Sports Books

This book is very informative and explains nutrition in a way that is easy to understand. It has great tips and it helped me to balance my exercise routine and eating pattern. This book is great for a serious athlete to a casual exerciser and I would highly recommend everyone who wants to obtain knowledge about a healthy lifestyle to read this book.

outstanding book, changed my eating habits with good information rather than beliefs. I recommend to anyone on a sports nutrition program.

Nancy Clark's book has revolutionized my diet, training, and life. As a fitness instructor and runner I had trouble knowing what to eat, how much to eat, and struggled with erratic weight. After reading this book all of my questions have been answered. I have learned tips on how to fuel my body for the demands that I put upon it. I have energy, I can eat without guilt, and my weight has stabilized. Science and experience backs up everything that Nancy Clark says. I'm a true believer. You'll love this book!

I recommend this book to everyone. Although Nancy Clark calls it a Sport's Nutrition Guidebook, this is really a guide on the way everybody should eat in order to be healthy. She begins by giving general guidelines on what eating every day should be like. She explains why everything is important: carbs, protein, fat, sugar, dairy. Then she goes on to explain what it is each of these types of food does in the body and how and why we should eat them. She also explains how to eat and when to eat. It is an extremely detailed book where you get a whole new outlook on food. There's also some great chapters with recipes.

The Sports Nutrition Guidebook is a useful resource for the average, healthy individual to have at hand as a nutritional resource. This book is more of a healthy living guide, than a sport specific guide, Individuals who are engaging in sports that require a lot of anaerobic activity, like football or baseball will not find this book as useful, but they will still find some great instruction. For endurance sports such as running or cycling, or for the general weekend warrior looking to have nutrition be a part of a healthy lifestyle, that is not concerned with larger than normal weight loss, this book is a good esource.

While basic advice is well-written here, that shouldn't be really new to anyone who is familiar with good nutrition: a balance of proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, and dairy; and the importance of regular meals, some care is taken to readjust thinking about fad diets and dietary myths, especially in preparation for physical activity. Unbalanced approaches to carbohydrates, fluid, protein, etc. and their dangers are detailed in an easy to understand format. The chapter on misusing a healthy lifestyle for rapid weight loss or other eating disorders is tactfully written.

The last third of the book is a useful recipe guide that applies principles taught in the book into practical meal planning steps that are neither arduous nor difficult for active individuals to adapt to. Creating a healthy approach to the body, especially in view of a fat obssessed society calls for balance and patience. There is nothing sudden or radical about the advice in this book, as it is above all, caling for a lifestyle that is healthy and active and is designed to provide nutrional advice for helping individuals achieve those goals. This book is a great resource for active people, who want sound, scientific advice that meets the needs of individuals in today's fast paced society.

A Cinderella story. I loved it when I read it years ago. I have continued to re-read it. And I love it now.

My public had to dig it up from the hidden stacks, but a few years back I checked out and read The Revenger's Tragedy, which Stewart quotes as epigrams before chapters. I fell in love with Shakespeare's "The Tempest" after reading "This Rough Magic," and other novels assume a knowledge of Greek drama. It's great to see this new edition, but I wonder if a Gothic romance of this erudition could be published today.

This is an absolutely fantastic mystery/romance. I own it and have read it multiple times, along with most of the rest of Mary Stewarts books. It's one of the books I never get tired of. No matter how many times I read it, I still can't put it down when I'm in the middle of it. I highly, highly recommend it.

This is the first Mary Stewart novel I've read and while I enjoyed the book's atmosphere and lead characters, I was a bit let down by the plot on the whole.
From reviews I had read, I was hoping for a dark and intricately plotted mystery. While there were several very suspenseful passages, the story was a bit too predictable and the ending seemed to drag on a little too long.

I did enjoy the fact that 'Nine Coaches Waiting' is mainly a mystery with just a sprinkling of romance. However, I felt that even with the main focus not on the romance, that part of the story could have been handled a lot better. The romantic entanglements between the two main protagonists seem much too rushed and unrealistic.

