Training Books

This is a review for the soft cover book with the blue front that has a photo of ray Berwick holding a couple cats.

The movie animal trainer Ray Berwick shares some of his animal training secrets and they really are good ones to know. He takes advantage of a cat's instinctive understanding of certain body language to allow you to communicate with your cat in subtle ways that make everybody's life much easier.

I got this book in the late 80's and followed its instructions for the life of my cats. They have never scratched my furniture, never scratched or hissed or bit anybody. They have used the toilet and flushed for years, come when called, never beg for food, never even THINK of jumping up on kitchen counters and know a bunch of cute tricks.

This was the best book on cat training I have ever seen. It is a wonder that it isn't in its 20th printing and flying off the shelves to this day. There is nothing out of date in the book.

This is a must-have book for all cat owners.

Mr. Berwick offers sound practical solutions for training cats and humane effective methods for correcting undesirable behavior. His observations on cat behavior are right on target. You can train your cat to be a wonderful companion without getting into a "war of wills".

I have trained my cats according to ray berwick's book since I got them in 1987. They are exremely well behaved. They NEVER beg for food. They use the toilet and flush. They come when called by name. They have never ever scratched me on purpose. They have not once scratched the furniture. People are amazed that the cats understand me when I give them commands. It's all because of Ray Berwick's book. I am so sorry it's out of print. I have two old copies that I've been lending to people for years. This movie aninimal trainer really knows his stuff.

In his book, Ray Berwick provides a comprehensive cook book approach to training cats along with very helpful photographs that show you how its done. In it you'll see how easy it actually is to train your cat to not only come when you call but to also "stay", "sit", "speak", "beg", "give paw" and much more.

The myth that cats are too independent to obey is quickly dispelled when you see how easily your cat responds to your commands while you both have fun together. Cats learn fast when you speak their language and as an animal trainer for Universal Studios who trained many cats, Berwick knows cat speak!

Following his formula, many owners will find as I did with mine that their cats are able to learn some of the simpler tricks like "come", "stay" and "sit" in as little as one five minute training session!

More advanced things such as leash training, toilet training (on a human toilet) and learning to be hearing for the deaf will take time but they are also covered in detail in the book. It is a soup to nuts guide with everything you'll need to transform your cat into everthing from the most well behaved cat in the neighborhood to VIP kitty!

This is a tremendous book for the beginning soccer referee. Like a mentor, Jeffrey Caminsky does an excellent job of letting the new referee know what to expect, how to be a referee, and all the other things that they don't teach you in class. This book is full of good advice and addresses a lot of the situations that I had been unclear or unsure about during my first twenty-five matches and had to learn the hard way. This book is also very readable; not a dry treatise on Laws of the Game. Caminsky has a sly wit that he reveals on occasion to keep things interesting.

For the intermediate referee, there are some "best practices" that can be drawn out; for example, the section on match control or some of the nonverbal communication techniques for use with ARs.

Advanced referees would be better suited with Evans & Bellion's "For the Good of the Game", an outstanding book in its own right but one that requires much more experience to fully appreciate. I read Evans & Bellion first, then Caminsky. Having now read both, I wish I had started with Caminsky first, then as I gained game experience, moved up to Evans & Bellion.

This book should be part of every new referee's starter kit.

I truly enjoyed this book. While it does have some useful tidbits for the experienced referee, I think that its greatest impact will be for the new or beginning referee.

This book will help referees understand the traditions and meaning of the game from the referee standpoint; case in point: Two instances of deliberate handling of the ball. One, the keeper strays outside the penalty area whilst booting the ball downfied. Two, the keeper reaches outside the penalty area to scoop up the ball with his hand and breaks up an attack. Both can be penalized with a direct free kick but, but which infraction requires that play be stopped?

The beginning referee will say "BOTH!", but the author recommends that, since the keeper really gets no significant advantage by using an extra few inches to send the ball downfield a verbal warning may be the best result - while breaking up an attack truly deserves the free kick.

