Inside the Lion's Den

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Summary: Good book for fight lovers, very inspirational
Review: I love this book. It always inspires me when i need it to. I loved reading about Ken's background. The books a great buy for Shamrock fans,WWF Fans, and UFC fans alike. It's a great buy.

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Summary: "One Amazing Book and Man" - Kevin Murphy
Review: A book that get inside Shamrock and Submission fighting

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Summary: Overrall an incredible book.
Review: I read the otehr reviews and for the msot part agree. I myself am a huge Shamrock fan. And I really enjoyed the biography. It showed his prominence over a tough deck in life. The submission aprt was great but, at times a litle difficult to understand.

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Summary: Inside the Lion's Den was the best book I read in months.
Review: Richard Hanner and Ken Shamrock come together and form a spectactular team as two writers for this great book. Section one, written by Richard Hanner will inform you on the life story of Ken Shamrock in great detail. The second part, by Ken Shamrock, will teach you some submission techniques and more, so you can become the next Shamrock. I am a big fan of Ken Shamrock and will always be. I reccomend reading this book if you are also a fan. [e-mail]

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Summary: A great book--A MUST BUY
Review: This is an excellent book. Although the biography was a little one sided, I appreciated it for the frank honesty with which Shamrock deals with situations in his life, including his rough upbringing, and his rivalry with Dan Severn. The second half of the book shows the basics of submission fighting. The writing is clear, the pictures are large, and almost immeadiately I was able to incorporate some of things I learned in the book into my own submission fighting.

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Summary: Excellent Biographical Work
Review: "Inside the Lion's Den" is a superbly written book about the premiere extreme fighter, Ken Shamrock. I found the book both inspirational and educational. Richard Hanner's writing style makes the read a pleasure. Plus, the photos showing various moves and holds make the book easy to follow and the "lessons" understandable. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the martial arts and especially those of us who are inspired by the life of someone who's been victorious over adversity.

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Summary: A WINNER..A VERY INSPIRATIONAL BOOK...I CRIED !!!!!!!!!
Review: THIS BOOK IS A "MUST READ" FOR EVERY YOUNG PERSON. IT WILL PROVE TO THEM THAT YOU CAN OVERCOME ANYTHING IF YOU HAVE POSITIVE INPUT. IF GIVEN LOVE AND GUIDANCE, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE. FROM BEING BASICALLY A HOMELESS CHILD. TO BECOMING THE "WORLD CHAMPION" IN ULTIMATE FIGHTING, TO NOW BEING A WWF SUPERSTAR...WHAT A "POSITIVE" ROLE MODEL TO TODAYS YOUTH. KEN SHAMROCK, I WISH YOU THE BEST IN LIFE....YOU DESERVE IT AFTER THE BATTLE YOU HAVE ENDURED...

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Summary: One-sided bibliography
Review: This book is divided into two sections. The first section is the short history of Ken Shamrock by Richard Hanner. The second section is the "fundamentals" of Shamrock's submission system. Part 1 is highly one-sided. The events being written are seen from Shamrock's perspective an undercuts all his opponents, over-glorifying some of his wins, and making weak excuses for his rare losses. Part 1 should only be read when the reader has enough background info her/himself to compare and contrast what went on in Shamrock's mind. Part 2 is basically something you would read in a boxer's workout handbook. Shamrock does have unique and seemingly effective holds for submission and intoduces more positions than the regular 5 (he lists 10). The photos flow poorly when it comes to instructional value. This book is only for Ultimate Fighting Championship or WWF followers.

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Summary: Great information hidden in jumbled text
Review: I have to admit, I was already a fan of Shamrock's before picking up the book. The first two-thirds of the book is biographical in nature. It depicts Shamrock in a very possitive light, without making him look completely untarnished. This part sort of bounces around, with every other chapter being a chronological account of his life, and the other chapters being about the biuldup to his second Superfight with Severn. Still, it's a fun read, and gives some interesting insights into the life of "The World's Most Dangerous Man". It was definitly oriented towards an American audience who was familiar with Shamrock's UFC fights, as his time in Japan and his early Toughman comptetitions were barely covered. The second part of the book was on the physical and mental conditioning of a Lion's Den fighter, or more specifically, Ken Shamrock. The technical side is a little weak, with only one real takedown being shown, and all the "armlocks" are variations of the "jujigatame"-style, between-the-legs arm bar. On the other hand, the stuff on the different mobility drills, as well on the mental preparation Shamrock does for a fight, is golden. Also of value are his tips on handling different types of opponents, and the chapter on nutrition. Going back to the techniques, I'd say that while they're not a complete arsenal, they could give someone with no grappling experience some very essential and workable holds. Certian details that can be applied to many moves are covered as well, like steping with your punches instead of leaning into them, or pinching your knees togeather for an armbar instead of scissoring your ankles for leverage. And to give credit where it's due, this is where I learned the "heel hook", a move that's beaten more folks than I can count. This is a good book for traditional martial artists who know nothing about grappling or submissions, or for any MMA/NHB fan. The stuff on conditioning and mental preparation are probably useful to any athelete, to some degree.

Rating:
Summary: Invaluable book to own
Review: If you want to know about Shamrock's life, get this. If you want to know about his conditioning methods, get this. If you want fighting techniques, this is skimpy. There are a few grappling techniques and a few hitting techniques. While you probably won't be a champion fighter from reading it, the techniques are good for someone wanting simple self defense, though I am sure there are better books for that. The bio was a good, interesting, and quick read. The conditioning is the best part of this book and what makes it "Invaluable."