Volleyball Books

Johnson's book is an excellent resource for anyone with rotator cuff issues. It is well written and easy to understand.

This book, written by a Physical Therapist, explains and shows the muscles involved in the rotator cuff more clearly than any other anatomy book I've picked up on the subject. He explains what muscles you are strengthening for each exercise. Stretching, very much like yoga stretching, is also included. If I could talk to the author, I would ask him to look up Supported Headstand as a very effective treatment for RCS, too. This is thoroughly explained in volume 16 of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy in a research article entitled Headstand for Rotator Cuff Tear: Shirshasana or Surgery.

So easy to understand! I know have a good knowledge of how the shoulder works. The exercises are very helpful. Got me closer of achieving zero pain. Hardly have pain anymore, mostly tight or a little uncomfortable but that's better than chronic pain ay!! It only takes around 3-4 hours to read. DO IT IF YOU KAIN'T TAKES NO MORES!!

I was afraid I would never be able to lift weights again. Both of my shoulders were in pain, even causing me to have to lie on my back to sleep. I read this book carefully, and have followed the exercise exactly as he directs, and I have zero pain in my shoulders now ! Zero ! And I'm back to lifting weights !
I can't tell you how impressed I am with the research that went into Mr. Johnson's work. He only goes by scientific evidence based upon peer-reviewed, randomized controlled trials. This stuff really works!
By the way, I had the same experience with my back problems after reading "Treat Your Own Back" by Dr. McKenzie
Thank you Mr. Johnson!
Ken
Los Angeles, CA

I hurt my rotator cuffs doing some bag work. I waited a long time (I'm a guy) to go into an ortho. He gave me the advice to work on my posture, lose weight and a photocopy of some exercises to do. Told me that how I injured myself didn't matter, fixing it was what counted. Well, posture and losing weight solved that problem.

Had a completely different feeling problem. Went back after eight months of worsening pain. Same diagnosis, they told me it was "referred pain" which was why it felt completely different. Same exercises. You can find them all over the internet.

Didn't do much for me. I slowly got more or less better on my own. But, I had nagging pain every morning, the exercises and stretches did nothing for me.

Rather than go back, I decided to try this book first, based on recommendations from a friend I followed up.

First, the explanations aside, the core of the book is short. You are only going to do about four exercises and four stretches at any one time. There are routines for severe to very mild problems (beginning to advanced).

Second, the explanations made sense and I've been able to apply them to a few other areas.

But, it has been less than a month and I'm waking up pain free from time to time, the first time in a very long time.

Would I pay this much for a paperback? Not usually, but it was a lot better than blowing half a day off from work seeing the ortho sports med guy again. Would I buy a book when the internet is swimming with essays, charts, etc.?

Well, but for the fact it works and the free stuff didn't, no. But the free stuff doesn't quite put it all together the way this does and it didn't quite do the trick.

If you've got pain, if your doctor's routines haven't really done much for you, if the internet hasn't led you anywhere new, you might really want to try this book. It has details on how to do things, number of repetitions, how long to hold the stretches, etc.

Simple? Yes. Five to ten minutes a day simple, but just the right five to ten minutes a day have made all the difference for me.

I wish I had this book when I was a young athlete. The author writes clearly and well. She communicates about typical subject manner. But the book's inspiration derives from her tough wisdom and passionate vision for girls in sports and in life. This book could inspire anyone to make more out of their life.

Everyone can benefit from this, but young girls to young ladies will be stronger for reading it. It teaches more than my writing has the power to explain. I bought it for my daughter...thought I'd read a chapter to check it out first and ended up reading it through. It gives great insight to what it takes to be better than readers may have dared to dream...to push past the insecurities.

if you are a female athlete or you work with female athletes this is a great book for you. it is a quick, easy read, full of personal stories and examples. very motivating, excellent book!

This is a wonderful book for girls of all ages, but especially for pre-teen and teenage girls. I loved it! I would recommend it for anyone who has daughters!

Let me just start by saying that I've had this book for 2 years and could never get my daughter and husband to read it. So, on our way to yet another tourney, I had 5 hours to read it out loud to them. They loved it! My husband is a coach for our local girls softball team, and we had just won the district championship and were going to "state" a couple of weeks later, and my husband liked the book so much that he used it as his "bible" during the practices leading up to the tourney, and also at the tourney. This was our 3rd trip to "state", never having won the championship. But this year we won, due partly to this little book. It's written in conversational form, and is a very easy read, yet it packs a punch. These ideas are great, and implementing them into a "team" picture was easy. They were great team-builders also. Our team was so close during this tourney, and this helped their play. I cannot recommend this book highly enough to anyone that plays or coaches anything. (Also, this book is not just about sports...the big picture is about girls in general, and how they can achieve their goals by implementing these ideas into their everday lives.) Get this for the girl or coach in your life!