It is these insights that I feel are well told. I liked the genial tone and amusing byplay of the book, and truly recommend it!

This book is brilliant. It has very useful advice and information for referees across the breadth of experience, from first year novices to 20+ year veterans.

Very helpful, wish I had this book when I started as a ref.

As a first year referee, this book has been invaluable to me. I have been able to apply many of Jeffrey Caminsky's tips. If you are a new referee, or wish to enhance your current skills, read this book!

It is the book that the American Society of Training & Development provides to students upon completion of their Basic ROI Certification course. You couldn't do better than this book.

The formula Phillips uses is a good one and he illustrates his model with many practical examples. There is a particularly good chapter on isolating the effects of training and this answers many of the objections raised to this sort of model where dollar amounts are calculated. The problem with the model is that it is mainly retrospective which means that you are closing the stable door after the horse has bolted in some cases. Having said that, it does deal with topics such as the collection of post program data in a thorough and clear way. If you are interested in intangible benefits of training then there is a chapter which deals with this topic. I would recommend that you also read the ASTD publication which Jack Phillips edited called 'Measuring Return On Investment'. Here there are 17 case studies which demonstrate how you can do ROI studies in the real world. Both these books are vital for anybody interested in the whole area of ROI on investment.

Dr. Phillips has simplified a very complex concept. His step-by-step recommendations to conducting ROI studies are clear and concise. However, caveat emptor! He simplifies ROI so well that it seems relatively easy; but beware: there are great hurdles to leap when conducting ROI studies. While Phillips does cover some of the most serious obstacles one may face, such as getting management buy-in, isolating training effects, and handling soft data, conducting a ROI study is by no means a cake walk. For instance, ROI is more than a fifth level of evaluation after Kirkpatrick's four. It should be conducted at all levels of evaluation, which Phillips does suggest. Furthermore, ROI, or any evaluation effort for that matter, should not be viewed as merely a summative attempt; it should be conducted in an ongoing formative manner. Every project should have an evaluation component that parallels each task through the lifecycle of the project.

Additionally, in my opinion, Dr. Phillips' conservative approach to ROI is the greatest selling point. He accounts for error in all his measurements. For instance, when collecting self-report data, he has the respondent allocate a confidence weighting to their estimates. This confidence value weights the response while taking into account error. Furthermore, when calculating values for hard data or converting soft data (i.e., work habits and attitudes) to monetary benefits, he offers formulas that result in a range and suggests that the lowest, most conservative value is reported. Converting soft data to monetary benefits can be painstaking, but Phillips very eloquently addresses the conversion. By obtaining estimates from stakeholders (with a confidence weighting, of course), soft data can contribute to the overall calculation of return on investment. Therefore, your final conservative monetary return is not only based on hard data, but it is based on the less tangible elements of your organization as well.

If Phillips' approach to calculating ROI is too quantitative or laborious for your organization, you should consider calculating the return on expectations. Return on expectations can be assessed via a concept mapping (a multidimensional scaling approach) technique derived by Dr. Bill Trochium at Cornell University. Visit www.conceptsystems.com to review his technique. With Dr. Trochium's visual approach, you have stakeholders (i.e., stockholders, executive management, clients, employees, etc.) set expectations for your organization and then assess the alignment between set expectations and the actual performance of end groups. The result is a graphic pattern match that is easily interpreted and empowers decision-makers at all levels. Concept mapping has some of the same problems inherent in ROI, such as obtaining management buy-in. However, it is much easier to conduct than an ROI study, is based on a sound measurement techniques, and produces graphical results that, when considered collectively, illustrate the expected bang for your organization's buck

