Training Books

As much as people dont think that nutrition is important to the serious athlete, they are wrong. One of the keys unlocking your potential is what you put into your body. Before i had read this book, i had a few ideas/thoeries about what i put into my body and what foods i should eat and this book backed my ideas and gave me new ones. This book is one of my favorites, and serious athletes should follow it to a T.

As much as people dont think that nutrition is important to the serious athlete, they are wrong. One of the keys unlocking your potential is what you put into your body. Before i had read this book, i had a few ideas/thoeries about what i put into my body and what foods i should eat and this book backed my ideas and gave me new ones. This book is one of my favorites, and serious athletes should follow it to a T.

Best book I've read for the "semi serious" athlete. Although I don't compete anymore, I'm 74, I thought the info. for nourishing food and meals very helpful to me . Also,I never realized that hydrating after exercise was also important.

Dan Benardot's book 'Nutrition for Serious Athletes' is a must for the coach or athltete who desires to cover every base when it comes to athletic performance. Fundamental topics discussed include proper nutrition, hydration, supplements, timming of meals, good diets/bad diets, and sport specific diets. But what also adds to the immense value of Dan Benardot's book is the excellant index of meal plans, and nutritional values of foods.

What is of great importance in gaining knowledge is the issue of authority. It is something that is very important to me, for there are many individuals who claim to actually know something about athletic performance, yet they lack proper training and education. It is clear that Dan Benardot is not one of those individuals. Not only does he have PhD and RD distinction, but the text is also clear, logical, insightful and based on scientific evidence.

Terrance Grant

Dr. Benardot's text, Nutrition for Serious Athletes, is essential for both coach and athlete. It lays out in clear and precise fashion what is required, with regard to nurtition, for athletic success. Crucial topics, for athletic success, that are comprehensively discussed include: proper nutrition, hydration, supplements, meals for anaerobic and aerobic activities, and timing of meals. What also adds to the immense value of the text is the massive index of food sources of essential nutrients located at the end of the book. If you want to achieve your best athletic results, i.e., to maximize and actualize your true athletic potential, then this text is for you. It will not only show you how to fuel your body for the particular athletic you are training for and competing in, but also help you to understand why you should be fueling your body in that particular maner. All in all, this is an excellant text for the athlete, coach, or even the individual who just wants to have a clear understanding of proper nutrition.

This fantastic workbook is a labor of love and full of great solutions to complex business problems using the arts to facilitate collaboration at work. I bought this book to learn how to begin to facilitate corporate workshops using the arts for The Bite-Size Arts Ensemble, an organization I have created devoted to entrepreneurial growth for artists. Not only will it provide a platform to build on, but it will serve as the model for using arts based learning as a change agent in organizational development. Don't let the price of this book stop you! Buy it.

This is a great resource. It's a great collection of exercises that draw upon a wide variety of arts modalities. Each exercise is described in enough detail to be able to easily implement them.

This book was one of the first and best to explore using arts-based techniques and processes to address organizational issues. The introduction is a superb distillation of some of the reasons why the arts work in the business context and the exercises themselves are generally well thought-out and easy to use - they should be, as they come from some of the leading practitioners in this ever-growing field. The book may be expensive, but it is worth every cent for any trainer or facilitator who wants to take a more creative approach to their work.

I have discovered the power and the simplicity in finding/applying a wide variety of experiencial excercises that spark creativity and imagination in groups. The beauty of this valuable workbook is that it unleashes our hidden potentialities. I have successfully used these activities in private business and in non profit organizations and in every ocassion the results have been the creation of high energy and relevant discoveries among participants.
Thank you Arthur and Linda for your valuable contribution.

Arthur VanGundy has already given us just about every conceivable aid to creative work--from "Brain Boosters" to "101 Games" and "101 Activities." Now with Linda Naiman he delivers the most comprehensive and accessible creativity and innovation resource for groups I've ever seen.

And it's about time someone got business people to start thinking like artists. Anyone in business creativity, ideation, and new-product development will find the VanGundy-Naiman approach not only inspiring and fun but incredibly effective.

This binderful of brilliance would be a bargain at $900.

One of my all-time favorites from childhood, and I was pleasantly surprised to find it holds up just as well on a re-read as an adult. Maybe better; I didn't get all the humor and wit at age ten!

The lone average child in an extremely eccentric family, Jack feels left out and begins a campaign to be special too.

Highly recommended!