All that being said, I still enjoyed reading 'Nine Coaches Waiting' (even though it did not live up to expectations)and will give the author's other books a try.

I enjoyed this book. It's the story of a young girl 23 who becomes a governess in a French mansion with a dark side to a little boy and she falls in love with a handsome but dark and mysterious man named Raoul. It was a good gothic mystery when strange things start happening to her.

This book was my introduction to Mary Stewart. I found it in a box of books in the attic when I was about twelve or thirteen. I read it and most if not all of her other novels throughout my teenage and young adult years. I reread this recently (30 years later) and find it is still enjoyable. It seems all the romances on the market these days are nothing but bodice rippers and they get boring real fast. I much prefer books with a plot and character development. I highly recommend Mary Stewart's novels to every one.

Has any one else noticed that her characters smoke so many cigarettes in her novels? Maybe I do because I'm an ex smoker.

I love the artwork in this book! I bought this as a gift for my little sister and had great fun searching the beautiful artwork for hidden animals. Once you find them all there is a final word puzzle in the back of the book. Very fun.

I bought the book for my grandchildren after having purchased "The Chicken That Could Swim" and loving it. The puzzles and illustrations in Puzzle Island are absolutely amazing! The whole family (mom, dad, grandparents, grandchildren (ages 4-9), aunt and uncle was involved in figuring out the names of the animals as well as looking for the animals in the pictures. After about 2 months, working on it at least once a week, we finished the book, solved all the puzzles and found all the animals. What is so amazing is that as you read the story you don't even realize all that is hidden on the pages. We loved it and can't wait to get another Paul Adshead book.

After going through several boxes in my garage, I finally found this book. I've had it for over 10 years and still am amazed how great this book is. It still grabs my attention and it doesn't matter that I remember the answer, I love looking at the pictures and solving the puzzles all over again. I can't wait for my son to enjoy this as well! I recommend this book to everyone out there!

abslutely wonderfol book. Me(8) my sister(11) and my brother(12) have almost finished it. We have been doing it since yesterday and are very very excited about finishing it. It has kept us puzzled scince! If I could I would rate it 20 stars!!!!!!

Everyone seems to have a problem finding the fourth animal in Lily's Pond. But I have found it! Unscrambling AGILNRST gives the bird STARLING. It is very difficult to find but once you see it, it is very clear. It is at the top right hand side of the page directly below the letter S and the missing P of the frame. It is one of the leaves of the tree. The head is directly below the missing P and the tail is below the S and below another leaf. You have to flip the page upside down to see it. Hopefully this helps you all sleep better tonight!

I am new to making armor, but not so much to metalworking. This book gets you started on techniques (although a few could have a little more attention), and has terrific sections on measuring and padding. The illustrations and photos are a big bonus, and most are helpful to some extent. Overall a great example of a master passing on some of his knowledge to the apprentices of his craft.

I have yet to find a better book for armoring. Nearly every fundamental is covered.

Tools, stock, techinque, buying tips, and even history is covered.

The Maille section is somewhat lite but there are other books that are fully dedicated to that discipline.

It's worth every penny. You can't go wrong with this book.

This book is an awsome read, very interesting and the info on constructing armour is just incredable. Every aspect is covered even lining the armour to make it more comfortable, if you are intersted in medieval armour this book is second to none.

Good book. BUT compleatly failed to mention safety glasses. These are IMPORTANT. you need to get a good pair and wear them when you are working in your shop. unless you think you will look good with a eyepatch.

This is a book on how to build armor. Tools, techniques, materials, workspace needed, cost estimates are all part of it. I make leather armor for re-enactors, so much of what was taught here was not directly applicable. However, there are chapters on how to measure, pattern, and cut. These are useful even if the material used isn't metal but leather. There are even some basic instructions on leatherworking. Overall, a pretty straightforward work. I recommend it for anyone who is interested in armor construction, collecting, or re-enacting.

