Christmas has come and gone and this year I got everything I asked for, including 'Fedor: The Fighting System of the World's Undisputed King of MMA'.

First thing to say is that no one can learn martial arts from a book, so if you aren't training MMA at a gym, don't bother getting the book. If you are at an intermediate to advanced level, then you should get some new ideas from the read.

Thus far, I have not finished the book. I have only read the striking basics and not the striking combos, throws, or groundwork. If this post goes well I may write a part 2.

There are three general points that Fedor seems to re-iterate regarding striking that I would consider to be somewhat novel or unique.

1) In MMA don't worry about blocking with your hands and arms, use footwork and head movment to avoid head strikes. Obviously keep your hands up as it'll improve your odds. Basically, Fedor says 4oz gloves are too small to effectively block strikes compared to a boxing glove, so focus on head movement and footwork.

2) Rotate your thumb so it is pointing down at the end of straight punches. It ensures your punch is with the knuckles of the index and middle finger, decreasing your chances of a broken hand. I have been taught the importance of striking with these knuckles in other arts, but not to rotate the hand so radically. Fedor's main justification was that it gives your punch more snap and less of a pushing effect. My Muay Thai coach, who also has a Sambo background, has previously pointed out that this rotation also forces your deltoid up to cover your chin keeping you safe from a pesky counter hook.

3) Fedor does his round kick different than traditional Muay Thai. Rather than rotate the hip over first and the bringing in the leg like a whip, he simply starts by throwing his leg up and then rotate his hip at the moment of the strike. His reasoning is that the traditional kick will cause you to over-rotate if you miss, leaving you wide open for a take-down. He admits his technique is a little less powerful but still feels it does enough damage.

Another nice component of the book is all techniques are shown w/ step by step pictures from at least two angles and usually three.

I'll stop there so you guys w/ ADD can still finish....