Recreation Books

Here are contemporary teachers talking clearly about things that are often shrouded in needless mystery and myth. Yet the truly mystical aspects of these arts becomes even more convincing when discussed concretely, and the practical aspects are clarified. Though not intended as a training manual, the book offers a great deal of profound and useful guidance and inspiration. If you're a devotee of any of these arts or qi gong, the book is really fun and helpful. I read it in two days and look forward to rereading it. It's definitely worthwhile. I hope for a second volume with other teachers.

I just received this book and have really found it interesting. I really like that it features so many different folks. Some of them are famous some not but they all have something to offer and their differences help make the book accessible to more people.

It isn't how to, but most how to martial arts books are useful only as an occasional reference piece. This books is more vital because it's more fun to read and because the various opinions presented challenged me to rethink what I've been taught or what I'd been thinking.

Additionally the book is pretty entertaining which sadly cannot be said of all Martial Arts books.

In summation it's much more T'ai Chi magazine than Inside Kung-Fu and that's a really, really good thing.

Then this is an excellent book to start with. In this collection of 12 interviews and one essay, there are numerous departures for fruitful musings on the martial arts in general and on those typically classified as "internal" in particular. While some of these teachers try to shy away from the use (and abuse) of the term "qi", they all fundamentally agree that there is no real distinction between "internal" and "external" arts. Beyond that, though, the opinions expressed by the 13 teachers gathered in this volume can be extremely divergent.

The volumes opens up with a real bang, in this reviewer's opinion. Tim Cartmell certainly has strong opinions. Whether you agree with him or not (and some of the teachers represented in the text appear not to), his essay is a breath of fresh air in comparison to the stale discussions of the historicity and lineage of mythical figures like Zhang San Feng. [Yes, yes, there was at least one historical figure with this name, but the use of this figure in martial arts is purely mythical.]

Likewise, if there are any died in the wool Bruce Lee fans left out there, then James Wing Woo's depiction of him as a "horrible martial artist" may raise your hackles.

All of the interviews in this book gave me something to think about. If you enjoy hearing about the lives and opinions of life-long martial artists, then this is an excellent book. If you want a little stimulation to help jumpstart thinking and introspection on your own practice, then this book may well work. It will fill a worthy slot in my bookshelf.

This is a really fascinating read which presents the views of various contemporary practitioners and teachers of the Chinese neijia (internal schools). Each chapter provides valuable insight into the true nature of these unique arts and gives you plenty of food for thought.
If you practice an internal form of Chinese martial arts, you need this book-

Nei Jia Quan: International Martial Arts is collectively written by thirteen knowledgeable teachers of Tai Ji Quan, Xing Yi Quan, and Ba Gua Zhang and is ably edited by Jess O'Brien. Nei Jia Quan informs the reader of the many varying perspectives of the philosophy, history, training methods, and fighting technique that make each of these fighting styles unique and individually inspiring. As an informed and informative introduction and in-depth analysis of each of the martial arts practices of China, Nei Jia Quan is a very highly recommended read for all students of the martial arts, as well as those with an interest in Chinese history and general culture.

Great book with some of the best captured photos that Stoner ever did and I am sure more exist. The narratives and forward were great and not long winded which made for a great reading experience. If you surfed during that era this is a must.

I bought this for my girlfriend and sent it to her work. I also sit on an exercise ball while at work. Helps with posture and core strength. My girlfriend enjoyed the pink weights she could toss around while at her desk.

I think the title says it all "It was a gift - but excellent feedback from recipient".
They were happy with the gift!

So happy to see Ron Stoner's work has survived and is in print. A must for surfing afficiandos.

Wow! Excellent job Matt Warshaw and Jeff Divine.
The Story of Ron Stoner is beautiful and tragic.
What a great time in surfing, 1965-1968, pre shortboard,
pre-leash and pre-Gidget. Perfect waves with just you and your buddy.
Soul surfing. Imagine being silly and having fun in the lineup, with
maneuvers like "Standing Island pullout", and "The coffin".

