Athletics Books

Every single day I turn on the news, there's some new piece about steroids in sports. People are dying, children are crying, all that. But I always wondered why the news NEVER talked about the studies proving all of these nasty things really happen... after reading this book, I FINALLY understand. Because the media is full of crap! I really enjoyed this book and learned a ton from it. It is a bit outdated in that the IOC is now 4:1 and not 6:1 in T/E, but the points are all still valid. Highly recommended!

I thought it was a pretty good read... pretty honest. The guy below who said it's smug I think is a little off. Shouldn't it be smug? The book is right. The book uses science, when the media folk use opinion. I think it SHOULD be smug and should scream "I AM RIGHT!" but that's just me. I've used steroids. I'm not dead. I won't die from steroids. This book is a breathe of fresh air. And I think the reason why steroids are killing athletics is because of how kids are looking at the games now. that's bad for the athletic organizations and the games.

I gave it four stars because I think the doctor with a sales pitch is annoying. Otherwise it's pretty good.

I really enjoyed reading Dunks Doubles & Doping - it provided an objective insight into the effects of steroids on Olympic and professional sports. Jendrick's perspective is not flatly really pro-steroids, but rather pro-legalization for the mass market (cosmetic use by adults), while still keeping them illegal for competition in sports, which he goes on to explain and justify rather nicely. There are many points in the book where you find yourself saying "Hmm, I didn't know that!" For me, perhaps the most disappointing thing I learned was confirmation from various sources that all or nearly all professional bodybuilders use steroids and/or HGH.

The Interview with Gregg Valentino (and his enormous arms) was definitely a fun read. I also found the Doping sections in Chapters 13/14 quite interesting. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about steroids, their effect on athletes, and on sports in general.

... this book nails the haters in the sack. Like a slam dunk or a quarterback sack, this book hits hard. Figured the hype was overated but its actually good stuff. Probably 4 1/2 stars is most accurate because I would have liked to see more stuff on the pro wrestlers, but for what its after it accomplishes. Definitely was educated by reading this.

Nathan Jendrick takes the reader on a wide range of issues surrounding the use of steroids in sports and by the general public.

While his chapters seem just a bit smug - almost saying, "I am right because I am the one who has the real information" - the book has highs and lows based on who is being interviewed. And just for future reference, the spelling of the late Curt Hennig's name was not correct.

The top sections belong to Olympic champion Gary Hall - who feels that there should be a zero tolerance policy when athletes test positive for illegal drugs - to the final chapter on the potential of gene therapy as a means to take the "game" to the next scientific level.

A doctor who discusses a new psychological approach for athletes seemingly has a promotional pitch to explore and purchase his product.

The bodybuilder - featured in a recent cable special on steroids - wants to settle grudges he has against the industry. Who cares if some male bodybuilders earn extra cash by allegedly posing at parties for gay men. What does that issue have to do with the topic?

An attorney questions why professional athletes have seemingly avoided prosecution in steroid cases, while members of the general public have felt the wrath from the judicial system. But it is naive to assume that the power of the various leagues and organizations in this country will not do everything in its power to prevent their athletes being front-page fodder, being led away in handcuffs due to alleged drug transgressions.

The athletes outlined who feel remorse for their steroid use is laughable. If they weren't caught cheating I am sure they wouldn't have such tearful confessions.

While there is information that rarely is covered in major media sources, Jendrick never gets around to telling the reader, "How Steroids are Killing American Athletics."

Rather, it seems as if Jendrick leans to making the use of steroids legal for those age 21 and over, but reserving the right for governing athletic bodies to continue to make such usage illegal by its competitors.

This is an exceptionally well-produced and well-organized book which oozes quality and is a joy to read. If you need a reference or a bearing for understanding what youth sports is all about and what it should do to encourage and develop your child, this is it. If you are looking for one book to cover it all, provide insight, and suggest ways to make the sports experience positive, this is the book you need. If you have been stunned by the neanderthal tactics of your team's coach or wonder what is wrong with the youth sports picture in the US, also buy a copy of "Just Let the Kids Play" by Bigelow, Moroney and Hall.

