Mixed Martial Arts for Dummies by Frank Shamrock

Photo credit: Griffin vs. Ortiz (2009). Courtesy of SHERDOG.COM.

If you've ever read a "For Dummies" book, you know that they're set up in an easy-to-read format, with lots of small sections featuring large headings, bullet points, and pictures. Mixed Martial Arts for Dummies is no different. It's extremely informative and easy-to-read. The pictures alone are worth the cost of the book. With the book and a training partner, you can learn punches, kicks, clinches, takedowns, mounting techniques, submission techniques, escapes, and more. Here's some info about each chapter:

Chapter 1: Mixed Martial Arts: Past and Present
Chapter 1 provides a very brief history of mixed martial arts and discusses how it has been reborn as an American martial art that involves both stand-up fighting (punches, kicks, takedowns, etc.) and ground fighting (guards, mounts, submissions, etc.). As you'd expect, Frank Shamrock has his own unique philosophy of fighting, which he calls the Shamrock Way. This unique philosophy is woven into each subsequent chapter.

Chapter 2: Digging Deeper into MMA
Chapter 2 provides lots of factual information, such as listings of fighting styles (e.g., Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, etc.), weight classes (e.g., lightweight, welterweight, etc.), MMA rules (e.g., no eye gouging, etc.), approved ways of ending a fight (e.g., knockout, submission, etc.), well-known MMA organizations (e.g, UFC, Strikeforce, etc.), and the general benefits of training and competing in MMA.

Chapter 3: Getting Started with Your Training
Chapter 3 focuses on preparations for training and for protecting yourself. Various training equipment is described (e.g., gloves, handwraps, mouthpiece, etc.), as is valuable advice (e.g., tapping out isn't dishonorable) and tips for finding a training facility and qualified instructor.

Photo credit: Griffin vs. Ortiz (2009). Courtesy of SHERDOG.COM.

Chapter 4: Stand Up for Yourself and Strike
Chapter 4 provides clear, step-by-step instructions for stand-up striking using your hands, feet, knees, and elbows, and 57 color photos of Frank Shamrock ensure that you learn to strike effectively. Some of the major striking techniques covered include the jab, uppercut, cross, hook, switch kick, roundhouse kick, knee, and elbow. This chapter also includes tips for defending against punches, elbows, and kicks.

Chapter 5: Inside Fighting with the Clinch
The clinch is an important part of MMA fighting, because when clinched you can control your opponent's position, you can land powerful short-range strikes, and you can set up several effective takedown techniques. This chapter shows you how to enter the clinch, how to maintain a variety of clinched positions, and most importantly, how to fight in the clinch using punches, elbows, and knees. And in case you get yourself stuck in a clinch, you'll learn some escapes, such as the shoulder shuck and duck under.

Chapter 6: The Takedown: Getting to the Ground
Unlike boxing, most MMA fights end up on the ground after a fighter "takes down" his opponent. In this chapter, Shamrock demonstrates the double leg takedown, the single leg takedown, and my personal favorite, the hip toss, a move that uses leverage to lift your opponent off his feet and over your hip. This chapter also covers the sprawl, which is your primary defensive move against a takedown attempt.

Photo credit: Griffin vs. Ortiz (2009). Courtesy of SHERDOG.COM.

Chapter 7: Working from the Guard
When fights go to the ground, it's likely that the fighter on the bottom will "pull guard" by locking his legs around the fighter on top. This protects the fighter on the bottom by keeping the fighter on the top close to him and unable to wind-up and land big punches. Chapter 7 covers all things guard-related, including how to pull guard and how to fight from within your opponent's guard. What I like best about this chapter is that it demonstrates several basic submission holds, such as the arm bar, front choke, and shoulder lock. When executed properly, these moves will force your opponent to tap out (which is just like saying "Uncle!"), or pass out, or suffer serious injury.

