Athletics Books

I used this book and LOVED it! I bought the training bible book too (it was way too much info and I wasn't able to make an "action plan" from it). This book told me what to do daily and how hard to do it. I am half way through and really kicking a** at my ironman training. I started my training with no base. Although I'm in shape, I had no specific swimming or biking or running for at least 5 years and this book has me right where i need to be. I follow it religiously and recommend it hihgly!

I found this book to be helpful as a reference guide. It is a nice quick version of Endurance training and the 24 week training program is good, as it breaks down the workouts into specific training segments.
I am training for my first Ironman and will use this book in conjunction with others to develop a solid training plan.

I purchased this book based on the description that it was for beginner or intermediate triathletes ready to move from sprint distance races to olympic or half-iron distance races. The book actually presents a 24-week training plan for an Ironman distance race. There is a lot of great information in the up-front chapters - descriptions of different types of workouts, etc, but if you are not planning to train for an Ironman, the rest of the book may not be very helpful to you.

Beyond the brink, a book about a Championship team who came to victory with four seconds to go in the Championship game. Indiana was the team who shocked the people around the world by winning the championship in 1987. Indiana is a team that can't be predictable, especially coach Bobby Knight. The coach that will live infamy; his coaching and his actions were unforgettable.
The book review the 1986-87 season, where Bobby Knight banged his fist on the officials table and broke a phone and was fined $10,000 and when the Hoosiers won the NCAA title. When Bobby Knight didn't think he had the team that could go all the way. It was also the season that the championship game will not be forgotten either. It was the shot the Keith Smart took with four seconds to go. Beyond the Brink, is an awesome book for Indiana basketball fans. I liked how the book broke every game down into pieces and it showed how the team progressed through the season. I was only three years old and I hear about this year and the last game and that's when I wanted to read about it. I was born an Indiana fan and to like and understand why the book is called beyond the brink is why you should read it.
I wish that the book would have started from the very first game of the season instead of starting it from the summer before. I do not think the summer where two players played in the Olympics had nothing to do with the season because it does not include the whole team. The book was really specific and detail to a point. I think that some of it could have been left out because some information might not seem in the right place. Altogether, this book is made for only real Hoosier fans that enjoyed everything about Indiana basketball.

This game-by-game account of Indiana's 1987 NCAA championsip season recaps the ups and down of an exciting year. The author is a (now retired) writer from the Bloomington Herald-Times - and one of Bob Knight's closest friends. Interesting tidbits, stats, and stories. If you're an IU fan - buy this book.

Great for young coaches and high school coaches. It will provide the coach with a framework of the importance of athletics and the role they play in later life development. It is not about "winning" alone ... but about the intangibles that accompany the process of winning. Great historical coaches are examined and insight is given into what they truly believed was important. A must for young coaches ... many life lessons are provided.

This book examines the coaching approaches of six "philosopher coaches": Vince Lombardi, Woody Hayes, John Wooden, James "Doc" Counsilman, Brutus Hamilton, and Percy Cerutty. Each is afforded a chapter in the book, and the final chapter gives a summary of the "essence of philosopher coaching." The book's premise is that the men presented believed that coaching was more than wins and losses, that it is inextricably intertwined with the development of the whole person. Each coach presented took a different approach to his methods, but all of them had this philosophical element in common. One of the pleasures of this book is that it has chosen coaches from a cross-section of sports: Lombardi and Hayes from football, Wooden from basketball, Counsilman from swimming, and Hamilton and Cerutty from track and field. Also interesting is that the summary chapter discusses, in part, the flawed elements of each coach's character, implying that they shared the journey toward self-discovery and personal development with the players they coached. An informative book that will certainly help shape (or re-shape) the coaching philosophies of those who read it.

I consider myself not only an avid baseball fan, but a die hard Oakland Athletics fan. I have read numerous books about the A's, but never has there been a book as thorough, original and entertaining as Champions. The detailed account Dickey provides of the three dynasties, from Finley to Henderson to Giambi, is both informative and enlightening.

Champions is easy to read, easy to follow and impossible to put down. I recommend this book to all baseball fans, particularly those with a soft spot for the Oakland Athletics.

