Sports Books

This book is a pleasure to read from cover-to-cover. The author clearly loves her subject matter and infuses the history of cheerleading with fun and good humor. I especially loved the photographs. The book would make a great TV documentary. Since reading "Cheerleader", I have ordered all of Ms. Stein's other books.

I loved this book! The pictures are great where did she find them? It's a great gift for anyone interested in cheerleading and a fun read even for people who aren't.

From matching sweaters and pompons to coke and candy posters and ads, the allure of cheerleads in culture and advertising has long been evident in American culture, and here is captured by Elissa Stein in her visual celebration Cheerleader: Ready? Okay! From a history of cheerleading to cheerleader fashion, Cheerleader: Ready? Okay! captures the energy, excitement and changes of the best.

The photographs are amazing. The content is witty and well researched. A great gift for anyone who was a cheerleader--or for those of us who just looked on from the bleachers.

I loved this book! The great illustrations brought back memories of freezing at the big game, yelling myself hoarse when our team made the goal, and thoroughly enjoying myself. It's a must to take to your reunion.

What a wonderful book about a man who loved basketball and the Lakers. Chick Hearn was a very gifted announcer. The way he would describe the game would seem to put you court-side along with the other 17,505 at the fabulous Forum! I started listening to Chick during the 70's and into the 80's. Living in Arizona I had to try and find the L.A. station when possible. When one of the local stations started carrying the games in the 80's, I was estatic. The book does a nice job starting from his youth into his last days. Reading about the last few months of his life just broke your heart for the man----and I didn't know him!! That should tell you how the fans could relate to Chick. The Los Angeles area had two other announcers that were also great in my book---Dick Enberg doing Ram games and Vin Scully doing Dodgers games. The Los Angeles area was blessed with many great teams and announcers, but none will be able to replace Chick Hearn.

I grew up watching/listening/simulcasting to EVERY GAME for the Lakers from 1981 through about 2003 or so (still try to catch them on tv, but no longer live in the L.A. area). It seems that since he passed away, the Lakers were suddenly cursed. But this book brings back the Memoirs of one of my favorite idols. Chick was the best announcer, period. He was so good that even people who were simply not into the game, or even disgusted by sports in general, would get into it and watch because of his sharp apt to connect to the viewers/listeners with ease and comfort. I've seen this myself firsthand more than a plenty of times. His ability to bring the game to you in a simple and enjoyable fashion was priceless. My mom even loved the guy. So Laker fans, Angelinos, basketball and sports fans -- buy this book!

This book really brought Chick Hearn back to life for me...I LOVED IT! It contained so many facinating memories from Chick and those close to him. Also, the accompanying CD with excerpts of Chick's calls from many games cleverly strung together...his Chickisms....was an added treat. For anyone who followed Chick during his career I highly recommend this book!

Dianne O.
La Canada, CA

For 3,338 consecutive games Chick Hern was the voice of the L.A. Lakers. He became as famous as the best of their players. As the voice of the lakers, he essentially was the lakers to millions of fans. He brought the team, the coaches, and the rest of the organization to the millions of fans. He lived Lakers basketball, and it showed in the way he talked.

This book presents Chick in two ways: One is the writing about Chick, his life, his stories of the team, people, and life in general. Second is the CD included with the book that gives some of his greatest calles, along with narration by Al Michaels. Normally the voice of a sports broadcaster is a transient thing. You hear what he said, or maybe you miss it, and it's gone forever. Here are some of the best of his work, recorded forever.

As a lifelong Laker fan, I've felt like I've known Chick for most of my life. He was like the eccentric uncle that explained things to you when he visited, and in Chick's case, what he explained was basketball.

If you're not a Laker fan, this book probably won't be as meaningful to you, but it's filled with entertaining stories and poignant nuggets about broadcasting, basketball, and life in general. Some of the material I'd read about before, but a lot of it was new to me. It gets quite emotional at times; it's not strictly about basketball or play-by-play announcing, although he looms very large in both fields.

