Rating: 
Summary: No more videos!
Review: That's right, the moment I got this book, and saw how it was laid out, I decided -- NO MORE VIDEOS! I hardly need 'em any more, even though they are useful for watching techs in action; I'd say TFN out does 'em. Besides, I like saving $, and already have a few hundred dollars in vids. Maybe by writing this, I'll save you some money on vids.
The other reviewers are right, it's an excellent work. Except for some pics where the contrast between the fighter's clothes and SHOES (both in like colors)makes discernment difficult, the layout is exceedingly clear and instructive. Things I did not see mentioned by other reviewers:The book has an INDEX (which I moved to the front of the book)that is probably one of it's best features (besides its ringbound format -- I like being able to take out a few pages, put 'em in a separate binder and bring 'em to my training session. Anytime a position comes up that you have questions about, you can check the index when u get home and "voila!" instant info.
When u buy it, you might try spltting it up into two 2" binders for ease of reference. Turning through 600+ pages can be a bit testy, unlike Mr. Jenness who was courteous and patient enough to answer a couple of my Qs in an e-mail exchange. Now if I only had MORE TIME to study it!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Martial Arts Book ever written!!!
Review: The Fighter's Notebook is the best martial arts book ever made. 600 pages of complete fighting from stand up to the various grappling positions seen in brazilian jiu jitsu and other grappling arts. It even has a section on running classes and warm ups. This is the book to get!
Rating:
Summary: The Most Complete Martial Arts Book Ever Written!
Review: The Fighter's Notebook is the book to get if you want to be a complete martial artist. This books is 614 pages long, 3500 pictures, over 800 techniques. The book is divided as follows: Introduction Section A: Attack from the Stand up Section B: Defense against the Stand up Section C: Attack from the Side Control Section D: Defense against the Side Control Section E: Attack from the Mounted Position Section F: Defense against the Mounted Position Section G: Attack from the Back Mount Section H: Defense against the Back Mount Section I: Attack from the Guard Section J: Defense against the Guard Section K: Warm-ups, Conditioning & Training Section L: Submission Fighting: Rules of the Game Index As you can see, this book is very comprehensive and is a must for Submission Fighters and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practioners. It comes in a huge three ring binder and is worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: Fighters notebook by Kirik Jenness, David Roy
Review: The Fighters Notebook just has to be the most comprehensive Mixed Martial Arts training manual ever. Quite simply, just like mixed martial arts for competition and self defence, it delivers the goods. With over 600 pages of packed information,the authors manage to pack in information and get the message across in a systematic way. The reader cannot but fail to be impressed by this resource and it's ability to inform their training for years to come. The book has so much information in it that it is impossible to read in one sitting. Unlike many other training manuals I've read, the reader will go back to it time, time and time again.
Rating: 
Summary: Outdated content, poor photography and horrible binding
Review: The techniques in this book are badly oudated, even for a complete novice. There are several books on the market with more useful information, like Gene LeBell's Encyclopedia of Finishing Holds, which also explains the techniques much better. Another problem with the Fighter's Notebook is that many of the techniques shown work only if the opponent is completely willing and cooperative--when was the last time you encountered such an opponent on the street or in a competition? The photographs aren't crisp enough to give a clear view of the techniques. They're fuzzy and have poor contrast, usually too dark. Hiring a professional photographer would've been the right thing to do for a book this pricey, but, alas, the authors took the cheap route. The pictures also don't show a lot of the transitions between moves, so you see a setup and in the next picture, the hold is clamped on. But how was it done? The quality of the book itself is embarrassing, especially for the price. I always handled mine with care and never took it out of my home, yet it still has pages falling apart. Very [weak]. Also, don't be fooled by the author's claim that he "runs The World's Best Source for Mixed Martial Arts Information". That title is self-proclaimed. He actually runs a website with a message board that, granted, has a lot of members, but that hardly makes him an authority on fighting qualified to write a book on the subject and charge such an outrageous price. The site isn't so much a source of information as a collection of banner ads, popups and links to advertisers. It has event listings and school listings, but nothing that will improve you as a martial artist. As for being "Commissioner of the North American Grappling Association," that title is misleading as well. He is commissioner of a promotion run by his close friend and business partner, Kip Kollar. NAGA is absolutely NOT a sanctioning body, but rather a business venture.