Stoner had a great eye. His sense of balance and composition is
evident in every photo. I showed the book to my friend who
is a Hollywood Cinematographer, and he called Stoner's photography,
"Top notch".

The reader may be left with many questions;
Why did Stoner take way too much LSD?
Why didn't Stoner's "friends" help him until it was too late?
Why did the mental hospital give him 50,000 volts 20 times?
Maybe everyone was way too naive...

Though the book was well researched, I wanted more info on
the above questions. Warshaw takes the high road and avoids
blaming anyone. Having grown up and surfed in Orange County in the 70's just after behind Stoner, I wonder if his being an inlander made
him dispensable to his group of "friends".


Perhaps this story sat idle for 30 years due to a collective sense of
loss and guilt. Would Ron Stoner have been treated differently if he was from a beach town instead of being an "inlander" from Pasadena?
I don't know, I wasn't there at the time.

I had such visceral reactions from the elegant and empty waves,
that I found myself moaning when I looked at each photograph,
and my wife accused me of looking at porn.

Man, they had it good back then! Those days of discovery and isolation
of perfect waves are very hard to find these days, if not impssible.
Just like Ron Stoner. Great story.

Dave Silva
Sevenhorses@inbox.com

Excellent book on how to get more power in your swing for hitting great golf shots. Many diagram and suggestions to help hitting the ball longer and straighter.

I liked the techniques on how to hit the ball longer. It helped me add some yardage to my drives. Another book that I also love is the following:
The Ultimate Golf Instruction Guide: Key Techniques for Becoming a Zero Handicap Golfer or Better (isbn;1933023090)
This second book helped me so much with hitting the ball with more control with driver, short irons, long irons and the short game. Since using this book, I lowered my handicap about 8 strokes. I now can score in the low 80's with ease. At the rate I'm improving, I know its possible for me to be a scratch golfer by using the techniques from The Ultimate Golf Instruction Guide. Power Golf for Women taught me how to hit the ball longer. The Ultimate Golf Instruction Guide taught me how to hit the ball at any target I choose with a much higher degree of accuracy.

I was impressed with this author's book Golf is a Woman's Game, but Power Golf for Women is an absolute gem. Once again as I stated in my review for Golf is a Woman's Game, this book applies to men as well. I do believe this one will end up one of golf's finest books.

This book is terrific! If you like this book, I also recommend Golf is a Game of Confidence by Kathryn C. Wilder, Ph.D. et. al.

I received this book for Christmas and it has really helped my swing. I've been working on my swing at an indoor driving range ( I figure winter is the time to get ready for the spring) and my distance has improved about 15 yards with my driver. But most importantly I now understand what I should do. Before I had tried everything from driving my hips, legs, etc. even bought new clubs. Now I understand all that I was working on was actually hurting my distance.

I highly recommend this book and have given a few copies to my friends. I was going to purchase more only it is soldout at the publisher. Looks like more than just me found this book to be helpful. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA+++++++++++++++++++++++++

I originally bought this book for friends who lost their 16 year old son in an accident. This last year I bought it for myself and read it. If you have recently suffered the loss of a loved one it is very difficult to get through the first chapter where the author details the loss of his son and the immediate reactions of the family and friends. After the first chapter the book moves into the difficult ups and downs of getting on with every day life with while being gripped by overwhelming grief. There are so many places in this book where the author is able to put incredible perspective on what most people would consider ordinary events. Whether you've suffered the loss of a loved one or not, you will read this book and look at people and things differently than you did before. I hope that I am a better friend to people who suffered a loss because of the understanding this book gives the reader. I found myself disappointed as I was nearing the end, because the book was so well written that I wanted to keep on going with Bill Hancock beyond his cross country bike ride. I "googled" the author and contacted him by e-mail to tell him why I had bought 2 copies of the book and how much it meant to me after reading it. He responded the next day with a very thoughtful e-mail. I highly recommend reading Riding With the Blue Moth by Bill Hancock.