Dr. Phillips has simplified a very complex concept. His step-by-step recommendations to conducting ROI studies are clear and concise. However, caveat emptor! He simplifies ROI so well that it seems relatively easy; but beware: there are great hurdles to leap when conducting ROI studies. While Phillips does cover some of the most serious obstacles one may face, such as getting management buy-in, isolating training effects, and handling soft data, conducting a ROI study is by no means a cake walk. For instance, ROI is more than a fifth level of evaluation after Kirkpatrick's four. It should be conducted at all levels of evaluation, which Phillips does suggest. Furthermore, ROI, or any evaluation effort for that matter, should not be viewed as merely a summative attempt; it should be conducted in an ongoing formative manner. Every project should have an evaluation component that parallels each task through the lifecycle of the project.

Additionally, in my opinion, Dr. Phillips' conservative approach to ROI is the greatest selling point. He accounts for error in all his measurements. For instance, when collecting self-report data, he has the respondent allocate a confidence weighting to their estimates. This confidence value weights the response while taking into account error. Furthermore, when calculating values for hard data or converting soft data (i.e., work habits and attitudes) to monetary benefits, he offers formulas that result in a range and suggests that the lowest, most conservative value is reported. Converting soft data to monetary benefits can be painstaking, but Phillips very eloquently addresses the conversion. By obtaining estimates from stakeholders (with a confidence weighting, of course), soft data can contribute to the overall calculation of return on investment. Therefore, your final conservative monetary return is not only based on hard data, but it is based on the less tangible elements of your organization as well.

If Phillips' approach to calculating ROI is too quantitative or laborious for your organization, you should consider calculating the return on expectations. Return on expectations can be assessed via a concept mapping (a multidimensional scaling approach) technique derived by Dr. Bill Trochium at Cornell University. ... With Dr. Trochium's visual approach, you have stakeholders (i.e., stockholders, executive management, clients, employees, etc.) set expectations for your organization and then assess the alignment between set expectations and the actual performance of end groups. The result is a graphic pattern match that is easily interpreted and empowers decision-makers at all levels. Concept mapping has some of the same problems inherent in ROI, such as obtaining management buy-in. However, it is much easier to conduct than an ROI study, is based on a sound measurement techniques, and produces graphical results that, when considered collectively, illustrate the expected bang for your organization's buck

I am using this book as a textbook for a class that meets 2 hours, once a week. After six weeks, I have astonished myself in my increased ability to understand, or to know what to do to understand, rhythms. The exercises in the book are like sit-ups in a book of exercise. They are worthless unless you do them. The personal aid of the professor is extremely helpful, but the exercises themselves are what works.

I carry around this book as I would a puzzle book. I do the rhythms just for fun. I enjoy reviewing old rhythms and speeding them up, or noticing new things about them.

The professor suggested that I use a metronome to give the steady pulse. It works.
Violee

Amazing Book!!! Works wonders with rhythm!! I personally got alot out of it!

If you no nothing about Rhythmic notation I would suggest that you start with his other book, Basic Rhythmic training and then go on to this book, but if you already know how to read music and feel you are a bit rusty in the Rhythm department or want to be a better sight reader, rhythmicaly speaking, then this book is very good indeed.

It starts with the basics, how rhythm is organized and the concepts of bar line and meter are explained, he deals with time signatures like 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/4 and 7/4 and then 6/8, 9/8, 12/8 and 15/8, and also changing meters.

Rhythmic Concepts like Hemiola, Downbeat, Upbeat, Changing the rate of the pulse are dealt with and the books end with a brief chapter on Polyrhythms (for more about Polyrhythms see Peter Magadinis books).

A fine book to polish your Rhythmic skills. See also The book By Gary Hess.

This book does it's work very well. Through slow and steady practice of it's exercises, one can build up one's reading skills as fast as one practically can. It's hard work, but it doesn't get easier than this book.

While the end of the book is focused on insanely complicated rhythmic scores, rarely to be seen outside very complicated 20th music, it's still good reading practice.