If P.G. Wodehouse had been writing novels for young readers during the last quarter of the 20th century, he might have come up with something like "Ordinary Jack," the first in Helen Cresswell's series The Bagthorpe Saga. Jack, a hopelessly conventional and normal boy stuck in the middle of the madcap, eccentric Bagthorpe family, known for their prodigious achievements, wonders how he can ever get himself noticed. Uncle Parker, not so brilliant himself, sympathizes and comes up with a plan: Jack will become a prophet and go in for such mystical pursuits as visions, water divining, crystal-ball gazing and Tarot-card reading. Of course, all sorts of complications and much hilarity ensue. This very funny book and its six sequels can be found in British paperback editions and ordered from Amazon.co.uk.

This book is usually billed as a children's book. I'm pretty
sure that's the reason it's out of print. It's an *excellent*
book, one of the best I have ever read. The characters come
vividly alive, driving the storyline. The plot is deeply
involved, yet easy enough to follow. The prose is crisp and
colorful and draws the reader into the story.

The only problem is, the vocabulary is a little more advanced
than a lot of children these days can comfortably handle. If
the book were marketed for adults, it would be a bigger hit.

This is not to say that children cannot read this book. They
can, if they're avid readers with a good grasp on vocabulary.
I could have read it by sixth grade or so -- about the same
time I was ready to read Dickens and Shakespeare. I didn't
happen to run into it until somewhat later, however, and I can
confirm that it's a great book for adults.

This book will exceed your expectations and capture your
imagination. You'll read it in notime flat, because you won't
put it down for mundane things like meals.

The second book, Absolute Zero, is just as good. The others
in the series are also not bad, though the first two are easily
the best. This is the one to get first.

It's been a long time since I read a children's book that really knocked my socks off. I had heard in various children's book circles about the mysterious Bagthorpe saga. A series of stories in which a single ordinary boy must learn to live with his genius/insane family. What I had heard, however, was not exactly conclusive. For all I knew, these books could be good or they could be overrated justly forgotten tripe of the lowest order. Out of the merest curiosity (and because I could locate a copy in my library) I found an original 1977 edition of the book, complete with illustrator Trina Schart Hyman's fabulous cover in which every single Bagthorpe member is rendered in the flesh. What I discovered will now eat up hours and hours of my spare time as I systematically track down each and every Bagthorpe edition in the series available to me. This is an amazing children's experience that must be read to be believed.

Jack is just your average kid. In any other family, this would be a good thing. In Jack's family, it's just short of catastrophe. For you see, in the clan of the Bagthorpes, everyone's a genius. Jack's brother William has a ham radio, plays darts, enjoys the bongos, and often goes about searching for new exciting talents to add to his bag of tricks (or, as they say, strings to their bows). Rosie, Jack's younger sister, is an accomplished portrait painter and recently beat Jack at swimming. Living in such a conceited family might push anyone over the edge, but fortunately Jack has one person he can count on. His Uncle Parker married into the family and, though extraordinary in his own ways, he's just as normal as his nephew. Together, the two plan to make Jack into the kind of guy his siblings see as an equal. They're going to make him into a prophet. This may mean they'll have to employ dowsing rods, crystal balls, purple suits, bear costumes, and tarot cards, but in the end it'll all be worth it.

So many in-jokes, clever puns, and smart plot twists pop up in this book that you'll wonder how long these characters were wandering around author Helen Cresswell's head before she committed them to paper. Adults reading this book will recognize characters they've met in real life while children will read about them and find themselves wishing they belonged to families just this crazy. There's more than a little "Cheaper By the Dozen" in this book, except that each character you meet in "Ordinary Jack" comes with their own very particular personality. I can even pinpoint the moment I feel head over heels in love with the book. After a particularly disastrous birthday celebration that ends in the dining room catching on fire, Uncle Parker laments that, for him, the real loss of the evening was that he won't be able to get the little mottos out of the crackers now. Americans, unfamiliar with crackers, may need a bit of explanation about this Britishism. Those who know what they are, however, will be delighted by Uncle Parker's assertion that he collects them so that at parties he can "stop conversation dead" with one.

Will kids like the book? They won't be able to help but do so. Jack is completely sympathetic, dealing with his crazy relations by becoming even crazier than they are. I loved his self-esteem talks to his dog Zero and how the women in the family suddenly start to get involved in Yoga for no particular reason. Reading this book, you'll forget it was originally published in 1977, so contemporary are some of the terms and fads. You can only assume that had no-carb diets been around in the late 70s, the Bagthorpes would've been involved in those as well.

There are hundreds of children's books that center on crazy families. Heck, Polly Horvath's practically made her living off of the genre. But the best of all these, by far, is Helen Cresswell's really breathtaking Bagthorpe books. "Ordinary Jack" is one of the best children's books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. A brilliant book for any kid with a sense of humor and a yen for the bizarre.

