Athletics Books

This is one of those gems you get lucky on, stumbling across it at the local bookstore. That's what happened to me last week and I haven't put the book down since buying it.

Moore has a fantastic eye for detail and depth, and a wonderful ear for verse. For those of you who think all of the great stories in college athletics happen at Notre Dame or your local Division I university, I suggest you get this book.

Moore chronicles life at a Division III university (Chapman) in Southern California. Proving that a good story can be found anywhere, Moore tells the intersting tales of coaches and athletes at a small college. Like D-I athletes, they hit game-winning home runs, have great successes, and experience disappointing failures. There are many heart rendering stories to be told at any athletic venue, and Moore finds many at Chapman.

Moore worked as an athletic administrator at the school, but he didn't sit idle pushing papers or crunching numbers. He went out and got to know the athletes and coaches, even running miles with some of the distance runners. There's great context to this book.

At the same time he doesn't slip into the old cliche of making every small college experience seem quaint and cute, like most sportswriters. Moore explains the drawbacks, as well as the positives to the Division III experience.

I wish more people knew about this book. Perhaps Chapman Press could promote it a little better.

It truly is a wonderful read.

Is the definition of "big time" based soley on whether a college offers athletic scholarships to its students? Maybe in some peoples' eyes.

After reading this book, I came to realize that the true definition of "big time" should be based on the hearts of the athletes themselves. Those students who play for the love of their sport, and somehow manage to maintain their grades and prepare themselves for a life outside sports at the same time.

Mr Moore writes about Chapman University and its athletes with humor, love, and admiration. I would challenge anyone to come away from reading this book and not have found a game, or an athlete, who touched them deeply, and made them remember something wonderful about their own college experience.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves sports, not for the glitz and glamour, but for the athletes who sweat, bleed, and live, simply to play the game.

I was tracking my workouts in a notebook before buying this guide. The layout is a great way to organize notes about your running. In addition there is helpful training information in the log. I recommend this training log.

I run several days a week, and I like to keep track of the mileage I run, my pace, and my time. This book makes record keeping easy. It is well organized, and easy to read. There are sections for weekly logs, interval training, and race logs. Svensson also provides information on nutrition for runners, strength training, and monitoring your heart rate. It is also compact, and fits easily into your gym bag. If you are looking for a training log, I strongly recommend this book.

Beginning triathletes or those who just don't have time to build their own training programs will find this simple approach to the sport appealing.

I'm a book junkie...especially "how to" books on things I love to do (like triathlon.) This one's got plenty of good information, and I like the simpler approach. However, if you're an elite athlete (or wannabe), perhaps this may be too simplistic. Things I liked:
- The simplistic approach to training (I just don't have time to break down my build phase into 5 periodized segments :-))
- The emphasis on establishing *realistic* goals
- The creative training log formats
- Many good ideas & suggestions to take away and use in a way that works for *you*.
There simply is no one-size-fits-all, magical training program out there that will turn you into a better triathlete. Every person's goals, abilties, time schedule/commitments, and life in general are unique. So, glean some new ideas from this and other good books out there, and design the best program for you. This one, in my opinion, has plenty to offer.

Strengths:
Writing is clear and crisp. Each chapter is fascinating. Cozza offers his reminiscences about Yale football, and some of his favorite players (Czinger, Ryan, Diana, Jauron, Hill, etc.) and games. Many photos. Well-designed and produced.

Cozza did not like the Ivy football being shunted to I-AA; most likely he would rather have had the Ivies compete among themselves at the I-A level. Cozza rails against academic requirements imposed by the admissions office.

Weaknesses: none that I can think of.

Harvard's Joe Restic should write his own memoirs.

Every Yale fan will enjoy Carm Cozza's humble jourey from Miami of Ohio {Coach's U} to the hallow halls of Yale University. Cozza provides the reader with insights on Yale's football past, present and future. An informative sports read.

Wilma Rodolph had one big problem before she became a famous Olympic runner, and that problem was that she had polio. Polio is a disease that you can die from or lose use of your legs. Wilma lost the use of her left leg only but was still in much pain. Every day, Wilma rode on a bus to a therapist to treat her leg. The bus ride took about 2 hours both ways. When this was happening Wilma was only six years old. Doctors told Wilma's parents, "She might not make it." Her parents were very upset. Wilma's family was very, very poor. Wilma wished very much that she could run like the other children at her school. But as Wilma got older (11) and she kept therapy she started to walk and run! It took Wilma along time for her to prepare but finally she won three gold medals in the 1960 Olympics! I would recommend this book to kids that like to run.

THIS BOOK WAS INSPIRATION TO EVERY YOUNG BLACK CHILD THAT IS PURSURIG TRACK & FIELD. THIS BOOK TALKS HIGHLIGHTLY ON IF YOU SEE YOUR MIND TO A GOAL OR DREAM STICK WITH IT WHEN NO BELIEVES IN YOU BUT YOURSELF.