The book is mostly a compilation of other people recalling their memories of Chick, with some first-hand quotes from him as well. It doesn't really have a narrative, so it's a nice book to pick up and read from occasionally. I think the structure of it really suits the subject well. Chick was great at describing basketball and relating to people, so to a large extent the book is basketball people talking about him.

If you're a Laker fan, it's a great read. If you're into sportscasting or basketball, there's something for you too.

This book, unlike other books about Taiji and weapon forms, describes the sword form from the application point of view. How has the Jian developed to become what it is per today, who used it and what techniques are used in combat? He describes clearly the differences between the Yang family style and the public sword form. What I find remarkable are the differences between the public form described in the book and the public form described by (for example) Chen Wei-Ming. This book is worthwhile studying for those who want to have more background in Taiji sword.

I bought this book, read it and was utterly amazed that someone with the knowledge and skill level finally wrote a reference guide for those of us who haven't been able to go that extra mile because of lack of the information available. I really recommend this book for someone who is learning Taiji sword (from a teacher of course), because it will be of big help to you when you need to refer back to it.

The book is about the Yang Family Taiji Sword Tradition. Two different styles are presented: one which most of us are familiar with that was down from Yang Chengfu's lineage and taught to Mr. Rodell by Master T.T. Liang; the second one came from Master Wang Yen-nian of the Yang Jianhou (Yang Chengfu's Father) tradition. Those that are familiar with the history of Yang Taiji will understand that there is a difference between father and son's technique.

The book begins with the Author's Introduction and then History, Sword Ettiquette (which I found particularly interesting), Jian (sword) Anatomy, how to hold the sword and perform the secret sword fingers, basic stance and sword cuts. Then both forms and their applications(!) are shown using real antique weapons from the Ancient China. There is also some interesting stuff in the Appendices.

I hope you buy this book it will be of great benefit to your training.

You can not learn a martial art by reading a book. That said, this book is a wonderful companion to a class.

Without a doubt, Scott Rodell has written one of the most accessible and comprehensive books on swordsmanship (Chinese or otherwise) I have read. The book welcomes the novice reader and makes him feel comfortable with the subject, while the seasoned martial artist immediately understands the author's intended message, without feeling lectured to. Scott speaks the language common to traditional martial artists with quiet elegance and confidence.

Andrew Winston

This is an outstanding contribution to the field of publications dealing with Chinese martial arts. Not only is it a meticulously-written and well-illustrated guide to sword technique, this remarkable book also supports the topic with information which "flesh out" the art's social and historical context. It explains not only the "what", but also the "who", "why" and "when". In this way, it is not only an invaluable guide to serious students of taijiquan and its sword techniques, but will also appeal to those readers who are interested in the role that martial arts played in late imperial China. The author's experience as an instructor and his dedication to scholarship ensure that the information in this book is accurate and well-reasoned, with none of the unsubstantiated and fanciful lore which has been the bane of martial arts writing for years.

During the 15 years that I've been coaching in Middle School, AAU, and Rec Leagues, I've read a lot of books on coaching basketball, some excellent (Dean Smith's "Multiple Offenses and Defenses," and John Wooden's "Practical Modern Basketball" come to mind), and some not so great. The book in my library that's the most dog-eared and smudged is Morgan Wootten's "Coaching Basketball Successfully." For the levels I've coached, I consider this book indispensable. The book is full not just of X's and O's and drills, although there are plenty of those, but also advice on how to organize a team, how to run tryouts, and how to relate to assistants, players, and parents. There are sections on everything from how to put together a game schedule for the season to when to call (and when not to call) timeouts. It's written clearly and concisely and at a perfect level for my needs. Part of my coaching routine every year is that the first week in August, I take "Coaching Basketball Successfully" down from the shelf and read it cover to cover, one more time.

