Athletics Books

I AM 53 AND HAVE SUFFERED FOR YEARS WITH A BAD BACK. I'VE TRIED EVERYTHING INCLUDING THERAPY. NOTHING WORKS AS WELL AS CALLANS BACK EXERCISES! I BOUGHT THIS BOOK USED RECENTLY. I WISH I WOULD HAVE FOUND IT YEARS AGO! IT WOULD HAVE SAVED ME YEARS OF PAIN! WHAT A SHAME ITS OUT OF PRINT.

The first few pages of this book are devoted to emergency relief of lower back spasm. If you've ever had to get out of bed by rolling out onto the floor, getting onto your knees, then slowly & painfully rising to your feet by supporting yourself by leaning on the nightstand...you know what I'm talking about. Her emergency exercises work.

The long-term stretching & toning program is a lot like some yoga exercises...but with some very important--and seemingly subtle--differences that will protect your back from some of the dangerous stresses that certain yoga positions put you into.

It's a shame this book is out of print. Haunt your local used book stores until you find it!

This book should not be out of print! I have been a low-back-pain sufferer most of my adult life and have tried everything from weightlifting to yoga with little or no positive result (in some cases, very negative results). But this book, with its common-sense approach to both back therapy and overall exercise (making it clear that, yes, back problems are no barrier to staying in shape) got me from 80% of the time in back pain to 95% of the time pain-free, strong, and able to hike, bike, and do all the other things that would in the past have gotten me into painful trouble. Also, but just incidentally, it toned and slimmed my entire body, a selling point for Callanetics for women, but believe me, this man doesn't mind losing his "love handles" on the way to a better back, either! Callan Pinckney is some kind of miracle worker, maybe because she used herself and her own back as the laboratory for the program she created. Simply amazing!

I found the book and 2 sets of audio tapes of Callanetics for Your Back years ago. I purchased 5 sets and only have one set left. Is that version still available? Callan Pinckney's easy lying down back exercises are the most valuable and helpful found anywhere. Help me find more copies, please! I'm searching for friends.

I bought this for a project in college and it turned out to be a lot better use. Have given it reads a few times just to remind myself of different aspects of the game. Helps in building a program and controlling your life as coaches sometimes get lost in coaching. Worth a read.

This is the one book I have constantly pushed around my high school to fellow coaches- in any sport- to read. The leadership and guidance is both thorough, entertaining and most of all, right on the money. Any new (or not so new) varsity coach would be very wise to read this and keep this book in their library to refer to it at least annually. However, you will find it difficult to reacquisition the book after loaning it to somebody. Perhaps the Athletic Director could buy one for each coach. It would saved me the ordeal buying now another one .

In Coaching and Control Bill Warren examines many key components that are often overlooked in books for coaches. From relationships between individual players, whole teams, school staff and communities to practice and game preparation, Warren gives coaches of every sport and level an excellent framework from which to develop your own philosophy on coaching. Additionally, this is one of the few coaching books that I have encountered where the writer isn't afraid to address situations in a non-politically correct way. It was nice to finally read someone who has coached and isn't afraid to tell it like it is. I highly recommend this book for the "new" and "old" coach. There is something for everyone here.

This book is the ONLY book that can help all coaches in every sport. Bill Warren has been through it all and presents tons of valuable information to help any coach navigate the "shark infested waters" of coaching. I wish I had this book 20 years ago. Coach Warren, thanks for all the help you have given me. This book is your best! Thanks!

Many books on the subject of improving youth sports are written to create awareness of the importance of the subject, but say little of practical value on the way of doing this.

Other books treat the 'how' comprehensively but are as dry as fossilized bones.

The DGC avoids these two pitfalls admirably. It does a great job of describing and explaining the problems that youth sports programs have in the US (and in many other parts of the World), with such feeling, sensitivity and clarity that one cannot avoid being moved by the arguments.

Jim Thompson goes further, though, the DGC translates ideals into practical measures to build exemplary youth sports programs.

My organization is currently using the DGC as a blueprint to develop a soccer program in Mexico, and its lessons and arguments are as useful, relevant and potent here as they seem to be in the US, judging by the growth of The Positive Coaching Alliance.

The premise of the book is that winning is not a bad thing. It's not necessarily the only thing however. Thompson uses real life examples from youth through professional, where focusing on the positive, correcting the negative, and focus on improving have helped teams be successful.

