Athletics Books

This is just what a 50 year old golfer with a lower back pain needs. Quite brilliant and a must have for all golfers to avoid the pain they may get in the future!

Taking care of your body will ensure many more years of good golf. This book is a great start, with a simple 15 minute program to keep you (and your game) in good shape!

Unlike many such books, this one is excellent and serious. Follow Dr. Vad's strictures and you may yet live to shoot your age!

I wish I'd read this book 45 years ago, when I started playing golf. If you're a serious golfer -- one who wants to play your best, and works toward that goal -- you have a choice: get into a good flexibility and strengthening program, or be prepared to spend some really painful time in bed, not playing golf in beautiful weather.
This book provides what you need to lower the likelihood of encountering the pain and misery of golf-related back problems. There are no guarantees in life, but it has transformed golf for this 67-year old.

It was a very easy read. Very little golf stuff but lots of easy exercises to do and could be done in under 20 minutes for better fitness. It has three levels of difficulties. Yes, to golf better, improve on strength and flexibility as the explosive force in a golf swing could result in injury if we are not properly conditioned, especially weekend warriors.

The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is because I thought it contained full stories (like the ones in the Chicken Soup series)and not simply quotes, which by the way are sometimes moving. I liked to read how famous people remembered their teachers, we don't usually get to know that information.

A former student of mine sent me this book with an inscription that made my day -- make that, my year! After reading the personalized inscription a dozen times, I started reading Mr. Shribman's book. What a delight. The book made me remember why I became a teacher.

I picked up I REMEMBER MY TEACHER because I liked the cover. I bought two copies because once I started reading it, I had to send copies to the college professor and the high school coach who inspired me. This book was the perfect opportunity to thank them after more than 15 years for the support and advice that still means so much to me.

Perfect book to make teachers feel good--and to make students remember why they loved their best teachers. There is something here for everyone--from the A student to the less successful, from college mentors to grade school inspirers. The famous and the more common former students share their reminisces with humor, with pride, but mostly with thanks. A great gift and a great read.

Part anecdote, part declaration, "I Remember My Teacher: 365 Reminiscences of the Teachers Who Changed Our Lives" will bring back the memory of your own teachers: what they said, what they did and who they are.

It caused me to remember back to my own fifth grade teacher, who, upon completing the year, wrote me a quick note which encourages me to this day. You, too, will think about your kindergarten teachers and learning your letters, or the guy who taught you the software used in your job.

Shribman uses examples from celebs galore, but the important part is learning about the teachers who helped mold the leaders of today. Tomorrow's leaders are sitting in a third grade classroom across the world, and a great teacher is guiding him or her.

Teachers can read this and be encouraged and excited that what they do does matters. Students will read this and see that their teacher's unorthodox ways and persistence in teaching makes a difference.

I fully recommend "I Remember My Teacher: 365 Reminiscences of the Teachers Who Changed Our Lives" by David M. Shribman.

Anthony Trendl

This was one of the most life changing books I have ever read.
Highly recommend it.

Dan Millman pulls valuable concepts from a variety of disciplines. This book does not delve into specific training methods, but rather expounds a philosophy of training. The author integrates concepts from sports psychology, physiology, and the martial arts. The Inner Athlete contains several enlightening perspectives on different aspects of athletic training. I have been following his suggested modifications for stretching exercises for about two weeks, with excellent results. This book will be valuable for any athlete, regardless of level of attainment.

What a great book...I am interested in all kinds of sports and have always believed that sport should be more than just physical training and with this book I found someone who shares my thoughts....

From the book: Dedicate your training to your life and not your life to your training...

When you read this book you will realize that the truth has always been in you, you just did not see it. Learn to see and let your heart lead the way. I love this book.

I finished the book and instantly wanted to start reading it again. Dan has helped me with my own nemisis by reminding me that being stuck on a skill is a result of not having developed the requisite skills and strengths. But the concept that I love the most and has been that of building strength by relaxing the opposing muscles so you spend less time fighting yourself. As we all learn about life through sport (well, many of us anyway) I have discovered that it is not just in athletics that I tense all the wrong muscles. I have begun seeing how in my life I fight myself and by just relaxing the right areas of my life I have been able to handle much greater degrees of stress with a peace and equanimity this book helped me to realize.

This is one of those books I'll read over and over again and gain something new from each and every time. And my poor friends are all sick to death of having me quote it to them as they come to me with their struggles.

