Athletics Books

".....Science and Practice of Strength Training is an OUTSTANDING REFERENCE AND TEXT that not only presents the scientific principles behind strength training, but also provides practical recommendations for optimizing muscular strength and development....."
[from the book of the back cover]

I am very satisfied with this book.It's very interesting scientific strength book who attempts to join scientific strength approach with one side and practice on the other side.Book is very influenced from work dr.Zatsiorsky with weightlifters and throwers in former Soviet Union but I am also interested in non linear periodization from dr.Kraemer.
Many thanks to autors

As the name implies, this book is a scientific analysis of the practice of strength training. Rather than the typical myths advocated by publications such as Men's Health and other popular sources for training information, this book provides the scientific foundations for strength training. It helps cut through the many myths surrounding strength training and provides in depth scientific analysis by one of the world's leading biomechanists, kinesiologists, and strength training experts. Zatsiorsky has influenced the weightlifting, powerlifting, strong man, and sports training worlds as well as academia. He describes theories as well as methods. This book belongs on the shelf of any serious student, professor, coach, or athlete. I, myself, am a tennis player and have benefitted greatly from this book. Clearly one for the ages, this book is excellent. Worth at least 100$.

I read this book upon the recommendation of Louie Simmons from one of his
[...] articles. I can safely say that this is one of the best books out there. It contains legitimate research and case studies of ELITE world class athletes. You won't find a perfect program here, because no such thing exists... Rather, you will find principles that you can employ to your training and research results based on other world class athletes (most notably Olympic weightlifters).

Best part of all, the text isn't infested with bodybuilding magazine type advice that distorts many trainees philosophy. The bottom line is that 3 sets of 8-12, pre-exhaustion and pyramid sets among other techniques are flawed and ineffective for elite strength athletes and Olympic athletes.

A great book on strength training for beginners and veterans alike. You don't need to be an exercise physiologist to understand it and yet the information is complete and extremely helpful for athletes and coaches at all levels

This book should be required reading in all high school classes. It is
a testament to the courage of the writer and his team of athletes.
Their acceptance of a coach who had the courage to come out to his team and the community is inspiring and these young athletes show they are far more mature and understanding than the school administration.


This is an well written, absorbing story which I found hard to put down.
I have purchased about 10 copies to give to young people that I know.

I am no fan of athletics or stories about same, but I found Eric Anderson's book an engaging memoir. He keeps the whining down to a minimum and provides instead a truly inspirational piece about an individual who would just not give up on attaining his goals, no matter what obstacles were strewn in his way. Sometimes I found myself skeptical at how easily and immediately accepting his friends, family, colleagues and students were of his homosexuality, but I am inclined to give Anderson the benefit of the doubt. He strikes me as an honest man. His life could certainly serve as some sort of model for young folks of all and any persuasions or predilections: perseverence is the key to success; hard work is unavoidable.

I would liked more about Eric's personal life, but perhaps that would have thrown the book out of focus, because TRAILBLAZING is as much about the talented young runners as it is their hard-headed, hard-working young coach. And if we are lucky, Anderson might even be penning a sequel that gives us further details about his life and loves. Let's hope.

I am usually loathe to read biographies of individuals under the age of 40. As Benvenuto Cellini once wrote:

"All men. . . who have done anything of excellence, or which may properly resemble excellence, ought, if they are persons of truth and honesty, to describe their life with their own hand; but they ought not to attempt so fine an enterprise till they have passed the age of forty."

Coach Eric "Gumby" Anderson, however, is an exception to this admonition against youthful indulgence. While he glosses over the more personal aspects of his life, like coming out to a gay-friendly mother, his professional struggle to coach track at the high school level is more than worthy of book-length treatment.

Coach Gumby lives in less than an accommodating part of California (Orange County), though it is still probably more "socially progressive" than most other areas of the nation. He demonstrates that a steadfast commitment to pursue one's life calling -- the unyielding exercise of individual volition -- can overcome those orthodox cultural hurdles rooted in misinformation, fear, and the anti-social desire to exert power over other persons.

