Favorite books on Striking

**Emevas** · Posted On: 1/10/2006 1:39am

I love Mark Hatmaker's "Savage Strikes". It's simple to read/understand, and covers a lot of ranges of striking combat. It's really logical too. One of my favorite sections is "inserts" (basically strikes that occur when other strikes fail). Kinda open your eyes to other possibilities on striking.

Anyone else?

**Jaguar Wong** · Posted On: 1/10/2006 11:38am

"Deadly Karate Blows: The Medical Implications"

I have two Submission Grappling books by Mark Hatmaker (My boss got them for me, because they were like $10 a piece). I guess I should check out the striking one as well. I just figured it would be really basic stuff (for VT/MMA) with some standard tactics, but it sounds interesting to me now.

**Emevas** · Posted On: 1/10/2006 12:40pm

It does have some pretty basic stuff, but the way he writes kinda gives you a different perspective on the basic stuff.

I didn't like his grappling books too much, but that's mainly because I didn't have a training partner to try any of that **** out on.

And damnit, why was this moved? I can't tell what belongs in Strikestan and what doesn't.

**Jaguar Wong** · Posted On: 1/10/2006 1:40pm

Perhaps if you went into greater detail with your critique, like the Eddie Bravo book review from the grappling forum. Maybe you could get more detailed with the tactics he's teaching, and try to spark some kind of discussion. You know...compare it to how you normally do things, and how it can/will change the way you approach striking range.

I hear you on the grappling books. I wasn't always able to get my brother on the mat to try a lot of that stuff out, and I sort of just gave up on it when I started BJJ, because it's easier to learn from a person. :)

**blankslate** · Posted On: 1/13/2006 8:42pm

Hatmaker is a good author ..Savage Strikes is a good book. (I also recently got his book "Takedowns" and I understand a book on the Clench is on the way.)

But the more I look through it, I realize that you can possibly have overkill with the weapons in your arsenal. He teaches over fifty(?) strikes in that book. How many do you possibly need? How many can you realistically train and then utilize in a fight? Great reference though--- and he does teach some good strategy.

**Emevas** · Posted On: 1/13/2006 8:45pm

I think his goal with presenting to much info is that you take the ones that work for you and train them.

You do TKD, you should know how it's like. You're shown a few hundred techniques, and get good at maybe a dozen of them.

**blankslate** · Posted On: 1/13/2006 8:52pm

Hmmm, yeah.... I did say though having this book is a great reference....pick from the the catalog and integrate into your arsenal. I also like his striking as part of the NHB game...very important for MMA enthusiasts. Most striking books (in the past) did not consider the shoot or ground as part of the "rules".

Hatmaker's videos on Boxing are excellent as well.

We should collaborate on a review of his Savage book.

I also like:

Books by Mas Oyama "Best Karate"

Old School TKD books (Korean Karate)

Benny Urquidez old books

Jean Yves Theriault

Bas Rutten's Big Books of Combat
http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3438

I'm looking forward to reading Ross"s stuff:
http://www.rossboxing.com/products.html

**Captain Spaulding** · Posted On: 1/13/2006 10:29pm

Savage Strikes

Very clear presentation, especially considering it's relatively cheap and the photos are in B&W. The techniques are simple and easy to build on.

I haven't gotten the submissions volume. Does anyone have any opinions?

**Emevas** · Posted On: 1/13/2006 10:50pm

I already posted mine. It's a lot less comprehensive than Savage Strikes without a training partner. But most of Mark Hatmaker's books have something in them that kinda have an "ah hah!" inspiring moment. In "Killer Submissions", he talks a lot about breath control.