This book is an easy read, as are all of Dan Millman's books. I read the first edition of The Inner Athlete 6 years ago at the age of 20. It inspired me to enrol in a beginner's gymnastics class for adults, probably because I wanted to be just like Dan. It proved to be a life-changing decision. I had retained some of Dan's advice, such as the Law of Accommodation - how our body more readily produces results when we don't place demands or set goals. I stuck to practicing the fundamentals, and was satisfied with doing handstands and simple drills that I understood were the foundations of talent. Those who had started the class at the same time as I had began practicing handsprings after only a few weeks.

After a year, my classmates were still struggling with their handsprings. It didn't look like much fun, as they were sprawling on their butts half the time. Those who felt discouraged moved on to working on back-flips. In the meantime, I was getting better at handstands and my muscles were growing more supple. I would watch my classmates intently during practice. I paid close attention to the instructors who tried to help them, but I stayed on the sidelines and flirted with girls. When I wasn't doing that I stuck to my drills, stretching, and handstands, which I also incorporated into my morning exercise routine at home.

Then one day a guest instructor from Russia who was impressed with my ability to do handstands insisted that I do a handspring. I declined at first, but he insisted. Not wanting to be rude, I went through the motions for about 10 minutes with him. Finally, he sent me flying in a handspring that had me airborne for what seemed like an eternity. I was astonished and after a few tries I managed to do it without help. Within a week I was turning handsprings as well as the instructors. I was utterly amazed. My classmates were less enthused. Two of them quit shortly afterward. I bumped into one of them a few months later. She said she was "too busy" to come to practice. She had worked really hard, and I felt bad because I think my sudden improvement had discouraged her. Little did she know that my new-found ability was a natural result to having applied Dan's advice on Developing Talent.

I think anyone who applies the wisdom in Dan's book will develop wonderful results over time. Some people attribute such success to patience and persistence. That may be true, but that is to oversimplify. You need knowledge of how the process of skill-learning works and you need a good teacher. The Inner Athlete provides you with helpful keys that you can apply to almost any endeavour that involves skill training.

Thanks to the simple logic in this book, I have unlocked a world that had been closed to me for so long. I cherish the memories of the times when I moved like a total spaz. If only you had seen me at my first piano-lesson, my introduction to jazz-ballet or on my first day at swim school. I now enjoy a high level of skill in these areas, and to me the process seemed effortless.

With a back injury I incurred in an accident 2 years ago I am now confined to swimming, but that is no obstacle. The Inner Athlete deals beautifully with how to cope with setbacks. I work on the areas that I can, and have recently become a valued member of a swim team. So far, no medals, but the coach doesn't have to drag me out of the pool anymore.

I'm a drummer and have always had some glitches in my performances when I thought the pressure was on. I've read this book once thru and am already thinking differently on the stage. I've read tons of music books on the subject of letting go of the chatter in your head, but this blows them all away with concrete exercises and evaluations to gauge your mental toughness.

if you've decided to open up that can of worms that is sports psych, then you really should read this gem. it is vastly superior to all his other books.

This book was given to me a few years ago by one of my coaches. This book is possibly the most helpful book that I have ever read. I am a goalie in ice hockey (15 years old) and have always been regarded as the hardest worker that people have ever seen. But when it came to big games, I clearly wasn't always my sharpest. Many coaches say that sports is 90% mental, but how can you improve your mental skills? Improving mental skills is not very physically demanding, but it does take commitment. Read this book and take this seriously! It could turn around your sports journey, or journey through life. It has for me and it is less than 200 pages! I highly recommend this book for any serious athletes of any age.

suggested to me by a world cup winning athlete who owns and old out of print copy covered in tape to hold it together, this book is brilliant. my career as an elite athlete jumped a number of levels whilst reading it. his more recent book is nothing compared to this. go to your library and photocopy it, no one will sell it to you. it is the best.

James Loehr's book deserves 10 stars!

After reading many books on sports psychology and not getting anywhere, Mental Toughness Training for Sports guided me down the road to sporting success.

James Loehr explains what happens mentally to athletes during both great and terrible performances. You are then guided along analysing your own performances and gradually you gain more and more control over your mental and ultimately your physical performances.

This book is for the serious athelete, who has the patience to take the necessary steps required for success.

If you feel you are not producing your best in play due to mental obstacles, then this is the book for. It will change your life and give you control you thought only your opponents possessed.