This book was a gift for a new High School assistant basketball coach. He read it front to back and continued to comment on how it was written. Easy to read, with many useful ideas and drills.

No matter how many books I have on basketball I always come back to this one.When great coachs explain every insight they used to be successful it can only make you a better coach.

I spent one year as an assistant coach and one year as a head coach for boys high school basketball. After a four year hiatus I am returning to head coaching a freshman team and being an assistant for a varsity team. This book made me realize the little things I missed the first time around. From having a philosophy to in game situations. This is a comprehensive plan that I wish I had the first time around. Instead of going to coaching clinics to tell other coaches what Im doing, Im going with questions for the more experienced coaches on how they handle situations. All aspects of being involved in a program are covered: discipline, dealing with the media, dealing with parents, practice plans,etc.... This book does not miss a beat, a must have.

Morgan Wootten is probably THE most successful high school basketball coach, and his book is one that I believe coaches at all levels can benefit from. I have found that the principles, plays and strategies he has written to be very beneficial in my own development as a coach. Plays and diagrams are simple and complete, and his focus on developing his kids as both individuals and players is great reading. This book is one you will want to take your coaching and your team to "the next level."

Great Book! Gave mine to a friend and am ordering another. If you love your Coach, buy him or her this book.

The book is a little more advanced than what I needed right now coaching 8 & U coach pitch softball, but it does a great job of showing you the direction your coaching should be going as the kids get older. That in turn has influenced how I teach these young girls. Many of the fine drills in this book are too advancd for my age group, but I was able to simplify them a little to make them easier for 7-8 year olds. If your coaching 6-10 year old kids and can only buy one book, this may not be the one. But it is a great book to have in your coaching library. The best I have seen, my kids just are not quite ready for it yet.

I have coached for over ten years now and have found this book to be the most comprehensive, theoretically sound, user friendly coaching handbook on the market. Veroni has organized the information most effectively using charts and diagrams in addition to her commentary. This is THE book to purchase for both the beginning or experienced high school coach.

This book is comprehensive and is aimed at the coach of a team consisting of younger or much younger players. Kathy Veroni sounds like a tough, fair, and thorough coach. Imagine driving a group of late-arriving players 10 miles out of town and telling then to jog back to practice. No wonder West Illinois U has a great softball team.
However, as a captain of a mens' fastpitch softball team, with players who play once a week, this book did not help me much. The drills were just too involved and required a much higher commitment and lower physical strength than I have from the guys on my team. It's like using a college-level calculus text when all you want to learn is high school algebra.
Having said that, the big plus of this book is the VERY EXTENSIVE list of both defensive and offensive drills. This section of the book makes the purchase price worthwhile.

This is a very well laid out book and easy to follow. I would highly recommend this book for coaching high school or college age girls. Might be a little deep for younger athetes but could be adapted. Many drills are included in this book, and I found the philosophies especially interesting. Brought out a lot of simple points I had never thought of before.

I am not quite as enamored of this book as some other reviewers, but it is good. One author is a powerlifter, which both adds some amusing stories but occasionally gives this book an odd slant. I wish they would have fleshed out their weightlifting routines a bit more instead of just providing a skeleton - I am a bit lazy like that. Despite the above comments, the authors do a good job providing information without the hype.

I got this for my husband who is build like a horse, very active, but entirely unatheletic. I wanted to work out again and he never had but wanted to try. He learned alot about how wieght training works and is thrilled with the results (say Arnold!. I still refer back to it regularly to update our workout. It is simple and has all the info you need to get started whether you have lifted before or not.

After many years of doing very little exercise, I returned to the gym about a year ago. I purchased this book 3 months later and read it cover to cover, an enjoyable read. I continue to use the book as a reference to add additional and change exercises on a regular basis. Having followed some of the sample routines they provide, I can attest to a significant increase in strength and in general well-being. There are enough details and variations to satisfy someone just starting or getting more serious about lifting. I recommend this book - and thank the authors.

