Athletics Books

I've been coaching Little League for five years now, and loved reading this account of Little League from about 20 years ago. The stereotypical depictions of coaches that Geist uses are still dead-on accurate, as are his descriptions of how bad the catching equipment is, and how to hide a bad ballplayer that you have to play in the infield. This is a priceless look at Little League ball that anyone who has ever coached should enjoy.

There are lots of laughs to be had, and you'll find yourself sharing parts with other coaches you know.

I am sure the book is great-the book was purchased for a gift.

The humorist columnist Bill Geist had many years of experience coaching his son's little league baseball and kids basketball and his daughter's softball team. He relates his experiences with his usual wit, sarcasm and humor. The book focuses on a particular season of little league baseball where he was able to work with his son Willie's team and actually win the league championship by upsetting Knavery's team in the final game of the season. The tale tells how he bends the rules (though not as much as some other) in a way that still allows the weak players to have fun and yet stay competitive. There is a large degree of truth to the various caricatures of players, coaches and parents that he presents in this tale. But some of the stories are so incredible and it seems like fiction is mixed with reality but clearly it is based on real experience. I relate to many of the issues he brings out. ...
In the epologue Geist confesses that he want his son Willie to be a star player but was satisfied that he made the high school varisty teams. In the end no matter how good or bad they are in little league they all eventually stop playing to do other things that interest them more or they find to have more success and rewards.

To illustrate the humor in the final game losing 12-4 Geist gives the kids sugar treats to pick up their energy. A rally starts but thinking ahead with the worst hitter Monique likely to come up with two outs, Geist gets a 40 ounce drink and gets her to leave on a bathroom break. ... This book has short easy to read chapters and integrates Geist's softball and basketball experiences in the theme of the little league season whereas Dunow had long chapters going back and forth from little league with his son to his childhood experiences with his father. Both books are good in their own way. But this one is much easier to read and more light hearted.

I do a ton of reading and just went back and re-read this book. This is probably my favorite all-time book. This book has to be the funniest one I've ever read. Geist is not only a gifted writer, he tweaks all the right people and no irony goes unnoticed.

At least, I'm half of Mean Gene Huffman. Gene Ret and I were conglomerated into one large, gawky intimidating Little Leaguer. Who was the more large, gawky, and intimidating is one of the great debates of our time.

Great story. I never knew my drunken high school antics were witnessed by Bill Geist until I got to the end of the book. Geist saw me crash through his bushes and play some sloppy basketball with his son and friends for a few minutes while reminiscing about the old Little League days. And, he parlayed my mishap into a convenient parable on lost youth to wrap up his story.

Well, he's just lucky they were playing basketball that night and I wasn't trying to unload my ferocious fastball or swing a bat. Stay young, eat flax, and long live the glory days of Little League.

This book has lots of drills to improve athletic performance. Although I haven't had a chance to try them out yet (I'm currently injured and unable to train), they seem like they would definitely improve your athletic performance.

This is a great book, it covers a wide range of training. I coach little league and have been able to take parts of this book and incorporate them into our conditioning and training at all levels. Have not used the DVD all that much but the book alone is worth it

Exactly what I was looking for.
Some brilliant drills in here.
I was hoping for more speed ladder stuff, but the amount of different stuff in here is great.

It's nicely organized with some good text.

A few descriptions were not so great.

Definitely recommended.

I thought this book was great for coaching athletes and putting together specific groupings of exercises to work on specific skills. The challenge though was that I bought it for myself and thought it would help me design something to help my triathlon speed. I'm thinking it requires a higher degree of background knowledge than I have at this point.

This is a great book and DVD set for plyometrics. Both the book and the DVD start with an "Athlete Fitness Assessment" so you can understand the athlete's performance at the beginning of training. This is lacking in many of the other plyometrics books and DVDs, which begin with instruction right away, without emphasis on assessing the athlete's ability prior to training. The materials are nicely organized into sections for Speed, Agility, Balance, Quickness, and Reaction Time. A "Purpose" is clearly defined for each set of drills, so readers at any level can understand the results which the exercises are intended to achieve. I am using this book to see where I am in my performance, and where I need to go. My only complaint is that the DVD plays the drills one at a time. It would be nice to have a "Play All" option in each section, so that I'm not using my remote every 30 seconds or so. The DVD is easy on the eyes and ears, though. Buy this set first, and save your time and money returning the other books and DVDs! Enjoy!