Definitely a must for teachers, and I cannot wait to put some of the ideas into practice!! With this easy read, Eric Hougan lets the reader understand exactly what teaching is all about!! I told all of my teacher friends about this book as they will not regret it!!

This book gives great, practical advice for those just entering the profession or working toward a teaching degree. As a current teacher, I really like the strategies the author gives--they are realistic and seem easy to implement. I wish this book was around when I was entering the profession!

I am student teaching now and struggling a bit with classroom management. This book had good ideas that are relatively easy to implent. I am going to try some of these strategies in my class.

This book was very useful. I would recommend it to anyone interested in teaching. A pretty easy read, with a lot of good information that you can apply to daily life.

"The Role of the Security Officer" is an excellant tool in todays
security conscious world. Factual and current, for beginners or
experienced security minded professionals or just the average Joe,
this book has it all. If you are thinking of making Law
enforcement or security your profession this is a must read. Thanks
Mike for a great guide to our profession.

Ben Carlin BACJ St. Martins College Lacey, Washington
CPO (USN Retired)

"The Role of the Security Officer" is a great resource for security profesionals. Based on extensive domestic and international experience, Jaquish offers a thorough primer for both new and experienced security officers, and a proven method for honing the gut instincts needed for security work. The emphasis on promoting "security awareness" and good security practices has become a daily part of U.S. embassy life overseas; those embassies fortunate enough to have a "Jaquish" are much safer.

S.W.Zelle, retired American diplomat
Glen Arbor, Michigan

This book is a valuable resource for anyone connected with today's security industry as it adapts to a more complex operating environment. It reflects the breadth and depth of the author's considerable experience, and the reader will find it remarkably assessible. Mr. Jaquish, a gifted security professional and writer, makes the important and potentially lifesaving material in his book jump from the page with clarity and immediacy.

"Comprehensive" is truly accurate! This is a professional manual and perfect for the instructor or as a student text. Every security company trainer and every security guard should have a copy. Consider this an essential tool of the trade.

This was a superb book. It confirmed so many things I knew about dogs...the very same things I had a difficult time convincing "expert" trainers about! It also taught me quite a few things by clarifying the subtle differences between several canine messages, by explaining the different behaviors of certain breeds of dogs, and by clearing up the issues of common misinformation.

This is a beautifully structured book. I was comfortable enough to read straight through it in two sittings. The sidebar exercises were fun and informative. The gentle training methods used in this book work with the dog's natural behaviors, easing stress on both species. Not to be forgotten, the book was a lot of fun, too.

Included in the index is a nice resource section packed with websites, mailing addresses, and telephone numbers of noteworthy organizations. There are even sections in the book that touch briefly on canine massage techniques and the possibility of telepathic communication with dogs. Chapter 12 deals solely with various events and competitions dogs can enter and enjoy.

This is a great book for anyone interested in strengthening the bond they share with their canine companion(s).

This book raised my consciousness about the two way communication between dog and owner. It doesn't give many step by step directions about training but that can be found in reference books at the end of the book. Perhaps understanding the relatiionship with our pets is a bigger step before attempting specific training. I found myself much more sensitive to my dog after reading this.

It's an awesome book. Very interesting and informational.

The Rosetta Bone is the best dog training, dog communication, human/pet love stories book I have ever read (and I have a shelf full to which I often refer). Learning to read my dogs' body language and gaining an awareness of how they read mine, has opened a new dimension of fun and sharing in our relationship. They and I are more responsive to each other and take more joy in the time we spend together each day. This book is a must read for the person acquiring their first dog, experiencing behavior problems with a current animal, or wanting to communicate with their dog on a deeper level. Cheryl Smith's insights into how dogs communicate (top dogs give a disdainful look--they don't jerk misbehavig subordinates or roll them on their back) turns training into play time and enhances the dog's life with its people. Thanks to the Rosetta Bone the time I spend with my dogs is more relaxed and joyful. Thanks Cheryl Smith--you've done the dog loving world a great favor with this great book!