Chapter after chapter we hear about how "winning at all cost," over-competitiveness and how kids specialize in a sport way too soon (before high school varsity level), the author goes against every piece of advice she's given. She admits that when her young sons were faced with a soccer league that was competitive and *gasp* co-ed, instead of allowing them to play, she started her own league! What? It took away the credibility of the entire book. I just can't listen to "do as I say, not as I do."

(Note: this review was based on an uncorrected publishers' proof.)

I heard author De Lench talking on NPR national radio last week about this book and all of the work she has done (is doing) with preventing catastrophic injuries and death of kids in youth sports. I had no idea what I was in store for when I read the book. In fact her advice may just save my kids lives. And, the chapter on Preventing Child Abuse in youth sports is another must read. Again, I now know that the hollering that one coach does to my 6 year old and his team mates is downright abuse. Better yet, I know (from her lessons) how to advocate for my kids to keep them emotionally safe and physically sound. I found her chapter on how to start a new team to be FABULOUS! Bravo-De Lench-You go girl! Kids were being excluded so she rallied her parent pals and started their own all-inclusive group with rules that we all would die for--no bad mouthing eachother, open dialog with the coaches, all kids play the same amount of time (coaches kids included), etc.

The chapter on Politics is a must read! And, the one on parenting/coaching girls and theother on how to parent boy athletes is very interesting.

The only folks who won't love this book are the bad coaches who are nervous that we all will become so well educated that they may lose their coaching jobs.

This book is a "must read" for any parent whose child is involved in youth sports at any level. It is really like a survival guide and was full of some great advice and ideas that made alot of sense. It makes life easier too when you know that you are not alone in a particular situation, as there obviously needs to be some serious reform in high school sports in my opinion. Ms. de Lench deserves alot of praise for tackling this difficult issue head on and gives many of us parents out there a much needed voice!!

I am raising five sports active kids and was intrigued enough to suggest and select Home Team Advantage as my book clubs (five fellow female attorneys) November read. Between us we have 21 children ages 6-19, who have been or for the most part are, in sports programs. We are each litigators practicing outside of Philly.

I speak for the group: If you are a mother or a father and you have children in sports you really ought to read this book. It may help save a kid's physical and emotional life if you do. We each agreed that the author is incredibly forward thinking in the way she synthesized her first hand in-the-trenches information, data and research to provide us with the big picture, especially with the chapters on politics, abuse, injury prevention and how to improve the culture of youth sports. Her depth of information and breadth of knowledge quite frankly is pretty brilliant and damn gutsy. We could not put the book down. Well written and ample interesting first hand stories. As a collective group we could relate to just about everything she wrote about. We talked for hours on each of her chapter topics. de Lench has the answers for all of our questions and concerns.

One negative; we each agreed that the phrase "hardwiring" (the new Politically Correct term for hormones) was used in place of hormones too often and gets a bit old. It did, however, inform us to the empirical data out there on the fact that boys in sports are very different than girls. Something we knew but could not confirm until reading this book.

Very enlightening read for anyone raising athletic children.

As an outdoor fitness instructor, I have been able to use several of the exercises. Great suggestion from my Chiropractor!

This book is not written that well. It could be organized better. It reminds me of a term paper thrown together from bits and pieces of other reports.

I find the exercise drawings hard to follow. Photo sequences would have been better.

Make sure you examine this one at the bookstore before you order it.

