Fight to Win: 20 Simple Techniques That Win Any Fight

by Martin J. Dougherty

If you are going to fight, you might as well fight to win! This book presents 20 simple fighting techniques that will win any fight, anytime!

Fight to Win teaches you how to fight with a minimum of technical jargon. It allows you to quickly develop the ability to win by learning a small number of techniques that always work in every situation. This is far more effective than memorizing hundreds of movements and variations which work only in specific circumstances (and are quickly forgotten in the heat of the moment!)

With 400 full-color photos and easy-to-follow instructions, this martial arts book presents self-defense techniques such as:

Genres: Martial Arts

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2013

About the author

Hailing from northeast England, Martin J Dougherty is a professional writer specialising in military history. He has been at times a games designer, an engineer, a self-protection instructor, a teacher and a defence analyst. Martin has published a range of books covering topics as diverse as self-protection, medieval warfare and space flight, and has addressed international conferences on anti-shipping missiles and homeland security issues.

Martin's interests include martial arts and fencing. He has coached Fencing, Ju-Jitsu, Self-Defence and Kickboxing for many years at the University of Sunderland, and has competed to national level as a fencer. As a martial artist he holds black belts in Combat Ju-Jitsu, Nihon Tai-Jitsu and Self-Defence. Martin is a Senior Assessor with the Self-Defence Federation and an IL1 instructor/assessor with the Britsh Federation for Historical Swordplay, specialising in the Military Sabre and the Smallsword.

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I save my five star ratings for books that are really meaningful to me, even life-changing. That’s a high bar. In many ways, this is the book on martial arts I would write. It says everything I would say about the topic. Everything you need to know about hand-to-hand combat is somewhere in this book. So, why isn’t it a five? Because it is a little dry at times, and I wasn’t always happy with the layout of the supporting photographs. It needed to better use white space to aid the reader. I’m quibbling. It’s a good four star book. I’d even give it four and a half if possible.

[Raena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway.

The beginning of the book is spent talking about how no one fighting style is superior to any other and how to be a truly accomplished fighter, you should be well versed in many disciplines. This portion gets a bit tedious. Finally the lessons begin.

The chapters on techniques are as follows:
Groundfighting Basics
Straight Strikes
Hooked Strikes
Elbow Strikes
Kicks and Kness
Leg Takedowns
Reaping Takedowns
Other Takedowns
Submissions and Destructions

The techniques are explained well, but you really need a partner in order to practice them. You won't become a good fighter just from reading the book. Implementing and practicing the techniques are important.

The book has a lot of really great pictures, and it is obvious that a lot of care went into the creation of this book. I took a year of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, so some of the submission and takedown techniques were familiar. I don't know a lot to say whether I would actually be able to win a fight just from practicing what is in the book, but in all likelihood I will not be getting into a fight any time soon.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway. It's not quite a simple read. It relies a good deal on the assumption that the reader has previous knowledge of defense skills. And I thought it would be more geared towards self-defense than it was. It's okay, though. If you're training for the MMA, it's a must read. :)

[Nyuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came out knowing a lot more about the basics of fighting (and winning fights) than I had known before reading this book. While a book like this would be more useful in conjunction with a self defense course or a knowledgeable sparring partner, there is still much that the average non-fighter can learn. There are also many helpful photographs of the moves discussed.

[Brian Verendus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book will give the average person an appreciation for what MMA fighters are trying to do in a fight. It also gives a good basic vocabulary and the pictures are effective in communicating techniques even if the descriptions are a bit tough to follow. All in all, I enjoyed the book.