All persons - gay or straight - who yearn for a civic community where individuals are judged according to their unique merits and talents, as opposed to their "identity," shall find a superlative instructor in Coach Gumby. There is still much work to be done, and his story shows that genuine progress comes from courageous acts of individual initiative and persistence.

The human quest for freedom against the incursion of others' belligerence pertains to all, regardless of sexual orientation. I know that I am a much richer person for having read "Trailblazing," and I strongly encourage all parties to learn from, and empathize with, Coach Gumby's successes and failures (many of which were the product of others' shortcomings).

Eric Anderson's book gives us a powerful and up-close look at sports in society and the importance of teamwork. Combining a rigorous account of the fast-paced high school distance races he coached to victory with a compelling and shocking journey, Anderson clearly illustrates homophobia is still very much present in our culture and that sport, when abused, reinforces and perpetuates discrimination and male dominance. His powerful journey urges us to form new perspectives on sport, the system that creates and manages it, and the ludicrous racist, sexist and homophobic beliefs which plague our society today. This book is truly a gem--a must read for every high school and college student and for anyone interested in sports, sociology or humanity.

I currently have a class with Gumby (Soc of Sport @ UCI), and reading this book was one of the requirements. However, it wasn't just another class textbook--in addition to being educational, it was extremely inspiring. I have not been exposed to many gays or lesbians (maybe a few lesbians and bisexuals here and there, but I was never close to them), in fact, I have been exposed to more conservative, anti-homosexual, and heterosexist views for most of my life, so many of the things Gumby brought up in his book were new to me. For instance, I never really thought about how hard it must be not just for a person to come "out of the closet" but how it would affect his close ones. Though I'm not close to Gumby, I learned a little more about how and why he thinks certain ways, mainly due to his treatment and experiences before and after "coming out". In addition to learning about issues on homosexuality, heterosexism, and how hegemonic masculinity can be, I learned more about how these issues are dealt with in the school administrative and sports arena through Gumby's experience. If you are interested in these sociological issues, or just want inspirational/motivational support in coming out as a homosexual, then READ THIS BOOK! It has definitely changed my view on homosexuality forever.

There are no new ideas or stretches here. Although doing these stretches regularly will work - I was looking for something a little more groundbreaking.

This is a pretty good book with tons of static and dynamic stretches for all muscle groups. It also contains several different stretching "routines" at the end of the book, which appear valuable.

The content is basic, but thorough, and I learned at least a few new stretches, which is why I bought the book.

My only complaint is that lots of the directions seem to be pretty vague and cryptic.

Pretty solid book.

I'm middle aged and was ordered by my doctor to exercise. I have to stretch to keep my lower back and shoulders and neck loose and to recover from aerobic exercise. The stretches in this book work to keep me flexible and loose. The descriptions are clear. I find the sets of stretches described in the last portion of the book useful: I do the 10-minute series after using the elliptical trainer and do the 20-minute series on my day off from aerobics. The book is inexpensive and you get very good value for the money.

Athletes stretch before and after exercise sessions in order to warm up their muscles, prevent injuries, and cool down after their exertions. Personal trainer and fitness educator Jay Blahnik blends the best of yoga, Pilates, martial arts, and sports training in Full-Body Flexibility to create "user friendly" stretching sequences that anyone can safely use for warm-ups and cool-downs, as well as during the course of performing challenging workouts on their own. Blahnik operates with three key stretching principles in mind: Variety (challenging muscles with multiple techniques to attain maximum flexibility); Strength (ensuring that muscles can support the body throughout the entire range of motion); and Balance (developing equal strength and flexibility in opposing muscle groups on both sides of the human body). Offering 10, 20, and 40 minute fitness routines; sport-specific sequences; and specialty stretch sequences, Full-Body Flexibility is an ideal and recommended introduction for even the most novice of beginners, while also holding much of value for even the more experienced athlete and fitness enthusiast.

Betsy L. Hogan
Reviewer

What can I say. I am not getting paid to write this, but the benefits of this book are immense. I am a 33 year old male, I have always been fairly athletic, but put on a lot of weight over the last three years and in the process have become entirely stiff. I can feel that, for example, in my hip flexors when I go jogging, also my harmstrings feel very tight.