This book explains, with easy to understand illustrations, various exercises for power, speed and agility (to enhance athletic performance). All exercises have little pictures of all sports which especially benefit from these exercises, like baseball, basketball or power lifting...even more `exotic' sports such as fencing, skiing or horseback riding.
The exercises suggested in this book can be used for specific athletic training or to add some fun and variety to your own workouts :-)

This book does an excellent job introducing the topic of plyometrics to the reader. It discusses the different types and categories of jumps as well as the varying intensities. It even gives sport specific plyos as well as sample programs. However, this is not the definitive book on plyometrics. I think of it as more as a good reference tool. I would really recommend "High-Powered Plyometrics" for even more in depth info on this wonderful method of training.

this book is a top recommended reading from all leading authors in strength and conditioning. However, you should also buy the companion dvd in order to help facilitate the exercises in the book.

For anyone looking for photos, explore here:
nadiacomaneci.com

We are taken on a journey through Nadia's life, we feel we are spectators and are there with her every step of the way, at her baptism ,at the olympics,in the gymn and at her home.The reader ends up by feeling he knows her well. As we embark on this voyage we see she makes mistakes as we all do, she admits she was defensive on a Tv show after defecting to America, that as a consequence of her parents' divorce she overate. She does not make excuses but gives an honest account. This honesty and frankness also extends to the admission she made in 1980 that Yelena Davydova simply performed better on the day and that her victory was not a result of fixing as Bela Karolyi would like people to believe,she also admits that her first routine on the bars which earned a 10 was not perfect and that throughout the olympics she felt the judges were being too good to her. We also meet a decent woman who does not want to live off the income of a romanian widow and her son. But she does not give much credit to other gymnasts. She rightly pays tribute to Yelena Mukhina who broke her neck and was paralyzed as a result, but says so little about her. She mentions that she was not sure exactly how the accident occurred, which I find hard to believe because the whole world knows.The only other gymnasts she really has time for are Lyudmilla Tourisheva and Mary Lou Retton, the former was her idol, the other was great. What about Teodora, Olga Korbut, etc? I feel she was overrated and certainly overrated herself, for she argues that before 1976 few gymnasts took risks, the comaneci salto was never attempted before by anyone and was the first big release at the 76 olympics. It is true that through out the 1950s and 60s a lot of gymnasts were women. Bar and beam routines in particular were considered elementary but in those years there were innovations, at the 1952 olympics Maria Gorokhovskaya dismounted by standing on high bar and pushing into a back tuck salto , the rachodla salto between bars appeared in 1966 to give only 2 examples but from 1972 onwards routines get riskier. The so called comaneci salto had been done before by Karin Janz in munich. She first performed in 1971. Annelore Zinke also performed it in 1974.Barbara Myslak (Usa)performed a whip cast flip from high to high bar in 1974 and around the same time Denise Cheshire (Usa) also innovated a snap flip high to high bar these latter 2 examples would suggest that Olga Korbut and not Nadia really inspired gymnasts to higher, more dangerous levels and made salto releases obligatory. What about olga korbuts flip on bars? This is never mentioned and Olga was performing this release in 1976 as were at least 20 others, so it is wrong to say Nadia's salto was the first release at montreal. Lastly the so called dismount named after her, the only new element Nadia introduced was the half turn. There were gymnasts performing back saltos as dismounts, Angelika Hellman performed a back tuck dismount from bars in munich, Olga performed a salto back stretched with take off from bar and Nadia chatarova of Bulgaria performed a double back tuck dismount in montreal this last element together with olga korbuts back flip on bars and her dismount were much more difficult than Nadia's comaneci salto and dismount. People were doing half twists but in conjunction with hechts. Half twists were not exactly a novelty.The Comaneci salto is just simply someone else's somersault performed in different take off position. She argues that it is not attempted by many because it is difficult ( are not all saltos on bars) and that you cannot be the slightest bit out when you attempt it but you can in other saltos( hard to believe).

Nadia's book exceeded my expectations with her insightful words of philosophy and colorfully poetic descriptions.

Her autobiographical account, packaged with thought-provoking questions and comments aimed towards her readers, struck several deep chords in my life-pondering mind. There is plenty of food for thought which would particularly hit home for readers who find themselves at a crossroads in their lives. Nadia's experiences, hardships, successes are truly inspiring pieces of her world that many readers could relate to and possibly find light in their own circumstances.

