Recreation Books

Lou Thesz's "Hooker" is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of sports entertainment, er, professional wrestling. It provides a good overview of the career of an indisputably great figure in this strange business. My only reservation is that the book isn't long enough. Anyone who read Thesz's letters to the Wrestling Observer knows the man had a wealth of anecdotes and insights about the wrestling business. It's a pity Thesz hadn't been more free with the anecdotes. It's also a shame Thesz didn't talk about life after wrestling - perhaps he didn't think anyone would be interested in Lou Thesz, the man? Oh, and by the way, am I the only one who found that anecdote about George Tragos to be seriously unsettling? Tragos might have been a great wrestler, but he sounded like a monster to me. Again, a great contribution to the under-recorded history of this business. It's like history itself talking.

This book comes across very well even if you are not old enough to know of Lou Thesz. You have to come to grips with the fact that most of his matches were fake to one degree or the other, but some were totally real, or even outright fights, and he was a highly skilled wrestler. His sportsmanship comes across loud and clear. I could cheer for this guy however he played it.

Every wrestling fan should read this book. There is more "TRUTH" about the sport here than in any book that I've read. Thesz was a master back when real men ruled the (then) sport. The difference between Lou Thesz and the wrestlers today is enormous. An excellent read for anyone with even a remote interest in the wrestling business. Classic.

In this book, Thesz gives an honest, open and interesting view of professional wrestling from an old timer's view point. Thesz was a reknowned "hooker", being that he was capable enough in the ring to actually destroy an opponent if need be, and has no qualms with giving the truth behind many figures in history. Ironically, you'd think he hated those deemed "performers," or those who were simply acters instead of accomplished amateurs or hookers, yet he seems to have been open-minded enough to realize that for the big money to occur, things had to change.

Thesz is a very open and honest person and I'd suggest this book to any wrestling fan who truly wants a good insight to the roots of professional wrestling through the 20th century.

This book is amazing! On telling the history of professional wrestling its second to none. And the best source for the history of Catch Wrestlers(Hookers), How wrestling went from Carnivals to the big time. And the stages of evolution it went through on the way to the Sports Entertainment its evolved to today. All the greats are talked about in length. Frank Gotch, Ed Lewis, Joe Stecher all the great hookers of yesteryear. This book tells how all the old promoters used to run the Business. Very intersting reading.

This book's weak point is in the actually biography of Lou Thesz. Way to much stuff left out. He would rattle on for page after page about Toots Mondt and other promoters. And then throw in a sentence like "I was married for 30 years to so and so. I wished I never met her." And just leave it at that. So he comes out of this book kind of like a cardboard cut out of the good guy he played in the ring. But dont get me wrong this book is awesome and a must read. 5 star supreme, one of the most interesting books Ive ever read. Just dont think that Lou reveals much about his self. Because he dosent. He talks about his 3 sons with just a one liner about he has three sons. Very shallow about his family life. And no pictures. But a great biography of the actual wrestling and behind the scene promotions. And how George Tragos took the son of a Hungarian/German shoe maker and made him one of the most dangerous human beings to ever walk the planet. Must read!

Ostensibly this book is half biography of little-known long driver Mike Austin and half technical discussion of Austin's revolutionary swing, many aspects of which run counter to conventional PGA wisdom. But as the artfully written narrative progresses, a third element emerges as well -- the touching story of the friendship that develops between Austin and author Reed during the writing of the book.

No avid golfer could read this book and fail to feel inspired to work on his or her game (I finished it yesterday and headed straight for the driving range today); some might even want to try out Austin's unorthodox mechanics. Yet there is a human-interest story here as well, the story of a larger-than-life golfing god who smacked a 515-yard drive at age 64 but somehow couldn't putt to save his life; lived it up with Hollywood celebrities and was respected by the best golfers in the world; studied the human anatomy and wore a skeleton suit while giving golf lessons to demonstrate proper body movement; and forged an unlikely friendship with a journalist decades his junior who weathered Austin's steely gruffness until it gave way to genuine respect and affection.

Highly recommended -- not just for golfers, but also for anyone interested in a well-crafted feel-good story about a fascinating man and his iconoclastic genius.

I've just finished reading this book and I have to say it is a great read and is well worth buying.

It is a story of how the author, Philip Reed, sets off to document the world's longest ever drive in a tournament set in 1974 by Mike Austin, and along the way wants to learn enough about this swing so he can transform his own drive of 200 yards into a more manly 300 yards.

The books gets off to a shaky start but I stuck with it. And after a couple of chapters I could no longer put it down. He helped me get to know more about Mike Austin, his history and his achievements.