If you have owned a Springer, enhance your enjoyment & memories with this wonderful read. A great book.

I have read other books by this author. Most of them are autobiographical (mixed with practical hints about dog training and bird hunting). All are well written. This one is the best, I think. That relationship with his springer transcends the usual mush. The dog obviously was a paragon, the dog of a lifetime.
The reciprocity between the two gives the lie to those who claim that dogs have learned how to con humans into doing their wont.
The book is well worth reading. It will enlighten and grab you.

I read this book to learn something about training English Springer Spaniels. I walked away with a deeper reflection on myself. The Author shares his experiences during the time when he acquired his first Springer. He also shared with you things that where happening in his life (like the passing of his father) and the deeper understanding of nature that blossomed during that same period. A wonderful book and a great read.

I found this one by accident in the local library. The title was the flash of motion; the cover confirmed that this book was, indeed, something I should have been seeking; and a few minutes' idling through the first chapter snared my full attention. Fergus is a rare combination of sophistication, rural woodsense, and honest observation (within and without). He's the "thoughtful action" sort of character, intelligent and very much at ease in his chosen home, who so puzzles and disquiets our urban cousins who simply have no frame of reference in which he fits. His springer spaniel Jenny sounds like a godsend as hunting dogs go, but with enough flaws to keep her off any pedestal, and enough love of the hunt to keep her in the field. My father's long-gone springer spaniel Maxie was the legend around our pheasant-oriented household in Nebraska, so for me, Fergus's essays about his relationship with Jenny provide insight into my father's character. Of course this book will be wrapped under my dad's tree this Christmas. Not to be missed--just don't read it in July, with grouse season several months away.

I took some time after reading Shawn's other books to due provide the reviewer and Shawn's books a sincere examination. Was I reading them too quickly and less critically? After all, his format is similar through the series; it would be an easy mistake to do (although this similarity is a strength for this "kicking" series).

Shawn's book on the roundhouse kick is simply outstanding. I did have a couple of minor cripples, but they are so minor they do not justify a 4 star rating because ultimately, it came down to the switch roundhouse kick that I think works well in some few situations, most notably a TKD type tournament, while may at times have drawback in full contact competition. I just wished this had been discussed. The switch roundhouse can be useful there as well, but a more detailed discussion should have followed. With that said to lower the rating this time on this kick for one area would be an injustice.

The roundhouse kick is probably the most widely used kick for competition and sparring purposes. Thank for a second: It is the primary kick for Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, MMA, and full contact karate fighters like Sabaki practitioners. Great resource!

Valuable set of volumes on kicking for the martial artist


If you are a novice martial artist, a kick-box exercise video nut, or someone who wants to advance their knowledge of martial art kicks, this book looks as if it would be very helpful.

The series of books is organized by type of kick: back, wheel, axe, crescent, reverse crescent, front, hook, hatchet, roundhouse, side kick. Ten books in all.

The volumes are absolutely loaded with pictures of not only kick technique but also of helpful strength-with-weight exercises, especially gym exercises with machines like the hack squat and leg press sled and of course the all-important lunge. So you get not only a discussion of how-to, but of what exercises can improve overall performance by gaining muscle strength. There are pictures with overlays of angles and axes, giving you an idea of proper form, though there is no substitute for a sensei giving you real-time feedback, of course. So these books are a good adjunct to martial arts class in the dojo; something to read and then take to practice and work on with real-time help.

There is a section on sparring--right and wrong. There is a suggested reading list in the back. A very complete series.

The only thing these volumes suffer from is slightly dark and low contrast black and white photograph reproduction due to pictures being on paper stock and not glazed plate stock, in order to keep costs reasonable for publishing. And the cover photo is wonderful but the graphic design (showing the title being shattered by the someone doing the title kick) was a GREAT concept but you can't read the title on the front cover (because it's being kicked to bits!) This is annoying; you have to read the spine to see which kick the book is about. If this bugs you, it's easily fixed: get some stickers or a Sharpie and mark the front cover with something like SIDE KICK VOL 10 or whatever works for you.