How COULD they have stop printing these books? I have loved the Bagthorpes since I first got Ordinary Jack as a kid and wanted to get the Bagthorpe series for my niece and friends who are having children. Even though I was labeled "gifted" as a child, Jack is readily identifiable and the books are written with such a gentle humor that they are well worth fighting for.

Really, are we supposed to let "Sweet Valley High" set the tone for our pre-adolescents?

Buyer provided exactly what was needed in a timely fashion. Also, this shipper was light on the packaging, which I appreciate for environmental reasons.

Great vendor! Will certainly consider using them again.

This is a must have for any new or experienced paraglider pilot.
The illustrations are clear and accurate and easy to understand.
The included DVD has some great video instruction.

This is the most complete, up to date paragliding book out there. It covers all of the basics in depth, but also has a lot of tips that will be of interest to more advanced pilots. Topics covered include kiting, launching, landing, aerodynamics, meteorology, thermals and cross country flight. In the accompanying DVD, the author, a U.S. Air Force test pilot, demonstrates maneuvers such as stalls, spins, and collapses as well as launching, landing and thermalling. Altogether a great value and excellent reference for pilots of all levels.

Paragliding, A Pilot's Training Manual is a comprehensive, well-written manual that takes beginners through early training to advanced paragliding techniques. Easy-to-read and understand, the book details concepts and techniques, reinforced with graphic illustrations and chapter quizzes. The highlight of the manual, though, is the accompanying DVD which uses relevant video footage to clearly demonstrate concepts from launches to advanced flying skills and paragliding safety. The DVD alone is an exceptional teaching tool, and the combination of the manual and DVD together make this a winning package.

I bought this book before taking lessons, I read a few chapters and then my instructors recommended Pagen's "The Art of Paragliding". As a brand new beginner I found Pagen's book more approachable and ended up using it as my main reference while learning. However several months after getting my P2 Novice qualification and finding myself looking for more advanced information I dug out my copy of "Paragliding: A Pilot's Training Manual". I was actually pleasently surprised and found that it covers in lots of detail all the advanced topics I wanted to know about, in particular soaring, advanced landing and launching skills, collapse and incident recovery, etc. etc.

On reflection I can see now that when you're just learning about paragliding and flight in general there is so much information to take in. In that respect the gentler pace of Pagen's book makes it easier to read, it also presents paragliding from a beginners perspective whereas this book, although it has introductory information, really is aimed at a complete manual - it has no "refere to my book on advanced paragliding" comments. Everything you need is here.

So, if I were to buy just one paragliding book this would be it. What it lacks in information for complete beginners you should get from your instructor. When you've got your P2 and have a few hours under your wing be sure to read or re-read all the advanced chapters of this book.

So many parents are going the wrong direction...this book will help them point their kids and families in the right direction, towards Christ!

Very practical information and helpful to parents of any age. It has also been helpful as a Youth leader, understanding how to help parents disciple their kids.

This book offers God-centered solutions for issues facing parents who want their children to live lives devoted to Christ. It truly helps to probe deeper into the heart and helps us face the real issues.

We have 7 kids and our first was a teen 20+ yrs ago and we still have 3 teens at home. This book speaks to the seasoned or new parent of a teen, in reachinging their heart, preserving their future and gives hope to parents. Whether you see you situation as the "pits" or full of "purpose and direction"...this will flame new life and sustain direction for both parents and teens. It is the number #1 book to have in 2008.
Val Robinson....father of 7!

This is, hands down, the best book I have ever read on parenting. No matter what ages your children are, this really gets at the heart of what parenting is all about - How to raise your children to love Jesus! It This book could revolutionize marriages and families!

One of the most important responsibilities anyone can have is that of a parent. When our first child was born over 20 years ago, we began our search for the best help we could find on the subject of parenting. Over the years we have literally read over 100 books, in our quest to be the best parents we could.
While many of the books we have read have been wonderful and helpful, Parent Fuel has been one of best books we have ever read on the subject. Parent Fuel is unique in that it gives parents practical steps in being a great parent despite yourself.
We would recommend this book to every parent.

Jon and Debra Carr
Parent Fuel: For the Fire Inside Our Kids

As a 3 day a week exerciser, I found this book to be of great help! In particular, it helped me to correct some bad exercising habits/techniques that I had developed. I've noticed a marked reduction in lower back pain as a result of incorporating the workout tips into my regular routine. The book also helped to dispell some common exercise myths. I would recommend this book to anyone -- from the weekend workout warrior to the professional athlete -- who is interested in reaping all the healthy benefits of exercising. There's something in this book for everyone whatever your fitness level!

