Recreation Books

Mitch Albom is supposedly a newspaper writer and journalist. Yet somehow he managed not to notice the fact the subjects of this book (The Fab Five) were paid over $600,000 to attend the University of Michigan.

This means that either:
A. Mitch knew about the payments and therefore all the material he wrote concerning the Michigan basketball program is suspect because he was in on the coverup.

OR

B. Mitch didn't know about the payments and therefore all the material he wrote concerning the Michigan basketball program is suspect because he didn't even notice that the college kids he was covering were being paid over a half million dollars to play basketball.

With all the kids going to the pros now this book just gets more and more interesting. College hoops may never be the same as it was when the fab five were together. Although it may be wrong to say they were the reason for so many changes, they were certainly style agents of the nth degree. No doubt about the power of youth and potential and Albom captures all of it with a lot of excitement and enjoyment.

This book is excellent by far. I read this book whenever I'm bored, and it still excites me to this day. I can just flashback and remember what I was doing during the time the Fab Five was wrecking havoc on the college hardwoods. I still believe dat dis book is the greatest book Mitch Albom has ever written. He's already my favorite sports columnist in the world. Just like another person typed, if you love basketball buy this book. If you don't still buy this book, because you will grow to love college basketball.

This is an amazing in-depth look at the most popular and ballyhooed basketball team ever, Michigan's Fab Five. As a huge maize-and-blue fan I have read this masterpiece countless times but it shows all the details of running a major basketball program, the troubles that Steve Fisher had to deal with, and talks about the complex lives that Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson led and lead. Pickthis one up now.