It is our job as youth coaches to make sure we are building solid citizens, teaching them life lessons through sports, and helping them become the best athlete they can be. Winning happens to be a great side effect of this approach!

The book is great for coaches and parents alike!

Discussions of character in sports hinge on two sometimes competing beliefs. One holds that sports build character, the other that sports reveal it.

The case can be made that both ideas are valid. Character is regularly revealed in the way that players, coaches, parents and leaders of youth sports organizations (YSOs) conduct themselves on and off the field.

The "Sports Builds Character" belief is a trickier proposition. Who is to question that sports provides a wonderful setting for the development of poise, confidence, determination, resilience, self-sacrifice, courage? The list goes on, and it is not a coincidence that a strong involvement in sports was the common feature of those who tried to take back the plane on 9/11. Yet every Positive Life Skill associated with sports has a counterpart that can be learned equally well. And often more easily. If you can learn fair play and sportsmanship, you can also learn to cheat. If you can learn about commitment, you can also learn to quit on yourself and your teammates. Accountability and accepting responsibility: making excuses. Again, the list goes on.

Many of the adults involved in sports simply assume, based on their own experience, that the positive side of these character traits will emerge. In fact, without a concerted effort to use sports to teach positive Life Lessons, you might as well be flipping a coin.

Attention to these issues is a major focus of "The Double Goal Coach", the latest book by Jim Thompson. The author is founder of the Positive Coaching Alliance ..., an organization based at Stanford University which seeks "to transform the culture of youth sports so that sports can transform youth."

Like many books on the state of youth sports, Thompson chronicles the excesses. What sets the book apart are solutions to these problems based on research in the fields of education and sports psychology as well as lessons in organizational culture drawn from the business world. Theory then becomes practice through the presentation of many practical tools for establishing and maintaining a positive culture for youth sports. Coaches, parents and the leaders of YSO's will find things here that can be put to immediate use.

What is a Double Goal Coach? He or she is a coach who wants to win. Thompson makes clear that the Positive Coaching message is not anti-competitive or about "happy talk". This is not an invitation to go out and kick a ball around with Barney. Indeed, at a time when real competitions at Field Day have been reduced to (at most) a 50 yard dash, Thompson sees the competitive sports experience as an increasingly important, and rare, opportunity for the development of positive character traits - the second, and more important, goal of the Double Goal Coach. Because it's the character traits that will endure long after the ball's gone into the closet.

There are three elements to Double Goal Coaching. The first seeks to redefine winning, changing the definition from one based only on results (the "win at all costs" model, or waac - which so often becomes wacko!) to a "mastery approach" based on effort, learning, and a positive view of the value of mistakes. The essential difference in the approaches has to do with control. Results are so much in the control of others; with a mastery approach, control belongs to the athlete. What's interesting, though, is the research that shows that a mastery approach actually produces better performance than one where the focus is primarily on the scoreboard.

Next comes the concept of Honoring the Game. This is largely a proactive view of sportsmanship issues, based on what you do rather than what you don't do. Honoring the game involves developing and demonstrating respect for Rules, Opponents, Officials, Teammates, and one's Self (ROOTS).

The third element of the Double Goal model involves "Filling the Emotional Tank", motivation through encouragement and positive reinforcement. Again, the book provides a number of useful tools for coaches.

There is also a section of the book for Sports Parents. Thompson promotes the notion of the "Second Goal Parent", whose primary task is to be unconditionally supportive of their child, whose focus is on those Life Lessons and positive character traits, who recognize that their child's participation in sports belongs to the child, and who leave coaching to the coaches.

Thompson advocates a "systems approach" to developing positive cultures for youth sports, and his organization provides an integrated set of workshops for coaches, parents and leaders of YSOs. Where that's not in place, "The Double Goal Coach" will give the individual coach many ways create a more enjoyable environment for his or her team, and one where the players are much more likely to reach their potential as athletes. That a Double Goal approach will also be much more enjoyable and rewarding for the coach is no insignificant bonus.

This book covers some of the same topics as Thompson's classic, Positive Coaching. However, it has some new ideas in it, and also has some lessons learned since Positive Coaching was written. It also has a handbook-type approach - it gives you example talks, helps you plan a practice and also shows you ways to help you acquire Positive Coaching skills. I have found all of Jim Thompson's books enjoyable and enlightening.