Over this past year, I have had several set backs starting a fitness routine resulting in injuries. As a working professional and mother of two, it's challenging to carve time out for fitness. I am looking for optimal results with limited time. Peak Perfmance Fitness is a great resource for developing a solid fitness foundation. Jennifer Rhodes has a gift for providing practical, simple explanations for how to prevent injury and develop an effective fitness plan. The diagrams and step-by-step instructions are a real value add!

I love this book! Maintaining proper alignment, and therefore helping to prevent injuries, and chronic pain, is so much more important than mere aesthetics. Anyone who has suffered an injury that affects one's mobility can attest to this. This book will show you how to keep your body healthy and well-aligned, for long-term health. She writes in an exceptionally clear fashion as well, and the way she explains how your body is supposed to move is brilliant easy to understand. Fantastic. I hope she writes another book, she's very dynamic.

As a female approaching 60, I have attempted many fitness programs only to be interrupted by an injury. I was intrigued by Jennifer Rhodes' book, Peak Performane Fitness, because she emphasizes fitness without injury or strain. After reading through Jennifer's book, I now understand why my attempts to improve my health through exercise have failed. I have developed a beginners program using the guidelines in her book. My focus is on improving my overall posture, along with cardiovascular exercise. In partiular, I highly recommend the foam roll referred to in Chapter 4 for spinal alignment. Jennifer has the knowledge and experience to provide good tools for exercise without injury and the suggested exercises with illustrations make it simple for one to follow. I am now looking forward to an ACTIVE retirement.

I am a 32 year old guy. I've been playing soccer, tennis, and golf almost all of my life. Over the past three years though, I've been plagued by recurring injuries to my knees and shoulders. I assumed my body was simply weakening with age, and couldn't take the blows like it used to. Luckily, I found Peak Performance Fitness before I put myself out to pasture! This easy to read book explained how my pain was actually due to years of "microtrauma"- continual irritations caused by poor alignment of my body causing me to torque and stress my muscles and joints in ways they just weren't meant to take. Clear illustrations gave me an understanding of how my body can and should work in harmony, with small changes in my lifestyle and exercise regimen. The book stepped me through the crafting of a workout, custom made to strengthen and realign my trouble spots. Within a few weeks, I could already feel my power and confidence improving. Ms Rhodes's book is an essential read for anyone who wants to keep their body working efficiently and looking and feeling great.

I went through a real potty training nightmare with my daughter who was over 4 before she was finally out of diapers. For months and months she would say "I do it tomorrow" and get upset if I tried to sit her on the potty. It didn't matter what we promised her. When my son came along, I vowed to do something different. That's what motivated us to give the Baby Signs potty program a try. It's been amazing!! The Baby Signs Program has him already using the potty regularly to pee and he's only 17 months old! We're working on poop now! Baby Signs is right--it's much easier to train them when their little. I can't recommend the kit highly enough!"

When I first heard about the Baby Signs Potty kit I was pretty skeptical about starting training so young. All the families we knew were waiting until 2 1/2 or even 3. But, as a Sierra Club member, I've always felt guilty about disposable diapers because they end up in landfills. So, my wife and I decided we'd try the Baby Signs program with our 15-month-old daughter. And we're so glad we did. It really worked. She's 17-month-old now and only has an occasional accident. She still loves watching the DVD and now our whole family sings the potty song. Thanks Baby Signs!

Be kind to mother nature - being potty trained earlier saves many paper diapers from going into the landfill (not to mention the water that is used to produce those diapers) and also saves water if you use cloth diapers.

For a first-time parent, potty training seems a daunting task but since our daughter was trained by 30 months, I was already open to the idea of earlier potty training. Ideally I would have liked to never have had our son in diapers in the first place, going the Elimination Communication route, but that does not fit our lifestyle so this is the next best thing. Ask anyone who remembers the days before paper (disposable) diapers were around - not all that long ago! - and they'll tell you how kids were trained earlier than they are nowadays.

There are many books about potty training but this stands out as it is a very comprehensive kit, comprising of a parent guide, a DVD to enjoy together with songs and signs, a train whistle (either to alert your child when it's time to go or letting them blow on it themselves to help nature along, or to celebrate a success), stickers, and a lift-the-flap board book also showing the signs.