"What scares you Jalen? Death, said Jalen,... because I can't imagine a world without me in it." The cockiness that was the Fab Five is captured perfectly by Mitch Albom in his book the Fab Five; Basketball, Trash Talk and the American Dream. Like Albom's other books Tuesdays with Morrie and 5 People You Meet in Heaven, his story telling engulfs the reader and transforms a normal story into a legendary tale. Albom recognizes the important interaction between people in their actions and conversations and captures that in his writing. This story, the Fab Five, was a great book and one of the best for any sports fan. The "Greatest Class Ever Recruited", as Albom called them, is a great story that is told from behind the scenes, during the Fab Five's historic career at the University of Michigan. The Fab Five by Albom is the finest sports book because Albom's humorous and stylish writing brings to life the events surrounding five freshmen that transformed college basketball.
The Fab Five is a book about Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson, the fabulous five freshmen at the University of Michigan. A group assembled in many different ways, each contributing a unique story to what brought them to Ann Arbor. Albom takes his first few chapters describing the intricate lines that connected each player to Ann Arbor. Jalen and Chris were from Detroit and went to UofM because they were always best friends. Ray Jackson and Jimmy King are from Texas. Ray Jackson was noticed accidentally while scouts were in Texas recruiting other players. For Jimmy King, he came to UofM because Juwan Howard, his roommate on a recruiting trip, was going. And to put it all together, Juwan became a Michigan Wolverine because his recently diseased grandmother wanted him to go to UofM. Together they became the Fab Five and marched their way on campus and took the college basketball world by storm making it to back-to-back NCAA men's national championship appearances.
The caliber of talent that sounds this book is one for the history books. However, the Fab Five would not be the book it was without the writing and story telling ability of Mitch Albom. Albom has been voted the number one sports writer an unprecedented seven times by the Associated Press Sports Editors. He has hosted a TV show on ESPN and written many famous books as well as a sports column for the "Detroit Free Press". His ability to touch every reader regardless of background is rare. He makes people cry reading Tuesdays with Morrie and people stand up in cheer for the `91 Michigan basketball team in the Fab Five. Undoubtedly, Albom is one of the best writers in American and is writing about one of the best sports teams America has ever witnessed.
Albom accurately describes the sequence of events leading five high school seniors to main-stream college freshman superstars. But one of the things that makes this story one for the ages is that while on many teams today it is rare to see two freshmen starting a game, in 1991 the Fab Five were five freshman players who all started on a team that made it to the NCAA men's Championship basketball game. Having five freshman start a national championship game is unheard of and still to this day, unmatched. Albom predicts, "There will never be another group like the Fab Five." Through what brought them to Michigan, through every behind the scenes event, through every exciting and electrifying game, this book comes to life in front of the readers' eyes. As the book progresses the plot thickens for these young athletes as if Albom himself wrote the story. Every big game and tournament game was commentated as if live from the radio. Albom writes, "And with 21 seconds left, Michigan lead by just a basket, 71-69. `No three-point-shots,' fisher yelled." The games brought a sense of involvement for the reader taking them back in time to the game. With writing style that is clear and descriptive, and while combined with the dazzling games provided by the Michigan Basketball team, this leads to a suspenseful, well illustrated book that makes the heart pump and adrenaline rush. While watching the suspenseful games, Albom knew greatness at the very moment it happened and was there to preserve ever moment of history in his book; a book about kids who became "The Greatest Class Ever Recruited."
They had become the most popular names and faces in college basketball. In Ann Arbor, they sold jerseys and shorts for a hundred and fifty dollars total; "They sold out in a heartbeat," Albom wrote. Stories like these make this book different than any other sports book, a book written while the events occurred with detailed stories nobody else could get. He also wrote about that one game they all walked onto the court with their fashionably baggy shorts, black socks and black shoes revolutionizing college basketball, and he was there to catch every story and detail. Black socks, black shoes and baggy shorts all surprised people watching college basketball. Later looking back, people would contribute these five freshmen as revolutionizing basketball and creating its image today. Albom knew this and felt it was necessary to capture their uniqueness in this book. Mitch Albom, like the rest of the world knew greatness while it was happening and the passion and enthusiasm that he wrote with to illustrate that greatness he was witnessing is another example of why this book is so fabulous.
Albom also included inside stories, taking the reader to a place only a few were able to see. Inside the games, inside the practices and inside the family that was the Fab Five. When Jalen walked in the first day as a freshman and announced, "Freshmen verse ya'll," everyone in the gym was stunned. Where most freshmen come in to find themselves at the bottom of the barrel, these freshmen came in and ran right to the top. After saying, "Freshmen verse ya'll," the five freshman went on to win three scrimmages against the upper classmen. Albom wrote, "The Fab Five has been born." While many people could watch the televised games and see for themselves the spectacle surrounding these freshmen, he took this audience backstage and incorporated these stories that give the reader more than they could otherwise see. Stories about crazy pranks to trash talking rants and bizarre interviews to the baggy shorts and black socks and shoes, is why Fab Five gives the reader more than a sports book. It gives the reader a legendary, and even though no previous knowledge is necessary a substantial amount of time is essential because putting the book down once the readers starts if difficult.
The Fab Five is a humorous, entertaining and well written book, but furthermore, it is an inside look at one of the greatest college basketball stories. Mitch Albom, as one of America's most heralded writers, gives one of his best writing performances for his perfectly illustrated, historical tale of "The Greatest Recruiting Class Ever." He captivated my attention and sparked my interest in Michigan Basketball because of his urban style humor and story telling ability. While most other historical accounts tend to be boring, Mitch Albom captivates his readers and provides one of the best books about sports; a must read for any sports fan. Albom quoted Jalen Rose, "they'll be talking about us for 20 years." This is true about the Fab Five and the Fab Five will be talked about for many years to come

Claire's book on his time with the LA Dodgers is a great read for any baseball fan. He provides a clear picture of the behind the scenes events in the front office of one of the most revered sports franchises.

Fred Claire writes about his days with the Dodgers-- and does it well. The book flows together in a way that makes you love reading, with in-depth stories and experiences, one of the best GMs of all-time amazes baseball fans with his profound book.

How many times have true baseball fans wanted to be a fly on the wall in a baseball general manager's office? Fred Claire's book, "My 30 Years in Dodger Blue," does just that. It is an interesting, informative and very entertaining look at baseball from the inside out.

This behind the scenes look at how a baseball organization operates includes an insiders look at the game. Much like a ballplayer who does more for his team than shows up in the box score, Claire's book takes into account the personalities that make up an organization. He explains player transactions and some of the politics that are part of every team.