I've been running for a few years to keep the fat off my hips and was pleased to stumble across this great running guide. I must say that i had been doing quite a bit wrong. Now that i've read this book, I've lost even more weight and am just lucky that the writer didn't charge by the pound.

I've been running for only a year, but have really improved since adopting the advice contained in this book. It is also reasonably priced. I recommend it to anyone who wants to improve their running experience.

This book was my first running book. For $10 it is a great buy. It is full of information, especially training tips for a marathon. It doesn't have much on injuries or nutrition but it is only a small book. I recommend it...

This book helped me train for my first marathon in 1997... and several after. It provides three suggested-training schedules, depending on goals and training level, for 10K & marathons. Easy to follow, easy to read. Excellent starting point for new runners. Have read other books by "more famous" authors, but none of their suggested training schedules gave me the confidence I obtained by using this book. (Qualified for Boston every time!!) Future editions could be improved by adding a chapter on recovery following the marathon.

I picked up this book on a whim, and have found it to be the most helpful, inspirational book on running ever. I am 3 months pregnant and the information for pregnant women was unparalleled. I highly recommend this book for anyone though. The information is useful, the book is concise and the tone is enjoyable. Two thumbs up!

I book this book back in 1973 and then lost it in a flood but was able to get a copy at a used book store.These were the real champions and pioneers of bodybuilding; Arnold, Nubret, Columbu, Zane, Corney, Waller, Katz etc.You rarely see training photo's like this and heretofore, never saw bodybuilders depicted as real people as Gaines and Butler did with this work and the movie that followed.Pumping Iron and a Mega-Superstar German with a hard to prononunce last name literally took bodybuilding into the mainstream and turned the stars of our sport into household names.While I was lucky to find a copy of this book at a used book store, I really feel that Gaines and Butler should have a reprint for people who would like a new, first class copy; perhaps even a revised version showing where those champions are today.Great book Mr. Gaines and Mr. Butler.

It is no overstatement to attribute to the publication of this book much of the fitness revolution that first began in the 1970s. It lionized the then relatively obscure sport of bodybuilding, and in particular made much notice of the then only marginally known figure of a relatively young Austrian muscle freak with the unlikely name of Arnold Schwarzenegger. The book proved such a trenchant and penetrating look into the shadowy subculture of fitness freaks and muscle-heads that it created a boom in the gym business, which previously existed only in a few locations where the numbers of bodybuilders reached enough of a critical mass to allow such a commercial venture. In fact, as Gaines points out in the narrative, most of the gyms were owned by guys like Joe Gold, who weren't in the gym business to make a profit, and who merely managed to eke out a living, and who rarely made much of a return on their original investment.

Of course, this affectionate and knowing look at the life and lifestyles of several serious competitive bodybuilders was so successful that it encouraged the photographer, George Butler, to try to find backing for a film version of the book. And it was a difficult sell, for the movie mavens had little appreciation for the degree of public interest in muscles and muscle men then. Indeed, the movie was never released for wide commercial viewing, but was rather relegated to showings at art cinemas and other venues. Yet the book was a resounding success, and was on the best-selling trade books for months and months.

The book can still be found in used bookstores, and is a wonderful resource for anyone interested in the history of bodybuilding or the lifestyles of the most famous musclemen of the late 1960s and 1970s. I have several copies, although I lost one in a fire last year. It is a shame it is now out of print, for the book (and the subsequent movie) capture the essence of the exotic little world of competitive bodybuilding as it existed in the days when the sport was marginalized, before it became big business, and before eager young men who want fame and riches got involved for that reason rather than because they just wanted to be bodybuilders. Ah, the good old days! Enjoy!

This engrossing documentary/commentary of bodybuilding is the Bible of what bodybuilding IS. It does not drown you with technical detail, nor attempt to teach you HOW to bodybuild. What it does is bring you inside the gyms, (where the competitors work out) the arenas (where they compete) and inside their minds, where the peculiar and fascinating drive for the physical ideal finds its germination, growth and finally fruit on the posing platform. Why they do what they do, and just a smattering of detail of the equipment they use to accomplish their ends, rounds out this book. It is centered around a not-then-well-known Arnold Schwarzeneggar in his quest for the ultimate bodybuilding title, the Mr. Olympia. A few other competitors are also featured along with their quest for physical perfection and recognition of that by the bodybuilding contest judges. The well-placed and very informative pictures of the athletes at work in the gym, at play and in competition were a constant source of fascination to me as a teenaged boy, and I spent uncounted hours slowly flipping through the pages and examining every detail of what I thought a physique SHOULD look like. If you have ever been mildly curious of what essence makes men into bodybuilders, or have wondered WHY they do this, this book is for you. I recommend it very highly, and would probably be flipping through it right now if I had it, so inexhaustible is its supply of interesting information!