Hendrix is magnificent. The way he presents the details are easy to read. While I've read many other books, this book really drives home the basics of motivation, goal setting, drilling, among others. I do not, however, rate this book to its fullest because it seems towards the end to lose its flavor. This book again drives home the fundamentals of not just winning, but losing and learning from that lost to win.

Mental toughness is as important as physical toughness to be a champion. As coaches, we try to instill in our wrestlers the WILL to win. Unfortunately, we seldom teach them how.

This book is the best I've seen to address this issue. This is not just a textbook on theory. It is a hard-hitting, filled-with-examples book specifially written for wrestlers. Coach Hendrix clearly demonstrates a 'been there, done that' credibility. Unless you are a retired world wrestling champion, it's worth your money and time to read this book.

David Carlson, Amateur Wrestling Guide

This is an excellent book, and it is filled with practical information about kids. parents and sports teams. I highly recommend this book. It is cited in "Everything You Never Wanted To Know About Your Nonprofit Corporation" by Ms. Cellaneous, The Unknown Attorney, which is another book I highly recommend. Kids are our future, and we need to invest in our children.

If you're involved in youth sport...or have a child involved, you need to read this book. As a coach for 15 years, it gave me some new insights....and is valuable from a parental point of view as well

Articulate story of the great 40s and 50s Czech distance runner Emil Zatopek that astounded the world with his three gold medals in the 52 Olympics that included a thrilling 5000 final with Zatopek, with ungainly arms flailing, pulls away with a desperate surge in the final straight from three runners in hot pursuit with a one crashing dramatically against the curb. The author captures the career of the man who broke all the Finnish distance running records from 5000 meters up to 20,000 and the one hour run. Zatopek was known for spending long periods on the track doing long sets of intervals, as many as 40x 400 meters. The author notes fantastically, and perhaps naively, that Emil even ran 80 quarters in a single workout but as Emil was qouted elsewhere, they didn't mention his pace, which may have been relatively modest for the longer sessions. But aside from his records, Zatopek was known for his dominance in the Olympics and his warm and ever friendly heart that extended even to competitors. Phillips, a track statistician as you will recognized from his series of lists and knowledge of the top times of the world past, current and present, writes a compact book that covers the essentials of Zatopek's career with particular focus on his development, record breaking races and Olympic performances. Amazingly, Zatopek wins a gold medal and a silver in his first Olympics just missing the gold in the 5,000 in the 48 Olympics and of course his incredible triple in the 52 Olympics wining the 5,000, 10,000 and the marathon. Quite a story about Emil running his first marathon in the Olympics after winning the 5K and 10K races. In the late stages of the marathon, the author states that Emil troted up to the leader and favorite, Peters from England, and asks if the pace is fast enough! He later takes the lead, crushing all his competitors including the unfortunate Peters. Emil's training revolutionized distance running and his performances inspired a whole league of young world class runners like Valdimer Kuts, Gordon Pirie, Chris Chataway, and Alan Mimoun all who eventually chipped away at his records. The book is written in somewhat abbreviated format but I do wish there was more personal information about Zatopek particularly how he was able train and compete in German occupied Czechoslovakia and more detail about his family, career in the military but there are references to his punishment for supporting the anti-communist movement in 1968. The book also has short bio on his gold medalist wife Dana who had a remarkable career as a world ranked javelin thrower and multiple Olympic medalist. The racing pictures are also fantastic that even include the fantastic and shocking finish of the 1952 Olympic 5000 meter final. But besides his athletic accomplishments, Emil will always be remembered for his good sportsmanship and kindness to people such as his pacing a young Australian to a national record to his secretly giving his 1952 10,000 meter gold medal to the great multiple world record holder and hard luck Ron Clarke (bronze 10,000 in 64). Clarke said it best about Emil Zapotek after receiving this highly personable gift, "I do know no-one cherishes any gift more than I do, my only Olympic gold medal, and not because of what it is, but because of the man whose spirit it represents".

This book is a must read for all distance running fans. The exciting story of Emil Zatopek life, training and racing is well written by Bob Phillips.He is a great wtiter of track books. Zatopek was an inspiration to many people for he was a universal man. This book belongs in your library. You should also buy the book "3:59.4" by Phillips.

The Rocket

I enjoyed this book very much. It is a wealth of knowledge, especially for the beginner runner that I am. I'm sure that all of the hard work will pay off in the end.

I have successfully trained for 2 marathons with this book and I recommend it to friends aspiring to do the same all the time. Not only does it give reality based tips, the training schedules in the back are reasonable and easy to understand. I picked my first marathon, the Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon, out of the back of the book where it recommends flat, fast courses . My husband and I followed every bit of advice and the schedule and hit our 4 hour goal at the finish line, finishing well into the middle of the pack of racers.
The only additional advice I would add to what the book tells you is to get fitted for running shoes at the on-set of your training by someone certified in Gait Analysis- this will save your knees, feet, and lower back tremendously.

I love this book. I am a new runner and this book has given me soooo much helpful information from certain leg pains I was feeling and suggestions on how to remedy it; to how to increase my speed in my jog/run effectively. You can't go wrong getting this book. If you are excited to start training your body and mind to run a marathon I would totally recommend this book. - "Good Luck!"