It made me want to be there in the place of the author since Mike seems like a real character and a throwback to a different age and a different world.

It even gave me a few tips, and some hope, on how I might possibly be able to improve my own swing to give 300 yard drives. Now that would be nice.

Read this and give yourself a pleasant break from all those golf instruction manuals out there while enjoying a good golfing story.

The other reviews say it all - that this is a wonderful book on many different levels. I trust that some day it will be recognized as a sports classic.

I just want to add that Reed's book is an invaluable companion to Dan Shauger's 'The 21st Century Golf Swing'. This latter book has such an odd and uncomfortable style (my opinion only, of course) that it was hard for me to know whether to take the technical parts of it seriously. After reading this fine book it became clear that, yes indeed, you can.

It would be great if Shauger and Reed could collaborate on a second edition of '21st Century...'. I'll put up some front money, if that would help.

Had a terrific time reading this book. It reaches out and grabs every weekend golfer by what they desire most... the Shangri-la of a long, monster drive by exploring the fascinating life of Mike Austin via the student/teacher relationship with the author.
Mike Austin's tales tend to come off as a bit hard to believe, sort of like the "Dos Equis's: World's Most Interesting Man," but Phil seems to bear out all as truth through what appears to be painstaking research.
It really didn't end up helping my swing but gave me inspired look at a the longest drive hitter, now off to get the dvd....

This book is absolutely wonderful. I picked it up out of curiosity after learning about Mike Austin's record-breaking achievement (longest drive in professional golf competition history), and ended up being completely drawn into the story. With a straightforward, honest writing style that moves at a nice pace and never gets bogged down, Philip Reed does a masterful job of portraying a complex man filled with both flaws and greatness, who not only achieved a stupendous feat that no one has ever topped, but also lived a fascinating life that plays like a great movie. Reed deftly weaves Austin's story together with his own journey by bringing the reader along with him as he describes his efforts to get to know Mike Austin and learn his swing secrets. He sets out not only to write about Austin, but also to experience for himself the power of Mike Austin's swing, hoping to harness it to achieve a personal goal of hitting the ball 300 yards. As we learn about Austin's amazing life and unmatched golf swing alongside the author, we are simultaneously drawn into a surprisingly touching story of how Reed came to develop a bond of friendship with Austin. Viewed through the lens of Reed's relationship with Austin, we come to understand and truly appreciate Mike Austin at a much deeper level, and also come away with important lessons about life. This is a magnificent book, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

If you do martial arts and don't know how to fight - what are you doing? This is an essential compliment to whatever martial art you're studying, as it will flesh out your studies and get you to rethink a few things.

I should preface this review by clarifying that I don't train much MMA - I'm much more of a straight BJJ/submission grappling athlete. With that said, this book is an excellent perspective into BJ Penn's MMA repertoire and the basic theory behind his fighting style. For fighters who come from a striking background, the book may not be quite as applicable. Only a few basic punches are covered, and they are treated primarily as a means to set up a clinch or takedown, with the eventual goal of passing to a dominant position and winning by submission. As mentioned by a previous reviewer, no kicks or leglocks are covered. The book is not designed to be an encyclopedia of every fighting technique one could possibly use (indeed, Penn specifically disavows this purpose in the book itself), but it is a great introduction for grapplers who are curious to know what kind of strategies and techniques could work for them in an MMA context. I use the book primarily as a reference to explore different approaches to situations that I often find myself in just in BJJ/submission grappling, and have found it to be very useful. For example, BJ has an excellent description of how to tighten up the technique on your sprawl and use it to transition naturally to back control. He also has useful tutorials on an alternative technique for the double-leg takedown (as opposed to the standard wrestling shoot where you come over the knee of your lead leg and cut to the inside from a crouched position) that is helpful to know regardless of whether you actually do MMA. Whether you are a pure grappler looking for some insight into the techniques used by one of the best or someone looking to transition into MMA, this book has something for you.

This book was certainly worth the price! It's over 300+ pgs of some of the best MMA advice out there. It starts off with a mini biograhpy of B.J. Penn then goes right into the good stuff. Penn goes thru everything from striking basics to brazilian jiujitsu wizardry in well sorted and easy to follow chapters. The pictures that he uses to illustrate the moves are also great. Most come with several angles of the moves he is demonstrating and are very easy to follow with his great insight on each and everyone! I recommend this book to any who wants to get that edge in their MMA training whether it's for competition or simply to stay one step ahead of their training partners in the gym.

This book touches on all of the major points in MMA sport fighting in an easy to understand format that is coherent and makes learning MMA easier. I've got many expensive dvd sets but I find that this one book is what I work with the most. I met BJ and had him sign my copy.