A previous reviewer compares the author's work to Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. Considering a usually successful use of self-deprecating and anecdotal humor, I can understand the comparison between the author's style and Bill Bryson's style. The author is undeniably funny. Relying entirely on the author's passion for adventure, the narrative describes a theatrical series of events fit for a screenplay.

However, that is all this book offers and why the comparison to Bill Bryson falls well short of accurate. The strength of Mr. Bryson's writing is the purpose underlying the humor, especially self-recognition through experience. The reader can internalize Mr. Bryson's experiences, see the world from Bryson's vantage and ultimately identify with Mr. Bryson's motivation for writing the book.

Mr. Davis' The Underdog falls short of Mr. Bryson's achievements. Instead of relating to narrative, the reader must watch from the sidelines. In this case the author's strength is also his weakness. How many readers can identify with first hand-experiences of bull-fighting or sumo wrestling? The effect is, essentially, a Hollywood blockbuster in a book. What you see is entertaining, but fails to stimulate any further thought.

Furthermore, and what was most disappointing to me, was the lack of conclusion. I kept waiting for the author's epiphany to explode off the pages and into my conscious, but instead of an explosion I got a series of undeveloped thoughts more analogous to a shotgun at 200 yards than a grand-finale. In the final passage, the author's last chance to tie the whole book together, he opts to wander off on a completely new tangent relating his experiences to the untapped potential of the internet (Did Wired ask you to plug The Long Tail, or was this your idea?). Instead of finishing the book with an appreciation for how this author's struggles to find his purpose in life might assist me in finding mine, I was left with questions:

Was this about the unquenchable American spirit? Or, was it about the changing definition of achievement and success? Alternately, it might have been about appreciating your own family, your talents, your opportunities, etc instead of admiring your neighbor's lawn. Honestly, I don't know.

In essence, The Underdog is a funny one time read, but certainly not deserving of such glowing reviews as it has received here on Amazon.

This author sent me an invitation to be his amazon friend. Hello! All of my reivews are bitter and sarcastic, why would I want to buy your book? Maybe I should you spam about "enlargement" products. How would you like that? The book might be a great story. Frankly, I don't care! I would rather read a book about the mating rituals of worms than me spammed by an author that wants me to buy his book.

From the moment I read the first three pages of the introduction I was hooked. This book speaks of and to the American spirit with humor and wit. Not only did I laugh out loud every time I opened it, but I cried a few times too. It's the kind of book that you read so fast because it is so good, but you don't want to so that it will last longer.

If you are looking for a book that inspires you through narrative and challenges you to go beyond your day-to-day life, or, if you want a hilarious window into the zany life of some "average" Americans, look no further. We are told to follow our dreams in a culture that is not set up to handle it when all of us do. This book is for us an answer to that problem. I look forward to many more insightful books from this talented author.

I think this book was funny and adventurous. My favorite part was the sumo wrestling. I recomend this book to parents and older kids.

A quick read; fun and emotionally transparent. Our little hero graces his way through eccentric adventure after eccentric adventure, all the while proving that even the least talented among us can be champions (or at least, very nearly so). There is a tenderness in this book. In its Quixotic madness, it transports us into worlds of danger, adventure, greatness, and saunas in Finland. A true story of sporadic unshakeable dedication and glorious redemption...and courage. The Underdog clearly underscores the ideal: it's not whether you win or lose, it's how many fat guys you can yank by the g-string. A great read.

This an excellent book to help with learning aikido. We give a copy to every new student who joins our dojo to supplement our classes and expand the student grasp of knowledge.

Very helpful for priming & review of aikido dojo protocols for both teaching and learning aikido warm-up, basic training, principles and techniques in general.

Very well presented material. There is something here for any level of training. Many core concepts explained.

Book was interesting and informative. Book covered some items that I haven't seen addressed anywhere else. I would recommend this book especially for people new to Aikido.

