Got Fight?: The 50 Zen Principles Of Hand-to-Face Combat (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
I personally liked this book. It was unlike any other book I had ever read.It was almost a biography but at the same time it was random stories from the authors life.I really liked the way the book was not only funny but actually related to the average athlete. Not only the average athlete but the average person. It talks about techniques that you can use to deal with everyday life weather it be practice or stress. I actually tried the some of the tips in this book and surprisingly they worked.If I had to compare it to any other book it would have have to be Friday Night Lights. The only reason I chose this book is its about an average high school that does some extraordinary things. I've honestly never read a book like this. If I had to recommend this book I would recommend it to a male audience just because I feel that is who the comedy is pointed at. Overall I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. Sometimes one has to read through an entire book to determine who it is addressed to. In this case I’ve read it, all of it, and still don’t know. Also, it’s really shallow. Mainly it’s a collection of random thoughts, tips and anecdotes from mma fighting champion Forrest Griffin.It starts with a “manliness test”, ostensibly to determine if the reader is man enough to receive the advice imparted in the rest of the book. The multiple-answer questions (example, question #2: Which do you shave more, your face or your genitals?) lead to points subjectively imparted by M. Griffin himself, and is so juvenile it fails to elicit even a juvenile response, but serves (successfully!) to lower expectations for the rest of the book. It’s good that it does so, because the theme is about being or becoming a man but M. Griffin never fails to detract from it by expressing his giddy boyish humor.I did get a laugh from it now and then. For instance, the section on cringeworthy jujitsu partners was funny.But most of it: just random.Example: M. Griffin recounts having been approached by a young man in a bar who wanted to fight him. He gives him an appointment to meet in the bathroom five minutes later, then joins him there and drops him with a few body punches, then comes back to the bar, where the young man again walks up to him, this time holding a beer as an acknowledgement of his superior fighting skills. No big deal. But, but but but, if it’s no big deal, why tell the story?If I read it to the end, it’s because I recognized in M. Griffin the stuff that a lot of people aspire to be, a devil-may-care, wise and tough fighter. But the self-aggrandizement would have needed more insight or original experiences to be memorable. So memorable it isn’t. I’m writing this review as quickly as possible before the memory fades ah too late.Let’s just summarize: sometimes funny, in a gross-you-out, shake-your-head-at-his-caddishness kind of way.
What do You think about Got Fight?: The 50 Zen Principles Of Hand-to-Face Combat (2009)?
Was a funny book and a sweet perspective on the fighters mentality.
—Evan
Mostly an entertaining book but pretty stupid.
—lanie