After buying this book you can plunge right into it (except the author asks you to read his forword, which really helps though). There is exercise upon exercise, 8 for harmstrings alone (of course the entire body gets covered in the book. Just happens to be that I am into harmstrings right now).

And it's not that you have to do them all, it doesn't make a difference in the world. You do whatever you want. But some you do laying down, some standing up, some with a chair, etc, so pick whatever you are comfortable with. Some require just holding the stretch for 10 to 30 seconds, some ask to execute a movement 10 to 12 times.

So what is so good about it? Well, just that, the variety, and how incredibly easy everything is.

Example. The "Dynamic Knee Kick".
Stand tall and lift one leg up to hip heigt, keeping the knee bent.
Start: Straigthen the knee.
Finish: Rlease the stretch by bending the knee.
Repeat as a continuous , controlled, fluid sequence 10 to 12 times.
Repeat on the other leg.
Touch a wall or hold on to someting for balance, if necessary.

Then there is a foto that goes with it. THIS is easy to understand and won't waste your time trying to figure it out. This exercise takes up a page and they're ALL like that, in some cases you can read up on the next skill while you are still performing the previous one (after all, sometimes you just stand there).

Man, I have done just the 6 different ones for the neck...and feel rejuvenated. All of them are gentle and even simplistic, but some I really wouldn't have figured out myself. The exercises were on to someting.....something evil in my body.

And it doesn't take any time...let's say, conservatively, 8 minutes for all of them. And of course there are fullbody-workouts in the book that won't make you do 6 different ones for the same muscle group, but for the entire body. But I am not there yet. There is also some andvanced stuff which I haven't done yet, which goes a bit into yoga. As for now, I am content being a lot more flexible than last week.

I have enjoyed this book and have given it to friends and family on several occasions. This is not a book about basketball, but uses the sport to illustrate leadership priniples. Each chapter discusses a leadership concept and is broken into three parts- Coach Smith's insight, a player discussing how the concept affected him, and a business angle. This is easily in the top five books written about leadership!

This book is more than your typical sports book. Sure, it's filled with stories about games, seasons, and individual players. Each chapter starts out with Coach Smith explaining a particular aspect of his coaching methodology. A Player's Perspective follows outlining how the particular aspect and Dr. Bell relates the aspect to the modern workplace. This book is all about building teams.

The Carolina Way can be summed up by these words: Play Hard; Play Together; Play Smart. For example, Coach Smith talks about recruiting players that will fit into his system. Dr. Bell then takes those ideas one step further and relates the recruiting to hiring workers. Another example is Dean Smith held regular one-on-one meetings with each of his players to discover their goals in life as well as basketball. Dr. Bell then outlines how you can pattern employee reviews around these same principals.

I personally got a lot out of this book and plan on implementing some of the strategies in my own team.

Dean Smith is without a doubt one of the best college basketball coaches in the history of the NCAA. I think the win total speaks for itself, and in this book he tells just how he has made it to that milestone. He gives details on his philosophy and past players weigh in on Smith's coaching. This is good for any young coaches out there, or just basketball fans in general. This book is a must have for anyone that loves basketball.

Dean Smith is a great leader. He has won hundreds of games over the years and has accumulated many trophies that prove his worth as a coach. Great! I got that out of the way.

The Carolina Way should have been called the Dean Smith way. I believe that he would have been successful in almost any profession. He didn't try to win basketball games. He mastered the process that led to winning.

There are many coaches understand basketball X's and O's. Unlike Dean, some successful coaches walk around like they invented the basketball. The difference between Dean Smith and most coaches is his focus on working hard, working smart, and working together. Mastering these traits will help you become successful not matter what you do in life.

Who said nice guys always finish last?

Dean Smith's book The Tarheel Way was a great read. This book is for kids 12 and up. Unlike many sports books it relates sports to the real world. Dean Smith and his co-writers do a great job of that.