In a way, it was a good thing that there were no pictures included because I could focus more on the intellectual aspect of the story than the visual. At the same time, it would have been a great idea to include a few early photos along with some recent ones of herself, since she does mention that she hopes people will be interested in who she is now and not so much on the little girl she used to be.

As far as gymnastics tips, Nadia gives them in the form of using one's pyschology for greater benefit. She also includes a list for success in life towards the end of the book. Naturally, even I was curious enough to expect, and miss, a bit of flexibility or skill-specific boosting advice from her perspective.

This story is indeed a fantastic motivational tool for others. Those who say otherwise have simply not taken the time or effort to read into what Nadia's story offers or pinpoint the wonderful wisdom she provides.

Written as a series of responses to imaginary fan letters, Nadia takes us through lots of emotions as she explains her feelings about the events that shaped her extra-ordinary life.

I believe she has given us an honest account.

She comes accross as an intelligent and deeply principled woman, her insight and philosophy is a joy and an inspiration.

Since I was a gymnast for many, many years, I have read quite a few gymnastics books, but none had impressed me too much until I read this one. Perhaps it is because Nadia not only talked about her gymnastics, but also about the conditions and struggles of life in Communist Romania. It is not only a biography, but also historical as well.

The book was very clear and easy to read, so younger gymnastics fans should have no problem getting through it. It was also very interesting (something I truly did not expect) and a page turner. It answered many questions gymnastics fans have had through the years.

Nadia's story is very impressive, and, at times, even heartbreaking. It's hard to believe that, by reading this book, you'll eventually "feel" for probably the most successful gymnast in the history of the sport. Her life wasn't always as glorious as you may think.

I'd suggest gymnastics fans read this book because it's simply very good and very well written, and also very, very interesting. Also, if you're simply interested in learning more about how life was like in a communist country, this book may just be the book for you!

If Lydiard is "outdated" as you sugest, then how do you explain this:

Mark Wetmore(Colorado @ Boulder - Buffaloes) uses a slightly modified version of Ludiard's training (so that his athletes are able to peak three times a year). They obviously have had much success.

To those who say his theories are outdated, show me the results where Americans pounding the intervals or following a Daniels type plan are beating those like the Kenyans and the Japanese marathoners and Paula Radcliffe who train much more like Lydiard suggests. It's not a coincidence that Deena Kastor and Meb Keflezighi became the first two Americans to win Olympic marathon medals in 20 years. They are also two of the few Americans who follow a Lydiard-based training philosophy. The Kenyans do not train at LT pace all the time. Anyone who knows how they train knows that they train much like Lydiard suggests.

Yes, his writings are hard to read. He has a great mind when it comes to running technique but not quite so great when it comes to writing style. However, the wealth of wisdom in his writings is worth working yourself through the less than spectacular writing style if you are interested in racing performance.

My first thoughts were - "This is a book?" This is the most unprofessional job I have ever seen. The forward is one the most laughable English translations I have ever seen printed. As for the body of the text, it is clearly a compilation of various things Lydiard wrote over the years. The editors took all this different stuff, threw it together, and called it a book. The end has some charts sitting around with absolutely no explanation. The book repeats itself a lot, and there is a long section written exclusively about rugby. Apparently Lydiard once adapted his training ideas to rugby, and the resulting article was thrown into the book as a "bonus" or something.

That aside, it is fun to read some old Lydiard stuff. This book takes me way back to the glory days of the running boom, to Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers running in their heydays, which is funny since I was born in 1984. Always nice to hear that the reason "the negroid" is beating me is that he can lift his knees while leaning forward. Thousands of people have been trying for years to find out why the East Africans are so dominant, and here Lydiard had it all figured out years ago!

Joking aside, this is a decent book about training. Lydiard is not a proponent of Long Slow Distance. He supports Long Steady Distance. His focus on high mileage and basic speed is key. Many well-informed people believe that if Americans would spend more time developing their aerobic bases and less time on the track doing hard intervals, they would run much faster. I have found this to be true in my own running.