In short, "My 30 Years in Dodger Blue" is a must read for die-hard baseball fans as well as casual fans who would like to learn more about the game. After reading this book, I sincerely hope that Fred Claire will grace us with another book about baseball. It would be well worth reading.

I am a big Dodger fan and found this book very interesting. The book focuses mostly on the 1987/88 seasons and the Mike Piazza trade. I don't read a lot of books and I found this one interesting and an easy read. The chapters are short and the language is very easy to read. I actually read the whole book over a weekend.

Fred Claire's story is a virtual travelogue of 30 years of baseball history, a blast for anyone who loves baseball, especially Dodger fans. He brings a variety of perspectives to his story, falling for the game as a boy in Ohio, covering the game as a beat writer for the Angels and Dodgers, becoming an insider as the Dodgers' publicity director, and building a world championship club as a general manager.

Along the way, Claire recounts unforgettable stories, everything from his own one-game Spring Training "tryout" to signing World Series hero Kirk Gibson, from the release of Orel Hershiser to the day Tommy Lasorda nearly gave up bleeding Dodger Blue to join George Steinbrenner's Yankees. Claire also shares a behind-the-scenes look into the business side of baseball, tracing the Dodgers' evolution from a family-owned business under the legendary O'Malley family to a piece of Rupert Murdoch's Fox empire.

Claire remains connected to the game through a radio show and column for [...] If you've heard or read his work there, "My 30 Years in Dodger Blue" won't disappoint.

I'll be perfectly honest. With my short attention span I have at times, I havn't done much in the way of practicing through the use of this book. But what I have practiced using it, I was able to figure out easily thanks to the diagrams and explanations in it. This book was also able to make me hold the interest I first had in Capoeria before finding it with the additional sections that talk about the styles history and the philosiphies behind the art.

If you want a book on Capoeria that will hold your attention for a good long time, than you'll deffiantley want this one! Just don't assume that you'll be able to catch on to the style immediatley though, this book also proves that Capoeria isn't something you can pick up right away. ;D

great read for people new to capoeira that want to have a more comprehensive review of the history, music, and game. also has an interesting review of a conference that discusses capoeira in US and Europe, which is very useful to read to learn about the different trends and mestres around. definitely recommend it!

I found this book to be an entertaining and informative read which discusses the game of capoeira on many levels from the philosophy through to movements and drills. It's a well rounded book and I reccomend that you give it a read if you are interested in capoeira (and even in philosophy).

I grant I'm starting out but this book has amazing insight on the philosophy and moves. Reminding that creativity is as important as learning the moves that have come from those before us. He also gives exersies that can be done when a person can't get to the roda of his instructor/mestre. After this book I'm gonna have to read more books about capoeira as well as from Nestor cause he was able to explain more than I thought could be put in a book.

This book has been out for quite a while now and even now, in 2006 the book is still helpful. I'm new to the Capoeira lifestyle and reading this book has been extremely helpful in gaining more knowledge about the history as well as the many different movements involved with this awesome martial art.

I definitely recommend this book to newbies and more seasoned capoeristas. I may be a little "slow" but while the illustrations are great, I got a little confused when trying to "flow" through the movements but by reading, you'll figure it out and they'll begin to feel right.

Hope this helps...enjoy!

I bought the book for my grandchildren after having purchased "The Chicken That Could Swim" and loving it. The puzzles and illustrations in Puzzle Island are absolutely amazing! The whole family (mom, dad, grandparents, grandchildren (ages 4-9), aunt and uncle was involved in figuring out the names of the animals as well as looking for the animals in the pictures. After about 2 months, working on it at least once a week, we finished the book, solved all the puzzles and found all the animals. What is so amazing is that as you read the story you don't even realize all that is hidden on the pages. We loved it and can't wait to get another Paul Adshead book.

