Athletics Books

Reviewed by Brianne Plach (age 10) for Reader Views (11/07)

What could be more exciting than to be a part of a basketball camp with a bunch of other boys who love the same sport? This is a bright spot too, since Jay, and his family, is forced to live with his grandfather since his family lost their house in a fire. Jay is all excited to be a part of the Acadia University Basketball Camp in Nova Scotia. He gets to stay in an actual college dorm and be away from home for a whole week. What makes it even better is the fact that his best friend Mike is going to the same camp.

What starts out as being probably the most thrilling thing that has ever happened in Jay's life, takes a horrible turn. Mike's older brother, Chad, who is supposed to be the boy's coach and mentor, is not at all what a mentor should be. It will take some work on the part of the boys to make it through a tough week. Sometimes appearances can be deceiving. Chad used to seem like such a great guy. It takes the boys to make a difference in Chad's life.

"Personal Best" is an exciting continuation of the story which was first introduced in Sylvia Gunnery's book "Out of Bounds." I am anxiously waiting to see if Ms. Gunnery decides to continue Jay's story in another book.

Book was in great condition, looked brand new. Delivered fast and process was extremely smooth. Very happy with purchase.

I have read this book and know that this book is a must for any girl who wants to become a better player. If you want expert advice on how to play the game of baseball,there is no one better than this author. I also recommend Play Better Baseball and How To Hit/How To Pitch.

If you have ever had to prepare a meal for more than 5 people, this book is a must have! Not only is this book filled with tons of delicious recipes, many of them are easy to prepare, and can even be made a day in advance. The book is full of tips on feeding large groups of people, with advice on timing, presentation, etc.... This is the one cookbook that I own that has all the information and tips that you could possibly need for entertaining/feeding a large group. I wish this had been published long ago.

Arthur Irwin writes a clear, precise instructional manual for the scientific method of playing base ball at the end of the 19th century. Irwin gives fundamental training for batting, fielding and running that would prepare any turn-of-the-century budding ballist, as well as any modern day base ball historian or vintage ball player, into an effective scientific player with a scope on the inside game.
While the skills necessary to play base ball have not changed much in the ensuing 110 years, it is a fascinating read to see how the game had developed by the end of the century and just how "modern" it had become. Irwin was a pioneer in modern sports development, from training methods, to equipment as well as scoreboard designs. Not much of Irwin's writing has survived and to read the training regimen of one of professional base ball's 19th century players/ managers/ owners /scouts, Practical Ball Playing transports one back to the golden age of our national pastime.

A fine example, Irwin excourages 1st base runners to feign a steal of second and see whether the shortstop or the 2nd baseman is covering the bag. That will tip off the batter as to where the "hole" in the infield would develop and to place the ball there. The hit-and-run style of ball playing is throughly explored.

Recommended reading.

Ms. Heywood has written a compelling story of a female athlete (runner) coming of age. She presents her memoir in a straight forward manner and does not hold back. She had a sexual relationship with her high school coach. She presents her story with all the emotional ambiguity I'm sure it carried. Ms. Heywood later struggled with an eating disorder. Again, this is presented in a very real manner. Ms. Heywood is also a very gifted writer. I found this book a compelling read and it should have a wide audience.

This book gave me a lot of great ideas on areas of athletics I wasn't totally sure of how to teach before! I highly recommend it!

Another out-of-print title that needs a second run! Dr. Dardik needs to get his message to the public! This book literally covers everything you need to know about exercise. Incredible!

If you think you already know it all, you're already lost. If you think you don't need what's in this book, you'll never reach your ultimate potential.

I found the book, Racewalking, to be a wonderful introduction to the pulse quickening world of racewalking.

To be honest, besides wanting to get into shape through racewalking, I bought the book because of William Finley, the co-author. Why? Go rent Brian DePalma's 1975 movie, The Phantom of the Paradise, which Mr. Finley starred in. He was fantastic in that movie as the Phantom, and equally as wonderful as an author that introduced me to the sport of racewalking.

This book "Racquetball" by P.E. Allsen is part if the Sport and Fitness Series of Brown & Benchmark Publishers. As with other books in the series, it pretty much covers everything you want to know about the sport.
It covers history, rules, procedures, strategies, etc. There are monochrome pictures of how to stand and move. Along with this are several diagrams of angles best for different types of serves. The book covers rules of different groups and how to score.
A very important but overlooked part of the sport is warming up and stretching exercises. They are covered in this book also.
The only thing lacking from the book are the strength and endurance drills that do not use the ball its self.
There is so much information in this 116 page book that it can make your racquet spin. This book is a must if you are even half way serious.

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