This is the best book that I have found on weight training. I needed a thorough book to get started and this was it. Other than my very lackluster lifting durig high school I have never seriously lifted, so I am far from an expert on lifting. I must add however that after having looked at many books on weight training I feel like a bit of an expert on the literature. What I found was that most books are geared to those that already know the subject. These books assumed many techniques I did not know, implied that I needed to work out about 3 hours at a time for 8 days a week and rambled on and on and on.

The Idiot's Guide to Weight Training thoroughly introduced me to everything that I needed to get started. After reading this book, I walked into a fitness store, bought the starter equipment I needed and started to lift. As I write this I am bit sore from the first few lifting sesions, but I am excited and looking forward to the future weeks and months. This book helps with equipment, clothing, eating, stretching, excercise instructions, routines and safety. The authors have provided a very thorough, readable and motivating book. In my estimation this book is an extremely valuable addition to the topic, and is indeed as far as I can tell the best book available to the beginner.

I'm glad I started with this book...it's well organized and very thorough. Covers all the essential things a person should know to get started in the weight room. It's also going to stay on my shelf for a long time as a reference, because it gives good tips on form, exercises, etc., as well as for other things that might pop up. you will probably want more info as you get more into training, but this book will continue to be of use as a reference.

This was a fairly easy book to follow. Nice and concise, just like the title says. A nice concise bible to have around. Could have possibly gone into deeper explanations of the muslces. Very thorough for a small book.

The Concise Book of Muscles not only illustrates with great detail but the Latin name of the muscle, along with the action involved are a great tool.
Also, The stretching exercises on the side, are a plus!

I bought this book to assist with my anatomy course, and its the best aid I've had ever. I highly recommend it.

This book was easy enough to read in one sitting with very clear pictures and text. I have a (rusty) scientific background but I think it was readable regardless of one's scientific knowledge.

This concise book is a model of simplicity and clarity. It presents an effective way to locate and identify specific muscles along with exercises to strengthen and stretch them. It highlights muscles that are heavily used and therefore subject to injury in a variety of sports and activities. A first rate resource for athletes and massage therapists.

Let me say first that this book only remindedd me of the 94 Brickyard where me & my wife sawd him whiles we was tryin to get an autograph. I must tell you that there are so many facts & numbers that it will make your head spin,kinda like being in the infield at Daytona after a case of Busch beer. It made a good addition to our Earnhardt wall clock

I normally try to avoid describing a book in ways that might be seen as hyperbole, but this book defies that rule ! An incredibly thorough statistical breakdown of the career of one of NASCAR's greatest drivers and most beloved stars, John Regruth's book is worthy of being called awesome. Accompanied by more than 80 color photographs, this book begins with a complete listing of his career statistics and records, then chronicles his races year-by-year, then finally his results at each track. Starting position, finish, laps, money, Cup points.... it is all in here. Quite simply put, the absolute best statistical record of Dale Earnhardt's career available. Superb !

This book has them all. Year by year,track by track,track type breakdowns, percentages. The numbers boggle the mind. An excellent statistical record of Dale's career.

I beleiv I speak for all race fans when I say Dale Earnhardt was a great man. He drove better than anybody. He was number three. He was called the inimidater. Then he crashed which is a trajity.

A must be read book for all true race fans.

Let me say that I am a NASCAR and huge Dale Earnhardt fan! This book is a must have for ANY Dale fan. There are other stat books in the making by the same author of other great NASCAR drivers like Jeff Gordon. I had to have this book. This book is a testimonial of how great of a driver Dale was. You can't compare Dale to Richard Petty and you can't compare Jeff Gordon to Dale because of the different eras and technology in stock car racing but Dale was the best of his era and many other great NASCAR drivers like Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson think he was the best ever. I agree!!! This book has every imaginable stat of Dale. From year by year to track breakdowns and even his IROC stats. A must have for any Earnhardt fan. We miss you Dale! Thanks for the memories!!! Rest In Peace!

