve fallen and gotten back up, times when fear got the better of me, and a few other lessons I learned along the way, through the guidance and wisdom of those who came before me. While my experiences are unique to me, the values and lessons learned along the way are transformative. They can make you feel downright superhuman, and the friendships you make are forever. I hope my journey and these stories can help you, no matter what point you are in your life. So, if you’re ready to listen, I’m ready to talk. Discover the following values in these stories: The value of taking action and being decisive Making time for the things we care about Recognizing your own truth and power Never letting your ego get the better of you The value of your word Learning to be comfortable where others are not Perseverance and developing the will to push through By revealing my thoughts and feelings at various points in my journey, I’m hoping you’ll find these stories entertaining and will, at the very least, make you ask different questions about yourself - questions you may not have asked before. You’ll see that, sometimes, when you lack faith in yourself, trusting in someone else and their belief in you can give you the spark you need to break through. I started my journey in the martial arts as a kid, and to this day, I’m continually evolving. I know more than I knew back then, but still not as much as I’ll know tomorrow. Start with these quick little stories of lessons gained from this ancient art form. Let them help transform and shift your mind-set to change your personal and business life today.
©2020 Joseph Ansah (P)2020 Joseph Ansah
5 Rules for White Belts
Summary
A simple conceptual framework through which the beginning student can understand his or her journey through Jiu-Jitsu while seeking personal development.
©2019 Chris Matakas (P)2019 Chris Matakas
The Guv'nor
Summary
This is the classic book that started an entire genre - the story of the most iconic hardman of them all. Lenny McLean was one of the deadliest bareknuckle fighters Britain has ever seen. He had dear, powerful friends, but he also had terrible enemies. So much so that he had two bullet wounds in his back - each from a different attack. He was also stabbed repeatedly - always from behind. But Lenny was also a warm, big-hearted grizzly bear of a man, whose main weakness was an overwhelming desire to put the welfare of his mates ahead of his own wellbeing. In his extraordinary autobiography, he tells of how the Mafia flew him to New York to take on their greatest bareknuckle boxer in a multimillion pound illicit bout. The Mafia's man lasted less than three minutes. When the IRA fronted up a London gang in a money-laundering scam, Lenny was brought in to intimidate the terrorists. The IRA, not surprisingly, backed off. His most serious trial came when he was accused of murder. Fighting to prove his innocence against a minimum sentence of 25 years, Lenny never gave up - and went on to be found not guilty. This is a tale of one man's triumph against almost insurmountable odds, in a battle that Len fought every day for himself, and to 'put steam on the table' for his wife and kids.
©2020 Lenny McLean (P)2020 Bonnier Books Ltd
The Martial Arts Mindset Complete
Summary
Learn how martial arts training can improve your everyday consciousness. Gain the confidence and discipline to write your own success story. Let's face it, the world isn't the nicest place out there. There are a lot of people out there that mean to cause us harm. That's why we train martial arts in the first place right? There is also another reason; one that lies dormant in the background until suddenly it becomes relevant when we need it. Once this happens, we are now aware that our training has changed the way we think as well! This two-part short audiobook series I have written to help you fast track the way you see what martial arts training can do for you, not just out in the street but in your work, your relationships, your life, and everything else that goes with it! So what are you waiting for? Dive on in!
©2017 Jake Askew (P)2019 Jake Askew
Fathers' Blood
Summary
"Sean has the unique ability to share the journeys of those who have sacrificed so much for pro wrestling, and he does so in a manner that evokes compassion, humor, and joy." (Justin Barrasso, Sports Illustrated) "The stories are fascinating, mainly tear-jerking or humorous. It's a perspective never written about - until now - in stories only Sean Oliver can tell." (Bill Apter, author of Is Wrestling Fixed? I Didn't Know It Was Broken) They were nomadic warriors, their business shrouded in secrecy. They navigated a world fraught with pitfalls. Abuse was rampant. Their world was perilous. And they had kids. This is the true story of pro wrestlers raising children while working the unrelenting road. All content was constructed via personal new interviews with the stars and their families. See how Sullivan, Atlas, Bischoff, Poffo, Russo, Santana, Bigelow, and more scored their most important wins and heartbreaking losses, told in a most riveting narrative style.
©2018 Sean Oliver (P)2018 Sean Oliver
Georges St-Pierre
Summary
You're about to discover the incredibly inspirational story of UFC superstar Georges St-Pierre. If you're reading this, then you must be a GSP fan, like so many others. As a fan, you must wonder how this man is so talented and want to know more about him. Georges is considered one of the greatest MMA fighters in the world, and it's been an honor to be able to watch him fight throughout his career. This book will reveal to you much about Georges' story and the many accomplishments throughout his career. Here is a preview of what you'll learn... Youth and family life Pre-UFC career UFC career and notable fights Legacy and charitable acts And much more! If you want to learn more about Georges, then this book is for you. It will reveal to you many things that you did not know about this incredible UFC star!
©2014 Bill Redban (P)2015 Bill Redban
Fight Like a Physicist
Summary
Fight Like a Physicist provides an in-depth, sometimes whimsical look into the physics behind martial arts for sport and self-defense. Whether you are an experienced martial artist or a curious enthusiast, this book can give you an "unfair advantage" by unraveling the complex science of effective fighting techniques and examining the core principles that make them work. In addition to breaking down the principles behind the punches, Dr. Thalken, a computational physicist with a long history of martial arts across various styles, applies the mind-set of a physicist to a number of controversial topics in the martial arts: Making physics your "unfair advantage", in the ring and on the street Examining center of mass, pi, levers, wedges, angular momentum, and linear momentum for martial artists Protecting the brains of fighters and football players from concussions Reducing traumatic brain injury in contact sports Overturning conventional wisdom on compliance during an assault Dr. Thalken invites listeners to take a scientific approach to training and fighting, and provides all the tools necessary to get the most out of their experiences and make their training count. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2015 Jason Thalken, PhD (P)2019 Tantor