My friend, my husband, and I ran our first Marathon using ONLY this book as a training guide and IT WORKED. It actually took 5 months (we had to do the one month get-in-basic-shape-advice too because we were not running AT ALL prior to using this book.) And I was doing it three months after having my first baby! Now, I did not actually run my marathon in 4 hours (it was 4:48) but I am very proud anyway -- I ran every step, I was never a runner and had never run longer than a 5k, and I had given birth 8 months earlier. Training for the marathon helped me shed the 40 lbs I had gained being pregnant. This book is simple, clear, and written for amateur runners with the crazy idea of a MARATHON! Go for it -- all three of us love Dave!!!

I do not recommend this book. It does give some useful information on running--general stuff on what to eat and wear and where to run. If you are new to running you might find it helpful. However, the training program is terrible. I ran my first marathon in a little over 4.5 hours. I took it very easy though and there were a lot of hills, so I was hoping that with the flat Chicago course and some harder training I could run a 4 hour marathon. A lofty goal, but my plan B goal was a sub-4.5 marathon. I bought this book hoping to reach at least one of my goals (unfortunately, the stifling heat ended this year's Chicago marathon before I finished & I had to walk a couple miles so I did not reach either goal, but that's not Kuehls's fault).

To run a four hour marathon, you need to run a 9 minute mile. I used to be able to run several miles at that pace, but this training program made me SLOWER. Here's the basic plan: there are two 20-30 minute jogs each week that are supposed to be done around a 12 minute mile pace (yeah, that's HARD--it took me a couple weeks before I could even get that slow). Your long run is supposed to be done at a 10:40 to 11:20 minute mile pace. Then you have one interval speed workout (at the beginning of the program) or a tempo run (at the end of the program to be done at a 8:40ish minute mile pace). How one fast run a week is supposed to prepare you for 26 miles at a 9 minute mile pace is beyond me. It didn't make sense at the beginning & I guess I'm the fool for following the plan anyway. If you want an easy training program, choose this one. If you want to run a 4 hour marathon, look for something else.

Now that the marathon is over, I need to work on building up the speed I lost over the last four months.

I was very excited about the workout routine and really think the concept makes sense.He was good at getting your attention and reminding you that it's not all about looks but about health for years to come.
What I didn't like was that it was very confusing to me. The way it was laid out and the terms used were kinda of tricky for me to remember.
I felt like I had to plan out what I was going to do for 15 minutes before doing a single exercise.
I also didn't see any mention about how to customize exercises for those that have knee problems or other issues someone may have. I know he cannot address everyone's problems but there doesn't seem to be any advice in that area.
I think I would have rather borrowed the book from a friend/library but now that I have it I will continue with the program.

Like alot of the excersices but some are a bit to advanced. Lost a few pounds tho. :-)

I have been utilizing the information in this book, and doing a number of the exercises, for about one month now. I did not want to review the book until I had some time in the trenches under my belt.

I have found this book to be a superb addition to my workout programs. The Movement Prep and Prehab sections of the book are priceless in and of themselves. I have been doing them several times a week now and I feel much more healthy. The exercises on the physioball from the physioball and prehab sections are much harder than they appear. Especially when you start adding respectable amounts of weight. I was no slouch 30 days ago, but since I started elements of this program (as well as elements of ProBodX from Marv Marinovich), I find that I physically feel much better than before. Core Performance has added some great variety to my regimen. In my humble opinion you simply cannot go wrong including elements of the Core Performance system into your conditioning program. It is well worth the price.

I originally checked this book out at the library thinking it would just be another repeat of other core books I have read, but I was pleasantly surprised. I have been a certified personal trainer for 4 years and some material can get pretty redundant, so I'm always looking for fresh new ideas on fitness. This book was very informative on not only exercises for strengthening the core, but also proper nutrition and recovery tips. I share a lot of the author's ideas and beliefs regarding all of these issues, so I decided to buy this book from my favorite online store- Amazon. You will wear this book out, it's great.

Let me be clear: I have not tried this program. I cannot speak as to how effective or not effective it is for regular people. Please read on to understand the reason for my low rating.

I am in what I imagine is not an uncommon situation. I have back problems (diagnosed as being caused by a herniated disc, in my case) and I have begun my own routine to stabilize my back, stretch my glutes/hamstrings, and strengthen the core muscles which are so essential to back health. I bought this book hoping to learn a few new exercises to add to my "back routine."

However, this book does not mention unhealthy backs except in the list of things the program will help you to avoid. What if you already have back problems and have turned to core training to prevent relapses? My concern is that some of the exercises (especially the ones that put the spine in a non-neutral position) are not safe for people with back problems. The book does not even mention this as a possibility.

I have seen other books that deal with core training that rate the risk to your lower back for each exercise. The author of this book does nothing of the sort, and by doing this he is excluding the group of people that probably need the program the most: those suffering from chronic back problems.