At last, a textbook of mixed martial arts from the renowned fighter and coach PJ Penn! In this volume he presents a great number of techniques that he finds effective for himself and will work for most fighters. It is particularly strong in ground techniques, due no doubt to his grappling-based approach to the sport generally. The book is not intended to be the "last word" in MMA, or that the particular techniques drawn primarily from BJJ, Wrestling and Muay Thai presented in it are the be all and end all of the sport in its totality. However, they are those that he himself has used and tested. His game plan is to take the combat to the ground and win it there. Thus, he presents only cursory wrestling and striking techniques from the standing position, as the standing phase is not his preoccupation. His volume nicely complements Couture's wrestling-based strategy guide, with its throws. A kind of Muay-Thai for MMA volume might round off a "holy trinity" of textbooks in this genre.
Awesome book! Handy for all fans and participants in the sport!

I felt like I was sitting in Ronda Rich's living room and she was talking only to me as I read this book. It's so personal, warm, inviting and irresistible. There are no startling revelations in this book, except perhaps Dale Earnhardt's reaction to a race track incident with Bill Elliott, and I, for one, am thankful for that. I'm happy to see people who are heroes portrayed that way and not torn apart. This book is written in a way that I got the impression that if the author had crossed paths with bad people, she just didn't write that. Instead, she wrote of the good in people. Bless her for that. My 13-year-old son is a race fan and I have given him this book to read. I think he needs to know of the good that still lies in many people.

My wife bought this book, read it and kept bragging on it. I was reluctant to read because I'm not a big reader and I just didn't think I'd enjoy it that much. One day, I picked up the book and read the chapter about the late champion Alan Kulwicki. That did it. I then had to read the entire book. I enjoyed it very much. It shows the human side of a sport that is becoming so slick and so polished that it's easy to forget that the drivers are often regular guys with problems and struggles just like the rest of us. This book reflects on many of the heroes and legends who made the sport like Darrell Waltrip, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and others. There are places, like where she talks about her friendship with and the death of Tim Richmond, that really put a lump in my throat. As in the case of Kulwicki, who is displayed here to be a serious loner who saw too much death in his young life, his mother included, that shaped his life and personality, you are shown an inside to the sport that is seldom seen. The men in this book are true heroes and the author is to be commended for writing it in a way that we feel we are being treated to VIP look at these guys.

I was pleasantly surprised by the spell binding content of this book. I read everything I can on NASCAR and just added this book to my collection as a matter of course. I ordered four books at the same time but read this one last. I should have read it first. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. The author has a way of pulling you into the story in such an interesting way. I stayed up until 4 a.m. in the morning until I had finished every word. This is the first book about NASCAR that I ever read that shows such an emotional intimate inside look. Be ready -- you'll laugh, cry, laugh, cry. It's an emotional rollcoaster but very, very fulfilling. Without a doubt, it's the best NASCAR book in the world and I think I'm qualified to say that since I have read them all.

I couldn't really get into this book. While I chuckled at some of the stories (like the muffler bearings story), other times I thought the book delved into the sugary-sweet. As an example the two and a half pages taken up to spin the tale of her date with a present day driver. Another time she writes how dressing femininely works for you in business dealings. Huh? This book seems to be an extension of What Southern Women Know with Nascar thrown in. I don't think we're getting a good picture of life in the pits. There is Ms. Rich's side of pit life, and there is the grease under your fingernails and a motor roaring in your ears side. I would've liked a view from both sides. Perhaps it is because I've read Dale Jr's and Tony Stewart's books that Ms. Rich's book is a bit of a disappointment.

I got this book for Christmas and could not stop reading it. Just as someone else has already said, when you are done reading it, you will wish there was more. I am an aspiring motorsports public relations lady, and Ronda's book is hands-down the most insightful book about the "inside" of this sport that I have read. Her point of view is different from most writers, in a very refreshing way! If you are new to the sport, or a fan for life, this book will turn you on to the sport, or let you in on a special side of the lifestyle you already know and love. I want to thank Ronda for being so helpful to me, and sending some much needed advice my way. I would recommend this book to anyone that has ever wanted to experience "life in the pits."

This book is very informative and explains nutrition in a way that is easy to understand. It has great tips and it helped me to balance my exercise routine and eating pattern. This book is great for a serious athlete to a casual exerciser and I would highly recommend everyone who wants to obtain knowledge about a healthy lifestyle to read this book.