Any why before the age of 2? These days, children are being potty trained later and later, meaning more profits for the paper diaper industry. By 18 months, it is generally agreed, a child can be physiologically ready, but s/he is still very open to new routines. Why not take advantage, before the "terrible two's" set in!

We already were signing with our son so it was not a big jump to add this to our routine. He loves the Diaper Doodles(tm) - the animated babies on the "Potty Train" DVD included in the kit. So far, we are still on our journey to "big kid underwear" but with the support and knowledge we've gained using this kit, it's a fun and exciting experience.

We used the Baby Signs Potty Kit with my daughter when she was 18 1/2 months. She was already doing a number of baby signs so she picked up on the additional signs like potty, good job, and wash hands really well. We used and are still using the baby bjorn potty chair. Initially, we tried putting her on the baby bjorn toilet attachment, but it was a bit overwhelming for her to be that high up. She definitely felt more grounded and comfortable sitting on a potty chair more her size with her feet on the floor. The kit comes with great reward stickers that were great for her age. We ended up using stickers for going pee and then stamps for going poo. Within a week of potty training using the baby signs, she was potty trained with the pee. The poo took another 2-3 weeks. We used cotton training pants with plastic pants over the cotton training pants. We still would put a diaper on her during her naps and bedtime for a while. She is now 21 months old now and is fully out of diapers. Woohooo... We will definitely be All Aboard the Potty Train with our second daughter. We are definite fans of baby signs and the baby signs potty training concept of potty training before the age of 2.

Every time I realize I don't have to change another dirty diaper I think about how grateful I am to the Baby Signs Potty Training Program. We started the program about 10 weeks before our son's second birthday. We were somewhat skeptical about whether we could potty train before two, but we followed the program. Our son wore "big boy underwear" to his second birthday party. Now, we smile with amazement and joy when our son shakes his hand with his thumb between his pointer and middle finger (the sign for potty) in front of our faces and then of course we move deliberately to the potty singing, "climb on board the potty train!" We keep the whistle in our bathroom and our son loves to blow the whistle acknowledging his accomplishment.

Ik ben lang bezig geweest met het opzetten van een plyometric program voor kinderen rond de groei. Tot ik dit programma tegen kwam. De opzet en de duidelijkheid is verbluffend en de kinderen doen het graag.
De ondersteuning met de DVD is helder. Zeker voor kinderen voor de groei en net na de groei spurt is dit een aanrader.

I have been teaching children's fitness for over 10 years and have read a lot of books relating to children's fitness programs. This has been the easiest to understand and implement. I highly recommend this book to anyone new to teaching kids and to those who want new ideas.

If you work with kids, you'll easily be able to incorporate plyometrics into the routines with this easy-to-use guide.

The information is well presented and easy to understand. I have been able to incorporate a great deal of information into the workouts all ready.

I would rate this book and dvd higher if I could! I purchased it to help my 10 year old son develop better strength, speed and agility for football season. He plays center and nose tackle and is a little over 5 feet tall and about 125 lbs. Last year (his first playing tackle football), he didn't have great movement and didn't make many tackles. After going through this program in 6 weeks, he took almost a full second off his 25 yard dash time, added 8 inches to his standing broad jump and 3 inches to his vertical leap.
The system consists of 3 progressive levels of 15 exercises each: bronze, silver and gold. Any child could comfortably start with the bronze level and move on to silver in 2 or 3 weeks. The authors recommend 2 sessions per week with adequate rest between sessions. Each session took us between 30 minutes and an hour to complete, depending on the number of sets used for each exercise. The exercises are thoroughly explained in the book, but you also get the added bonus of the dvd which clearly demonstrates each exercise. My son and I both had fun with the program and will use it again for off season training.

To the best of my knowledge, this book offers the single best source for information and counsel on how to design a high-impact learning program that can be implemented and then sustained (with continuous improvement) at all levels and within all areas of the given organization. Better yet, as the contributors to this book (members of Accenture's Capability Development team) explain, the ROI of such a program can be both quantified and verified.

In 2001, Accenture faced a number of major challenges that are best revealed and discussed within the narrative, in context. The fact remains that, led by Donald Vanthournout, Accenture's Capability Development team began a "journey" that had to take those challenges into full account. What they learned provides the most valuable material in this book. The story of their journey is a business story: about how one company - Accenture - advanced toward high performance through learning, knowledge management and the transformation of its workforce. By extension, however, it is about how other organizations can do the same."

