Athletics Books

i think these was the best in mma conditioning exercises not only functional but also effective. mark hatmaker books are always the best. im looking forward for a 1 complete NHB manual. all books must be completed and must be complied as one inexpensive manual

"No Holds Barred Fighting: The Ultimate Guide to Conditioning" is one of the best combat-sports primers I've seen. The author presents a variety of excercises, including bodyweight, barbell, dumbell, plyo/agility, and stretching. Hatmaker gives the reader suggestions for sample workouts which vary from begginer, intermediate, advanced, and pro. He covers sports-specific conditioning for grip and neck training, and for sprawling and standing up. Also included is a bodyweight cardio workout, great for those of us who find running tedious. Other topics covered include breath control, when to stretch, and the type of cardio specific to the MMA fight game. As another reviewer stated, the weak points of the text include periodization, which isn't even addressed; nutrition, for which Hatmaker hedges his bets by stating that past champs have eaten a variety of foods and that there's no "magic diet"; and weight cutting, for which he suggests simply fighting close to one's own natural weight. For pure conditioning though, the information contained in this book is worth all my other conditioning books put together. With a straight-forward, easy-to-read style and a variety of useful conditioning information, this book is a plus in any martial artist or fighters library.

I have several of Hatmaker's books. I like the reasonable prices, and no nonsense, conversational style and this one is no exception. If you already have significant knowledge of conditioning, I don't think you are going to learn a lot from this book. Some discussion of periodization would be useful. There is virtually nothing on nutrition. (The author points out that many great athletes have had bizarre nutrition plans and suggest you should do what works for you.)

If you want a clear, inexpensive, easy to ready intro that will give you explanations of a number of exercises and specific suggestions for how to assemble them into a program, you will be very pleased with this book. The book has application beyond NHB and MMA, but if you are looking for something for a particular sport that is not one of those or similar (wrestling, bjj, etc.) then you can probably get a resource that is more specific to your needs.

But the Hawaii Kai loops are all ONE MILE OFF! While training for a long distance race, I thought I should confirm milage and to my surprise they were all off this was also doubled checked by Google Maps. The book is a good source for parking, restrooms, and water fountains. But that is a HUGE MISTAKE!

Rick Varley knows O'ahu. He has been running and coaching runners on the island for over twenty years. The book also contains excellent, easy-to-read maps by Shingo Matushima, one of Hawaii's top graphic designers. If you are planning any runs on O'ahu, this book is a must.

I just got my copy of this book last week, and I definitely like it. There are running options all over the Island, and good directions for how to get there. The book also makes sure to include things like water fountain and restroom access for each run. If you are new to the Island and not sure where to go, this would be a great resource. My complaints are that the maps for each run are a little difficult to follow, and that there aren't more trail runs mentioned (although the author DOES go over the Tantalus trail system). Thanks!

Compared to other triathlon primers, Tinley's is far less technical. He explains right up front that the reader will need to seek other sources for detailed information on many subjects that he raises only briefly. In a way, it almost seems he is seeking his own ground in light of Dave Scott's earlier, much more comprehensive book on the sport. Best about Tinley, however, is his constant reminder to keep things in perspective and balanced. Remember that this sport is supposed to be fun.

I FOUND THE BOOK VERY ENTERTAINING AS A FIRST YEAR TRIATHLETE. BUT ONE MUST REALIZE THAT A LOT OF THE TECHNICAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IS OBSOLETE AS THE BOOK IS 11 YEARS OLD. IF YOU ARE A FAN OF TRIATHLON THEN YOU SHOULD READ JUST FOR A GLIMPSE INSIDE ONE OF THE SPORTS PIONEERS SLIGHTLY TWISTED PSYCHE. BUTCH FORSYTH (GARLICDUDE@aol.com) SALINAS, CALIFORNIA

Besides Dave Scott's book, this book was one of my primary sources for training and motivation for the triathlon. Tinley's writing style is easy and informative with delightful insights to some of his past experiences and what worked and did not in his triathlon training.

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 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.

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.

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.

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

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.