I love this book and have bought it for several of my coaching friends. Full of great info from one of the best. Good diagrams and great instruction on how to implement multiple offenses and defenses. One of my favorite coaching books (and I have a ton). A great higher-level resource.

I have read this book over and over again. It has been a useful tool is my basketball coaching.

This book is page after page of super basketball information. It goes into great detail offenses and defenses from simple to complex. But best of all, it is written with an emphasis on the fundamentals, which will make any team better. I really recommend this book for any coach, beginner to seasoned veteran, there is a wealth of valuable information from cover to cover.

This is an awesome book. A lot of useful information for students, professionals and athletes.

I coached a camp this past summer in which a few coaches were discussing this book and referred to it as "The Holy Grail" of basketball books. To any coach looking for new perspectives and strategies, I would strongly recommend this book. You may not be able to use everything, and some of the information is a bit dated, but it prompted a million ideas of my own, and helped me plan out some fresh drills, plays, and defenses for my team.

I haven't had a chance to read the whole book however what I have read has been helpful and informative. The book itself was shipped in excellent condition and, like many of the books I've bought through Amazon, I think I purchased it used and it looks new. And, I don't plan on just using it to balance out my washing machine ;-).

I am in my mid-40s and have toyed with the idea of doing a triathlon for quite some time. Somehow, when I would begin to really get the training ramped up, I would run in to a problem. I believe that I was probably bringing on the problems with less than ideal nutrition. So, though I harbor no aspirations of being a serious athlete, I have found that nutrition is an important--and often overlooked--aspect for even recreational athletes like me. Using the information in this book is allowing me to push my training farther than I ever have before and will get me across the finish line for my first triathlon sometime this summer.

I've been running since I was in high school and continued during and after graduationg college. It wasn't until recently that I decided to run my first half marathon. I have read lots of material on training and nutrition, but none have been as complete and informative. The first eight chapters are devoted to all endurance athletes. The last few chapters are each devoted to a particular endurance sport. This book has taught me how to fully prepare and train to successfully reach my goal. I would suggest this book for anyone interested in endurance sports.

Suzanne knows her stuff. I've been an ultrarunner and endurance athlete for nearly 25 years and I find Suzanne's wisdom and advice both on target and incredibly helpful. In fact, as I get older, which I am, her advice is seemingly even more relevant. Following her advice on everything from hydration to nutrition to stretching has been vital to me being able to keep doing what I love to do. The bottom line is that proper nutrition is key to optimal performance and the information in this book can ensure you're geting both.

This is a serious sports nutrition book for serious athletes. It is packed with information for the endurance athlete or those coaching endurance/elite athletes. In addition to providing a complete nutritional overview for the elite athlete, Endurance Sports touches on other related subjects such as hydration, the effectiveness of supplements, food intolerances, eating disorders and even optimal eating for the vegetarian athlete. As a nutrition writer, this book is an integral part of my reference library.

I looked for this book for many years. I originally ordered GET TOUGH :The U S Special Forces Physical Conditioning Program from a book club. I never received my order because it went out of print. GET TOUGH is a 1985 publication written by Tom Fitzgerald. The program is 3 parts: stretching, total body strength building using your own body weight, and running. The format is actually based on the U S Navy SEALS workout and is not necessarily U S Army Special Forces based. Regardless, this program is a 12 week (5 days a week) workout that requires nothing more of the use of a pull-up/chin-up bar. It is a very challenging workout that involves working muscle groups on a daily basis. A guide chart is included, as well as targeted performance levels from beginning to end. The dietary guide in the introduction is dated and better information is now available. This book is an older version of the newer U S Navy SEALS workout books by Mark De Lisle, but not as intense as the latter. Overall a very solid workout program and well worth the wait. 163 pp hardback