I am a [...] student and I have read the entire Eagles Encyclopedia. I am a consistent reader and, being one of the biggest Eagles fans, have to say this is my favorite book of all time. It consists of everything you want and need to know to be a true Eagles fan. I would even recommend this to non-Eagles fans. It includes:

*The Frankford Yellowjackets
*Bert Bell and the founding of the Eagles
*All of the big time Eagles players in history
*A complete recap of the Eagles greatest moments including The Miracle in the Meadowlands, Cunninghams 91 yard punt, 99 yards:Jaworski to Quick, and more.
*An All-Time Roster
*Scores and Schedule for every Philadelphia Eagles season

and more!

I highly recommend this book to everyone. Ray Didinger is an amazing writer and I also recommend his latest book "One Last Read."

This one-of-a-kind almanac of facts about the Philadelphia Eagles would make the perfect gift for any Eagles Fan.

The book is really great. The history of Philadelphia football is very good. The stats are absolutely remarkable. I often refer to the book during an Eagles game. Every Eagles fan should own this gem.

The Eagles Encyclopedia is a great tool for your guide to the Philadelphia Eagles past and present. A franchise with this much history, The Philadelphia Eagles need to have their stories told. From Bednariks' hit on Gifford in the 1960 playoffs to Superbowl 39 it's all there. Great book.

A comprehensive easy read. Full of facts, and interesting stories about the franchise that is really "America's" team. Little bios of many of the personalities that have worn the green and white. Every time I opened up the book there was something new to learn. Written for the everyday Joe, you will not be dissapointed if you love the Eagles. The Eagles are my squad so this may be slightly biased... Shout out to Randall...

If you are interested in Classical dressage.... buy this book! It is an excellent reference for working with a young horse. It is definitely all about the horse- as it should be.

Enjoyed the book. Not really for a beginner. I liked the way he covered the process with out going into overload on techniques you should already know about, like lunging your horse.
Worth reading.

Very helpful, great ideas on horsemanship and training. A must read for anyone serious about correct, empathetic horsemanship.

This is a book that should be mandatory reading for all aspiring Dressage riders, as well as those who train and start youngsters! This book provides detailed descriptions as well as a thoughtfully laid out format. Kurd follows the German training tree - with one exception that makes sense and gets results quicker! Read the book to find out what it is!

I thought this was an excellent book. I bought it to help provide some guidance while training my young horse, and it not only gave me a nice guideline of what-to-train-when, but also made dressage much more understandable.

This book focuses on the German dressage training scale. The author explains the steps in training the horse, dividing it into stages (i.e. stage one you focus on A, B, and C elements, stage two you begin developing D and E). He gives some guidelines as to what your horse should be able to do before you push him for more. He then devotes a chapter to each element needed in dressage, in the order it should be developed in the horse (relaxation, regularity, freedom, contact, on the aids...). He finishes with a few miscellaneous chapters on the flying change, transitions, the inclined arena (great for eventers), Prix St. James test, and lateral movements.

This book mainly aims to discuss the development of the young horse, providing a correct foundation for all further work, including eventing and show jumping. It provides more detail about the early years of training, rather than say, development of the piaffe, passage, extensions, etc.

I would recommend this to all dressage riders (especially those just starting out or at the lower levels), to those people interested in putting a good foundation on a young horse (this applies to ALL disciplines!), or to those that just want a better understanding of how to ride a horse correctly. This book has great clarity, is an easy read, I even recommended it to my youngest sister (she's 12).

Don't get me wrong, this is not a book for novices just learning to post. You do need a basic understanding of riding. He's not going to explain how to ask your horse to shoulder-in or get on the bit. I read this with a good working knowledge of dressage. This just put everything into a clear format and made dressage, for once, seem simple to understand (even if its very difficult to perform!)