A Fighter’s Heart- The birth of the training biography
Recently I had a chance to pick up A Fighter’s Heart: One Man’s Journey Through the World of Fighting, by Sam Sheridan and I really could not put it down. At least for the first four or so chapters. In this unique text, Sheridan takes the reader along with him as he trains to become an MMA style fighter. He trains in absolutely everything and the reader is brought right along through Sheridan’s trials.
With this said, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of A Fighter’s Heart and how it stacks up to other similar titles. First of all, there really are not too many other titles that solely follow a fighter’s journey and training regimen. There are martial arts biographies like Funakoshi’s Karate-Do: My Way of Life and Judo Heart and Soul by Hayward Nishioka that capture a career in the martial arts and offer small glimpses into training in the martial arts, but both fail to capture the daily sacrifices that Sheridan’s work accomplishes. This book has a similar feel to the productions Day of the Zen and Smashing Machine in that it intelligently illustrated what it takes to fight and win. It is not as much of a lifestyle piece like the Arte Suave films as it is a book that shows you the difficulties and sacrifices that every fighter goes through. In terms of content, I have yet to see another title that accomplishes what Sheridan has in this future best seller.
Why did I get this? Well, I thumbed through it at the bookstore and I came across the section on the Brazilian Top Team, a favorite MMA/BJJ team of mine for quite some time. In this chapter, I read some fantastic training stories of what it is like to train at BTT and I really got a feel for what it is like to be a gringo training in Brazil at one of the top schools in the world. Later, I was further hooked as I read the chapters on Fairtex (a world famous Muay Thai training camp out of Thailand) and Miletich Fighting Systems. These three chapters gave me an inside look at these training camps that I have never seen before and provided me with a window into the private lives of some of my favorite fighters like: Minotauro, Sperry, and Miletich and company. It just felt like I was reading a documentary on what it takes to train at these places. To reiterate, sometimes you just cannot top a first hand account of how hard the training can be.
Would I get it again? I would purchase this again in a heartbeat, but aside from the aforementioned chapters of brilliance, there were some things that I was less than enthusiastic about that others may find more interesting. First of all, sometimes I was a little confused by Sheridan’s prose. Was he trying to sell the reader the idea that he was a fighter or was he simply behaving as a journalist and giving the readership an “inside perspective”. I realize that Sheridan himself plays around with this dichotomy, but at times I was left puzzled as to his intentions with this book. For most of the book it feels like Sheridan struggles with the insecurity of being labled a journalist, but in the end, most fighters carry many roles. Perhaps he could have done more to capture the intellectual depth of modern MMA fighters. Did Sheridan achieve the status of becoming a fighter? Definitely, but I just felt Sheridan could have accomplished more as a warrior poet than an author who struggles with his multiple roles.
In addition, I found some of the chapters a little slow. I was not particularly riveted by his Tai Chi or boxing training. Not as a slight to either art, it was just that they did not feel as fleshed out as his introduction in Fairtex or his personal relationship with Miletich in Iowa. Some may not be as interested in the chapter on dog fighting, but I found it to be an interesting albeit troubling (when viewing it through my own cultural lens) cultural survey that would make many anthroplogists proud. However, with this being said the other chapters are pure gold.
The book itself is relatively inexpensive for a new release hardcover and it should be a quick read for most. It is what it is, a deeply interesting and engaging story of what it takes to train with the best. Hopefully this will spawn furture training bios and we can all see the birth of a fantastic new genre.
Happy Training,
Kevin
Tags: Training Bio