I know why they call this a program you will love, because it is not hard. I enjoy the exercises and will continue to perform them, but I am not making this my primary workout. Instead I will adapt it for use three days a week on my easy days, as this is a perfect complimentary workout. I consider myself in good shape, but not great, and I was easily able to jump in and do the 12th week workouts precisely how Fitzgerald specified, boots and all. There were only several out of the 46 total exercises that I could not perform easily. The only way someone could say that it is deceptively hard is that a few exercises are nearly impossible. I found those are strictly for the abs though however and not any other part of my body feels a workout. I am not sore or exhausted, and the cals are the only valuable part to me as the running in week 12 was not that advanced- anyone can tell you to run for two 20 odd minute intervals with 5 minute walking breaks. The ab work is good, but other than that it is not challenging for someone who has some flexibility and performs cals regularly as I had. I have no doubt that these are valuable exercises, but this is far from the billing that I was reading on everyone else's review about what a workout you'll get from it. If you want a challenging workout buy something from Stew Smith and adapt this workout to include all the exercises for the off, or easy, days. It deserves four stars because this is probably good for most people who don't stretch enough and/or want to ease into a workout. All the supporters of this book must forgive me for making it sound so bad, it is a quality purchase, this just doesn't seem like the ultimate workout.

The workout programme described in this book is deceptively difficult! Having read many of the recent titles which detail Navy SEAL workout regimens, I have found this one to be the most practical and time efficient. Some of the exercises would be considered obsolete by many, but once you get down to the nitty gritty this is a hardcore training programme (As one would expect from a former Navy frogman!). The instructions are very clear and presented with wry humour. The weekly and daily schedules are particularly effective as you can monitor your progress daily which is very motivating. It is also interesting to note that this book was first published in 1985! If you can find a copy, Buy it!

This is the most amazing exercise book I've EVER read. It's literally a crime they don't publish it anymore. Fitzgerald's exercise regimen is guaranteed to give you unbelievably "cut" muscles in a short time. His regimen will also force you to dig deep inside yourself for stamina, willpower, and endurance. Sound familiar? It should: Fitzgerald is ex-UDT.

For lower body conditioning, nothing I've seen compares to Fitzgerald's book. However, readers should add the upper-body and cross-training exercises found in the recent publications by Caracci, Helvenston, DeLisle, Smith, and other Navy SEALs.

This book is designed to put the reader through two workout programmes simultaneously. There is a Calisthenics programme, and a Running programme. This is a 12-week cycle; as Fitzgerald says, special forces are always changing and adapting, so there is no 'official' cycle that remains constant forever. Thus, this is flexible here, too. This book is all the reader needs except his own muscles and desire to succeed. No special equipment to buy or anything else. The back cover says this is not for the timid or the lazy. This is like being in the military. No excuses - just do it!

The author is a former Navy frogman named Tom Fitzgerald. He continues his fitness goals by running in the Boston Marathon and other such events. Fitzgerald promises better self-esteem, better motivation, and better accomplishment for those who will complete this programme.

The conditioning programme targets five different body parts with 46 different exercises. The running involves running and rapid walking with some intervals of sprinting. There is also a good deal of stretching involved. If you cannot give this one or two hours a day every day for 12 weeks then maybe this is not the book for you. But one could still get it and look at the exercises that have good descriptions and are useful, even if not following the programme.

Stretching
There is stretching prior to each session. This helps prevent muscle injury and makes one limber. Stretching after also helps healing faster, too.

Diet
This book does not go too much into diet since there are other books ready for that, but it gives some general rules. Vitamins and supplements are discussed and basic common sense like not drinking alcohol or too much sugar or caffeine before a workout. Their advice is humourous: 'If you're looking around for a mate, consider marrying a nutritionist.'

Other general instructions
This section deals with sore muscles, shoe and foot care (very important for the heavy running schedule). Keeping count and keeping at it is important too! At the end of the book is a record for keeping track of progress.