Rating:
Summary: Outdated content, poor photography and horrible binding
Review: The techniques in this book are badly oudated, even for a complete novice. There are several books on the market with more useful information, like Gene LeBell's Encyclopedia of Finishing Holds, which also explains the techniques much better. Another problem with the Fighter's Notebook is that many of the techniques shown work only if the opponent is completely willing and cooperative--when was the last time you encountered such an opponent on the street or in a competition? The photographs aren't crisp enough to give a clear view of the techniques. They're fuzzy and have poor contrast, usually too dark. Hiring a professional photographer would've been the right thing to do for a book this pricey, but, alas, the authors took the cheap route. The pictures also don't show a lot of the transitions between moves, so you see a setup and in the next picture, the hold is clamped on. But how was it done? The quality of the book itself is embarrassing, especially for the price. I always handled mine with care and never took it out of my home, yet it still has pages falling apart. Very [weak]. Also, don't be fooled by the author's claim that he "runs The World's Best Source for Mixed Martial Arts Information". That title is self-proclaimed. He actually runs a website with a message board that, granted, has a lot of members, but that hardly makes him an authority on fighting qualified to write a book on the subject and charge such an outrageous price. The site isn't so much a source of information as a collection of banner ads, popups and links to advertisers. It has event listings and school listings, but nothing that will improve you as a martial artist. As for being "Commissioner of the North American Grappling Association," that title is misleading as well. He is commissioner of a promotion run by his close friend and business partner, Kip Kollar. NAGA is absolutely NOT a sanctioning body, but rather a business venture.
Rating:
Summary: THE best fighting book, ever.
Review: This book has it all. From the techniques to sparring to conditioning. Even competition and rules were included. Maybe this book doesn't give much to a BJJ black belt or a seasoned NHB-fighter, but how many are such pros anyway? Even then you could get the best notebook in which to include new techniques and remind old ones. It's not the book, after all. It's the training(was said in the book as well...). Maybe some stand-up combinations should have been included, but the grappling techniques make this worth every penny. Stand-up section is a kind of bonus. The best single learning material for martial arts. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: The best out there!
Review: This book is amazing. A "bible" for MMA techniques. The book covers just about every situation you can find yourself in while training in MMA. The 1000's of pictures show you, in great detail, how to preform each technique listed, and different variations of many of them. All in all, I have to say that this is the best martial arts 'technique' book I've ever had the pleasure to own. BIG Sean Madigan
Rating:
Summary: Total Garbage
Review: This book is long on bad photography and short on explanations. These self-appointed martial arts experts basically repeat the out-dated conventional wisdom from the earliest days of the Ultimate Fighting Championships. I especially liked the technique where you defend against a low bull rush by throwing an uppercut. It's a good way to break your knuckles on top of the guys head unless of course you were wearing boxing gloves as they were. When was the last time you saw a street fight or NHB fight with boxing gloves.
The photographs are small and blurred. The accompanying text (what little there is of it) doesn't go into near enough detail on the proper execution of techniques. The book is a large text and the material seems to have been put together haphazardly. It's not broken down into positions and reversals or holds and counters. Instead the reader must navigate throught hundreds of pages of impractical techniques to weed out the basic information. Also there is no information on training the nervous system to deal with the stress of combat. To the best of my knowledge none of the staff, moderators or reviewers have ever competed in any major events like the UFC. I believe one of the owners competed in and lost a small local submission wrestling tournament which is not the same thing as a no-holds-barred tournament. Why these guys feel they are qualified as authorities on the martial arts I don't know. If they want to offer instruction in NHB it would help if they had some experience in it. Save your money. The $79.95 that this book costs can get you 6 to 8 hours of video instruction form REAL experts like Mark Hatmaker, Sharahm Mooshavi or a host of other experienced professional fighters and soldiers at TRS (www.trsdirect.com) or Paladin Press (www.paladin-press.com).
Rating:
Summary: This book is plain bad
Review: This book is plain bad. I did some research on Kirik the author and he has very little fighting experience. He has 2 Mixed Martial Arts fights. I have trained under him and he is a fraud. The book is poorly designed and some of the moves are downright dangerous. If you want to see why and how he has so many good reviews go to www.mma.tv and check out all the shills he has writing reviews for him. Don't waste your money here. Buy Brazilian Jiu Jitsu by Renzo Gracie. A real fighter with real credentials.
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