This book is a good introduction to Foil fencing. It does have some dated pictures but the information given still serves favorably for the new foil fencer. It should be clear this book should be used in addition to current lessons being taken to be able to extract the information correctly.

A simple and complete introduction to the sport. The text is a little dated but still accurate. Probably the best introductory book for the money.

A REVIEW BY NICK EVANGELISTA:

This book has been around for quite a while, and for good reason. It is a fine, basic volume on fencing. I recommend it.

This is a clearly written basic introduction to Olympic-style sport foil fencing, with good illustrations. It is much more readable than most others, and is written for a U.S. audience. Foil is the weapon most often used to teach beginners, and though I am a sabre fencer I found this book very useful during my first year.

I bought this book when it first came out in 1996. I have now just gotten around tor reading it (1999). I am bad about putting off things I suspect are going to be very good (Delayed gratification).

One of the great pioneers of not just running, but healthy living via serious play, George Sheehan, wrote a book that is the final work of his life. Subtitled, One Man's Journey To The End Of His Life," Sheehan has his eyes wide open, avoiding clinging to pure emotionalism and the could-of-should-of-would-of mentality, looking deep into his own felings and observations.

This book is not for everyone. It is for those that choose to face life and death with their eyes open -- willing to face themselves and what makes them tick.

Just as you cannot put a bandaid on cancer, George Sheehan doesn't try to cover up his humaness. He fully embraces what he was, what he is now, and acknowledges the similarity between the very young and the very old.

Unfortunately, this book will hard to find if you have an interest . . . Long overdue for a reprint.

G.R. Ford

This was the first running book I ever read, I am trying to read all of his books. But some are hard to come across. A touching story of a man and such a stong devotion of the meaning "life," god bless him.

While George Sheehan is best known for his expertise in running, he may be more accurately described as a philosopher than a runner. Going the Distance is a wonderful journey through a dying man's thoughts and reflections on dealing with the end of his life. Diagnosed with prostate cancer, Sheehan embarks upon a journey to battle the disease, and then come to terms with his own mortality when the battle is lost. As per his usual work, there is the obvious emphasis on running, but even the non-runner will enjoy this book. Not merely a book for "jocks", Sheehan once again displays his artful writing style and philisophical nature. A must read for the runner, walker and couch potato alike!

I would give this book 10 stars if I could. First, I should mention this is *not* a book about running any more than Moby-Dick is a book about whales. Rather, it is a discourse on how best to live one's life, written by someone near the end of his. I read this every year, and every year I'm amazed at how wise Dr. Sheehan was. Like Shakespeare or the Bible, it opens up to me the more I read it, and every time I learn something new, if only because I've changed and understand it better through experience. It helps me measure my own growth. I can't express what an influence it has been.

I run youth programs in Iowa, and after reading Mr. Wolff's book I feel more educated in the world of youth sports. Not only will this help me in my programs but also at home with my three sons.

I've enjoyed reading Rick Wolff's columns for years - every one seems to be just on the mark. This book is a great compendium of his thinking, caring approach to being a coach and parent. Any parent signing up a child in youth baseball (or any sport) should have to promise to read this book!

Not only does Wolff point out some of the problems with youth sports today, he also gives solutions. As a concerned parent and coach for my children's basketball, softball and soccer teams, I thought I had a pretty good handle on the important ingredients for coaching and being an encouraging parent. This book renewed me and now my children and their teams are enjoying sports more and becoming more successful. I re-read the book prior to every season and get more out of it each time.

This is an excellent overview of the proper attitude to have in coaching kid's sports, as well as containing good tips for parents on their role. But I wonder if it needs a chapter on getting the people who need to read it to actually read this book. I think the concerned parent, the one who wants to learn, will seek out this book. It is the unconcerned parent or coach, who thinks they know how to mold champions, that won't even think to read a book like this.

If there is one criticism of this book, it is that it tends to focus on team sports and does not explore the differences of how to interact with a child involved in individual sports (running, swimming, tennis, golf, etc.). Of course, the biggest abuses of poor coaching and loutish parental behavior tend to be in team sports like baseball. But I think the book would be improved with more specific examples related to individual sports to complement the information about team sports

Nice going Hal you've put out another great book for runners to follow as they progress through their sport.

It seems that my biggest challenge these days is motivation and nutrition where my athletes are concerned. There are just too darn many fads out there and the real "easiest" way is when you put in the study and the work.

