There’s nothing worse than a boring book.
(Well, a boring salad comes close second.)
I mean, if you put months – or years! – of effort into writing a book, and nobody then has the guts to tell you it actually sucks when you are done with it, then, well, you probably need new “friends”.
(And don’t even get me started on boring salads!)
(Hint: Throw some nuts, seeds, protein and fruit in that puppy!)
Anyway, enough with the rant. See, I recently read a book that was far from boring.
In fact, it was straight up amazing.
The book was called “The Way of the Fight”, written by world-famous Karate-ka gone MMA fighter Georges St. Pierre (commonly referred to as GSP) and is one of those rare autobiographies that manages to blend martial arts, philosophy, training and introspection into a brilliant page-turner of fist-pumping awesomeness.
I literally bought the book the same day it was published, and proceeded to read it in one sitting.
But that was a couple of weeks back.
So imagine my surprise when, a few days ago, I get an e-mail from the editor of this actual book who tells me that he is not only a long-time Shotokan pracititioner and dedicated fan of KbJ, but also a full-blown Karate Nerd™ who loves my work!
And that’s not all.
He’s asking me if I heard about this “new” book by GSP that they’re publishing…
…and if I want a free copy for reviewing!?
(Full disclosure here: I get sent free books, DVDs, online courses and physical products almost every week. Most of them rarely pass my bullsh*t filter.)
- So, I was like: “Dude, I already bought the book. Save your copy!”
- But then I went: “Hold on a sec. I could give it away to a reader. Send it over!”
And here we are.
In my lap, right now, I have the brilliant hardcover edition of New York Times bestseller “The Way of the Fight” by Georges St. Pierre, legendary MMA champion and Karate proponent – and I want YOU to have this copy.
So, let’s make it a contest.
How you can win YOUR free copy of “The Way of the Fight”:
- Choose a quote from KbJ that you find insightful. It can be any quote, from any of my articles. Just make sure I wrote it, and you like it.
- Then post the quote to either Twitter or Facebook, and make sure you tag “@KARATEbyJesse” with the quote so that I’ll automatically be notified about your submission.
Got it?
Great.
I will choose one random winner this weekend and send you the book – for free!
Let me repeat that: Just find a fun/smart/weird/interesting/awesome quote by me, and post it to Twitter or Facebook and simply tag me in it.
Super simple.
For some help along the way, check out what Iain Abernethy (UK’s leading exponent of applied Karate) wrote on his Facebook wall recently:
“The amount of spinning head kicks you throw in kumite has a surprisingly strong correlation to the amount of attention you crave at dinner parties.” – Jesse from KARATEbyJesse.com
(Quoted from my article 27 (More) Things About Karate You Ought To Know)
See? That wasn’t so hard.
Now…
To end this contest in the spirit of quotables (as you might tell, I’m a sucker for good quotes), let me share some cool highlights from “The Way of the Fight” by Georges St. Pierre that I personally found insightful or inspirational.
I hope they resonate.
On intelligent strength training:
“It’s really not about how much weight you can lift over your head. If your prime movers can generate five hundred pounds of pressure, but your stabilizers can only support one hundred pounds of pressure, you’re in trouble.”
On the value of fear:
“My fear delivered one of the great lessons of my life: That someone without fear can’t push himself. He can’t get better. He can’t transform negatives into positives. He can’t open his world to creativity and invention, or even progress.”
On suffering:
“It’s about appreciating the little things that make my life so great — a glass of water, eggs and bacon, a slice of chocolate cake. Getting tipsy. To truly understand the greatness of these things, I have to suffer. I have to suffer in training and live through it, and then I can appreciate life more. It’s why they say that true pleasure does not exist; it’s just the temporary release from suffering.”
On adaptation:
“A cockroach can’t defeat a dinosaur. But the cockroach is better at one thing, and it has ensured its survival through the ages: Adaptation. One could adapt to the environment and the other one couldn’t.”
Believe me, there are many more nuggets of wisdom in this book, and GSP covers everything from his own thoughts on correct training, Karate footwork for MMA, Buddhism, philosophy, nutrition and fight science to being bullied in school as a kid and dealing with the peculiar mindset of a lonesome fighter.
You’ll read it all in the book when you WIN it.
Now go share a quote.
The contest ends this weekend.
Me and GSP are counting on you!
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