I agree with all above that this is a fine book. I wish there were more such insightful forays into other sports. My one quibble with Pumping Iron is that whistles past the graveyard of the great dark evil, steroids. One reading this book would get the impression that all of the bodybuilders within had sculpted their physiques with weightlifting, diet, dedication, and genetics. The truth is, all the stars of that era relied heavily on steroids, as subsequent admissions by such as Arnold Schwarzenegger have revealed. That, and the near-death disaster to Steve Michalik from steroid overdose (the book attributes his great "sea change" gain of muscle mass to heavy weight training and eating a lot of chicken and tuna fish) are crucial facts for the reader to know. To ignore the dirty little secret of big-time bodybuilding is dishonest, and presents a disservice to the readership. I would enthusiastically welcome another edition of Pumping Iron, as suggested above- it's a fine book- but I would repect Messrs. Gaines and Butler the more if they would address the steroid issue.

Before this book, bodybuilding was an obscure sport that nobody cared about or was interested in. Pumping Iron changed all that with it's realistic look at the sport with many pictures of the champions of the 70's & early 80's at work and play. Shattered many of the myths that people believed about bodybuilders and presented them as ordinary people with an intense drive and competitive will.

This is a great book, i read it for a class, Gender and Sport, in college. Very helpful to anyone or to parents in particular.

The Equal Rights Amendment was passed in 1972. It was called Title IX. Title IX was originally intended to deal with equal pay for female university professors. It was really about a historic change involving the way we view girls and sports. It lead to an explosion in girls' and womens' sports. And in so doing, it did something for girls and women that no set of constitutional statutes could ever provide: " empowerment. " This is a thoroughly written and exciting book that examines and documents the tremendous impact that sports has had on girls' lives. The various aspects of this impact are explained with true and entertaining stories of girls and the sports they play....the effect on their self-esteem, schoolwork, family lives, careers and sex/love lives. While the overall effect of sports is highly positive for girls who participate, there are hazards, traps and pitfalls that parents, educators and coaches need to be aware of. And as far as girls' sports has come, they still endure resistance and ridicule from men who can only relate to girls as sexual objects. All of this is discussed. This book will be highly useful for parents who want to introduce or encourage their daughters to participate. Many of the issues that are discussed are problems I have to deal with in my coaching or are issues that are constantly being brought up by parents of the girls I work with. I am convinced that the best way to keep a girl away from dangerous people and questionable activities is to get her involved in sports. Her grades will go up and you are likely to see an increasingly happy daughter. This great book will give support to parents who wish to encourage their daughters and also instruct the concerned parent or educator about how to go about making sports a positive experience that will change her life for the better.

In 1972, the Equal Rights Amendment was passed. It was called Title IX. Originally inspired to insure equal pay for female university professors, the real impact of Title IX was an explosion in girls' and womens' sports because the law required equal funding for all federally funded educational institutions. While only 20% of all institutions are in full compliance, we have seen an explosion in girls'/womens' sports plus one positive consequence for girls that no set of constitutional statutes can provide: " empowerment. " This book documents the overwhelmingly positive effects that playing sports has on self-esteem, schoolwork, career success and interpersonal/love relationships. Thoroughly written with entertaining true stories, the authors show how and why sports are so important to girls' lives. But they do not shy away from the hazards, pitfalls and confusion that girls face from the clash of mixed societal messages let alone the boys/men who can only see girls as sexual objects. Suggestions are made for sustaining the positive and preventing the negative. I am a girls' high school basketball coach. I also teach and coach young girls in basketball. Teaching and encouraging successful participation in girls' sports has become an important part of my life's work. Many of the issues that are brought up in the book are things I have had to deal with or are concerns that parents bring up with me. Any parent who sincerely wants their daughter to have a successful and rewarding experience with sports will benefit from this book because it lends support and offers advice based on experience. Like me, it is obvious that the authors love to work with girls and are very dedicated to promoting participation while erasing discrimination and inequality. It inspired me to continue my work and taught me a few things also. It was also a fun read. I didn't want the book to end. If, like me, you love working with girls, this is a must read.