The Stretching Programme
There are 14 stretches in this, and each of them are done both before and after the calisthenics and running programmes. An important note is that this stretching routine was developed at a university training programme and not by the Navy. The chart at the end of the section shows what you should do, including how much time this should take. The opening stretches should take 5 minutes, and the final stretches should take 2 minutes.

The Calisthenics Programme
There are 46 exercises that are done over the course of the week that will exercise ever muscle in your body. There are five main categories.

General Warm-up
There are 10 exercises in the general warm up, and these exercises work to prepare the whole body for work.

Abdominal Exercises
There are 11 exercises in the abdominal section, and they work to strengthen and stretch the abs and your lower back.

The Side and Obliques
There aren't too many exercises in this part -- only 5, but they are important. These are really tough exercises beyond the usual stuff for sides and obliques.

Leg and Groin Exercises
There are 12 exercises in this section and legs are one of the major muscle groups in the body and often get overlooked. People think of abs and arms for fitness, but the legs carry the body weight all day long.

Arm Chest and Shoulder Exercises
There are 8 exercises in this final section for the upper body. The book said no special equipment is needed, but once will need a place to do pull-ups.

At the end of this section is the 12-week chart for how many exercises need to be done. Out of the 46 exercises you will do about half of them each day. Some things like leg stretchers are done almost every day. Some things like the one-legged push-up are done less often.

SEAL training calls running programmes 'conditioning hikes'. These involve running, walking double-time, and sprints in a programme on varying terrain, mostly on sand, which goes from being soft to hard-packed to ridged to in the water, often done in boots. The book makes recommendations for running in boots, and running with ankle weights or other kinds of terrain variations.

The first week involves running two miles in 15 minutes and makes progress up to eight miles at a maximum for the rest of the programme.

The exercises are described in good form each with pictures of each step. All exercises can be done by males or females. The pictures are basic black-and-white and sometimes a little grainy.

One drawback is that this is a tough workout programme from the very beginnin, and some people not be able to tolerate the stress and muscle effort from the outset. A Week Zero or prep conditioning programme would probably be a good idea to add if the book is ever reprinted.

The last part of this book involves setting out the schedule in a good format. There are also pages are for recording a personal record of progress and that can be motivating.

This is a no frills approach to success in not just athletics but life in my humble opinion. This is a great learning tool to have for any coach, athlete or someone wanting to just better themselves overall. Many thanks to Mr. Rooney for sharing his knowledge with us.

Ok, this are 11 principles that are important for being succesfull, but there are some more I think. Do the things the author says and you will improve your performance. After implementing all these principles, please search for further improvement. Don't stop exploring.

Greetings
Tom

Train To Win is a great book and I recommend it to any athlete. I read the book in one sitting. It is enjoyable to read, and it seems like you are constantly learning lessons. It touches on so many different aspects, all of which are crucial to your training.

I am playing professionally in France and I still pull the book out for guidance at times. The book is useful to me at 24, but it would also be useful for a 14 year old athlete or a 55 year old one as well.

Sometimes training can seem like a big task. where do i begin? what is most important for me? how do I organize? what is my biggest priority? Rooneys 11 principles really breaks it down for you, and makes things clearer. Another great book and oppurtunity to Learn from Martin Rooney.

This is an excellent book with tons of information on how to create your own training program.

The principles in the book are 100% and it is from these principles that you can design your own regime based on your own strengths/weaknesses and demands of your sport.

The book covers nutrition, workout length, periodisation, variety, economy, amongst other things but one of the real assets of the book is the plethora of inspiring quotes and anecdotes that will you to take and use these principles to create a program to put yourself a class above the rest. Train smart, buy this book, train to win!

As a sidenote, I purchased this book along with Training for Warriors: the Team Renzo Gracie Workout.
Both books are top notch, whether you train martial arts or not, the Warriors book is a great way to see the principles in action and the workouts entailed can be tailored to any sport or training regime. As a combo, these book are unbeatable value.

This is a book who's principals can be used for any athlete. From the pro to casual and from basketball to Mixed Martial Arts and beyond. To many athletes buy a couple body-building magazines and take the workouts from those magazines and implement them into their training for their sport. With no real knowledge why they are doing these workouts other than some pro athlete listed it as what they do. Without knowing what you are trying to accomplish and how to do it you're certain to fail. This book is a great step in the right direction.