One thing I would have liked is a better description of the hill-bounding exercises. Lydiard mentions that you should do bounding exercises up a hill, but he doesn't go into the detail of exactly what this bounding should look like. That's my only true complaint.

Criticism of Lydiard based on the idea that he recommended "long slow running" indicates that the reviewer didn't actually try paying attention to what Lydiard wrote. If a three-hour marathoner running his Monday ten-miler at 6:30 pace and his Friday 10-miler at 6:15 pace - not even in base phase, this is in conditioning BEFORE you get to base phase - it that is your idea of "slow" distance, then your idea varies greatly from mine. Go back and read what he says comprises "half-effort" - for a 5:00 miler, Lydiard's version of half-effort is 5:16. If you're going to criticize an author, please read the source document.

He's trained 18 olympians, has taken years of physiology, and has been perfecting his programs since the 60's. This is definitely the book to get. I was one of the people who didn't know what the training did, so I got fired up and hammered it every day. Thankfully, I was able to learn about Lydiard and find a real way to train. He explains all of the physiology behind running so you have a revamped knowledge and know what to do instead of training blindly. Definitely a must have.

This book allows you to see flaws in basic movement patterns and shows you how to correct them. It might not seem important but it could be the difference in being injuried or not.

Funny how a book needs a DVD to help demonstrate. So get the DVD too. Not much to say other than a good reference, the value is in the whole book.

This book changed the way I look at fitness and is appropriate for the weekend warrior or professional athlete. The author's expertise is expressed in such a manner that comprehension and practical application is easily reached.

Push your body to its limits and get the most out of it with these training drills. As a physical therapist, the author shows you the safe way to workout.

This is an OUTSTANDING complement to the DVD. I hoped that the DVD and book would not merely be redundant...and they aren't! The overlap to some extent so that you can get results with only one or the other, but I am VERY glad to have both. They fill in some gaps that each has.

JUST QUICKLY SKIMMED THROUGH YOUR BOOK.
THIS IS GOOD FOR THE BEGINER, BUT I CAN NAME AT LEAST A DOZEN HIGH ENERGY TOP OF THE LINE PLACES TO WORK-OUT WHILE TRAVELING.
I CAN DO THAT IN ABOUT THREE MORE CITIES.
I THINK THIS IS GOOD FOR TRAVELERS IN THEIR OWN HOTEL.
PERIOD.
MY WIFE COMPETES IN TRI'S ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND I AM THE VACATION PLANNER.
WE BOTH LIKE TO HAVE UPDATED EQUIPMENT WHEN WE TRAVEL, SO I MAKE IT A POINT TO INVESTIGATE THE AREAS.
NICE ATTEMPT, BUT THEY MISSED MANY GREAT PLACES.

AL

Jim Kaese and Paul Huddle have given us a reference work, not a discussion of what it means to be an athletic-minded traveler nor how to become athletic minded if you are a traveler doubling as a couch potato.

Mind the subtitle: 'Where to work out and stay when fitness is a priority.'

If a reference book for your or your travel agent is what you need, this is your book.

If you want to figure out how to maintain some level of fitness in an ever-changing travel environment that seems to mock the very thought of it, this is not your book. Those books do exist (see my other reviews) and you'd be wise to buy one of them.

The book under review here is organized by major U.S. metropolitan areas. Since airport fitness facilities are still not widely available, the writers have to presume you're willing to part company with two taxi fares for many of the venues. Things get a little better on the hotel side, where noticable improvement in most major hotel chains now makes it possible to get a workout without falling down the steps, where you are fortunate to be found within the week.

Bottom line: the book delivers what the subtitle promises.

