Review: Free Stuff!

by Mike

Crazy Monkey Defense MMA Training Journal by Dr. Randy Broum and Rodney King RSME Free registration required.

I always knew that if I waited long enough, someone would write a nice, free book with all sorts of useful articles so I wouldn't have to.

This little manual is a very helpful guide to some metatraining considerations - things like setting goals, recognizing and treating overtraining/injuries, as well as maintaining focus over the course of not only individual training sessions but a training career.

Definitely worth a read for beginners, and maybe a quick once-over as a refresher course for veterans.

The Ringside Boxing Manual by Jim Brown.

This manual is primarily of interest those just getting started in a boxing program. Oddly, part of the book seems to be written with coaches in mind while the other half is addressed to boxers. This focuses purely on amateur boxing, which is a very different game than professional boxing (keep in mind the old saw, "amateur boxing is about technique while professional boxing is about punishment").

Diet, training, fighting common styles and "how to win an amateur bout" are covered as well as basic techniques. Sidebars cover basic rules of boxing and a useful list of things to keep in mind (I particularly like #5: "Appear confident at all times" and #6: "never forget that your opponent is as tired as you are."

This is a short guide and many subjects only receive lip service, but overall, this is a useful guide for beginners as a guide to see how their training should be structured and progress. Anyone other than beginners is likely not going to find much value in it.