In recent years, senior-level executives have been much more interested in knowing how to increase and improve the nature and extent of employee engagement: "how can they best tap into the collective intelligence of their people and engage them in their work, for their benefit and the benefit of he entire enterprise?" Vanthournout and the members of his team shared a business-centric perspective. They were determined to link human capital investments to business benefits, both for Accenture and for each of its clients; to put in place the governance and leadership structures that increase a learning program's chances of success; to ensure that the actual classroom and electrinic training create what the team characterized as "phenomenal" learning experiences; and to maximize the operational efficiency of learning. According to Vanthournout, he selected members to comprise a team that "was more of a team focused more on corporate education than it was an education team trying to have a business impact."

Here are some of the key lessons that members of the Accenture team learned during their "journey,"each of which is supported by hard data rather than by firm (albeit sincere) convictions:

1. Enterprise learning must be driven with the end in mind: the business results to be achieved.

2. An enterprise should build a learning strategy founded on the core values of the organization, as well as its primary leadership values.

3. Through metrics and ROI analysis, learning investments can be linked to business performance outcomes.

4. When conducting an ROI analysis, organizations should focus on how learning improved a person's performance on the job.

5. According to Kurt Olson, a team member, "Although it may be an overused phrase now, phenomenal earning was truly the `secret sauce' for many of the outcomes we have accomplished with the learning transformation initiative at Accenture. Phenomenal learning was how all good planning and design came to life. It's how the `thinking' and the `doing' all came together to produce phenomenal results."

6. To address the increasing emphasis on business outcomes, today's learning professionals must have strong business skills.

7. Because the lifespan of learning content is shrinking as the marketplace changes more rapidly, Accenture must develop the means for faster, continuous, and more efficient content production or revision.

8. A global learning infrastructure can integrate vital decision-support functionalities that help increase the impact of learning and keep it aligned with the most important business needs.

9. Companies should focus on differentiating their workforces, creating deep skills in people that can be brought to bear anywhere around the organization.

10. Increasing the engagement of employees is important not only to retaining them and improving productivity. It is important to growth and innovation by tapping into the collective intelligence of value workers.

It is worth noting that, as a result of the efforts of the Capability Development team, working closely with senior management and countless other associates throughout the firm, "for every dollar Accenture invests in learning, the company receives that dollar back plus an additional $3.25 in measurable value to its bottom line. - in other words, a 353 percent return on learning." Literally, ROL = ROI. To repeat, Return on Learning is also about "how other organizations can do the same." Or how they can at least "use learning programs for major business impact, and can run learning as a business."

Those who share my high regard for it are urged to check out any book written by Peter Senge (notably The Fifth Discipline The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization and The Dance of Change: The Challenges to Sustaining Momentum in Learning Organizations (co-authored with Art Kleiner, Charlotte Roberts, and George Roth as well as James O'Toole's Leading Change: The Argument for Values-Based Leadership, Corporate Agility: A Revolutionary Model for Competing in a Flat World co-authored by Charles E. Grantham, James P. Ware, and Cory Williamson, Dean R. Spitzer's Transforming Performance Measurement: Rethinking the Way We Measure and Drive Organizational Success, and Enterprise Architecture as Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution co-authored by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David Robertson.

This concise, clearly written book describes how Accenture went from being a company that put its entire workforce through a standard suite of courses to becoming a company with a knowledge-sharing culture. Accenture's employees now embody its knowledge and service capability. Even though your company is probably different from Accenture, your workforce is still the engine that allows it to grow and compete. A company can thrive only if its people have the opportunity to constantly renew their skills. If that level of knowledge management is part of your goals, getAbstract recommends this case study of how to create a high-performance learning culture.

A great book. I'm sorry that I haven't seen it reviewed in major publications. There's a real wisdom at the heart of this book. Lots of ideas about how to deliver great training that has an impact on the business. Personal reflections from the people who work for the training organization at Accenture, all spun as a story. And then some really provocative, forward-looking ideas. Reading the book is like bringing a Trojan horse of ideas into your company.

I'm guessing that "Ed" and I (see other review) might have been at the same conference together where we received a copy of this book. I can second much of what he says, and also add that when it comes to one of my personal measures of a book's value--"number of significant ideas per page"--this book scores very high. I liked the "phenomenal learning" stuff in particular, and I also liked the discussion of Accenture's decision support capabilities that it developed as part of its learning management system.

I'd have to classify myself as one of those getting somewhat disillusioned by the big discrepancy between what a company's leaders say about their workforce ("People are our most important asset, yadda yadda yadda") and where they really invest their money. (Guess what budgets get cut first when things get tight?) I don't know enough about Accenture's inner workings from an employee's perspective to know if it's business really rises above that, but it is clear they are wrestling with it, and that certain core leaders really do "get" it.