I received the Athletic Minded Traveler for Christmas. I was skeptical at first since I thought it was just another travel guide. Once I started looking at the book, however, I realized that it was extrememly helpful and the pithy writing made it a pleasure to read. Morover, the easy to use summary for the hotels allowed me to quickly and easily choose a hotel on my first business trip of 2006. (The guide was right on the money about the hotel.) This is an invaluable tool for anyone who travels, whether for business or pleasure--it even covers smaller cities like Cleveland and Madison, WI). Today, whilst surfing the web I found the author's website, which expands on the book. The site has even more information such as running routes and thorough restaurants recommendations for healthy eating on the road. From now on, I'm going to consult the book and the web site before I travel.

I gave several of these as xmas gifts to friends who travel for business
and all of them can't stop raving about how useful it is--the authors
obviously did their homework. I even got an email from one of my friends
while he was on a business trip to tell me that he just got back from a
health club recommended in the book where he ended up running next to a
woman who asked him out for a date! Bet the authors never thought they
would be making love matches!

I've actually used this book in a number of the cities and it saved me time and energy trying to find someplace to workout.

Real information the hotels won't give you. How many times have we called hotels and been told they have something only to get there and its not the case?

This book will make working out on the road extremely simple whether you are a casual athlete or an Ironman Triathlete!!!!

THIS BOOK IS A REAL "SLEEPER". BRETON TAKES THE EVENTFUL LIFE OF ONE LATIN BALLPLAYER AND INTERTWINES THIS WITH THE HISTORY OF THE STRUGGLE OF ALL LATIN BALLPLAYERS. THE STORY OF SOME OF THE LATIN PIONEERS IS AN UNEXPLORED TERRITORY IN BASEBALL HISTORY. BRETON BRINGS THESE STORIES OF PREJUDICE, TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY TO THE SURFACE. I LEARNED ALOT FROM THIS BOOK, AND WAS WELL ENTERTAINED IN THE PROCESS.

This book is awesome, one of my favorites. I have read it more than once it is so good. What makes it so great is it tells the story of the latin baseball player that happens so often these days. From step to step, the book shows the reader how Miguel Tejada got from the barrios to America, to MLB star. What makes this bok so special is what a great story Miguel Tejada is. In his town, he was not regarded as a great player. But as soon as he was in a league there, he was great and never stopped. Now he has an MVP. A great job by Marcos Breton for the book and Jose Luis Villegas for the great pictures.

I was a fan of shortstop Miguel Tejada before I read this book and was overjoyed when he won the AL MVP honors this past year. The book opened my eyes to the incredible struggle and long odds that Dominican players - or any Latin players - face to make it in the major leagues. It makes Tejada's accomplishment seem that much more amazing and important to me. His story is interwoven with a lot of baseball history that I would not have otherwise known, and it is one that kids my age and up (8th grade) would enjoy because it makes you think.

Being a baseball fan since Orlando Cepeda led the Cardinals over Yaz's 1967 Red Sox, I thought I was well versed about the history of minorities in major league baseball. (The Jackie Robinson story became gospel in my house.) After reading "Away Games," I had to eat some humble pie. The sports pages, which I read cover-to-cover as a youth, never made mention on how the Clementes, Tiants, and Marchials made it to the majors. Authors Marcos Breton and Jose Luis Villegas provide that missing story. "Away Games" is about how major baseball exploits young Latino men in the same way that the film "Hoop Dreams" documented basketball's exploitation of inner city black youth. Breton and Villegas elaborate on how the baseball establishment entices Dominicans into their camps and then uses them like throw away parts. I only wish the authors would have kept their focus on Miguel Tejada- "the star" of the book- rather than flip-flopping between his "life and times" with the history of Latino baseball players. (Actually, there are two books in one here- Tejada's baseball journey and the history of major league baseball in the Caribbean.) Far from being an enjoyable book, "Away Games" is often painful to read especially for gung-ho baseball fans; however, it should be included right next to the censored sports page as we're implored to "root, root for the home team."