Dean Smith's book talks about the way he ran his basketball team. Dean Smith was all about life lessons and how basketball related to the real world. He does a great job of explaining the recruiting process in his book. He also talks about players leaving early for the NBA and he is ok with that because it gives them financial security for life. He also emphasizes how basketball gives students life lessons that they can carry on in life, or in there work place. Dean Smith had a great understanding of the game of basketball and in life in general. In his book, it is forwarded by people like Roy Williams who have nothing but great respect for him as a coach, and is a person. If you are interested in how a college basketball team is run, Dean Smith's The Tarheel Way is a must read for you.

I've read quite a few books on training. This one lays it all out simply and in a concise and easy to use manner. If you're a cyclist interested in racing, BUY THIS BOOK!

I am an anesthesiologist and avid cyclist. In the past I've used more traditional training programs to prepare for the racing season with good success ( winning or placing in our state USCF road race championship as well as success in local races as a 40+ and now 56 yo masters and/or cat 4/5 racer). This year I've tried the training program outlined by Dr. Ross in his book and I would give it a mixed review. My results this year have been decent, but I can't say they've been better than in past years.
First the positives. The book is well referenced and thus gives the impression that the principles outlined are based on well designed peer reviewed studies and papers published in respected medical and physiology journals. The efficiency of a program based almost exclusively on interval training is appealing. It certainly takes less time over the course of a week and suits my limited race schedule (only 4-5 races in the year) and work schedule. The intervals are always hard, but that's how you improve.
Now the negatives.
First, the most obvious drawback is that most athletes like to train with other athletes for cameraderie and motivation, and Ross's program of 4 days of intervals followed by 3 days off isn't something you can easily talk your bicycling buddies into. So you're on your own which decreases the fun and the competitive push that comes from "beating the other guy to the sprint point". Ross does mix (and recommends) "racing" into the 4 days of training later in the year, and I interpreted this to mean I could substitute a "hard group training ride" to keep from going nuts with only intervals.
Second, Ross includes weight training prior to the race season but then makes no mention of it. Most training programs recommend continuing with a maintenance weight program during the season. I think with this book you have to "fill in the blanks" a bit and modify the plan with some common sense such as continuing some maintenance weight training.
Third, I just can't take three days off in a row without training. I get cranky and my legs ache and twitch. I have also found that on the first day back after three days off my performance is definitely subpar (although the next day can be superlative). Thus (again this goes against Ross's ideas) I at least spin, do some weights, or walk around the lake with my wife.
In summary, (based on my personal experience only) if you're going to follow the program I think you need to use some commonsense and modify the schedule to fit your needs. Some previous experience with training programs would be helpful. I'm not sure this book is a good choice for someone just beginning on the bike.

Do you know what happens to your body when you're cycling? Find out the science behind the sport and important tips to improve your endurance.

This book is written by a US sports and emergency medicine physician who provides excellent physiological explanations as to what happens to the body in cycle training, and uses evidence to explain how to force these changes by targeted training in the shortest time.

For muscles, fitness for cycling comprises of increased mitochondria in each muscle cell (the cells 'batteries') and increasing the blood supply to the muscles by growing new blood vessels (angiogenesis) to optimise oxygen delivery and waste removal. A compelling argument as to why muscle fibres type IIa are optimal for cycling is given, and then ways in which to train so as to increase mitochondria, angiogenesis and performance of type IIa muscle fibres are provided, all referenced.

The author makes the point that traditional cycle training aims at volume of many hours riding to develop base endurance, then adding intensity and recovery. This is proven with many outstanding athletes having world championships and gold medals from it. This long slow miles approach is based on the then revolutionary training techniques of late Arthur Lydiard who produced a group of world champion middle-distance runners in the 50s and 60s. So why change a good thing? Citing referenced research, Ross contends, however, that long slow base miles can actually hinder performance by working only type I muscle fibres.