There are practical ideas in this book and there are some "big vision" kinds of ideas -- something for about everyone.

I finished this book on a cross-country flight this week (the book is admirably short and punchy) and I'm still shaking my head over it. The book is incredibly honest about how business change and a down economy had apparently temporarily weakened Accenture's commitment to its workforce to provide training and development opportunities. (Actual quote from the book, when Accenture's Chief Learning Officer is trying to convince his executives that something had to be done: "The deal we have made with our people has been broken.")

But then the book proceeds to tell an entirely believable story of how they turned things around. Sure, there is the ocasional bit of consulting-speak in here, but most of what you get are practical ideas about how to plan, how to get your executives on board (please give this book to your local CEO/COO/CFO), how to use outsourcing in a smart way, how to use technology, ect., ect. And its not filled with theory but practical experiences of real people. For those with the background/interest, there is also a chapter on the number-crunching. Doubt it if you want to, but these guys proved that Accenture gets a 353 percent return on every dollar it spends on training. From what I can tell by reading that chapter, the real number probably is even higher since the ROI model they created only used a few parameters that they were absolutely sure they could quantify.

The book is really targeted at executives, but there is also a lot of good stuff for learning and HR professionals. One thing I really liked: Accenture's admission that in previous years they're training people had gotten lots of awards for training courses but weren't as good when it came to delivering projects on time and on budget. This new team got the respect of senior executives by saying, "Yeah, we're still going to deliver great training, but we're also going to do it by being good stewards of your investment dollars."

Not everyone is going to have the money Accenture has to throw at problems like this, but they, too, learned to do a lot with a much smaller budget -- and I can't think of a single thing here that another CEO or HR/learning executive like myself couldn't apply in some way to his or her organization.

On top of it all, the book is written in a totally compelling way. Other writers of business books, take note: it's written such that the authors are actually characters in a story. As a reader, your brought along as if you were reading a novel. Even if learning or HR isn't your thing, take a read to see how you can plan any kind of reinvention business program.

A really well done book, and worth the time it took for me to write a few words saying, "Way to go."

Like all the titles in Shawn Kovacich's Achieving Kicking Excellence series, book 5 Reverse Crescent Kick is a comprehensive study of one of the important kicks used in modern martial arts today. The book is incredibly thorough with numerous photos demonstrating the every aspect of the kick in minute detail. Mr. Kovacich knows his stuff and it is obvious that he has spent many hours honing his technique. The book provides an in-depth study of the bones, muscles and mechanics involved in the kicking technique.

In addition, the book contains a wealth of supplemental information on strength, speed and power generating exercises to enhance the technique. There is also a section on stretching as well as the application of the technique.

This book is ideal for any martial artist who wishes to perfect their reverse crescent kicking ability. The beginner will find a wealth of information to assist in developing proper mechanics while the advanced practitioner will glean some vital knowledge from an accomplished teacher.

Be sure to check out the other books in this series. You are sure to find one that addresses the specific kick that you need work on.

Aaron Hoopes
author of Zen Yoga: A Path to Enlightenment through Breathing, Movement and Meditation

Volume 5, "Reverse Crescent Kick" (outside crescent in many styles) in Kovacich's "Achieving Kicking Excellence" series, like the previous four books, covers the kick from about every angle one could possibly imagine. Shawn if anything, is consistent, which aids this series. Format is the same throughout all books so far, which aids the instructor or the student, making information more quickly accessible. The reader knows what to expect, details about muscle groups, target areas, and proper technique are standard.

His application for the spinning crescent (step back turning reverse crescent) on page 187-188 is right on. I first, before reading martial books with photos, normally skim the photos and titles of chapters before begining to read. I saw the photos on this page and thought "Oh no, bad technique to throw with his opponent's maneuver."
Then I finally get to that page later in the day and Shawn uses the occasion to show what is wrong with the kick. Thank goodness and I wasn't disappointed. So far, Shawn Kovachich's technical knowledge about the kicks thru volume 5 have been impressive. This book is a bonus for students and instructors a like.