I recommend this book to everyone. Although Nancy Clark calls it a Sport's Nutrition Guidebook, this is really a guide on the way everybody should eat in order to be healthy. She begins by giving general guidelines on what eating every day should be like. She explains why everything is important: carbs, protein, fat, sugar, dairy. Then she goes on to explain what it is each of these types of food does in the body and how and why we should eat them. She also explains how to eat and when to eat. It is an extremely detailed book where you get a whole new outlook on food. There's also some great chapters with recipes.

Nancy Clark's book has revolutionized my diet, training, and life. As a fitness instructor and runner I had trouble knowing what to eat, how much to eat, and struggled with erratic weight. After reading this book all of my questions have been answered. I have learned tips on how to fuel my body for the demands that I put upon it. I have energy, I can eat without guilt, and my weight has stabilized. Science and experience backs up everything that Nancy Clark says. I'm a true believer. You'll love this book!

outstanding book, changed my eating habits with good information rather than beliefs. I recommend to anyone on a sports nutrition program.

The Sports Nutrition Guidebook is a useful resource for the average, healthy individual to have at hand as a nutritional resource. This book is more of a healthy living guide, than a sport specific guide, Individuals who are engaging in sports that require a lot of anaerobic activity, like football or baseball will not find this book as useful, but they will still find some great instruction. For endurance sports such as running or cycling, or for the general weekend warrior looking to have nutrition be a part of a healthy lifestyle, that is not concerned with larger than normal weight loss, this book is a good esource.

While basic advice is well-written here, that shouldn't be really new to anyone who is familiar with good nutrition: a balance of proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, and dairy; and the importance of regular meals, some care is taken to readjust thinking about fad diets and dietary myths, especially in preparation for physical activity. Unbalanced approaches to carbohydrates, fluid, protein, etc. and their dangers are detailed in an easy to understand format. The chapter on misusing a healthy lifestyle for rapid weight loss or other eating disorders is tactfully written.

The last third of the book is a useful recipe guide that applies principles taught in the book into practical meal planning steps that are neither arduous nor difficult for active individuals to adapt to. Creating a healthy approach to the body, especially in view of a fat obssessed society calls for balance and patience. There is nothing sudden or radical about the advice in this book, as it is above all, caling for a lifestyle that is healthy and active and is designed to provide nutrional advice for helping individuals achieve those goals. This book is a great resource for active people, who want sound, scientific advice that meets the needs of individuals in today's fast paced society.

I have purchased many books from Amazon and have never left a review. I feel compelled to write on this textbook because it is an extraordinarily well written and has fleshed out in my mind the history, principles and practice of taekwondo.

All of the important fundamentals are here, with concisely rendered figures of the stances, strikes, blocks, kicks, footwork etc. What is most helpful to my children especially the poomse sections. All of the taegeuk forms are here with explanations and review sections with schematic figures of the patterns. This book is essential for any age taekwondo practitioner.

I've found this a really good book. It covers basic techniques and stepping in enough detail to be really useful, then moves on the descibe the forms in three different ways - a text description with notes on specific moves, a description using drawings, and a quick summary of the moves involved. And it includes information on sparring. I own three or four other books dedicated to different aspects of Taekwondo, but this is the one I use 90% of the time.

The only problem I had was with a couple of pages becoming detached, but this was probably from me having it open in my hand while I practiced!

This is a really good book . . . I have been studying Tae Kwon Do for a couple of years now and this book allows be a quick review of some of the things we do at class. The step by step Poomsae picture section at the end is very helpful for polishing your forms.

I highly recommend this book.

This book offers a comprehensive overview of Taekwondo, from the history and philosophy of TKD to strikes and Poomse. It is the perfect reference for beginners and intermediate students of TKD.

I bought this my first week of TaeKwonDo. At first it was a little overwhelming. As I learned, the book became a very useful tool. It's really great to practice the physical and read the theory and history behind it in this book. It's a great guide for practicing at home. I recommend this book for any beginner to this sport.

I am new to making armor, but not so much to metalworking. This book gets you started on techniques (although a few could have a little more attention), and has terrific sections on measuring and padding. The illustrations and photos are a big bonus, and most are helpful to some extent. Overall a great example of a master passing on some of his knowledge to the apprentices of his craft.

Good book. BUT compleatly failed to mention safety glasses. These are IMPORTANT. you need to get a good pair and wear them when you are working in your shop. unless you think you will look good with a eyepatch.

I have yet to find a better book for armoring. Nearly every fundamental is covered.

Tools, stock, techinque, buying tips, and even history is covered.

The Maille section is somewhat lite but there are other books that are fully dedicated to that discipline.

It's worth every penny. You can't go wrong with this book.

This book is an awsome read, very interesting and the info on constructing armour is just incredable. Every aspect is covered even lining the armour to make it more comfortable, if you are intersted in medieval armour this book is second to none.