After going through several boxes in my garage, I finally found this book. I've had it for over 10 years and still am amazed how great this book is. It still grabs my attention and it doesn't matter that I remember the answer, I love looking at the pictures and solving the puzzles all over again. I can't wait for my son to enjoy this as well! I recommend this book to everyone out there!

abslutely wonderfol book. Me(8) my sister(11) and my brother(12) have almost finished it. We have been doing it since yesterday and are very very excited about finishing it. It has kept us puzzled scince! If I could I would rate it 20 stars!!!!!!

I loved this book as a kid. I remember brushing it off when I first got it, but once I actually sat down and read it, it was surprisingly intricate for a children's book.

Everyone seems to have a problem finding the fourth animal in Lily's Pond. But I have found it! Unscrambling AGILNRST gives the bird STARLING. It is very difficult to find but once you see it, it is very clear. It is at the top right hand side of the page directly below the letter S and the missing P of the frame. It is one of the leaves of the tree. The head is directly below the missing P and the tail is below the S and below another leaf. You have to flip the page upside down to see it. Hopefully this helps you all sleep better tonight!

When we were new at snorkeling we relied on boat trips to operator-chosen sites. That was ok then, but our options were limited. So I started researching snorkel sites online for subsequent trips to Hawaii. The information was OK, but not as useful as I'd hoped. I wish I'd found Snorkel Hawai'i three trips ago. The island's site index map, the sites at a glance table [which are a great help at narrowing choices], and the detailed site descriptions and maps were wonderful resources. It was a great thrill sharing a recommended area with and observing [at a respectful distance] wild dolphins resting and playing. The book includes a good selection of useful information and illustrations about other aspects of Hawaii. It's obvious that Judy and Mel have experienced what they're describing, which was another strong selling point. I know the Malinowskis have at least two more future customers after snorklers we met got a look at our copy.

This book was great for precise and concise information about where to snorkel on the Big Island. We used it daily to decide where we would go. It also gave information about where it was safe to take our 2 young and inexperienced snorkelers as well as where to park, the easiest place for entry, and which direction to head once you are in the water. I highly recommend this book.

While a couple years old at this point, this book still pointed the way for me on a recent week of snorkeling on Hawaii. Excellent descriptions and maps of specific reefs and beaches. Good opening introduction to snorkeling for novices. If you are heading to the big island for snorkeling, spend time before your trip with this book and it will pay huge dividends.

After three weeks of snorkeling the Big Island, our copy of Snorkel Hawaii - The Big Island, is dog-eared. The maps of snorkeling spots are worth every penny of the book. They are clear and show everything necessary: best water entry points, best snorkeling spots in a bay (differing between beginning, intermediate, and advanced snorkelers), landmarks, parking, and amenities such as showers and restrooms. The Sites at a Glance section presents all the sites in chart format with ratings, entry difficulty, amenities, and brief remarks. The book helped us target our snorkeling time and we swam with both dolphins and sea turtles, viewing a moray eel and more varieties of tropical fish than we were able to count!

The book works as advertised. You will find the parking, the beach, the fish, and the currents just as described.

Precious information to any one who practice or simply want to understand the technical side of motor sports.

I read this book upon a recommendation of another book titled "Go Ahead - Take the Wheel" which describes how people can begin racing. The author of that book explains that it's purpose is to provide people the necessary guidance needed to get into racing (which it does a fantastic job of), and recommends a couple of other books that discuss driving techniques. One of the books "Go Ahead - Take the Wheel" recommended is Speed Secrets. Both books are very well written and provided me everything I need to get started in racing.

I really enjoyed how Speed Secrets was written and made me feel like the author Ross was coaching me in person. Great gook and well worth the money.

Any gearhead should read this book about racing. Learn what race car drivers do while on the circuit and find out about car modifications.

This book is an absolute must for any novice or even intermediate racer. I race karts often and bought this book recently to enhance my skills.
Within a week of reading this book I have already dropped more than a FULL SECOND off my lap times!!! MUST READ MATERIAL!