I have never been a sports fan. A few years ago some of my friends became avid fans of the Astros, the Rockets, and the Comets, going to the games and having fun. This made me wish I knew more about sports. After reading Teri Burns's book I am going to try going to games and see if I can become a late-blooming fan.
THANKS TERI!

I just finished reading "How to Become an Athletic Supporter", and loved it! This book is actually a informative, and well written, handbook to provide the basics (and lots of interesting details) of all of the major sports a wife is likely to encounter!

It covers each sport, and keeps your interest with it's pithy commentary (primarily aimed at the man of the house).

Overall, both I and my husband recommend this book. I just enjoyed reading it, and my husband actually learned a few things from it!

This book is GREAT! It shed a whole new light on the sporting world. Also, it should make the upcoming football season a bit more enjoyable in our home now that my spouse has also read the book.

This book is great! Not only is it hilarious, it is jam-packed with sports facts that I was able to use to totally impress my boyfriend. (And, with my limited sports knowledge, that's really hard to do!) Hats off to Teri Burns for delivering a book that is long overdue!

One of the funniest sports books I have ever read. This is a straight-forward succinctly written guide to the major sports ~ but with an attitude. I'm certain the author had her tongue planted firmly in her cheek as she wrote each page. She obviously knows her sports, and you will, too, after reading this. That you had so much fun learning about those sports is the beauty of this gem of a book. This is a must have book for anyone who wants to learn about sports or anyone with a sense of humor. It works on both levels.

Better written than the coffee-table book this appears to be by weight and shape, and better written than a television-series companion, which this is, needs to be.

Great pictures, quotes from college football giants, enough information to be informative, enough stories and pictures of big games to be fun.

Sure, worlds not made and lives not changed, but this book is just fun.

I really enjoyed this book as the companion to the ESPN series of the same name. It's a must read for any college football fan!

An indispensable book, a real bible for all who love the american football and his history in the colleges across America.

I collect football books. As an historian, I look for books that cover the glorious tradition and history of the game. This book is perfect if you're looking for that theme. First of all, check out the cover. The cover tells the story of this book. It takes you back to a different era.

I love this book. It is one of my favorites. It covers everything and makes for a great coffee table book. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy college football.

The writer has given us a panoramic view of college football. The book covers the great coaches, teams and rivalries of the past 100 years. There are a number of wonderful photos sprinkled through the book as well. The writing touches on a number of subjects in brief articles, so don't look for any in depth stories about one particular program, coach or player. This is not a complaint, merely an observation. My only real complaint is the errors I found. Some photos misidentified players and bits of information were incorrect (minor errors, but annoying none the less). Overall, this is a great book for any college football fan.

An easy read, that's about much more then just the game of hockey. This book delves into the tradition and character of Michigan and it's hockey program. Blue Ice is a must read for anyone interested in Michigan athletics, is familiar with the Ann Arbor hockey community, or just loves the game of hockey.

Blue ice is an impressive book that will be enjoyed by anyone interested in collegiate-level athletics, particularly ice hockey. Bacon is a gifted writer with the ability to interweave historical facts and objective (always informative and often funny) stories that keep the reader entertained. It is a great buy for folks that love factually based stories.

A must-read for hockey lovers! Whether you like Michigan Hockey or any other team, this book is for you. Bacon makes this history story of the Wolverine skaters extremely fun and joyous reading. If you are a Michigan fan, you'd enjoy reading all the details and stories; if you (so wrongly) chose another team to cheer -- you'll become curious as to its own history.
I especially loved the parts of the book (which I consider as "Hockey chanting for Idiots") detailing the rich content and background behind some of what you hear in Yost Ice arena. After reading it, watching the games was so much more fun!