I'd sincerely recommend this book to very beginners and... yes, to sensei.
The most valuable point of the book is that instead of usual plain listing of the standard techniques of this or that style, it concentrates on the basic principles - "how, why, and when it works", thus offering basic building blocks, and lots of unique tips and tricks. The principles are beyond the style differences, and thus applicable to everyone.
For sensei it contains many tips of how to handle difficulties of beginners.

I spent much of my life as a cowgirl. Back then, no one considered dressage for basic training. Now that I am learning dressage, I needed someone to visually explain the maneuvers and the reason for how to execute them. This ol' cowgirl needed plain basic instructions and this book is the only one I consider easy to understand. That's a mouthful when it comes to dressage, but the book delivers. Within a year, we are working on 3 rd level, and I have much to thank the book that backs up what my trainer tries to explain.
the author of: Roses and Locoweed: The Life of a Cowboy's Wife and The Winter Years of World War II

Every horse person can benefit from Jane Savoie's "Cross Train Your Horse: Book One:Simple Dressage for Every Horse, Every Sport. This a clearly written "guide" for any discipline. I am planning on using it as one of the text books for a college course: Dressage for the Competition Horse

This book was exactly what I wanted. I've ridden hunters for all of my life but am starting to train in dressage. Though this cover basic dressage work such as turn-on-the-forehand, leg yielding, etc, it gives you details from a dressage point of view. I recommend it for anyone(English or Western) that has a stiff horse in need of suppling work through basic dressage.

I really enjoyed this book for it's easy to follow exercises and well thoughtout training plan. I can actually see what the author is talking about in my own horses.

I purchased Cross-Train and More Crossing Training by Jane Savoie about two years ago based on all the 5 star reviews these books received.

Unfortunately, these books were a disappointment to me. I struggled to finish Cross-Train and I never could get into reading More Cross Training. The text, even though helpful to most people, just seemed to drag on for me. Perhaps this was caused by Ms. Savoie's writing style; perhaps it was just me. (I have found Feeling Dressage by Ruth Sabine Schaefer more to my liking.)

On a positive note, these books have many nice pictures and illustrations which many people should find helpful.

Swimming is such a technique oriented sport and it is almost impossible to hone your technique without a coach. I have been fortunate to have been coached by Emmett for the past seven years and I find something to work on at each practice. This is an excellent book for swimmers who have the discipline to coach themselves. The second part, Swimming the Right Way describes the techniques to streamline your body and maximize your power. By integrating this technical information with the workouts in part three you can ultimately translate theory into body memory. This takes some discipline and the rewards will be worth it. All you need to swim like a fish is in here. Just do it.

I grew up swimming competitively. I was introduced to Emmett in my early thirties and began attending his master classes a few years ago. Emmett is a fabulous communicator, and the concepts that he teaches completely revolutionized my swimming. I am now able to swim longer, faster, and with much less energy than ever before. Just recently, I placed second in my age group in a 2.4 mile swim in Austin, TX, and it was Emmett's training that took me the entire way.

I was at first skeptical that a book format of these concepts would be possible or as good as swimming with him personally, but this book completely blew that notion out of the water (so to speak). As I read the text and studied the diagrams, I was completely impressed with his abilities to communicate via the written word. It is an easy read, and the ideas are explained clearly and woven together beautifully. Studying this book, applying the concepts, and following the workouts will take you from complete novice highly skilled and efficient swimmer. I keep a copy of it on my nightstand, and it will probably remain there for many years to come. This book is a must read for anyone who thinks he might be interested in learning to swim or improving their already advanced swimming skills.

I really enjoyed reading this book and wanted to take the time to reivew it. I am an experienced swimmer, swimming for many years, coaching age group and master's teams over the years. I have also taught swimming at many levels. I tried to look at this book from the eyes of a beginner and found it very helpful. The book covered such topics as how to pick out a suit and goggles all the way to pool etiquette. How glad I am that Emmett covered that! As an experienced swimmer I found the workout information invaluable. The workouts are very good and I found the workout schedule or cycle very apppicable to my level of swimming. The more competitive swim cycle or season information helped me map out a plan for the coming year. So I can confidently recommend this book to the beginning swimmer and the more competitive swimmer.