There doesn't seem to be very much information about girls in sports - especially parenting information. This book is wonderful. It provides hope, saddness and grit of what is really happening!

Being the parent of a very athletic 14 year old girl - who is sometimes thought of as "different" because of her drive, goals and commitment - this book helps me understand her - and provides me with ways to help her achieve her goals!!

As a 50 year old grandmother who did not have the benefit of Title IX, this book lays out all the reasons why we should raise our daughters differently than society currently dictates. An athletic girl learns early about how to deal with prejudice and competition; it is a skill that does not come always easily to the non athlete. This book shows clearly and concisely how important it is to prepare our daughters for the world; there is a staggering set of statistics to show why girls everywhere should be encouraged to participate in sports. In this day and age when we are trying earnestly to figure out why so many teenage girls get pregnant or involve themselves in self destructive behaviors, this book gives a pretty clear roadmap of how to protect your own daughter.

I was fortunate enough to buy the book when it first came out. I have read the book several dozen times and often use it as a reference.

I have learned alot from this book and it describes the training methods Charlie learned and the transformation to his own training system.

I also have "The Charlie Francis Training System" which is autographed by Charlie. It is a great book for preparing your own training and periodization schedules.

The book is laid out in an easy to read fashion and Charlie knows how to get the point across very well.

I'm very fortunate to have read this book.

I purchased this book when it was first released in late 1990 and have read it cover to cover several dozen times over the years. Unfortunately, most of the attention and commentary regarding this book give a false impression of its content. Though the narrative does culminate in the drug scandal in Seoul, the topic of drug use by athletes (and by Charlie's sprinters in particular) is really of secondary importance and only constitutes a small portion of the book.

Speed Trap is primarily an autobiography of Charlie's career as an athlete and coach. In the course of reading about Charlie's training as an Olympic sprinter himself and the subsequent evolution of his coaching methods, the reader is treated to perhaps the best education on the technical aspects of sprinting ever put into print. From his early training with Percy Duncan and Harry Jerome to his subsequent tutelage under legendary sprint coach Gerard Mach, Charlie describes what he learned from these greats as well as how he synthesized and adapted their methods in developing his own training system. I know of no other book on sprinting that comes close to providing the quality of technical insight found in Speed Trap. To a certain extent, Speed Trap is a technical treatise on sprinting masquerading as an autobiography. While the description of the careers of athletes such as Ben Johnson, Angela Issajenko, Desai Williams, et al., is entertaining in its own right, it also serves to provide anecdotes that illustrate many of the technical concepts discussed throughout the book. Anyone who has met Charlie in person knows this is exactly how he teaches. In her own autobiography (Running Risks) Angela Issajenko describes how Charlie always seemed to have a story to explain any point he was trying to get across to his athletes.

Even on the topic of drugs, Speed Trap offers insights not found anywhere else. Most if not all of the literature related to anabolic steroids is dominated by the field of bodybuilding and to a lesser extent powerlifting. Charlie explains how steroid use by sprinters and similar athletes is a world apart from bodybuilding. As an example, in her first year of steroid use, Angela Issajenko's total dosage for the entire year was about 700mg, an amount many bodybuilders would use in a couple days. Much of the discussion of drug use by athletes is part of the larger topic of how sport is administered by the various governing bodies around the world. Charlie provides a very sobering insight into the bureaucratic and often corrupt nature of international sport.

Lastly, in addition to the quality of its content, Speed Trap is also remarkable for the quality of the writing. The narrative is written in a very conversational style that makes it very easy to read. Having met and trained with Charlie on a couple of occasions, I can attest to the fact that the book reads pretty much the way Charlie talks. I cannot recommend this book more highly for those interested specifically in sprinting or just training in general. If you can find a copy, it is well worth buying.

Even though I know drug use runs rampant in track and field today, this book presents a side of the sport that dearly needed to be said. Most people have been too scared to publicly talk about it which I applaud him for. This book also brought to my attention the new style training methods on speed which I found extremely helpful. I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks Maurice Green or Donavan Bailey aren't on Steriods or any other form of banned ergogenic aids.