In essence what the book says is that to optimise performance intensity and recovery are the keys. This means hard work, intervals with maximal effort accompanied by recovery periods. Improved cycling performance is body adapting to vigorous exercise, and he defines how to optimise the adaptation. He contends that improving mitochondrial numbers in muscle is attained by starving the body of carbohydrate during a ride, and suggests riding for an hour on an empty stomach and taking a protein/carbohydrate meal with you to eat at one hour. Likewise starving the body of oxygen (anaerobic training) optimises new vessel growth (angiogenesis). An excellent chapter on determining lactate threshold and personalised heart zone targets is perhaps one of the best available in the current crop of training books. Other chapters include an excellent summary of flexibility and stretching techniques and the expected chapters on bike fit, workouts, nutrition and training plans

The book is referenced and sensible in approach. A must read for those serious about cycle training who want a sound scientific approach to maximising your time on the bike.

I am a family doctor who cycles. I don't know Dr Ross or have any financial interest in his work. No competing interests.

Okay, first of all, 90% of this book is just a rehash of Morris's better-written Performance Cycling. See my review of that for more specific criticisms than you're going to get below.

What seems to be happening here is that about every 2 years, some amateur coach looks at a few lab studies and cries "Eureka! High intensity training is more effective than low intensity training!" Then they write a book, which quickly goes out of print.

Ross basically wants to you to do a modified Conconi test to figure your Critical Power which he (and no one else) defines as the power you can sustain for somewhere between 50 seconds and two minutes, depending on who you are. Then he bases his whole philosophy on that rather arbitrary number. Essentially, you will have to do intervals at some percentage of that power output for 4 days in a row, then take 3 days off.

He seems to think that long endurance training reduces type1 fiber size and that this reduces your endurance. So in his world, training endurance makes your endurance worse. I think the actual theory is that the reduction in fiber size allows for more efficient oxygen diffusion, but why get bogged down in all that complexity? He also still seems to think that lactic acid causes muscle fatigue--an embarrassingly outdated notion. Of course, there is also no discussion of things like Intensity Factors and Training Stress Scores that have become so important with the advent of power meters.

The idea here is that coaches like Michele Ferrari and every pro endurance athlete on the planet are just wasting their time and that they'd be much better off reducing their total training volume to about 3-4 hours/week. Of course, neither he nor Morris seem to have ever actually coached a top athlete (for obvious reasons) so there is no real-world basis for this belief.

You should do a search on "Understanding Intervals Stephens" (I'd give you the U R L, but Amazon blanks them out) and read the article that comes up. While admittedly outdated and perhaps even a bit naive, it's probably a fundamentally correct explanation of why Ross/Morris are wrong.

If you really want to reach your potential, it's not going to be this easy. You're going to have to study Friel's book, buy a power meter with Cycling Peaks software, and put in a whole lot of time. I wish it weren't true, but if you're going to succeed in an endurance sport, you're gonna have to, well, work endurance...

I've read pretty much every book about Robert M. Knight and must say that Steve Alford's book is the best. He is honest in his opinions and praises and criticizes his old coach when he feels necessary. Better than the widely hailed "Season on the Brink," after reading this book you'll see that there truly is a method to Knight's madness and that he is truly a great man.

Steve Alford goes to Indiana University where he plays basketball for Coach Knight. He plays under Coach Knight for six years. During his six years with Coach Knight he has his ups and downs. An up is he wins a national title. A down is the war stories. The war stories are the strange ways Coach Knight gets you to understand his thinking. For instance he made two of the senior players plan how to get to the game. They had to bring all the equipment, get bus tickets, and make a starting lineup.

If you like books about basketball you should read this. One reason you should read this, is you can learn many valuable lessons. One is to try the hardest you possibly can in practice. My second reason is it's a tremendous read. I loved reading this book, because I love to play basketball. My final reason is if you play for Coach Knight in the near future you can learn what not to do, such as loafing around in a game. Which means: not hustling for loose balls, not rebounding, and not getting back on defense. These are the things that get you chewed out.

Unfortunately the media influences a lot of people to focus on the "perfectionist" Bob Knight.

That coach is the one who loses control when things don't go, in actuality, as he visualizes them in that steel trap he calls his mind.