Emmett Hines' book has been very helpful to me. I am a former college runner who had to switch to swimming after my legs went bad, so I was a complete novice, but one with mild competitive ambitions. After doing his drills, I am able to swim faster with less effort, allowing me to go further and faster. I can really notice the difference between the way I used to plow through the water versus the way I glide through it now.

When you first try these drills, they may seem awkward and frustrating, because they are different from your normal (and probably bad) swimming motions. Don't give up - after several workouts (maybe even several weeks' worth) I promise that eventually the light bulb will go on over your head and you'll say "Oh, now I get it!" This has happened to me numerous times doing Hines' drills. Your body will, seemingly magically, figure out what he's trying to show you.

We have a 1-mile swimming race every August here in Austin called the Deep Eddy Mile. My first year (2006) I completed the swim in 36 minutes, 13 seconds. After a year of using Hines' lessons, I knocked my time down to 34:20, and I can already tell that I'll probably knock off another minute or two this year.

Obviously, the best way to improve your swim technique is with a personal coach, but if (like me) you do not have the time or money for personal lessons, this book is an excellent alternative.

This is the best comprehensive freestyle book available, and I think I've read them all. I used the 1st edition about 6 years ago to rebuild my stroke, went through at least 2 copies of it and gave away about 4 others. The 2nd edition is not just a new cover: everything has been updated. Even if you have the 1st edition you should get this because it covers new developments in freestyle stroke mechanics. There are two elements that make this book exceptional. First is the instructional part, which puts hydrodynamics in practical terms, understandable to everyone and well-illustrated. It follows (maybe even leads) the current theories of efficient freestyle. It starts at a basic level, with balance drills etc, moving all the way through full-stroke integration, and then to power and speed. Second is the series of detailed workouts. It's the only book I know of that lays out a realistic workout progression for adult swimmers of any level. By realistic, I mean spending 50 to 75 mins a session, with a good combination of technique, endurance, and speed work. It's also realistic about the range of speed for most fitness swimmers -- so it's especially helpful for adult swimmers who want to learn or refine their freestyle and get a sense of accomplishment. You can start at the beginning and virtually coach your way through to the end. It's like doing Masters swimming with an expert, only self-coached. And Coach Hines has a distinctive sense of humor that makes an instructional book fun to read. A great accomplishment.

great read for people new to capoeira that want to have a more comprehensive review of the history, music, and game. also has an interesting review of a conference that discusses capoeira in US and Europe, which is very useful to read to learn about the different trends and mestres around. definitely recommend it!

I found this book to be an entertaining and informative read which discusses the game of capoeira on many levels from the philosophy through to movements and drills. It's a well rounded book and I reccomend that you give it a read if you are interested in capoeira (and even in philosophy).

I'll be perfectly honest. With my short attention span I have at times, I havn't done much in the way of practicing through the use of this book. But what I have practiced using it, I was able to figure out easily thanks to the diagrams and explanations in it. This book was also able to make me hold the interest I first had in Capoeria before finding it with the additional sections that talk about the styles history and the philosiphies behind the art.

If you want a book on Capoeria that will hold your attention for a good long time, than you'll deffiantley want this one! Just don't assume that you'll be able to catch on to the style immediatley though, this book also proves that Capoeria isn't something you can pick up right away. ;D

I grant I'm starting out but this book has amazing insight on the philosophy and moves. Reminding that creativity is as important as learning the moves that have come from those before us. He also gives exersies that can be done when a person can't get to the roda of his instructor/mestre. After this book I'm gonna have to read more books about capoeira as well as from Nestor cause he was able to explain more than I thought could be put in a book.

This book has been out for quite a while now and even now, in 2006 the book is still helpful. I'm new to the Capoeira lifestyle and reading this book has been extremely helpful in gaining more knowledge about the history as well as the many different movements involved with this awesome martial art.