A well-written book. I highly recommend this to anyone involved in developing sprinters, as it sheds the light on the techniques of one of the sport's greatest coaches of all time. I applaud his courage to step forward on an issue that is commonplace these days. Both men's and women's elite sprinters are on performance-enhancing substances, and will remain as long as GH and such substances cannot be detected (forever). The fact remains that Ben Johnson performed at the level that he did in a time when all other sprinters were unable to do so. The current sprinters are breaking his record, and are doing so through the same means. Again, an exciting read for coaches interested in following the development of some of the world's fastest men and women in the way that it should be and is done.

This book was written after the Seoul Olympics and after Ben Johnson's 1st place finish. However, the logic and the motivation for using synthetic performance enhancements amongst world class athletes is clearly outlined and is applicable to all professional athletics, not just Olympic level track and field, where the financial stakes are huge for both participants and sponsors, and media attention is unrelenting. Recent revelations by MLB stars like Jose Canseco and Ken Caminiti confirm the logic and motivation so clearly, honestly and cogently outlined by Francis in Speed Trap.

Most disturbing is that there doesn't seem to be any turning back on this path of drug use among elite athletes as long as athletics continues to be the potent economic engine that it is, and continues to hold out the promise of lottery-type earnings to hopeful young athletes all over the world.

That the mathematics book is considered really a distinguished reference to all kinds of the sport.
By the pieces of information and the explanatory drawings to all of the tactics and the sportS movements.
And more than 120 sport prioritize by a plentiful interesting and wonderful style by the pieces of information and the clear drawings to each sport.
And concentrates on the rules and Alastratgiat to each sport with an useful historic summary.
And he by a right considers an easy mathematical encyclopedia by a printing with high quality.

Sports: Complete Visual Reference provides a survey of the history, rules, strategies and equipment for over a hundred sports played around the world, covering classic Olympic events, individual and team sports, mechanized and equestrian events and others. Color illustrations and clear explanations discuss the origins and rules of each sport and its evolution over time.

This book is a great visual reference for many types of sports, even ones I knew very little about. It is also great for kids to give an insight into many different areas to discover something that interests them. I highly recommend it!

A terrific book describing thousands of sports. You will find sports such as softball, gymnastics, swimming, bowling, diving, and martial art sports. And that's less then a quarter of what the sports in here are! (You name a sport, it's in there!) The book features a history for each sport, the rules, the equipment, and has full color graphics showing basic moves and positions. A must-have for everyone interested in sports.

This book provides in-depth information on all known sports, even some I did not know about! The illustrations are great. It is perfect to know what a sport is all about. Start reading it and you won't stop. Reference at its best. I strongly recommend this work of art.

Bravo!

One doesn't have to be an athlete to enjoy this, let alone a swimmer. This book is a meditation of the enjoyment of competing, on pushing onesself and finding and wishing to overcome personal limits. It in the context of someone returning to a sport they have done previously so some experience of the physical side of life is helpful to an appreciation of this, (as I've met many people who are willfully proud of the complete lack of physical endeavor in their lives).
This book has much to offer the reflective athlete or regular exerciser, and can usefully be read as a series of essay on particular areas of sport, such as overtraining, the effects of aging, stretching, competition, etc.
I read many books on swimming in the last 2 years, almost all related to the specifics of training or strokes etc, and this book, which is neither about why or how to swim, or when or how much to train, was far more rewarding in it's general reflection on life and sport and aging.

I just joined a masters' swim team. I was the same age as John Jerome when he swam in this book. I just found this book motivating and that it increased my knowledge and understanding of elite athletes. It also taught me more about the world of competitive swimming. The book mainly dealt with people who were good swimmers/competitive swimmers when they were younger. I wish at least one swimmer like me without previous experience was in the book, but I still found the book had application to me. I reccomend it.

I was a swimmer throughout my younger years. It seems that only swimmers can understand why and how swimmers do what they do.... John Jerome, in his own style and grace, creates a book that really hits home. Super for: teenage swimmers, coaches and parents of swimmers.

Well, I bought two books. The other one is about a guy who is trying to be a cross country skier. I am glad that I read the other one first otherwise if I read John's book first the other one will be super boring. This book is not just about how he becomes a swimmer but rather how people should deal with the inevitable - aging. I enjoy his writing so much that i bought 3 more of his books.

I read this book after a suggestion in Phil Whitten's book on swimming. It was hard to find, but very inspirational to me as I was getting heavily into serious swimming and athletics at 48, the same age as the author was when he got back into swimming. His adventures are thoughtfully described and his experience easy to identify with. The book got me interested in Jerome's other works, which are also very involving.