Chapter 8: Flowing Through the Eight Positions of Power
First and foremost, Frank Shamrock is known for being a legendary submission fighter, and effective submissions depend on a foundation of balance and control. In this chapter, Shamrock demonstrates the eight dominant positions of submission wrestling. Position 1: arm hold. Position 2: side mount. Position 3: head wrestle. Position 4: the mount. Position 5: leg hold. Position 6: rear mount. Position 7: rear side mount. Position 8: rear head wrestle. Once you learn the eight positions, the next chapter will teach you associated submission holds.

Chapter 9: Submitting to No One: Using the Right Submission Techniques
Once you've mastered the eight positions of power in chapter 8, you're ready to learn the submission holds demonstrated in chapter 9. In my opinion, these moves make MMA most exciting because they enable a smaller, weaker fighter to force an otherwise dominant opponent to tap out, or take a nap, or suffer serious injury. Using step-by-step instructions and nearly 50 color photos, Shamrock demonstrates the shoulder lock, straight arm bar, telephone lock, pec choke, mount choke, Achilles hold, toe hold, rear choke, neck crank, and front choke.

Chapter 10: Great Escapes
No matter how much you learn about dominant positions, sooner or later you'll find yourself in trouble and in need of an exit plan. In Chapter 10, Shamrock demonstrates several escapes that lead elegantly into offensive maneuvers and submission holds. It's all part of having an effective ground game.

Chapter 11: Improving Your Ground Game: The Five Animals fo MMA
This section was totally new to me, and probably one of the most insightful chapters in the book. Shamrock demonstrates five positions named after five animals (turtle, dog, cat, monkey, and snake) and shows how to execute strikes, reversals, and escapes from each. For example, you've probably noticed that cats often fight very effectively from their backs. The cat position is most effective when your opponent is standing and you're on your back. It's not only a good defensive position (you can block strikes with your hands), it's also an effective offensive position because you're free to kick your opponent's legs, torso, and (depending on your flexibility) chest or head.

Photo credit: Jon Fitch Trains for UFC 107 (2009). Courtesy of SHERDOG.COM.

Chapter 12: Strength and Conditioning
In this chapter, Shamrock presents the basics of taking care of your body and your mind. He demonstrates stretching exercises, discusses cardiovascular training techniques, nutrition, and strength training. He also provides a brief discussion of meditation, hypnosis, visualization, and the importance of getting adequate rest.

Chapter 13: Training with a Purpose
This is one of the most valuable sections in the book! You'll learn that sparring is NOT the most effective way to train for mixed martial arts. Shamrock teaches you to turn your training into a game by featuring several drills that will improve your takedowns, submission holds, etc. For example, the "choke game" helps you strengthen your neck, and it also helps you become more comfortable and effective in escaping choke holds. No matter how good you are, an opponent will try to choke you out at some point during a fight, and the only way you'll stay calm is if you've been in that position before, and you've practiced how to escape.

Photo credit: UFC 100 (2009). Courtesy of UFC.com.

In chapter 14, Shamrock presents ten ways to improve your speed. In chapter 15, he shares ten ways to get yourself hurt (of course, you'll want to learn to avoid those things). And in chapter 16, he discusses ten ways to prepare for a fight. Each chapter is very brief, but the suggestions are good.

If you're just getting started in mixed martial arts, the following links are a great place to start.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
The UFC is the most successful organization in mixed martial arts. According to Yahoo Sports rankings, 5 of the top 10 MMA fighters are affiliated with the UFC, with Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre ranked #1 and #2, respectively. Furthermore, UFC fights are commonly featured on Spike TV, so it's easy to become a fan.

MMA on Yahoo! Sports
Yahoo! Sports does a great job keeping on top of MMA news, rankings, rumors, and upcoming events. Lots of great videos and fight information! Very comprehensive site!

MMAWeekly.com
Great site for MMA news, photos, rankings, and more. I've always liked this site because I always find new information that I was totally unaware of. MMAWeekly never disappoints me!

Sherdog.com
Another great site for up-to-date MMA news, rankings, etc. They also have great pictures that they allow others to use on their websites. For that reason alone, Sherdog is cool in my book. Wonderful resource!

MMAjunkie.com
Like the others, MMAjunkie has MMA news, interviews, etc. It's one of my favorites.