I definitely recommend this book to newbies and more seasoned capoeristas. I may be a little "slow" but while the illustrations are great, I got a little confused when trying to "flow" through the movements but by reading, you'll figure it out and they'll begin to feel right.

Hope this helps...enjoy!

Most people, even those who train in some sort of martial arts, never experience real violence.
Sgt Miller is someone who lives, and survives on a daily basis, in a very violent world. In this book, he draws on his real world experience to paint a picture of what your typical martial arts teacher can not show you.

I am a teacher of Yoshinkan Aikido, a strongly police oriented martial art. Several of my teachers have had careers similar to Sgt Miller's. They passed along lessons gained from valuable experience that so many people in the martial arts world simply can not gain. I also have had several students who have been police officers and prison guards. What they have told me is pretty much just as explained by Sgt Miller.

So many times I hear people say "that style is no good" or "that would never work". But all they do is bash other styles and try to promote their own. This is not a book that promotes styles or the agenda of one martial arts organization. In that respect, it remains rather generic. What this author does is discuss real violence based on his years of experience in dealing first hand with the criminals who commit the violent acts. Sgt. Miller has enough experience in both the real world of criminal violence and the world of martial arts schools to deliver this exceptional work.

I strongly urge all martial art students of all styles who have never truly experienced violence and those who can not train in the law enforcement environment to read this book.

A MUST READ and MUST HAVE Book for Everyone's Library!

I must admit that I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I first picked this book up and browsed through it, and then five minutes later when I was standing in line to purchase it, I knew that I had a book well worth reading, keeping, and definitely worth reviewing and ultimately recommending.

I have been a practicing martial artist for over 25 years and during that time period have also been employed in numerous violence prone professions such as; law enforcement, special duty aide for a state mental hospital, bouncer, security officer, bodyguard, casino security officer, among others, and can personally attest to a lot, if not most, of the things that the author speaks about in this book. And in that capacity, he is "dead on" with pretty much everything he is saying in this book. Having that in mind, I decided to do this review citing a little bit of information about each individual chapter of this truly remarkable book.

Please keep in mind that there is some much useful information in this book that I have chosen to only pick one or two particular points that stood out for me from each chapter. So without further ado, let's get started.

CHAPTER ONE: THE MATRIX

The author explains in this section the difference between what you may think a self-defense situation really is, and what a self-defense situation actually is. He uses a pretty good system to show this which he calls the "Tactical Matrix." A really good section, but a little hard to really explain without going into a bit longer explanation than what I can realistically put in this review.

CHAPTER TWO: HOW TO THINK

I guess the best way to summarize this chapter is as follows; it teaches you to take off the rose colored glasses and get rid of all your preconceived notions concerning violence and to open your mind and eyes to the true reality that, for the most part, has eluded the vast majority of people regardless of profession or walk of life.

CHAPTER THREE: VIOLENCE

The discussion and explanation of the "Monkey Dance" is of and by itself perhaps the single most important thing that you could take away from this book other than the "Permission" section. I also enjoyed the sections dealing with "chemical cocktails," which you really must read in order to fully understand what I am referring to.

CHAPTER FOUR: PREDATORS

The author describes a variety of types of predators and the things they think and do. It really should be a wake up call to all of those people that think that all criminals are misunderstood and had a bad upbringing. That maybe they do have some good in them. Sure they do, I'll bet Adolf Hitler was kind to his mother too, but not so kind to over 12 million people he murdered. Some people are just plain evil, no ifs ands or buts about it.

CHAPTER FIVE: TRAINING

The author brought up some very good points in this section concerning the various types of training that is most common and their relative shortfalls when it comes to their effectiveness and/or applying them in a self-defense situation.

Personally, I would have to say that the best way to teach an individual how to get the most out of any and all methods of training, is simply this, "Put anything and everything you do into the proper perspective in relation to the possible benefits it may or may not have in a particular situation."

