Overview

Winning Fights focuses on 2,500 years of proven fighting principles originating from Eastern concepts and proceeding to the modern era. Like The Art of War and The Book of Five Rings, many of its lessons also apply to the world of business and negotiation. Dr. Phillip Stephens conducted extensive research in developing this work. He drew from his years of martial training and his experience as a member of the North Carolina Boxing Commission. He even reached out to combat personnel at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, who offered additional insight on what it takes to prepare for combat-and to prevail. Dr. Stephens looked beyond the technical to the conceptual and found that winning fights requires twelve core principles: preparation, awareness, commitment, lethality, efficiency, discipline, power, focus, fierceness, surprise, timing, and fortitude. This book features Twelve principles for winning fights A survey of Eastern and Western traditions An intelligent yet accessible discussion of these concepts. Dr. Stephens writes. ""Technique is important, but techniques change, adapt, and evolve. Principles are timeless.""

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9781594396007

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A handbook about handling conflict from both a physical and philosophical perspective. 'Finding any semblance of common ground, accepting what comes and dealing with it calmly and dispassionately requires quite a bit of discipline, Stephens writes in his nonfiction debut, which comes from contentment with oneself first. A strong flavor of Eastern martial culture, reflected in this quote, runs throughout the book, which refers often to such legendary military philosophers as Sun Tzu and the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645), author of The Book of Five Rings. But although Stephens spends time talking about spiritual power and mindfulness, the book is predominately concerned with managing physical violence, either in controlled circumstances, such as a martial arts dojo, or in the chaos of the street. Overall, he's an excellent guide to the realities of such conflict, presenting his principles in clear, sharp prose. Readers who deal regularly with physical altercations--such as war veterans or school guidance counselors--will particularly find a great deal of value in these pages. While outlining 12 crucial elements for securing any kind of victory, Stephens effectively emphasizes core concepts, rather than specific tactics: Sure, specialized skill and technique is important, he writes. But it is foundational principles that win any fight regardless of scale or context. He peppers his text with anecdotes and the examples of a wide array of famous fighters throughout history, from famed actor and martial artist Bruce Lee to Brazilian-Jiujitsu fighter Royce Gracie, who was known for almost always beating much larger opponents. Stephens also regularly broadens the backdrop of his study to include large-scale military conflicts, always to illustrate points about the necessity of clear thinking in any kind of fight, and about the economical use of force. A clear and strongly worded fighting manual in the long tradition of Sun Tzu. --Kirkus Reviews

A handbook about handling conflict from both a physical and philosophical perspective. 'Finding any semblance of common ground, accepting what comes and dealing with it calmly and dispassionately requires quite a bit of discipline, Stephens writes in his nonfiction debut, which comes from contentment with oneself first. A strong flavor of Eastern martial culture, reflected in this quote, runs throughout the book, which refers often to such legendary military philosophers as Sun Tzu and the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645), author of The Book of Five Rings. But although Stephens spends time talking about spiritual power and mindfulness, the book is predominately concerned with managing physical violence, either in controlled circumstances, such as a martial arts dojo, or in the chaos of the street. Overall, he's an excellent guide to the realities of such conflict, presenting his principles in clear, sharp prose. Readers who deal regularly with physical altercations--such as war veterans or school guidance counselors--will particularly find a great deal of value in these pages. While outlining 12 crucial elements for securing any kind of victory, Stephens effectively emphasizes core concepts, rather than specific tactics: Sure, specialized skill and technique is important, he writes. But it is foundational principles that win any fight regardless of scale or context. He peppers his text with anecdotes and the examples of a wide array of famous fighters throughout history, from famed actor and martial artist Bruce Lee to Brazilian-Jiujitsu fighter Royce Gracie, who was known for almost always beating much larger opponents. Stephens also regularly broadens the backdrop of his study to include large-scale military conflicts, always to illustrate points about the necessity of clear thinking in any kind of fight, and about the economical use of force. A clear and strongly worded fighting manual in the long tradition of Sun Tzu. --Kirkus

Author Information

PHILLIP STEPHENS is a fifth-degree black belt in Ketsugo Do jujutsu. He won the world championship in the self-defense division at the 2002 Sport Karate Amateur International (SKIL) World Championships. He was the silver medalist in the National Blackbelt League (NBL) self-defense division during the 2003 World Championships, after a perfect season of ten first-place wins on the East Coast. He also holds numerous regional and state titles, all in the self-defense divisions of martial arts tournaments sanctioned by the Martial Arts Tournament Tour, SKIL, and NBL organizations. In 2013, Stephens was appointed to the North Carolina Boxing Commission, which regulates combat sports including boxing and mixed martial arts, where he serves as a commissioner. Stephens has a doctorate of health science and has practiced emergency medicine as a physician’s assistant since 1990.

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