Ron Ely has done it again. Book has a well contrived plot with interesting beach characters. The volleyball techniques and play was laudable and blended in beautifully with the overall plot. Ron Ely can craft the finest plots and his Jake Sands protagonist is as good as you will find.

Great book. I have lived in Santa Barbara for nearly 15-years and Ron's does a great job of describing the "REAL" SB. The plot is sound and the pacing is excellent.

The Rumor is that he has written three additional novels, but the third Jake Sands novel was too heavily edited for his tastes by the publisher so he has chosen not to release it.

This is a shame, if the rumor is true.

If I ever bump into Ron here in town, I will try to get the facts and report back.

Maybe we should all email Simon & Schuster and express our desire for more Ron Ely works to see the light of day...

Great book. Ticks me off that the author has obviously been under-promoted by his publisher/agent. I enjoyed Ely's book for the ambience of Southern California/Santa Barbara, and for writing extremely well. Few authors, especially mystery writers, sound so natural.

The opening and closing lines in this book says it all. "Just another lousy day in paradise". The characters are so real you feel that you know them. Kudos to Ron Ely and I hope there are more on the way. The storyline is tight and the dialouge is as smooth as a single malt whiskey. I've read this book and Night Shadows several times.

I have always been a Travis McGee fan. Loved most of what John D. MacDonald wrote, but then came Ron Ely and Jake Sands. Never have I been so captivated by such a set of characters and the setting of Santa Barbara. If I could give ten stars, I would.

I knew this was to be my Xmas pressie this year and so it was frustrating waiting for the 25th! As soon as I unwrapped it I couldn't put it down; in the end my wife became annoyed and told me that I would get no lunch until I put the book away. This book is a great read with lots of bits and pieces. There are various inspiring stories that make me want to get down to a beach (yes we do have them in England) and restart training. Living in this volleyball deprived nation it's great to have something like this book to get me through the long and dark winter. Just buy the book it's fabulous! Write to me! volleyball@tesco.net

If you are at all a volleyball person, this book is required reading. It's that simple. Karch was called the best indoor player in the world and proved himself the best beach player as well. What's better than hearing the story of the greatest player the sport has yet known from his own lips?

In basketball there's Jordan, in baseball it's Ruth, in Golf it's Nicklaus, auto racing's king is Richard Petty. In the world of indoor and beach volleyball one man stands alone at the top the mountain - that man is Karch Kiraly.

Karch Kiraly is the most decorated volleyball player in the history of the sport and at age 39, he's still the most feared name on the court. The Sand Man is the first book to truly capture this often misunderstood icon of the AVP.

From his first tournament at age 15 to the Atlanta Olympic gold medal in 1996, Karch Kiraly is truly the greatest player ever to spike a volleyball. I can not begin to say how great this book was.

Laced with stories and photos, this book is the tied for number one in my reviews of 1999. For the serious volleyball fan, this is the must read of the year. Best of luck in Sidney in 2000 Karch!

Karch Kiraly is simply the best volleyball player ever to play the game. So, of course, this read was very insightful, heartwarming, and humourous at times. I couldn't put my copy down at all. I have read it twice.

I say that Karch is the man with the "midas touch" because everything he touches is golden; his life with family and friends, the kind of role model he is to so many, and lastly for his volleyball accomplishments. It has been a pleasure to follow his career as well as read about his life in his book entitled, "The Sand Man."

I would encourage any volleyball fan to pick up this highly recommended book and to have it signed by Karch if they see him at an event soon!

Best of luck to Karch in the future and keep writing because your fans love it!

When most people tune in to watch the AVP, they often notice one thing - some guy out there is wearing a pink hat. The man underneath that hat is, undoubtedly, the greatest volleball player to ever step on the court (or the sand). This is the life story of Karch Kiraly and his accomplishments in life as well as on the court. Always a gentlemenly competitor, we get to see the few flare-ups and frustrations along with the glory of his storied career. Starting from birth and ending with last season's (1998) success with Adam Johnson, this book chronicles Karch's travels, his loves, the people he admires that came before, and his devotion to his children. A must-read for anyone who enjoys the sport and the man who has helped bring it to new heights.

There are two books that target teen girls who love to play volleyball -- and this is the first one. [Well, if there are more books out there, I haven't been able to find 'em...] My teen identified with the characters and was also inspired by the meta-level message.

The book Can I Play was a great book that is hard to put down. I bought this at a tournament in Chicago. The beginning of the book is kind of boring but in the middle and end the book really gets good. I have lent this to many other people and they feel the same way about the book. I would not reccomened this book to parents who have kids under 10, but I do for older teens. I would also reaccomend parents read this to, I believe you will enjoy reading this.

She's almost 13 and volleyball player...she wouldnt put it down. That's enough for me, but it's also a values book and something girl athletes can readily relate to. Hopefully there are other books in a series.

OMG this book is the best!!!!!! if your looking for the volleyball athletic situation type of book, i would recommend this book... i've read this book 5 times total and i just cant wait for the next novel to come out... CHOOSE THIS BOOK!