This is Volume Five of ten books devoted to mastering kicks. Shawn Kovacich devotes this book to the Reverse Crescent Kick. This review examines Shawn's book from a practical stand point--how well does this book enable me to learn the reverse crescent kick?
I'm 50, 6'3" tall and 220 pounds, but I'm not an athlete--just healthy. I cannot perform the back kick higher than my own waist right now--I'll need to improve my flexibility. It isn't too much of a handicap for self defense--or active military service--but for those of you involved in karate matches, you need the high kicks for the match-winning points.
So, what is a reverse crescent kick and why would I use it? Shawn writes that the reverse crescent kick is like a tennis backhand swing. The striking surface is the outside edge of the heel and the targets are the same as the crescent kick in Volume Four: face, neck area, lower legs and forearms. The reverse crescent kick is difficult to execute (at least I found it difficult!) but the arc of the kick is deceptive and may confuse your opponent. Getting inside another's Observe, Orient, Decide and Act loop can win a match for you--or allow you to seize and keep the initiative in a fight.
I have training prejudices: I like to employ mirrors, a video camera or two, a minimum of one sparring partner, and at least one referee when I train. Multiple sparring partners are to keep me from getting stuck kicking at the same height each time, and because in the real world, my problems usually come in bunches. Often, I must train alone or not train at all, so I have to limit my training intensity for safety. A second set of eyes can help spot flaws--and prevent injuries. It is very hard to dial 911 when one's back is thrown out. These kicking techniques can injure the practitioner if done incorrectly. I like both mirrors and video because when I initially practice, I can watch myself in the mirror. For realistic practice, I need to concentrate on technique and the target instead of watching my own reflection--instant video playback aids me in spotting what happened. I can even figure out if my kick was in the right place or not! Shawn wrote about the "crawl, walk, and run" phases of training and the basic and advanced kicking techniques are covered in detail. Exact detail. Train at your own risk. I perform a risk reduction prior to training--assess the risk level and employ risk reduction techniques to make training safe. Remember that training is synthetic reality, intended to be less expensive than gaining real-world experience.
I think that "Achieving Kicking Excellence: Reverse Crescent Kick" is well organized. There are ten chapters. The introduction defines the kick and advises how to use the book. Chapter One is kick anatomy: bones and muscles. Chapter Two recommends warm up and stretching exercises. Chapter Three is Basic Principles: striking surface, target areas, and 11 other key points. Clear graphics left me with little doubt about what part of the foot to apply and where to hit my opponent. Chapter Four covered the primary kick technique. Again, the graphics are very clear. They include "dance step diagrams" showing where the feet go--footwork is critical to effective kicking. The photos have numbered labels stressing correct positioning of each part of the body. Chapter Five is variations of the primary technique. Chapter Six covers training and practice techniques to achieve skill, strength, speed, and power. Chapter Seven is a trouble-shooting guide. Chapter Eight is applications: how to use this in competition or combat. Chapter Nine is Shawn's awards and accomplishments. Chapter Ten previews the next volume in the series. There are a table of contents, a recommended reading list, and an index.
This is an excellent study guide. I can train some now, on my own, and when I find training partners (sparring partners and a referee) I might even get proficient!

When I first started taking Tae Kwon Do classes, the first three kicks that I learned were the front kick, crescent kick, and the reverse crescent kick. The reason why I, and all new beginners, learned these kicks first is because they are generally speaking the easiest to learn and the simplest kicks to use, or so I thought. Once again I thought that I had this kick down pat along with its sister kick crescent kick, and front kick. Well thanks to Mr. Kovacich and his Achieving Kicking Excellence series of books I was in for a big surprise.

The whole time that I have been practicing the reverse crescent kick every one of my classmates kept telling me what a good looking kick I had, just like they kept telling me about my crescent kick. Well, they were right it was a good "looking" kick, but I soon found out that it, just like my crescent kick, only "looked" good and that there was really nothing at all to my kick. Once I started reading Reverse Crescent Kick, the 5th volume in Shawn Kovacich's Achieving Kicking excellence series, I became aware of so many small little things that I was either doing wrong, or wasn't doing at all, that was having a dramatic impact on the actual effectiveness of my crescent kick.

Mr. Kovacich covers everything about the kick from the pivoting on the ball of your base leg foot to the correct area of your kicking foot to strike with ( and its not the entire outside edge of your foot) and absolutely everything in between. This is truly a remarkable series of books and I am still dumbfounded at just how much information is packed into each book on a single solitary kick. You would think that some kicks are so simple that there is no way you could write a 200+ page book on the subject. Well you would be wrong. I have read this book several times already and I have picked up something new that I had missed each and every time I have read it. Mr. Kovacich is truly an amazing martial artist and he surely has the technical skills down when it comes to kicking.

I highly recommend that you purchase all ten volumes in the Achieving Kicking Excellence series and you (and your instructor) will see your kicks literally improve by leaps and bounds. I'm so glad that I found these books as I know I would not have improved so well in my kicking skills without the additional insight. Thank You!

Achieving Kicking Excellence

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.)