History will, most probably, over-record those incidents he has exposed on television; and have been blown out of proportion in print. History will misplace the accomplishments of the greatest coach ever, as a coach and, most of all, as a behind the scenes parent. Not only a good father to his blood children but to those hundreds of "adopted children" who are his players, coaches and his coaches players.
The quiet coach has raised money for a myriad of purposes but has ALWAYS been there for his "kids". This is the coach that will leave a silent legacy that, not only has changed college basketball but has influenced, directly or indirectly, an untold number of our community leaders and teachers of our children.

Steve Alford is a perfect example of this. As is Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski), Dan Dakich, Jim Crews and (maybe) Mike Davis.

Indiana basketball legend Steve Alford, describes what it was like playing for the General, Bob Knight. Alford shows us in the book the genius of Bob Knight. He also talks about the temper tantrums, mind games, and manipulations he and his teammates had to go through while playing for the General. In the book, he describes some of the war stories about coach Knight. Alford, talks about the brilliance of the General and how he made him become a better player and person.
This book was very inspiring to me. Not only did I learn that Steve Alford is from my hometown, I learned many more things about his family and his relationship with his coach. In the book, Alford talks many times about how hard he had to work to achieve all of his goals in life. All of the countless hours he spent on the court and how they paid off. If you are looking for an inspiring and motivational book, this is an excellent choice. I think all younger kids that are basketball players should read this book. It may have many goods tips for them. "Playing for Knight", would definitely teach them, how hard work can get you to the top. They may also learn more about life's little lessons. Knight had the willingness to sacrifice victory just to teach his players a larger lesson about work, pride, and honor. If your are thinking of reading a book, this a great story to start with.

Alford admits that he cleaned up Knight's language in this book. Bob Knight was famous for swearing up and down the court and all around, sometimes even when the camera and microphone were on. Alford probably also had some selective memory since being a professional in basketball who would eventually go on to be a coach, he didn't need Bob Knight as an enemy. Alford and some other players admitted as much when Knight was fired from Indiana a few years ago that they weren't always as honest about what went on as maybe they could have been. But that's understandable.

If you buy into the idea that sports is another kind of warfare, then Knight's style made sense. Think Bryant and the Junction Boys here. Knight did coach military before Indiana, too. But this story is not really a book about Bobby Knight. There are bunch of those. It concentrates just on that time when Alford was there, in the 80s, probably when Knight's power and prestige were at their greatest. Despite his size (Alford is on the short side to be a basketball player) he had skill and determination, and apparently the obedience that Knight wanted in a player.

Alford's daydream at the end will never come true, at least not in the way he sees it. He saw Knight still being at Indiana, and no one would have ever thought he could be toppled from there. He thought despite the drawbacks it would still be an excellent opportunity for his son, and he wouldn't hesitate to recommend playing for Knight. It was an experience.

Great book. My great uncle is Howard Crittenden and my second cousin is Jimmy Webb. I just saw Uncle Howard on Saturday and he looks great. I got pictures of him at our family reunion.