I HIGHLY SUGGEST THIS FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE GREAT A'S TEAMS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT. I ADMIRED AND RESPECTED THOSE THE TEAMS OF THE EARLY 70'S. THEY TRULY WERE ONE OF THE BEST TEAMS IN MODERN HISTORY. THE TEAMS OF THE LATE 80'S AND EARLY 90'S WERE AWSOME WITH THE BASH BROTHERS. THE TEAM OF NOW HAS GREAT PITCHING AND TIMELY HITTING EVEN WITH THE LOSS OF THE GIAMBINO. THE AUTHOR DOES DOES A GREAT JOB DESCRIBING THE EVENTS THAT LED UP TO THE DYNASTIES AND SOME FACTS ABOUT THE PRIVATE LIFE OF THE MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS. ALL IN ALL IT IS A VERY DETAILED AND INTERESTING READ. ALL BASEBALL FANS SHOULD READ THIS BOOK.

A facinating look, often behind the scenes, of this world famous race. A must read for anyone that has run Chicago or is contemplating it.

Good book for those who live in Chicago and want to learn the history of the marathon. As a first timer running Chicago, I thought it would give me course insight, running strategies and what to expect running the marathon. it wasn't this type of book. I returned it.

I myself am a novice thrower who purchased this book in order to gain a better understanding of the javelin throw in particular and I am pleased to say that I wasn't let down. The book does a great job of offering some specific workout plans and training drills that can help increase your power output and thus enable you to throw farther.
The only reason I gave this book a four star rating was because of the technique instructions that were explained only in print with few pictures.
Overall a very good book however and I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get in better shape for the throwing events or to a coach who wants to better condition their athletes.

I consider myself to have a decent undersanding of the throws, and still found this book to be full of tidbits of knowledge. If you are a throws guy (or girl) then this book should be a part of your collection.

Nice book! A lof of pictures. I am missing more detailed information regarding the paintball guns in the market and their unique features!

This book is the Bible of paintball. It covers the basics for beginners and runs up through drills for more advanced players, including some interviews with big figures in paintball, like some of the original players who were in the first game ever played, current pro players, gun designers and the owner/operator of Skirmish USA.

A word of caution after having read another review on this page - this book covers a lot, but not individual markers. Very few books cover specific markers and upgrades. That would date the book extremely quickly (see the reviews for "Paintball Strategy and Tactics" by Bill Barnes) and it would be impossible to be comprehensive. If you don't believe me, check out Special Ops Paintball's website - there's already enough there to fill a book, and that's only one company's offerings. The book offers some general guidelines for upgrading your marker, and that's the best you'll get from almost any worthwhile book out there.

This book is absolutely awesome! We finally have literature that treats the sport the way it is supposed to be treated, as an internationally-recognized and serious event. It contains all the nuts and bolts on how to be successful at practicing it. It provides the necessary technical info in a language that any international reader can understand. Finally, a book that presents useful info using the prevailing standard modern units of measurement that are the only ones recognized and accepted for the practice and organization of such events. A must for the serious practicioner!

This book was packed with great info. From complete workout plans for various distance triathlons to fantastic advice. The problem is that it is rather hard to read. If you can cope with a German/English style you can get alot out of this book.

Physical Education Major with a Coaching Minor is the norm.
Coaching as a Major is welcome, esp. if you are unaware that it is available.

Professor McMillin, a tireless advocate for formal sports coaching education, has created the first ever database of the sport coaching education programs offered at colleges and universities throughout the U.S. Now young men and women who aspire to become quality sports coaches for their profession can use this directory to find schools that offer undergraduate and graduate level sport coaching education programs. If this directory had existed in 1981, my life would have been different!

The directory is easy to use and is cross referenced. Also, his introduction plainly states the case for the need for such educational programs. With the ongoing obesity crisis in the US, the need for quality trained sport coaches is high.

Scott Tinley, one of the Big Four Triathletes, gives novice and expert triathletes an opportunity to experience triathlon through the eyes of one of triathlon's most influential and enduring figures. The several anecdotes and questions that Scott poses and provides make for a light and enjoyable reading that is more philosophical than technical

Scott T. tells the humorous tale of extreme training and racing by intense people(ask my spouse). Its a book to enjoy over and over when itrains or snows, or if you doubt that any more training will make a difference. As wine ages gracefully, so does Scott the old warrior.