Ooops; that is the title of another book out there; but it's still true and I think this is a fairly good book to accompany the book by Lance Armstrong which details Lance's fight with cancer. Both of these fellows having to deal with tragic situations.

The author goes through my home town; so I was fairly bent on not giving him 5 stars just because he did that in his journey from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic; but I am a cyclist; and I came to think after reading it, this is rather darn good; although, just like some characters that Bill describes, I've gone through some hardship, to the point that it was not easy to concentrate and read this; but I did.

March Madness; the NCAA tournament also, is underway as I write this for the year 2007; you know, it is in a tiny bit of a way a basketball book, seeing how Hancock is involved and connected with the NCAA; and it's things like that, that make this a good book to read. Now, I say this, because I believe the basketball fan could well find this entertaining too; but of course, not a basketball book like say, for example; the book "Pistol" that is currently in the stores.

But I'll keep this short and to the point; I like Dean Karnazes book, The UltraMarathon Man; but I read that and think, I wish Dean gave out more info on his running, diet, etc.

Bill Hancock for some reason, gives a lot of detail, the basic facts of his road trip on a daily basis; I mean saying part of his diet was on any given day, "17 Fritos or 12 Cheezits, 2 gallons of water and a gallon of gatorade" is detail I've never seen anyone relate about before; some of the chapters even has a bit of a question and answer session via email where Bill is asked questions and he gives back answers about his trip. So, it definitely has a real diary quality about it and it is the attention to detail that makes me give it the high ranking; cycling detail but of course the book is much more.

A solid enough book, I like his descriptions of many geographic locales; such as Yarnell hill; I had to look up that mountain on the internet I was so curious; or the Wichita Mountains of Oklahoma.

Glad to see the positive reviews for this book; but most of them are rather short to gather people's impressions. I decided to make mine a bit longer. A fine contribution to cycling literature.

I felt like I was along for the ride with Bill Hancock in "Riding With the Blue Moth", experiencing the emotional highs and lows, chuckling at the amusing experiences he had along the way, and shedding more than a few tears. Nothing strikes fear into the heart of a parent more than the prospect of losing a child. The Hancocks experienced every parent's nightmare and the healing of the cross-country bicycle ride was great both for the reader and, I suspect, for the author as well. I highly recommend this book to anyone, but especially to anyone who has lost an offspring or is close to someone who has.

This is a book that is about real life...and about death and the issues surrounding trying to get back to normal. If you don't shed a tear or two you are not human. (men included)

I've been reading this book at night for a week now. I shed tears nearly every night, and find myself at the bedside of one or both of my kids thanking God for the privilege I have of being their Dad. This book has almost become a devotional for me. The depth of the writing is stunning.... My prayers are with you Bill and Nicki. Thank you for letting us glimpse enough of your pain so that we can better treasure all that it means to Live.

What I like most about Pfitzinger's and Scott's book is that it is a very friendly efficient book that gets right into the subject matter and it breaks down what others describe in more complex fashion, like VO2 Max, into much simplier terms making the comprehension easy and in far fewer pages. Although written in the very late 90s, this book is still an excellent guide for HS and runners virtually up to local elite status. "Daniels Running Formula" is probably mote satisfying, and more detailed for top guns but Pfitziner and Scott give you a lot of the same information with a variety of workouts based on goal times at various distances. The authors even quote Daniel's research and others so it still is in the game. If you want a quick grasp training book that is top knotch, pleasant to read with examples and pictures, then this is your book.

Pfitzinger's book finally delivers on what I always want from a book on a complex subject, simple explanations and simple solutions. Why write 800 pages when 188 will suffice. If you are only looking to train for 5K's then you can skip the section on 10K and marathon training and get even more concise explanations. This book gives short, simple explanations to the key elements of a training program. We now know everything we need to know about VO2 max and lactate threshold training, their relative importance, how to improve them and how to incorporate them into your training program. Pete indirectly points out how most of us are doing no lactate threshold training (by running most of our daily runs to slow) and doing all of our interval work to fast. I recommend this book to anyone looking to improve his or her racing times.