Read the book over vacation, the info it gives you is great but a lot of it only works if you actually drive a Formula or Sport Racer Vehicle. Lots of info about tracks and courses, how to get the ideal line in an apex, and how to drive smoothly and fast gain control, then it repeats itself again, so this makes an illusion that there are a lot of secrets even though he is just repeating it using different verbiage. This is a great book for advanced racers that understand the concept and terminology of F1 type races and it helps you prepare for a F1 race too but for an average driver trying to learn the ropes this book might be to hard and doesn't help much with everyday driving since a lot of the techniques is for driving above 150mph and plus F1 has totally different suspension systems and steering systems then regular sport cars so if you try it it might feel weird. You learn the heal toe move which I have been trying to get for a while, very detailed and lots of graphs, data charts, and drawings. I personally had to skip some chapters because I was not interested tracks, officials, and what they do with the flags, and some more stuff because a lot of it does not apply to me as I do not own a formula car or race professionally in such a track they described, but I did read about perfect turning and control plus weight transfer and how to keep that center of gravity which helps me in the real world of driving on the streets. I feel that I am going a lot faster in my car by being able to turn safely yet not slowing my car down to much where it would take longer to accelerate plus I have been able to drive fast yet so smooth that my mom fell asleep the whole time as I drove her. So i was really happy with that info. I am a mechanic and I test race clients vehicles at the track, my average speed is 140mph so you know my point of view

Years ago I ran into this book in my local book store (long before Amazon.com) and bought it. I had taken 2 ski lessions in my life and got started downhill skiing later in life, perhaps I was in my forties. I struggled along with the green and easy blue slopes, but the majority of the mountain was not open to me. If I tried something more difficuilt, I would fear and fall. No matter how hard I worked the green slopes, I just wasn't getting any better. I lacked skill and confidence.

Then I started reading this book. What struck me was how I felt like I understood what Lito was trying to get into me. I remember copying a couple pages of each section and placing them in a zip lock bag when I would go skiing. I'd pull out the lession points I had selected and read it over and over carefully and practiced exactly what he said to do.

I realized that each chapter was seemly long, but also easy to read and then I realized that what Lito had done was to explain the same lession many different ways and one, at least, was sure to hit me right on. That was his key, and what made the book so thick; he explained it over and over but each time from a different perspective until each reader would click on at least one of the explainations and just get it!

As I write this today, I have just skiied all over Kirkwood's black diamonds, I'm 58 years old and 13 years ago had quad heart bypass. I buy a season pass and ski as many days as my schedule and the weather permits and have for years now.

I looked this book up today on Amazon to see if I could buy it for a friend as I seemed to have loaned my copy out and haven't seen it in years. If you have started skiing, taken a begining lession or 2, you will want to read this book like no other. And if you think that you can't really learn to ski well from a book, just remember this "old man" skiing the black diamonds of Kirkwood and every other place he visits.

Wow. This is like the ski bible, if there is such a thing. In this book, you learn how to create beginner wedges, transition to wedge christies, progress to parallel, and finally ski parallel dynamically like the pros do. You also learn how to carve and ski in various conditions using simple but effective techniques. There is even a chapter on tactics for Nastar racing. I was skeptical whether this would be a good how-to-ski book when I browse through the book because the illustrations are in black and white and look so simple. But after I read the book cover-to-cover, I realized this is the best ski book I ever read. I found the instruction in the other ski books very hard to remember as they are complex. Time and time again when I'm on the slopes, I would fall back to the techniques and tactics taught in this book.

I am a 29 yr old non-athlete, who started skiing last year and could only go upto the wedgie turns level down the green slopes. Thank heavens I found this book and bought one copy. After reading three chapters, I hit the slopes, pushed myself to moderate and difficult blue slopes. Oh boy! I couldn't believe the way I was skiing. I couldn't conceal the wide grin on my face as I was making those smooth parallel S turns. I never believed one could learn skiing by reading a book. This book works, delivers everything it promises. Thanks Lito, for teaching me how to ski.