The idea is simple. Write an engaging story recounting the coming of age of a first class collegiate hockey program and spice it with behind the scene details, locker room interviews and humorous anecdotes. The execution is outstanding. Blue Ice takes the reader on a very enjoyable trip looking at the beginnings of college hockey at the University of Michigan, from playing outdoors on the frozen Huron River, to the recent trips that Wolverine skaters have made to the Frozen Four championships. The bonus for readers is getting a sports version of "Connections," with the athletic stories enveloped and intertwined in the history of the time, showing how seemingly unrelated events can influence each other. Easy and entertaining to read, delightful to give as a gift, when it was over, we wanted a sequel.

This is a very informative and insightful look into the rich tradition of Michigan Hockey. The writing is tremendous with great personal interviews with former players and coaches and other people well connected to the program. I loved the off-the-ice stories the most. It is not abook about statistics and generic history. Bacon digs deep into the people involved in the program and relays their stories in a way that makes you feel like you are part of it. You get right inside the locker room, classroom and team parties as well. It is a very easy read and always keeps you entertained.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee elaborately describes the struggles and obstacles that she had to overcome to become a successful and outstanding athlete and person. Her book is filled with emotions that the reader can intially relate to. Her life was filled with adversity and proves that a strong and self-determined person can triumph regardless of depressing and self-destructing obstacles that may stand in your way. Jackie, who is portrayed through the media to be "Superwoman" is really more human and down to the earth than most of the world. Life for Jackie was not always "peaches and cream." She was born and raised in East St. Louis, which was not known as a very safe place at the time. A reporter once suggested to Jackie that she should not tell people where she was from cause it might destroy her image. This event, however, made Jackie appreciate her hometown even more. You cannot put into words why this woman is thought of as superb. She went from rock bottom to soaring to the unlimited top. With the help of this book, Jackie's title as "The World's Greatest Female Athlete" has been justified.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee elaborately describes the struggles and obstacles that she had to overcome to become a successful and outstanding athlete and person. Her book is filled with emotions that the reader can intially relate to. Her life was filled with adversity and proves that a strong and self-determined person can triumph regardless of depressing and self-destructing obstacles that may stand in your way. Jackie, who is portrayed through the media to be "Superwoman" is really more human and down to the earth than most of the world. Life for Jackie was not always "peaches and cream." She was born and raised in East St. Louis, which was not known as a very safe place at the time. A reporter once suggested to Jackie that she should not tell people where she was from cause it might destroy her image. This event, however, made Jackie appreciate her hometown even more. You cannot put into words why this woman is thought of as superb. She went from rock bottom to soaring to the unlimited top. With the help of this book, Jackie's title as "The World's Greatest Female Athlete" has been justified.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee elaborately describes the struggles and obstacles that she had to overcome to become a successful and outstanding athlete and person. Her book is filled with emotions that the reader can intially relate to. Her life was filled with adversity and proves that a strong and self-determined person can triumph regardless of depressing and self-destructing obstacles that may stand in your way. Jackie, who is portrayed through the media to be "Superwoman" is really more human and down to the earth than most of the world. Life for Jackie was not always "peaches and cream." She was born and raised in East St. Louis, which was not known as a very safe place at the time. A reporter once suggested to Jackie that she should not tell people where she was from cause it might destroy her image. This event, however, made Jackie appreciate her hometown even more. You cannot put into words why this woman is thought of as superb. She went from rock bottom to soaring to the unlimited top. With the help of this book, Jackie's title as "The World's Greatest Female Athlete" has been justified.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee's autobiography is everything a biography should be, well-written, entertaining, and deeply moving. Unlike many celebrity bios that center around events, primarily ones that reflect well on the author, Jackie's book is people-centered and equally honest about her struggles as well as her triumphs. She writes with love and admiration about many people who have touched her life both in big and small ways. It is not hard to see why Jackie became the woman and athlete that she is. This book could have just as easily been titled "The World's Greatest Role Model for Young People."

A Kind of Grace is an excellent book. I think everyone should read it. It gave me a whole new look on life and how to appreciate everything I have. It also gave me inspiration to work hard at track. Now I have the heart and determination to train, lift weights, and practice, practice, practice. So everyone please buy and read this wonderful book, A Kind of Grace.