Hal Higdon has taken the problem out of researching your needs and put it right in front of you in this book. Read what he's giving and then incorporate it into your program.

Written by "Runner's World" magazine's senior writer, this book takes the form of question and answer over a wide range of topics. Simply put, it's a FAQ manual for runners.

One small problem with this format is, there is only one question and answer addressed per topic, so the information imparted is very specialised. To counter this, the book covers a wide range of topics from beginning running to marathon training, to injuries, to advice for young and older runners.

I would recommend this book to the beginner / inexperienced runner. Those who have been running for some time would very likely have come across most of this information before. If you're looking for a repository that contains a great deal of accumulated knowledge that can be accessed easily, here it is.

Although I considered myself to be a seasoned runner, I knew there was much that I had yet to discover before taking on my first marathon. This book helped incredibly - with everything from nutrition to preventing potentially painful or debilitating injuries. Though training to run a marathon is most certainly an arduous and daunting task, Higdon's book helps to put running into perspective and removes it from the realm of "only the talented can do it." He gives running back to those who don't know everything about the sport and are willing to learn.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who is considering a marathon or even a 5K for the motivation, the advice, and the knowledge.

Hal Higdon is my grandfather, and I'd love this book even if it wasn't written by him. :-)

It's quick & easy with lots of color & specific tips. It's particularly good if you feel like you're too old or out of shape to run a half-marathon. While there are great tips for training for more competent & experienced half marathoners, as a runner moving into the "masters" category, I really appreciated some of his insight into prioritizing workouts and pacing so I could avoid injury and enjoy myself longer. Took his advice on walk break and set a personal record at my next Half Marathon, despite the aging knees!!

I bought this book while in the middle of following another taining plan for my first half marathon. The other, simpler plan was based on just grinding out the miles though it did include a few longish runs (8-10 miles) split into 2 halves with a short walk in the middle. I kind of liked a short walk in the middle (100m or so), it seemed to rejuvenate my legs. But ultimately the plan I was on eliminated them in favor of pure running.

Galloway recommends many more walk breaks and, at first, this seemed to me like cheating. But I figured I'd give it a try. I started running my 8-12K runs 1000m "on", 100m "off" (walk) and I saw something amazing happen: my split times came down and I could run longer and more enjoyably. My run/walk ratio of 10:1 is actually a lot higher run than he recommends, but it works great for me.

I just used the technique in the San Jose Half Marathon and the results were great. I beat my baseline goal by 10 minutes and even beat my stretch goal by 3. I beat my last 13 mile time trial time by a whopping 20 minutes and, more importantly, I felt great coming across the finish line (I was *crawling* on my last time trial where I ran 3 x 7K with only very short walks). My pace actually sped up throughout the race and my last 2 miles were my fastest.

So, for me, the system works. I am doing another half in January and will follow the entire program this time.

I am basing this review on simply reading the book for about 15 minutes while killing some time at one of the big chain bookstores. From what I see, this book is wonderfully written and broken down perfectly, even for "older" novices like me (over 50, run a 9-10 minute mile, have run in about a half-dozen 5Ks' and looking to do more).

The presentation is colorful, motivational, and detailed enough for runners of all levels to get something out of it. I am currently reading the MARATHON YOU CAN DO IT book and that too is written in a breezy fun style yet there is a lot of text. HALF MARATHON seems almost like an outline with easy to view points and notes.

I also own the ABSOLUTE BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO HALF MARATHON but if you only want one guide, Galloway's book appears to be the better and handier guide to own.

Loved this book and still refer to it often. Jeff Galloway's training plan is great and helps you stay motivated till the race and beyond. Also great paired with Jeff's book on running.

Hey, I am not a Mountaineer or a football fan but I ordered and received 7 copies for our Library System (one of those copies for me), They arrived Tuesday around 3 pm by UPS. I read about 45 pages @ my desk and then had to go home (39 miles), read a few more pages, went to bridge club, came back and finished about ONE am. Could not put the book down.
I just loved it!

Carol G. Walters, Director of Libraries
Sandhill Regional Library System
Rockingham, North Carolina 28379

I was an ASU football fan before having the pleasure to read this book. I am now a huge App State Mountaineer football fan, and a great admirer of Jerry Moore. Dick Brown does a fabulous job of chronicling Coach Moore's life and the principles that drive him. The unique thing about this book is that Brown began interviewing Moore and writing this book the year before ASU won their first national championship, so he was there, writing this book, while history was happening, during ASU's run to three straight national championships. I highly recommend this book to football fans and to readers who are looking for a truly inspiring story.