If you liked this book try reading the next novel We Are A Team..... coming in Dec 20, 2005

This book captures real emotions,real situations and team concepts that could apply to any high school girl who loves to play volleyball. I recommend this book to any girl volleyball player that is entering high school or that is in high school already and those that play club volleyball too. Its an easy read and hard to put down once you have started. My daughter is now reading the book too. I can't wait for the next book to arrive.

I have been coaching volleyball for over 20 years and still consider this one of, if not THE, best comprehensive text for volleyball coaches - beginner and experienced alike.

...and I purchased it for less than I could have with my AVCA membership.

This book is a revamped version of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Handbook. Like the title of the review suggests, it is a great reference. I find myself going to it a lot in order to refresh my memory about some technical aspects of the game.

If you wanted just one book to help you with your coaching or with your own game. This is probably the book for you. If you have a deep burning desire to delve into other aspects of coaching and the game of volleyball, this is a great way station. One of the many books that you need to keep in your library, but a very dog eared book due to the many times you will need to look into the book.

Like the previous reviewer said, an excellent book for beginning to intermediate players and coaches.

The book's material is useful for the beginning and intermediate volleyball coach. I have been feeling my way in coaching my team in small tournaments for some years now, but reading this book makes me feel like I've gone to a volleyball coaching clinic.

I especially like the way the book emphasizes the development of each of the skills and positions in a team. Also, therapy of the common injuries included at the end are a great plus.

On the whole it has a very well-rounded treatment of coaching, including not only the physical, but also psychological, medical and nutritional elements that have to be considered by a good volleyball coach. The book is overflowing with actual coaching experience of a number of people. I learned a lot from it.

solid book on many aspects of coaching. Highly recommend

Asher's approach of employing experts in each chapter to discuss their respective forte yields a thorough and insightful text. I have upwards of 12 coaching books and this one I think to be the most valuable.

I played high school volleyball for one of these authors, so I grew up playing all of the drills and games in this book. I am now a college coach myself & I STILL use this book as a reference guide when I go to plan out a practice. Your athletes will love the different games included in the book that put a different spin on the regular game of volleyball.

McGowan is a master teacher. When you implement his ideas and theories you can't help but become an awesome coach and your athletes will improve their physical and mental skills at an incredible rate.

As the subtitle "Building a Winning Team" implies, the book touches on the various aspects required to building a team. The authors do an admirable job of providing a wealth of information across a broad spectrum of topics. If you're interested in a general guide with the basics this is the book for you.

If you buy ONE book on how to coach volleyball, make it this one. Carl McGown is the "guru" of volleyball and if you read this book, implement what it says, your team will be better RIGHT NOW!

A book which goes beyond the x and o's to provide the coach with the correct skills and attitudes necessary to compete at a high level.

This book was very informative! I ordered several Volleyball coaching books and found this one to be the best!

Sometimes as player it is hard to break down a skill in verbal cues in order to teach beginning players as a coach. This book is great at doing just that! I even took this book to practice and read to my girls out of it. This book introduces a skill, gives lots of pictures of a player going the skill, breaks the skill down into step-by-step actions, gives some verbal cues that you can teach with and then later remind your players with and gives some drills. Also with each skill, the book has a section on teaching beginning players and then a section on breaking bad habits. This is my favorite coaching resource.

I have probably read most every book on vb published recently, and this book ranks up there at the top alongside Mike Hebert's "Insights & Strategies for Winning Volleyball". Sally covers all aspects of the sport from grassroot to club to college and from starting a program to successfully managing and sustaining a vb program. This book is unexcelled. It gives a step-by-step for setting up a program or a practice. It gives details on all of the vb skills along with appropriate drills and what to look for. Unlike most books on the subject, it is very relevant to today's vb, as it addresses rally scoring, overhand passing, serving from various points along the baseline, backrow hitting, etc. I would recommend it for anyone involved in coaching vb or wanting to improve their game.

This book was simply AMAZING. There was GREAT dialog between the characters. Karol Ann Hoeffner did a wonderful job in introducing the characters and developing a setting. It is a great read. Hoeffner did a great job in creating imagery. I could picture the characters in my head and i could also picture the setting. I felt like i knew the characters and was right there with them! I would reccomend this book to anyone that has a love for reading and sports!

I loved this book. Although I do not read much teen fiction, I was pleasantly surprised by the character development and impressed with the dialog. I am buying this book for every teenage girl I know!

This book is great for coaches just getting started with a new program. It highlights the little "extras" to think about before a season begins as well as during and after season. There is so much to think about and this book makes sure that things aren't over looked. I highly recommend this book to new volleyball coaches.

This book is great for new high school coaches that are trying to build their program. There is ample information about practice content and design as well as a checklist for the performance components of each individual skill. Unlike many other volleyball books, this one contains vauluable information about running tournaments, fundraisers, and starting a youth league. I would strongly recomend this book to anyone who has recently started coaching the sport of volleyball.