The author, a junior college professoress, is a good writer, but her knowledge of basketball, and the absence of a proof reader, makes this otherwise neat book sometimes excruciating. The faux pas range from some gratuitious editorializing to innocent, perhaps, but nevertheless excruciating misobservations, e.g., e., she thinks that a basketball backboard, sometimes bankboard, or the area of the net, basket, or goal, is properly described as "goalposts." Her efforts to be adjectivially writerish are sometimes downright absurd, i.e., Doodle Floyd's shooting "lighting" up the scoreboard with "windmill" hookshots from all parts of the floor. Nonsense, he may have shot them from all around what used to be shaped as a key, but not all over the floor, for crying out loud ! Sheeeeeeeeeeeeesh -- betcha none of them were from behind the ten second line! In numerous little ways the authoress gnashes a minimally knowledable person of era basketball. e.g., at the time the ball could be taken out rather than a freeshot taken when a foul was committed, at least in, I think it was the last two minutes of a game or half. In a game in which Cuba was behind, the author seems surprised that the opponents took the ball out of bounds rather than shoot free throws when fouled. Of course they did ! The reason they were fouled was to obtain a turnover. If the team fouled missed a free throw there was a chance for a turnover. A team ahead likely would be interested in freezing the ball. Of course, for crying out loud, they would take the ball out of bounds rather than shoot a free shot. Several times the authoress comments on players shooting a "jump shot". No, not likely. They may not have shoved it up two handed from the waist or chest, and they may have shot running one hand shots, or one hand set shots, maybe be from the waist, and maybe with a pumping motion, but if she thinks they were shooting "jump" shots in the form of modern jump shots, that notion is almost as erroneous as that of players posting themselves under the "goalposts". Describing the Cuba gym, she mentions a "box" office adjoining the coach's office. A what ? Was this an office for boxes ? It would hardly have been a press box one wouldn't think. And then there was a player who drove for lay up and missed although he "tossed" it up. And, a shot is a shot, not a throw, unless someone throws it instead of shooting it. I wonder if there are some films somewhere which show these boys of the mid-century as they were. playing as they did ? Or if the authoress has any idea of how the game looked then ? Aside from not knowing what game must have appeared like, the authoress has produced a neat book in which one can grasp the tenor of life as experienced by its participants. Yet, I hungered for more of the very genre of insights she provided, such as pictures, verbally and actual pictures, of the participants away from the court. I would like to have seen more of this, the front of Harper's, a picture of the ball court there, the community as it was. And I searched the pictures that were vainly trying to grasp the Cuba gym. And I wonder if they dressed in a dressing room with showers, or in a class room ? Did they have JV preliminary games ? Or junior high games ? They gym was suggested by the authoress to be under regulation dimensions. Personally, the smallest gym I ever seen (not saw) was a junior high gym at Flint in Morgan County Alabama, the ceiling was in play and was just a few feet higher than the top of the wooden backboard, the end boundaries were painted half on the court and half on the wall at one end and on the stage at the other, and at the stage end the out of bounds line actually went up the steps on one side. Basketball courts vary in width and length, but the foul line is always ten feet from the goal (not the "goalpost"). Courts vary in length and width. I don't think there was any such animal as an unoffical court. Nevertheless, the authoress has provided a good story and an absorbing read about a happy collection, a synchronicity of capable youths and a coach who both taught and allowed the ablity of these boys of the mid-century to flow out of them. A remarkable story.

This is an excellent, easy to read, true heart warming story that is a real inspiration. It is a classic, a book that every parent, teacher, coach and team player will enjoy and learn from.

Basketball was a passion in Kentucky & every highschool, no matter its size, organized a team to play game after game, traveling miles in all sorts of vehicles & weather. In Cuba, Kentucky, an isolated rural town around which three rivers poured & flooded, a group of rambunctious 8th grade boys became inspired by Coach Jack Story's dream of winning the 1952 state basketball championship & the American Dream.

To a lesser degree yet with as much passion, the girls in the school fought & conspired to form a cheer leading troupe. In their long skirts & neck high Peter Pan blouses, they added their energy to the fever pitch.

Marianne Walker has told their stories with enthusiasm including insights from a time before over-the-counter medicines; when most everyone raised their own food; many were share-croppers & there were no funded school programs; school bussing & television. In a time when radio was king, not everyone had telephones & sports writers were the revered messengers of the marathon games for which just about every person would turn out. Fascinating read! Do check out my full review.

As a radio newsman for the past 35 years I have had many interesting interview guests... including the legendary Adolph Rupp. No interview has been more interesting than the one I conducted in the summer of '99 with Marianne Walker and Howie Crittenden about the Cuba Cubs of 1951-52. Cuba defeated my hometown school (Corbin) in the '52 tournament, so I have no reason to feel warmly about that Graves county school. But I do. And it's because of the wonderful way Marianne made their story come alive. It's much more than a David and Goliath story. It's a story about shared dreams, hard work, and rural pride in dreams realized. If you're sick of high-salaried, big business basketball, return to the days of sport for sports sake....WHEN CUBA CONQURED KENTUCKY.

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.

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 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.

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.

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!