For example; I don't think anyone would argue with me that non-contact point sparring in and of itself is for the most part useless for self-defense. However, some of the principles are effective and should be utilized as much as possible in a self-defense situation like the principle of hitting your opponent without getting hit yourself.

CHAPTER SIX: MAKING PHYSICAL DEFENSE WORK

I really enjoyed the "Go Button" and "Permission" sections and really see the relevance of both principles in more than just self-defense. I also enjoyed the bus stop story which the author retells concerning a situation he found himself it that he actually made worse through errors he committed on his own part.

CHAPTER SEVEN: AFTER

This section covers the consequences of dealing with the after effects of violence and what you can do to deal with them. This is a very good section and one that shouldn't be overlooked or glossed over.

I really can't say enough good things about this book and the very solid information that is contained within its pages. The author is very credible and although I don't agree with 100% of what he says, I do agree with 90+% of it, and the other 10-% I also agree with, however with just some slight variations and/or modifications.

I highly recommend that you purchase, read, and reread this book. You won't be disappointed!

Shawn Kovacich
Martial Artist/Author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence series.

THIS BOOK IS A MUST! You need it as a Martial Arts student, a Martial Arts instructor, a bouncer, a cashier working second shift. Your mom needs this book! Got a daughter away in school? She needs this book! Anyone concerned about violence and how it may (and will) affect them and their loved ones, needs to read this book!

From the moment I started to read this book I wanted to share it with the world.

I knew what was wrong with my training early on as a Martial Artist and could not convey it to my fellow students. Instructors? Forget it! It's like telling an enviromentalist that carbon offsets are a crock. In some ways martial arts are a religion and training is the ritual of worship... regardless of the end product.

You see the truth from the moment Miller begins to speak to you. In a very few moments he hammers home some very sobering realities THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!

Knowing the lay of the land before you is a major step towards surviving a violent encounter. This book strips away all pretenses. It leaves you "eyes wide open" and prepared to survive.

Please, do yourself two favors: 1) Read this book. 2) Pass it on.

This is one of the best books on self preservation studies that I have found. The author's knowledge and experience dealing with the wolves of the world and his ability to communicate this information to us all is impressive. I could go on and on, however, just buy the book and read it again and again. Digest the information and incorporate it into your daily life.

First, let me begin by stating that this treatise on the reality of violence is absolutely brilliant . . . but it is certainly not an entry level text. "Safe in the City" by MacYoung and "Gift of Fear" by deBecker are for folks who've lived safe sheltered lives, and point fingers at potential threats and discuss the importance of intuition. "Violence, Blunders and Fractured Jaws" by MacYoung is an intermediate level text for beginning martial arts students about Advanced Awareness and Street Sociology. "Meditatons on Violence", however, seems directed more towards those who already have extensive professional experience with real world violent encounters: police, paramedics, security, bouncers, couriers, etc.

In it, Miller has coined a new term certain to find permanent placement in the martial lexicon . . . "monkey dance." This is a surprisingly complex subject, but in short it refers to a display of dominance by lesser evolved primates who tend to frequent certain drinking establishments. A completely separate concept, "group money dance", refers to a type of xenophobic mob mentality in which the level of violence against an "outsider" rapidly increases ritualistically (read as: "torture murder") in a dysfunctional attempt to build group cohesion and increase morale. Mister Miller's observations are quite astute, as he's made connections that many of us seem to have somehow missed. It's much clearer now.

"Meditations" goes far beyond that, though. This is advanced level instruction in easy to understand language. No questionable techniques or tactics -- this book is primarily about awareness and mindset -- and there are a LOT of things you need to be made aware of, as you likely wouldn't figure some of these subtleties out on your own until after the fact. I was amazed by the quality of instruction imparted herein.

Thank you for sharing what you've learned, Rory . . . I am certain that you'll save a number of lives by making these observations of predatory behaviors widely available. This book gets my highest recommendation.