Author Kovacich is a black belt in both Karate and Tae Kwon Do (which of course is one of the martial arts for which the kick is the premier technique.)

Before I found my current school and instructor, I had been looking around my area for an instructor to teach me martial arts. At one of the places I tried, the instructor offered me a free class so that I could decide if I wanted to join his school or not. Since it was free I decided to try it out. I should have known better as nothing is ever really free. About half way through the class, the instructor was telling me that I would have to perform a Roundhouse Kick. I had heard of them, but never performed them. I told him that I had never had any classes before and I didn't know how to do it. He didn't really show me at all how to do the kick, he just told me to turn to the side and throw the kick from my hip. As you might well imagine I didn't do very good. After the class was over my hip started hurting badly and when I tried to get out of the car when I got home I started crying. A couple of days later I learned that I had thrown my hip out of place. Needless to say I never went back there again.

A few weeks after that a friend of mine told me about my current school so I took a chance and checked it out. And I am very happy that I did. My current instructor is so nice and always has that little extra time to work with each one of us students. However, when it came time to learn the roundhouse kick, I was a bit apprehensive as you might imagine. After a few weeks I started to get the hang of it and actually felt pretty comfortable executing it, at least in practice. It was about this time that I first heard of Shawn Kovacich and his Achieving Kicking Excellence series of books.

After doing some research, I went ahead and purchased Back Kick and Wheel Kick from Mr. Kovacich and then was lucky enough to get a copy of Axe Kick in PDF format before the official release of that book. Needless to say, I was literally stunned with the amount of detail that was in every book. Because of the quality of these books, I preordered the remaining books in the series. Out of all of the books in the series, Roundhouse Kick was the one that I was really anticipating. So when I finally got my copy of Roundhouse Kick, I started to devour the information. I literally learned oodles and oodles of information on what I was doing wrong and how to correct it. This book, like all the others in the Achieving Kicking Excellence series, breaks down the primary kick, which in this case is the Roundhouse Kick, to its finest details. One of the many things that I learned, was that I was not pivoting properly and that my upper body was doing all kinds of things that it shouldn't have been doing when I was executing each kick.

This is a great book for anyone, from the person that is just starting to learn how to kick, to the person that has been practicing kicks for years. The details that are included in each book are truly something to behold. I have never seen any book on the martial arts that has this kind of detail. You are to be commended for writing and producing such a fantastic series of books. I look forward to reading the rest of your books in the series and I have no doubt that I will be equally impressed with each one if not more so.

This series is a fantastic reference for anyone interested in the finer points of kicking, particularly for those of us whose exposure to this aspect of the martial arts has been somewhat limited. I have been doing this stuff since 1970, for example, yet have focused exclusively on styles that have very little emphasis on kicking applications (e.g., Goju Ryu karate, Kodokan judo, and Matayoshi kobudo). Goju Ryu, for instance, utilizes roughly 70% hand techniques. Don't get me wrong, I have a pretty mean mae geri (front kick) that can rock your world, but there are many other leg techniques utilized by other arts that I am simply not at all expert with--hatchet kicks, axe kicks, and crescent kicks, to name a few.

This is why I was so excited to find Shawn Kovacich's comprehensive "Achieving Kicking Excellence" series. If you are familiar with Kris Wilder's outstanding tome, The Way of Sanchin Kata: The Application of Power, these books take a similarly in-depth yet approachable style. Each volume explores one type of kick in great detail, outlining some 50 or 60 technical points (depending on the type of kick), in an easy to understand and utilize manner. At first blush you might think that it would be tough to devote an entire volume to just one type of kick, yet each offering in this exceptional series runs more than 200 pages and is packed with meaningful information.

