Athletics Books

Running The Athlete Within by David Costill (John and Janice Fisher Chair in Exercise Science, Human Performance Laboratory, Ball State University) and Scott Trappe (Director, Human Performance Laboratory, Ball State University) is a straightforward and "user friendly" guide to understanding how men and women can best balance training, rest, and nutrition into a healthy and competitive running/exercise regimen. Firmly grounded in solid scientific backing, Running The Athlete Within covers the effects of aging on one's ability to run and enjoy it, optimizing one's performance, special considerations for female and pregnant runners, and much more. Running The Athlete Within is very highly recommended reading for the long distance runner and the cardiovascular fitness enthusiast.

This book really ought to be called "The Distance Runner" because its focus is entirely on that topic; sprinting is only discussed when it provides an illuminating contrast to the distance sport. Also, there are an annoying amount of typos and grammatical errors in the book. They don't interfere with information transfer, but they brought me up mentally every time I crossed one and they come across as unprofessional. Those nits aside, this is an excellent discussion of past and current research on the effects of running on the human body and methods to maximize training and race performance. Costill and Trappe discuss the physiology of elite runners vs. the untrained, safe and effective training methods, differences between male and female runners, and the effects on aging on performance. An educational resource for runners at all levels.

A Season with Dick Bennett, an inside look at Bennett's Wisconsin basketball team during the 1996-1997 season, is outstanding. I'm sure many people looking at this review have no idea who Dick Bennett was. This is unfortunate, as Bennett was a terrific coach who did not get the publicity of, say, Bobby Knight or Dean Smith. Ferris does a terrific job of introducing the Dick Bennett to the reader. The book is somewhat similar to Feinstein's Season on the Brink,although not quite as good. (To be sure, the subject is a far more sympathetic figure).

Ferris, a coach himself, gives the reader a revealing look at Dick Bennett, not only as a basketball coach, but more importantly as a husband, father, and mentor to his players. Bennett, while not as well known as Bobby Knight or Dean Smith, was one of the best coaches in the game. He would take a less than superb Wisconsin team to the Final Four three years later. In this book, he is portrayed as both an excellent coach and an outstanding, if flawed, human being. Most readers will , as I did, come to the conclusion that Bennett is as good a person as Ferris portrays him. Bennett is proof that a coach does not have to be a boor (e.g. Bobby Knight) to win at the Division I level.

The reader will also appreciate Ferris' inclusion of a glossary, as some of the terms used in the book were fairly technical and might not be understood by a casual basketball fan. Basketball coaches, whether high school or college, will gain from studying Bennett's philosophy. My only complaint with Ferris is that he does not ask the Badger players how they feel about playing for Coach Bennett. Without that perspective, I felt the portrayal of Dick Bennett was incomplete. Nevertheless, I still recommend this book.

One sequel I'm sure many Badger fans would love to read: the story of Bennett leading Wisconsin to their miraculous run to the Final Four in 2000. Given the relative lack of talent on that team, the word miraculous is not an overstatement.

This book provides a great portrait of an educator dedicated to excellence. Coach Bennett provides the author with intimate access to not only his team, practices, games, and staff meetings, but inside his own life and thought processes. What is exposed is a man dedicated to faith, family, and dedication to excellence. His strong Christian values are reflected in the five intangible concepts stressed to his team: Humility, Passion, Unity, Servanthood, and Thankfulness. Of particular interest is the role of faith through the tough times a highly competitive season brings, dealing with the anger and disappointment that can result, then using those situations as a catalyst for change and improvement. A chapter "Prepare To Succeed By First Eliminating Failure" is must reading for any dedicated basketball coach. His feelings on the down side of personal competitiveness and the skewing of personal priorities are outstanding reflections. In a time where coaching has become in many instances style over substance, Coach Bennett's team concepts and personal toughness in the face of adversity reveal the substance of a champion on and off the court. His insights on Indiana's Bob Knight during their preparation to compete are interesting as well. Eric Ferris's book provides the reader with an intimate look at the competitive toughness needed to succeed in major college basketball. Anyone who liked "Bob Knight, His Own Man", John Wooden's "Reflections On A Lifetime", and "The Smart Take From the Strong" will love this book.

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.

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