If you’re looking for an old-fashioned workout to get you strong and combat-ready, you should check out “Ultimate Combat Conditioning for the Street Warrior” by Sensei Mike Reeves and Robert G. Yetman Jr. In this book from Paladin Press, Reeves and Yetman provide exercises to increase your conditioning, exercise your heart, maximize flexibility, build strength, and toughen your body to withstand kicks, punches, and blows thrown your way.
This is not your ordinary exercise book. Reeves and Yetman focus on drills and drills to prepare the reader for the fight. They use basic, sometimes old-fashioned methods that don’t cost you much, but will wear you down and toughen you up.
It is a short book, just under 100 pages. Many of these pages contain photographs, so you can quickly read through them and put the practices and exercises into practice. The first chapter focuses on the proper mindset for warrior training. I found myself in agreement with the authors on issues like discipline, hard training, and dedication to living a clean and healthy lifestyle. This short chapter had some great tips for living and training as a warrior.
Chapter two is a short basic chapter on essential flexibility for street fighting. It’s pretty basic and contains half a dozen sections that the authors believe are essential to keep you flexible to fight. The chapter is fine, but if you really want information on stretching and flexibility, there are better texts on the subject, such as Thomas Kurz’s book “Scientific Stretching.”
Chapter three focuses on the heart and lungs of a warrior. I liked this chapter and believe that the basic cardio exercises they describe should be included in anyone’s workouts. I especially like wind sprints and mountain sprints. I like that they also advocate heavy bag work as it is a great addition to training for any warrior program. While this book recommends it, it doesn’t go into much detail about what to do. Check out the book “The Fighters Guide to Hard-Core Heavy Bag Training” by Wim Demeere and Loren Christensen, and the accompanying DVD “The Fighters Video Guide to Hard-Core Heavy Bag Training” by Wim Demeere to learn all about training with the heavy bag.
Chapter four covers strength training for the upper body. You’ll find dumbbell push-ups, bench and shoulder press exercises, and other upper-body movements. The authors illustrate that there is no excuse for not exercising, if you don’t have weights available you can use rocks, bricks, logs and trees.
Chapter five covers strength training for the lower body and includes exercises like weighted high rep squats, hind squats, weighted walking lunges, and others. Again, the authors show these exercises with logs and such, illustrating that you don’t need a fancy gym and a set of weights to get some exercise. (But we all knew that from watching the Rocky movies, right?)
These chapters are by no means exhaustive with exercises for the upper and lower body. They are very basic with only a few exercises. However, this does not mean that you cannot get in shape with what the authors show. Personally, I like more variety, which is why I think this book should be one of your exercise/training resources. I like that the authors encourage you to exercise with whatever you have on hand. For warriors, there are no excuses for not training.
Chapter six covers an area that most exercise and training books are exempt from. In fact, for most people, cultivating hand and arm armor is not a problem. For those who are preparing for combat, the exercises in this chapter will strengthen them. These include the old drills of hitting and kicking trees, hitting yourself or having a partner hit you with a stick, etc. It is definitely not for the faint of heart. This can hurt, but if done right, it will toughen you up and allow you to better take punishment in a real fight.
Chapter eight is a bit about training your essential kicks and punches on the fairway. The authors show a training and execution of basic punches and kicks for street defense. Again, it’s basic and simple, but it contains some good information.
The final chapter is a short chapter on combat conditioning for the mind. It’s a good reminder of how important mental toughness is and how to develop it along with your body.
Overall, I don’t know if I would call this book “Ultimate”. Like I said, it’s pretty short and basic. However, he had very good information. I particularly liked the mentality and mental toughness chapters as these are very important to the warrior and anyone preparing for combat. The other chapters provide solid background information, but could include much more. Again, one of the strengths of the book is that it motivates him to exercise no matter what and use whatever he has on hand. The chapter on strengthening your body for impact is something you don’t find in most exercise books, and for some people, this will be an addition to their workouts that they will benefit from.
The book lacks advice on nutrition and diet. For this, it is necessary to invest in other resources. I hate to keep mentioning Loren Christensen and Wim Demeere, but their book “The Fighter’s Body” is a great book on nutrition and training. It would be a good book to accompany this one.
It’s a nice addition to your exercise and training library. If it motivates you to exercise more, it’s worth more than the price of admission. If this is the only exercise book you have, and you follow the author’s guidelines, you will still benefit and improve your physical conditioning and be better prepared for any physical encounter.