I would also suggest buying "Daniels Running Formula". I bought it last summer and my 5K's times went down from 19:40 to 18:50. I bought "Road Racing for Serious Runners" to basically get a second opinion on Daniel's theories. Actually these are not opinions or theories. These are time-tested methods back by sound science. I'm 43 years old and I'm living proof that random training will yield random results. Both Pfitzinger and Jack Daniels book will eliminate the "lets try this" approach to training. Both books cover the same topics and both authors come up with the basically the same training program. Daniels book breaks his schedule into 4 six-week phases while Pfitzinger has a 10-week and an 11 phase. When you look at both plans it becomes obvious and almost laughable on how easy it is to improve on your racing times (and in my case actually cut back on the training intensity).

I would buy both books so you can really feel good about your new training methods. Pete's book is simpler and has separate schedules for some of us low 20-40 mile per week folks. Daniels book has slightly more science and covers more topics. Daniels also has been around longer and has trained more athletes. There are only a few contradictions in Pete's book. He states on page 21 that your volume of Vo2 max workouts (your hard intervals) should be 1 workout per week with a total distance covered of 4 to 8K with the possibility of adding a second lower volume session each week. This corresponds with Daniels book where he has 2 Vo2 max sessions each week (or 1 Vo2 Max and a race). But when you get to the detailed 5K schedules for the 20-40 miles per week you only see 6 Vo2 max workouts scheduled in 21 weeks, despite them being listed as the number one priority. Also only 5 threshold workouts are scheduled in the last 11 weeks for the 20-40 mile schedule. I guess Pete is no dummy. He knows that Bill Rodgers may not use his book and that it will be geared towards people like me. He knows that I'm going to sneak in a combination of ten 5K and 8K races this fall before I attempt to peak in early December. The Daniels book just encourages it and has those realities clearly shown on the schedules. Just buy both books, start training smarter and in some cases a little easier. I've bought bad unhealthy lunches for [PRICE]. If you run this will be the best [PRICE} you will ever spend.

Very good book for learning to race everything from 5k to marathon distances. There is no fluff, just the facts on how to prepare for a specific race distance. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is the authors schedules are a little too general for those of us who must have a detailed schedule. This book is not a beginner's book. To get the most from it you need to have some experience running races, even if you are a slow runner.

I can't imagine a better, more concise book on running training for distances over 1500m. A great introduction to the physiology of endurance racing, and how to apply this knowledge directly to your own workouts.

If Jack Daniel's book is the bible of running, this book is a close second. Clear, concise, and with good training tables, this book is a nice tweak on Daniel's book.

Using the methods espoused in these two books has improved my race times dramatically. Instead of random training, every training run now has a purpose; be it a slow easy run or speed workouts at the track.

This was the best book I ever read. It helped me relize all the stuff that gose on in RJ. And as I big fan, and still am, I was stoked! Wow, all RJ fans or soon to be RJ fans should read this book!

For those who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 60's and early 70's will enjoy this book especially if you were a fan of Roller Derby. It brings back so many memories of all those skaters who gave me their entertainment best. Like pro-wrestling, Roller Derby became more of a sports-entertainment over the years but the performers were still top-rate athletes. A great read.

I can't think of someone more qualified to write on this subject. I was going to read it and then I said to myself, "Why bother?" :) Great title!

It's surprising a book is out there--what's more surprising is that it's entertainingly written. You just can't put it down. Full of great stories and beautiful photos. Includes a section on RollerJam that is very informative. If you ever watched the Bay Bombers week after week, you must get this one!

I enjoyed reading about a time that I remember & the people I idolized. I would have liked a little more info on some of the past stars such as Gerry Murry, Gene Gammon, The Atkinson's, Ken Monti, LuLu Palermo & other skaters from that era. However, I did enjoy the book & so did my mother. We used to go to the Armory in NYC every Thursday night. It was our night out together. The pictures & history were great.

Very good book. Has a plethora of useful tips for veteran and beginner runners alike. Highly recommended.