This is a book on how to build armor. Tools, techniques, materials, workspace needed, cost estimates are all part of it. I make leather armor for re-enactors, so much of what was taught here was not directly applicable. However, there are chapters on how to measure, pattern, and cut. These are useful even if the material used isn't metal but leather. There are even some basic instructions on leatherworking. Overall, a pretty straightforward work. I recommend it for anyone who is interested in armor construction, collecting, or re-enacting.

This an excellent book to help with learning aikido. We give a copy to every new student who joins our dojo to supplement our classes and expand the student grasp of knowledge.

Very helpful for priming & review of aikido dojo protocols for both teaching and learning aikido warm-up, basic training, principles and techniques in general.

Very well presented material. There is something here for any level of training. Many core concepts explained.

Book was interesting and informative. Book covered some items that I haven't seen addressed anywhere else. I would recommend this book especially for people new to Aikido.

I'd sincerely recommend this book to very beginners and... yes, to sensei.
The most valuable point of the book is that instead of usual plain listing of the standard techniques of this or that style, it concentrates on the basic principles - "how, why, and when it works", thus offering basic building blocks, and lots of unique tips and tricks. The principles are beyond the style differences, and thus applicable to everyone.
For sensei it contains many tips of how to handle difficulties of beginners.

I spent much of my life as a cowgirl. Back then, no one considered dressage for basic training. Now that I am learning dressage, I needed someone to visually explain the maneuvers and the reason for how to execute them. This ol' cowgirl needed plain basic instructions and this book is the only one I consider easy to understand. That's a mouthful when it comes to dressage, but the book delivers. Within a year, we are working on 3 rd level, and I have much to thank the book that backs up what my trainer tries to explain.
the author of: Roses and Locoweed: The Life of a Cowboy's Wife and The Winter Years of World War II

Every horse person can benefit from Jane Savoie's "Cross Train Your Horse: Book One:Simple Dressage for Every Horse, Every Sport. This a clearly written "guide" for any discipline. I am planning on using it as one of the text books for a college course: Dressage for the Competition Horse

This book was exactly what I wanted. I've ridden hunters for all of my life but am starting to train in dressage. Though this cover basic dressage work such as turn-on-the-forehand, leg yielding, etc, it gives you details from a dressage point of view. I recommend it for anyone(English or Western) that has a stiff horse in need of suppling work through basic dressage.

I really enjoyed this book for it's easy to follow exercises and well thoughtout training plan. I can actually see what the author is talking about in my own horses.

I purchased Cross-Train and More Crossing Training by Jane Savoie about two years ago based on all the 5 star reviews these books received.

Unfortunately, these books were a disappointment to me. I struggled to finish Cross-Train and I never could get into reading More Cross Training. The text, even though helpful to most people, just seemed to drag on for me. Perhaps this was caused by Ms. Savoie's writing style; perhaps it was just me. (I have found Feeling Dressage by Ruth Sabine Schaefer more to my liking.)

On a positive note, these books have many nice pictures and illustrations which many people should find helpful.

David Shannon has once again created a valuable book for the youngest readers. Duck on a Bike tells the fun adventure of an average farm duck with a desire to do something exciting. The story begins with Duck's hungry stare at a red bike, and ends with the same look of desire, only Duck has found a bigger challenge in a tractor. This book has Shannon's signature full page, vividly colored illustrations of farm animals. Shannon's ability to depict human emotion in the facial expressions of animals is a good way for parents to teach children how to anticipate the contents of a story. This book is perfect for young audiences who have just learned the familiar sounds of farm animals. Since the predictable introduction to each animal begins with the standard animal sound, parents can encourage young audiences to interact with the story by voicing the sound of each animal. Duck on a Bike is fun, adorable, and a must read for every toddler and beginning reader.

Great book for young children. Especially for those who are currently learning how to ride a bike. The illustrations are fantastic.

I was hesitant to purchase this book. I usually try to buy books that rhyme, because they're easier and more fun for me to read (over, and over, and over). Though this is not a rhyming story, it is very cute and I love all the animals. It will be easy for me to engage my 3 yr old son with this book. I don't have his opinion yet since it's for Christmas, but based on his preferences, I know he's going to love it!

Even if you don't care for the "David" books by Shannon (which I don't), this is a great book.

My four year old thinks it's hilarious to see Duck riding a bike and we both agree that the best page is at the end where the duck is pondering driving a tractor! We enjoy reading this together and he reads the animal parts while I narrate This is an enjoyable read aloud for kids and parents.

Great book. My 14month old wants this read every evening. The artwork is very nice and we are always discovering something new on the pages.