This is not just the best book on skiing available, it's the best way to learn, period. I never thought I could learn a sport from reading a book, but I skied for twenty years and never got any better. Then I read this book and in one week I was three times the skier. It was like a new sport. Since then I have encouraged a half-dozen friends to read it, all with the same results. My friend Al neglected to actually read the book for years. Then one time we went skiing together and he was suddenly doing everything right, looking like a new, confident, expert skier. I was amazed, and I remarked "your skiing is SO much better!" He replied "I read the book!"

It's happened to just about any skiier. You get over the initial fear of falling, and learn how to get from the top of the hill down to the bottom. You move from the greens to the blues, and get a sense of what skiing is generally about. But you're not *great*.

This plateau is hit by skiiers of all ages and backgrounds. They know the mechanics of skiing, and they know what to do. But they marvel at those people zooming down the slopes effortlessly, as if they were dancing on the snow.

The solution is this book. I didn't even buy it on my own originally - it was given to me by a skiier friend who had read it and loved it. The book made a circuit through our skiing group and soon we all had copies of it. We then lent those out to friends, so they could learn too! This wasn't the basics - how to snowplow, how to stop. And it wasn't complicated either. It was full of great, practical, easy to understand *tips* that you could immediately apply to your own skiing.

Highly recommended!

This book is essential to your training library. It, with Starting Strenth should provide all the information that anyone would ever need in regard to weight training. It does not have a bunch of references, but that does not mean this book is not reputable. This book simply does not need many outside references because Rippetoe and Kilgore ARE those references. Their credentials are impeccable and it would "behoove" anyone who wants to weight train CORRECTLY to take their advice.

Along with Starting Strength (Rippetoe), this book is one of the best books you can read if you want to learn about strength training.

Rippetoe and Kilgore combine science, 25+ years of experience, and common sense to write one of the best books on strength training that you can own -- regardless of you're current skill level.

Highly recommended. Best of the best.

PPST is a great book for all athletes young and old to help learn about health and fitness programs to be a superior athlete

I got the book 1 month ago and just finished it. The book has alot of great tips on how to stay healthy and happy and how to make a great training program for all levels of athletes (no weight training experience to master)

5/5 for this book

Great book. Cleaned up my form a lot and have not had any joint problems since.

I just finished reading this through today and think its fantastic. I have been weight training off and on for the last 8 years, and consistently for the last two. I'm not a competitive athlete, but have found myself drifting further and further away from all-too-common bodybuilding-style workouts a la Scharzenegger's "Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding," and focusing more and more on the major compound lifts. This book provides numerous templates, models, charts, and explanations that simply and understandably explain how to design a lifting routine. It wants nothing to do with bodybuilding-style isolation/body part workouts, and instead explains how to build workouts around bench, squats, deadlifts, presses, snatch, power cleans, etc. Furthermore, it explains how to program for raw recruits all the way through elite competitors.

There are two things to note if considering purchasing this. First, it is written with a coaching and athletically competitive audience in mind, but don't be turned off by that if you do not fall into one of these categories. The beginner and intermediate programs are more than most people will ever need, and are applicable templates for most. Secondly, as I mentioned above, these workouts are designed around the "power" and Olympic lifts. It is designed for people who are learning and/or are familiar with how to perform these complex exercises or who have access to expert coaching. If you don't know how to properly deadlift, squat, or snatch, or don't have a coach who can teach you, this book has limited use (that being said, it seems that this book should be a basic text for any strength coach anyways).

This is a great book, very readable, and the authors do an excellent job of explaining what can be complicated schemes and programs in simple terms. The best part about it is that they explain what to do in nearly every training situation (namely overtraining and plateaus), as well as how to train for a variety of goals, including power, strength, muscle endurance, and hypertrophy. Get your hands on this book.

This book presents many different real life self defense scenarios. Each one is different and it shows what ordinary people do in in different life threatening situations and it also talks about what happens afterwards. Very informative book.

This is a must read for any concealed handgun carrier! The stories are real and the analysis and reflections are great. A great book for all women who carry a firearm and even better for those who don't. A very good story about and tribute to Mark Wilson, the hero of the Tyler Co. Courthouse shotout and a high school running buddy of mine. RIP Mark Wilson

This book should be in everyone's library. I am an NRA certified pistol & rifle instructor. We have spent considerable time providing especially women with free basic pistol. We saw wonderful transformations of these women as they became empowered with self confidence, now knowing that they could defend themselves aaannnd their loved ones around them, now that they not only had that rightfully named EQUALIZER, but they knew how to use it!