I so wish I had this book when I just started running! It should have helped me prevent so many painful experiences as well as bills from physiotherapy... This book covers everything from choosing the correct shoes and injury preventing techniques to diagnosing and treating foot and leg injuries. The writer seemed very knowledgeable and he certainly helped me. With his simple advices I can run long distances again without pain and I couldn't do it in almost a year! I had no idea there are so many things that need attention when running safely. Think all runners need this knowledge.

An easy read, short, and has all the information runner's will need about running injuries and preventions. I found information about pretty much everything I went through when I started running recently [ Knee pains, shin splints, arch pains, .....].
Written in a user friendly format, it has all the background information you'll need about injuries. You can skim these over if you're not interested, and go right down to the prevention/excercise section.

This book was recommended to me by a co-worker and it got me through my first half marathon. I still use it as a reference. I've since gifted it to several friends who also run.

This is a useful for book for anyone who runs. One of the authors is a podiatrist who treats runners and he is fairly pro-active with regard to self-help. I found it extremely helpful in treating a recent bout of plantar fasciitis. It might be helpful to update this book and see if there is any recent developments in sports medicine with regard to these injuries.

This book is great for someone interested in tracking, the author goes beyond just the basic skills and givs key examples of training and techniques to improve skill.

Well worth a Read!

This is a very interesting book to read and has lots of great illustrations.

Note that this book is not about the SAS, just great tracking skills and it is well worth reading.

Exciting book to read. The information offered in this book is very convincing, and it gives the reader an insight in what it takes to track humans or animals. I haven't practised everything I learnt from reading, but that's the other attractive aspect of this book: it is exciting and interesting just to read as a pastime and learn something more about human and animal behaviour.

The drawings are clear - if a bit crude. A novice will learn and enjoy just flipping through the book. It may take a few hours to digest everything crammed into a single chapter or even a few pages. Carrs is a very good communicator, though, so this is an excellent tool for teaching and learning.

This book is an extensive source of material for tracking humans, but also covers material on all facets of tracking and related skills (stalking, observation and navigation skills). This book has its flaws; some that would make animal tracking experts and Tom Brown "Brownies" cringe; for example mistakes and statements made by Carss about determining the sex of deer. Overall this is very minor mistakes to me. As far as the Human (mantracking) and military tracking portions, I think most of the information is right on, seeing as most was gleamed from military sources like the New Zealand and Australian Special Air Service. One of most interesting topics covered in this book not found in other works is the Track Pursuit Drill (known in U.S. circles as the Track Following Drill), which is a methodical procedure of following sign/spoor that falls somewhere between the step-by-step method and the aggressive speed-tracking. The TPD was adopted for heavily vegetated areas but is suited for all terrain. Also of note is to please be aware that this title was originally published (1st edition) as "The Complete Guide to Tracking" which is identical in everyway other then the cover and size, the 2nd edition being slightly larger and squarer in shape. This book is to be revised and updated for 2008, so keep your eyes open for it! As a professional military tracker I can not recommend this book more. Anyone who wishes to learn a broad base of information on tracking this is the book to start with no matter if you track humans or animals.

What can I say besides this is a great book. It really helps understand Ringeck's work. Get this book if you are interested in German Longsword fighting. Though if you are starting off I would recommend the excellent book Fighting with the German Longsword, also written by Tobler.

This book also works well with Sigmund Ringeck's Knightly Art of The Longsword by Lindholm and Svard. Same material but some different interpretations.

If you are interested in this book go to the publisher's website. It's in stock there at the regular price, not this inflated used market price at Amazon.

This book is essential for anyone interested in doing medieval swordsmanship. Tobler has done all the hard work for you, he has interpreted the moves perfectly. There is very little guesswork left up to you, each move has many pictures showing every subtle change in position. Easy to follow and the pictures are very clear. A great book, none better.

`Western martial arts are every bit as sophisticated as their Asian counterparts. The German martial systems incorporate both armed and unarmed combat, with and without armor, on foot and on horseback, using daggers, long and short swords, bucklers, shields, falchions, and spears and poleaxes.'