No dojo darling, Kovacich really knows what he is talking about. A fourth-degree black belt in both karate and taekwondo, he has competed in full contact sparring tournaments (including the prestigious Sabaki Challenge) and is the world-record holder for both endurance- and high-kicking as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. Kovacich has been teaching martial arts since 1985 and this knowledge, skill, and ability really shine through in his writing.

The text is clear and comprehensive, yet written in everyday language that just about anyone can easily grasp. No matter how good the writing, however, this sort of topic needs wide-ranging illustrations to ensure thorough comprehension. Fortunately there are tons of them. Regrettably though, the pictures are quite dark and/or grainy in most places (my only real complaint about the series). Despite the fuzziness of the photo printing, however, the pictures themselves are first rate as are the corresponding illustrations. Most of the pictures not only have captions but also reference numbers that align with the text to assure further clarity. There are separate illustrations that show the appropriate foot position and base of support for each movement too. This layout method is really slick; I like it a lot. There is a pretty good index in the back that supplements the table of contents too, so you can easily refer back to anything you will want to re-read later on (and you'll almost certainly want to refer back to much of this information later on).

While the front and back matter are virtually identical amongst the various volumes (such that each one can stand alone without the rest of the series), the core content is unique for each type of kick. This front and back matter (e.g., warm up and stretching) is a bit cursory too, though that is perfectly understandable given the primary focus of the books; truly nothing to be overly concerned with in my opinion. Each volume in the series is laid-out in an identical manner and includes the following topics:

-- Basic anatomy of the kick
-- Warm up and stretching
-- Principles of the kicking movement (e.g., stability, balance, sequence of movements, speed, accuracy, targeting, visualization, etc.)
-- Performing the primary kick (e.g., fighting position, knee raise, coil, impact, follow-through, recoil, knee drop, return to fighting position).
-- Performing variations from the primary kick (e.g., step, switch, jump, spin, cross-over, etc.)
-- Training and practice methods (e.g., skill, strength, speed, and power training)
-- Trouble shooting the kick
-- Kicking applications against an opponent
-- Author's awards and accomplishments
-- Recommended reading

No matter how well written, you cannot learn martial arts solely from a book, of course, but this series is a fantastic supplement for hands-on instruction. It covers important nuances that are rarely described adequately by most sensei (or sifu, etc.). I have found that, in general, books can reach a level of clarity and comprehensiveness that is simply not achievable with DVDs as well. This series is no exception to that rule. Despite a bit of redundancy amongst the various volumes, the technical merits and detailed analysis of the kicks make these books a stellar resource for any serious martial artist. I'm proud to include all ten volumes in my library.

Highly recommended!


Lawrence Kane
Author of Surviving Armed Assaults, Martial Arts Instruction, The Way to Black Belt, and The Way of Kata

No matter what your level of running is, you can learn something from this book. There is a wealth of information here from basic fitness running to competitive running...this book has it all. Highly recommended for anyone interested in learning more about what would appear on the surface to be a simple sport.

This is a great beginner's book on learning how to run. The advice is practical and it had me running with confidence in no time. Buy this book if you want to learn the basics of running without a bunch of technical mumbo-jumbo.

I found myself picking this book up again and again, reading another one of the many pieces of wisdom on one of the so many topics of running covered by this book. I have been running for over 10 years, from marathons to triathlons to weekend trail runs, and yet this book tells me things about running that I have either forgotten or had not yet learned. And the format of the book makes it easy to read a topic for a quick bit of insight or motivation. A good solid resource for runners from beginners to veterans!

This is an ideal book for those beginning running and hoping to improve. What should you wear, what should you do, how can you avoid injury? All the answers are here in a well written, clear and concise format. Joe Henderson has written many books and for the beginning or intermediate runner this might be not only his best, but the best currently available. Tips, tables and helpful hints from years of experience and years of running are here.