Breton and Villegas make the case that Latin ballplayers are exploited and then, in the overwhelming majority of cases, tossed away by major league teams. Miguel Tejada was one of those who, it turned out, wasn't just cheap filler for an organization's minor league chain, but instead broke through to the majors. This surprised the A's organization which originally ranked him below other Dominicans who have since faded and returned to island obscurity or the life of an undocumented alien in New York City. Unfortunately, the author's case is buried by some truly stilted prose in a narrative that wanders all over the map without giving Tejada himself much more life in the book than as a paradigm for the author's argument. I happen to know already a fair amount about Latin ballplayers so this book brought me neither increased insight into them as a group or to Tejada as an individual.

I've found this to be a critical part of my ballroom education, both reinforcing the instruction I receive from my classes and prepping me to better receive instruction. I use this like I would a college textbook, reading the chapters on the dance I'm about to learn in class, taking the class, and then going back to re-read the chapters in the book. I've found that the nebulous terms used in instruction like Contra Body Movement, Body Flight, and dance lines/curves, are all explained in detail in this book, providing instruction in two different voices (the book and my dance teacher) to help me comprehend and apply these theories in my dancing better. I've actually noticed a drastic improvement in my dancing since studying this book.

I've also enjoyed learning the how to lead (I'm female and usually following) from this book, as learning the mens part helps me become a better follower when dancing with a variety of leads.

I would highly recommend this book as a supplement to a structured dance program. I don't think it would be easy to learn to dance with only the use of this book, but by combining it with the practical instruction of a qualified teacher, this book is an amazing resource.

As a professional teacher (Di Marsh) with my own studio in Tasmania (Heals & Souls Danceworld) , I can attest to its value as an excellent and informative publication for beginners, competition dancers and student professionals. All tuition is from the maestro himself, Alex Moore, and the book easily lives up to it's reputation as "the ballroom dancer's bible", with not only interesting information for everyone but diagrams to enhance the teaching. I highly recommend this product for all who have the slightest interest in ballroom.

When buying this, I didn't realize that it was the 4th edition. The 10th edition is actually available at Amazon under this ISBN: 0-87830-153-4 . Anyone interested in ballroom dancing should really be buying the most recent edition.

Please be aware that this particular offering is not the 10th Edition (the newest) of this title. This is a pre-historical edition (before my time, anyway) published in 1939. Even though the changes occurred between this edition and the later ones may not seem to be that significant, I am wondering why Amazon is offering this edition to the public who are interested in "modern" ballroom dancing (just can not resist the pun) instead of the more "modern" version of it.

I am giving it a three star for the obvious old feel of it.

This book presents maneuvers that are very leadable. The lady
can follow the man without knowing in advance what he will do.
The very detailed technique is based on the bio-mechanical
necessities of good dancing. It has been the most respected
book on ballroom dancing worldwide for decades. It is useful
for teaching yourself without a teacher, if you are a serious
student. It covers international style, which has some figures
in common with American style. Where they diverge international
sticks to leadable figures, American to showy figures.

This book provided alot of helpful insight from the mind of an individual who has already achieved success in the field I want to pursue myself. This is a good book to read if you're curious to see a realistic day-in-the-life look at the entrepreneurial track of fitness training. It also gives good tips for those that wish to work in established gyms as well; however, the entrepreneurial info is what reeled me in.

I really enjoyed reading this "Dummies" book. The author put lots of practical stories that really made the points. While I won't be training others for profit, I've already started working with other missionaries that want to get healthy. The book already has given me several ideas about how to work better.

This book does not really teach you the basics of becoming a personal trainer, but yet it teaches you how to start your business as a personal trainer. Was not what I thought based on the title.

Not really what I was looking for, but I started reading and its a great book, I really recomended to all beginners and experience, it has all the information you'll ever need, trully a well written and great referance book to have.

This is a very easy to read primer for those considering a career or hobby in personal fitness. It gives a nice overview of what the career is like and what it will take to gain a certificate and proceed to line up those all important clients. I also learned a few things that can be incorprated into my own liftness lifestyle.