"The difference between a liberal and a conservative is one armed robbery."

That says it all and so does this book. Thank you Chris Bird!

After dealing with the half-truths in the media on any incidents involving firearms in the U.S., I was pleased to read this collection of no-nonsense, factual summaries of ordinary citizens defending themselves and others with their personal weapons. Many of the cited statistics and law enforcement reactions are sobering, and a reminder that, as citizens, we need to be vigilant in protecting our civil liberties. A must read for any gun owner and a book to be passed along to the non-gun owner.

Uno de los mejores libros de artes marciales que tengo.

Es tal vez el libro que todo principiante del aikido debería tener como guía de referencia, ya que explica cómo se producen errores más comunes que solemos cometer en las técnicas básicas como ikkio, nikio, sankio, yonkio, cómo agarrar bien al compañero (uke o tori)...

Incluye también algunas aplicaciones interesantes a la defensa personal (goshin waza).

Buena edición la versión en inglés, con tapa dura.

Ojalá encontrara más libros como éste.

Gozo Shioda's masterful presentation of the fundamentals of Aikido is profound. The reader is drawn into a world that is both complex and very simple, through techniques which require great skill to perform but which flow like water when done right. The Ai (harmony) element is present throughout the book, and I now recommend this book to my students and give it as gifts to my friends.

As a practitioner of Aikido and Aikijutsu I find "Total Aikido: The Master Course (Bushido--The Way of the Warrior)" a useful reference point. Any student of aikido will find the details in this book golden.

Gozo Shioda was a direct student of Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba and this experience is seen through the detail of this book. The beginning of the book goes over various basics and exercises taught in Aikido. This proves very helpful for anyone who has not actually taken an Aikido class. There is a great deal of detail for various basic moves, explaining everything from breathing to shifting weight. One of the problems with soft martial arts such as Aikido is the difficulty in performing the throws or locks if you have not had an instructor. The book helps in this by explaining key points to the technique that should be remembered as well as explaining the mechanics of it in detail. Close up and side bars providing further detail along side the clear step by step pictures of the techniques as they are being performed also make it easier to learn these moves with a partner. I would give this book a perfect score if it were not for the Japanese technique names. This book was translated from Japanese. While the names of the techniques are translated to English the explanation for how to do the technique uses traditional Japanese terms at times.

For example:
from Four Direction Throw 1

"1-2 From migi ai-hanmi kamae, uke grabs your left wrist and pulls in a straight line. You strike with right-handed back-fist atemi to uke's face."

While this is a bit of learning curve I didn't find it as cumbersome once I had the basic terminology down.

As for the practical side. While Aikido does not come as easily as learning to throw a good right hook, many of the throws and joint locks can be employed without much effort once they are learned well. The techniques are presented often against traditional grabs or overhand strikes, however much of the material can be used just as readily by simply training with someone shoving, throwing a punch or going to tackle. There was a lack of kick defenses, but most people starting a street fight will not kick high anyway. The joint locks to control people are useful, especially if you are in a position where you cannot knock someone out who attacks, such as a teacher or a security guard.

This is a very fine book on aikido. Clear text, crisp and easy to understand photos, and detailed and well written text. I had a specific reason for reading this text--I needed help with all the Japanese terminology for the moves, which I'm weak on--and this book presents that quite well. Both the attacks and defenses are given the full names. I note one reviewer here who says that the spelling for some of the techniques is slightly different from what he's used to. There is also better and more complete coverage for all the moves. Most aikido books seem to present only a sampling of the various techniques. This book takes a more systematic approach. Aikido especially is one art you can't learn from a book, or even good videos, but they can help you with your training in the dojo. I've also found the videos of Ken Ota, Robert Liedke, and Rod MacEwen helpful in that regard. Overall, a fine book and a worthwhile addition to your martial arts library.