"I went to Dick Brown's book signing and purchased "King of the Mountain" on Saturday and read it on Sunday and Monday. Regardless of your interest or non interest in football, the book is very well written and interesting...great research. For me it was a "page turner". Brown did a great job. I recommend it."

Buddy Gettys

Great story about a great Christian leader and Head Football Coach of Appalachian State University....leading them to three National championships back to back to back!
It is great to know Jerry Moore and to have seen years of this story unfold! It was great to be present at the ASU victory over Michigan at the Big House! It is great to be a Mountaineer!

Even though this book was written in the 80's it contains alot of awesome training ideas, some quiet advanced. Fun read and a great piece to add to your library.

Even though this book was written 21 years ago it still has a lot of good information. Anyone who has read muscle mags knows that the latest hype of the day seems to come and go like fashion in favor of the newest hype that can gloss a cover. But this book has a lot of information that has stood the test of time. He covers most areas that bodybuilders will need schooling in with straight forward, easy to understand advice. Some of the actual routines may be a little dated but no one can really agree on "the best" ways to train anyway. There are a lot of motivational photos and it does not try to fool you into thinking its a blueprint to turn you into a pro bodybuilder. If your looking for a book to help you see where many of todays ideas evolved from this may be of interest to you.

I am thankful to the authors for not wasting hundreds of pages showing how to do common exercises. Afterall, how many books do I need that will show me how to do a bench press? You probably already know the most common exercises anyway if you are looking at purchasing this book. If you want an encyclopedia of exercise variations, I would recommend Bill Pearl's book, Keys to the Inner Universe.

Mass goes beyond other Bodybuilding books in ways too numerous to list. Just as one small example, many books give example workout plans for beginner, intermediate, and advanced bodybuilders. However, this book goes one step further by telling you when you are ready to advance based on what percentage of your body weight you can lift in various exercises.

The book tells how to target different muscle cells, numerous ways to structure your workout, different ways to specialize on lagging body parts, numerous tricks for increasing intensity, how to cycle intensity, tips on nutrition and weight loss, recipes for mixing your own protein drinks, etc.

Makes a great companion to Beef It, one of Kennedy's other books. In fact, I would recommend reading numerous books, including books by other authors such as Vince Gironda and Fred Hatfield. Information is power.

However, if you have to start with just one book, you could do far worse than to pick this one. I agree with the previous reviewer that this is a book you won't read and then toss. You'll keep coming back to it.

BTW, Kennedy's co-author on this book, Dennis B. Weis, has a great web site with free training tips and articles. I asked Mr. Weis about the book, and here is what he said:
"Actually I wrote the entire book and Bob Kennedy was so kind as to supply all the interior support photo's and most importantly of all get us a book contract. Regarding the book Raw Muscle! It continues on where Mass! left off so to speak and likewise Anabolic Muscle Mass continues on where Raw Muscle left off. Thanks again for your comments. Please check out my monthly Q & A column in MuscleMag International."

Chapters:
CONCENTRATION - THE BODYBUILDER'S WAY
THE SCIENCE OF REPS AND SETS
TRAINING MECHANICS - MUSCLE OVERLOADING
STRUCTURING A WORKOUT SCHEDULE
BODY-PART SPECIALIZATION
OPTIMUM MUSCLE-BLASTING TECHNIQUES
THE WISDOM BEHIND PHASE TRAINING
A TREASURY OF BODYBUILDING SECRETS
THE CHAMPIONS' SECRET - AEROBICS
MUSCLE INJURIES - CAUSES AND TREATMENT
THE NUTRIENT FACTOR
ESTIMATING YOUR ENERGY EXPENDITURE
SOME FACTS ABOUT BODY FAT
A GUIDE TO LOSING EXCESS BODY WEIGHT
OVERCOMING WATER RETENTION
TEN TIPS FOR GAINING MUSCULAR BODY WEIGHT
CARBOHYDRATE LOADING
BLENDER MAGIC
THE FINAL COMMENT

I have read and tossed out many many books and magazines on Bodybuilding over the years. I only have three books I refer to over and over again, and of the three, this is by far the most comprehensive and easy to understand. I refer to it so often that it is never put away back on the shelf. I don't write reveiws here often, but I owe so much to this book that I felt obligated to let others know how good it is.