In Secrets of German Medieval Swordsmanship, Christian Henry Tobler has done an outstanding job of introducing the reader to the skills and methods of the Germanic man-at-arms.

The book is broken down into five major sections:
>> Longsword Techniques
>> Sword & Buckler
>> Wrestling Techniques
>> Armored Combat
>> Mounted Combat

Secrets of German Medieval Swordsmanship is an interpretation of the teachings of Master Johannes Liechtenauer and of the later work in the 15th Century of Sigmund Ringeck, a descendant of the Liechtenauer school and master-at-arms to Albrecht, Count Palatine of the Rhine and Duke of Bavaria.

While there were, of course, no photographs in the 15th Century ~ Christian Henry Tobler has filled Secrets of German Medieval Swordsmanship with hundreds of photographs demonstrating the techniques of the masters. He has made an accurate interpretation of the techniques described in the writings of the masters and displays that described in photographs.

Each photograph is clear and in sequence allows the reader to learn the techniques of the masters. These techniques are highly effective and the more one practices, the greater insight one gains into the secrets of the masters of arms of the 15th Century.

The book concludes with a glossary of terms well-worth learning to improve understanding of this text and others related to it.

I found Secrets of German Medieval Swordsmanship to be an absolutely indispensable reference for the student of Medieval Swordsmanship and Western Martial Arts.

This book is very clear, well written, and wonderfully photographed.

It provides an excellent view of 15th century european martial arts as being every bit as advanced as those of the orient.

The instructions are clear, and the methods practical.
If you fence, practice kendo, or any other sword art, and are interested in learning how fights were really fought (as opposed to how Hollywood wants us to think they were) I fully recommend this book.

I first bought Mark Rector's _Medieval Combat_, but I didn't feel I truly grok'd many of the illustrations in that book until after I read this book.

For the most part I think that Mr. Tobler's interpretations of Ringeck's verse are dead on target. But in many cases, it seemed pretty nebulous what Ringeck meant - not that surprising considering we are trying to take a very abstract description of a full-sensory 4d event - verbal, and put back all those lost details.

In those cases were I couldn't figure out for myself what Ringeck meant, Mr. Tobler's work seemed at least internally consistant, and well thought out.

Again, excellant.

This is a gritty story of one mans hardships that he overcame to achieve the American Drean. He became the Lightweight World Champion in spite of his ordeal. Complete with many cultural and legal conflicts Jesus Chavez or Gabriel Sandoval's story is uplifting and should be required reading for many young people. The road is not always easy but hard work and perseverance will get you through even the most difficult of times. He went to prison, he was sent back to Mexico twice to truly be a stranger in a strange land both here and there. It is a remarkable story that should be told and heard by many. My only problem with the book is that it ends rather abruptly. Especially recommended for young people but all can learn from this inspiring story. This book would make a great addition to a middle school, high school or community library. Check it out, it'll knock you out.

Fans of boxing will find the biography of boxer Jesus 'El Matdor' Chavez inspiring: he grew up impoverished in Mexico, became an illegal worker in Chicago, and learned both English and the boxing skills which would make him a three-time Gold Glove champion in years ahead, eventually arising to win the Lightweight Championship in 2005. His struggles and achievements come to life in an outstanding survey of boxing challenges and immigrant issues alike.

Really a fantastic book. My husband and I recently started watching boxing and have really enjoyed it which made me want to read this book. I am a girl's girl, but I have to say, this is one of the best books I've read! STANDING EIGHT is about amazing grit, courage and true will, overcoming adversity like you've never imagined. WOW!

I was more than pleasantly surprised when I read this book. I initially bought it as a fan of the writer, but quickly got enthralled in the story. I read this book in two days and loved every minute. I recommend it to anyone who has any interest in boxing or latin american history.

The book is the tale of a young mexican boy who like and comes to America
searching for a good life... and following his dream. He chooses boxing as a way to stay out of gangs/drugs/violence and so on. He ends up in prison, but gets out and eventually becomes a legendary boxing world champion. Cool deal...