Athletics Books

Improve Your Soccer Skills is a really great books I've spending 144 day read the booki.

With the enormous prestige and financial rewards that come with athletic success, it's inevitable that no stone will be left unturned to learn how to develop a world champion or an Olympic gold medalist. In recent decades, attention has focused on the mental dynamics of athletic performance. The cornerstone of all these approaches has been visualization, i.e.the use of all the senses to create, simulate or re-create in one's mind, successful and effective performance. Now, we have an author capable of delivering a more expansive approach,though his chapter on visualization is quite good. Ralph Vernacchia is a PH.D who developed his approaches not solely through academia, but by combining rigorous academic study with real life experience. Mr. Vernacchia was first a high school and college miler, who later coached college cross country and track for 22 years. Following his teaching and coaching, he worked directly with some of the USA's finest coaches and experts in applied sport psychology. All this has been distilled into the remarkably lucid and practical text, "Inner Strength".
Mr. Vernacchia first presents the psychological profile of the elite athlete,ability to moderate worry, concentrate, maintain confidence, mentally prepare. Traditionally, these characteristics have then been drowned in platitudes and homilies, diluted beyond usefullness. What seperates "Inner Strength" is its ability to take these characteristics and analyze how they can be developed in the athlete. In addition, there are other chapters of particular benefit to a coach."The Values and Beliefs of Athletic Excellence" chapter is an excellent resource to create a foundational basis for a program that is not limited to a training schedule. Another chapter, "Fueling Your Dream, Understanding Athletic Motivation" is an excellent starting point for a coach despairing about what to do with his less committed performers.The book's strength is its practicality. Passages such as Three Principles of Quality Practice, Goal Attainment, Recommendations for Beating Burnout, 10 Ways to Master Pre-Performance Stress,Mental Toughness Training, offer different perspectives on standard challenges.
The field on the mental aspects of athletic performance has been dominated since its publication in 1984 by Rich Elliott's " The Competitive Edge, Mental Preparation for Distance Runners." Ralph Vernacchia's "Inner Strength" is an invaluable companion to this volume.

Now in a newly revised, expanded, and updated edition, Inside Women's College Basketball: Anatomy Of Two Seasons is a candid and revealing behind-the-scenes look written by five reporters who followed the sport for most of the 1990s. From the intense campus politics of recruiting to the shrewd wisdom of head coaches to the talent of star players and the amazing 1999-2000 national championship, Inside Women's College Basketball is a fascinating read and especially recommended for devoted followers and fans of the sport.

Now in a fully revised, updated and expanded second edition, Introduction To Athletic Training by Susan Kay Hillman is accompanied by a CD-Rom that will operate on either a Windows or a Macintosh platform. Introduction To Athletic Training presents both theoretical and practical information on the duties of an athletic trainer, including caring for injured and ill athletes. The chapter on pharmacology will deepen the reader's understanding of the effects on common drugs used in athletics. The chapter on epidemiology will prove invaluable in evaluating injury trends and reducing the risk of future injuries. Each individual chapter includes critical thinking questions, helpful scenarios, internet resources, chapter summaries, and more. Introduction To Athletic Training should be required reading for anyone who aspires to a career as an athletic trainer, or who is currently engaged in the training of athletes either as a profession or as a volunteer in amateur sports programs and events.

I loved the first edition because it mentioned one of the early competitors training for the iron man while living out his van and training himself and others at a health club. This was an inspiratiion to me as an ex-marine/student who lived in his van while attending college and working out/showering in the gym.

My motivation to write this review on an out of print book, was because I would be the first to review it, but I have always referred to the author when people questioned my ability to thrive on a van-lifestyle. My goal was to buy a house by paying for it in cash, but my life has taken a different turn. In any event I am almost 40 years old, in great shape, and have only paid rent for six months in my life.

Thanks Mike Plant for the inspiration.

I've read this book numerous times since junior high. I love it! It is one of my favorites. It takes all the insecurities that we feel as young adults and brings them into the mind's eye. It's a highly inspiring story about real life teen issues such as not fitting in, getting in trouble and the parent/child relationship. It's a "feel good" story that takes you through every emotion, from life's small setbacks to triumphant glories. This should be required reading for young adults and those who deal with them. It's not just for kids, adults can take something from this book also.

This is an excellently written guide to Jewish- American sports heroes. It is divided into chapters according to the sport: Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey, Boxing etc.
A similar book also of excellent quality was written many years ago by Harold Ribalow.

Years ago, running has become something like an old brand of car in a new model year; everything has to be "updated" to keep a person at the forefront of the emerging technology.

Equally, some years ago, Don Kardong - a U.S. Olympic marathoner - was asked how he runs the 26.2-milers. He replied, "One foot in front of the other."

Running is a very simple sport to get involved in and enjoy for a lifetime. And there is not a better book published to get a person sensibly into the activity than Jog, Run, Race.

Joe Henderson leads the reader through gauging initial fitness and into workout routines that set an excellent foundation. The chapters are separated according to initial ability and emerging fitness.

By following the workouts, the reader will be poised to reach goals that may include running for fun, fitness or to challenge oneself at local races.

If you want to try running and want guidance in how to take those initial steps, you cannot go wrong in seeking out this book on Amazon or in second-hand book stores.

Johnny Miles set a new Boston course record in 1926 in his first ever marathon. Now, at the age of 93 he is by far the oldest living winner of the Beantown classic.

I visited with Johnny Miles in October 1998, at his home in Hamilton, Ontario and took photographs of him wearing his prized possession-the jacket he received at the 100th running of the Boston in 1996. He has slowed down a bit but is still sharp enough to sign his autograph for the Johnny Miles Foundation in the few remaining copies of his biography: Johnny Miles, Nova Scotia's Marathon King. The Foundation is in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada, c/o Dr. John Miles Williston/902-752-7470).

For many Canadian runners, in particular those from Atlantic Canada, the Johnny Miles book continues to serve as an inspiration. As the author, I frequently receive phone calls and e-mail (footless@escape.ca) from those who've been inspired by the story of Johnny Miles. Recently copies of it were taken to South Korea by a Winnipeg, Manitoba runner to be presented to the two Korean runners who won the Boston.

This year is the 70th anniversary of Johnny Miles' second Boston record breaking victory and more than one runner from Canada, and perhaps even Bill Rodgers himself, was wearing a T-shirt in the 1999 Boston, from the Johnny Miles 10K classic in Pictou County, Nova Scotia.

Will Cloney of Boston who was BAA race director for more than 40 years said:"There hasn't been a Johnny Miles in Boston since Johnny Miles. He was really the first and the last surprise winner."

You can still find this book in your library as well as in used bookstores. Ask Amazon to find it for you.

I was always mystified why my body would refuse to work properly after running 20 miles. At first I thought that I was not made for Marathon running. Then I read 'Keep on Running' and it all became clear. Without this book, I would have given up Marathon running. But now I know how to manipulate my metabolism correctly in order to be a well conditioned endurance runner, I no longer fear anything over 20 miles.