Sports Books

My 8-yr old daughter just loves this fashion design kit. This is her 2nd one... she received the fancy party dress kit last year for Christmas. She entertains herself for hours & comes up with the most creative designs. It is wonderful for ideas, creativity, motor skills, patience. Highly recommend it.

Got this for my 11 yr old daughter and she has really enjoyed making outfits and putting them on the hangers. We found scrapbook paper to make even more outfits. We love Klutz.

So cool !!! Great for fashion divas in the making. A great creative gift for girls ages 9-12.

I highly reccomend this item! I am a paper crafter, and I love using these paper fashions to make quick stylish cards. I love this item because unlike some paper fashion books, it offers paper and templates, not precut paper or stickers. This is a great product for scrapbookers and cardmakers, and for all girls big and small. Also, there are miniature hangers included that add an extra touch to my cards, and I even hung ties on them to make a father's day card.

We bought this for our 10 year old granddaughter and she was delighted with the kit. It's simple to use, everything is included and it gave hours of fashion fun for a young girl. These kits as a whole are very appealing to preteen girls.

I really love these cards...over the last few months I have been trying to encourage my 8 yr old son to appreciate and enjoy yoga. For the most part he's been disinterested and resistant until these cards....Last night he actually said...mommy lets do YOGA...It sorts different poses and breathing techniques onto different cards with wonderful affirmations...its amazing. He picks and we play yoga instead of "DOING" it. Also since my son is an animal enthusiast that aspect is more obvious with the card format. Further more each card has step by step instructions and pictures to follow. I am so excited to be able to share this with my son....I strongly recommend them.

This is a box of cards with poses, games, etc. It is very easy to store in the box and I can take it to my kids yoga class. Sometimes it is fun to have the kids pick a card and we all act out what is on thier card. I think this is a great idea and I hope to get the other versions of these cards.

Thank You
Karen

Arrived yesterday and my son has taken over the box. (He's 8). We are going to get started together. I like the descriptions of the breathing and how you should 'feel' when you do the movements/relaxing poses.
Since I'm taking a yoga class (i'm a newb) and he's going by the names on the cards, it's a bit confusing when he says, I can do the 'turtle' or I can do the 'rainbow.' But for him I find I like 'rainbow' as opposed to 'corpse pose.'
Also, the cards are not the size of a 'deck' of cards. They are larger, more the size of a DVD case. The box is sturdy thick cardboard and has a nice flip top. I'm thinking it will help us take care of them properly.
He did go thru each card and at the end has decided he wants the book and the pretzel mat. (Way to go for the marketing plan!!)

These don't seem too 'baby' for someone his age and I think that up to 9, maybe pushing 10 could use them also.

Completely satisfied.

My kids loves this because THEY get to select the cards and twist Mama into a pretzel. It their choice and we are doing an activity TOGETHER. There are some good/simple breathing & meditation techniques in there too, aside from the poses.

My students really like this product. One side of the card is the the pose with the name, and the other side shows the four steps to achieve this pose. As an OT I work with children with tremendous difficulty motor planning new movements; and because of the steps presented visually, my kids do really well figuring out how to do these poses with more independence. It is a wonderful product. BUY IT and have fun!

This is an intelligent book with GREAT stories from Mr. Yasso. I loved it. I laughed out loud in some of the situations he faces. You won't find a better read--runner or not!

This book is an excellent read for runners, as well as non-runners. There are some people in the world who squeeze the most out of life, and Bart Yasso is one of them. A truly inspiring story.

I just finished running the San Francisco Marathon where I also had the great privilege of meeting Bart Yasso. He was kind enough to meet with me one-on-one in our hotel and just chat about life, and then autograph my copy of his book. I admire him most for his ability to talk about those obstacles he has overcome and his tremendous accomplishments without sounding vainglorious or boastful. This book is a great example of Bart's ability to inspire anyone who will read or listen simply by sharing a piece of the Man he is. Buy this as soon as you finish reading this review. Seriously. Do it now! Thanks, Bart!

Bart's book is absolutely hilarious and inspiring. His stories are witty and humorous. I was laughing out loud at the Taco Bell story, the cross country bike story, and the bare buns run! Great read, I couldn't put it down. Bart is a legend.

This book cracked me up. Bart is inspirational, funny, and crazy. All the making's of a runner:)!

This is an incredible mounaineering text, and it is well put together.
The item was in perfect condition, as described, and arived promptly. Thank you!

The best book I've about getting ready to face mountains.
Incredible amount of great info.
A wonderful learning tool.

I was gifted this book at age 16; nearly eight years later I look through it constantly, and realize I always have...it was used as a high-school outdoor-ed text, it is considered the bible by most I know, and it has been around for along time..Three Cheers for the Mountaineers!

Never before have I found such a complete reference manual for how to plan and execute trips in the outdoors. The book is timeless in its core message of preparedness and finding freedom in the outdoors. It collects information from a wide range of topics such as how to choose equipment for your needs to cooking in the outdoors and proper mountaineering skills. There is some discussion of ethics and philosophy, but no more than is necessary.

This book pretty much covers everything you need to know about mountaineering. It does so in an easy to read, concise style. It really stresses the philosophy of being an educated and environmentally aware mountaineer. The illustrations are also great...very clear and informative.
You won't be disappointed with this book.
Here's the Table of Contents:

Part I (Outdoor Fundamentals)
(1) First Steps
(2) Clothing and Equipment
(3) Camping and Food
(4) Physical Conditioning
(5) Navigation
(6) Wilderness Travel
(7) Leave No Trace
(8) Stewardship and Access

Part II (Climbing Fundamentals)
(9) Basic Safety System
(10)Belaying
(11)Rapelling

Part III (Rock Climbing)
(12) Alpine Rock-Climbing Technique
(13) Rock Protection
(14) Leading on Rock
(15) Aid Climing

Part IV (Snow, Ice and Alpine Climbing)
(16) Snow Travel and Climbing
(17) Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue
(18) Alpine Ice Climbing
(19) Waterfall Ice and Mixed Climbing
(20) Expedition Climbing

Part V (Emergency Prevention and Response)
(21) Leadership
(22) Safey
(23) First Aid
(24) Alpine Rescue

Part VI (The Mountain Environment)
(25) Mountain Geology
(26) The Cycle of Snow
(27) Mountain Weather

I read this book for the first time in 5th grade I think, and since then I've read it at least twice more. It's a great story about a boy who lives in Florida, with a brother who teases him and other cliche stuff that you wouldn't think makes a good book, but it does, because Bloor handles the subject wonderfully, intertwining all of the simple things that we all remember from our childhood into a great read that pulls you in and doesn't let go until you have finished it, swept up by the emotion that this man is able to leech out of you. Definitely recommended to children and adults alike, because it has themes that we all need to get in touch with.

My ten-year old son absolutely loved this book. It is full of teen angst, and sports-related action; however, the subject matter is very heavy and can be somewhat disturbing. The blurb on the back of the book gave me no indication that issues of violence and bullying in the book (and some uncomfortable language) were addressed within. The actual reading level is not difficult, but as thought-provoking as this book is, I recommend it for very mature kids or students in grades 7-12.

Through his computerized diary entries, Paul Fisher tells the story of his seventh-grade year. These entries not only let him describe what is happening, they give him the opportunity to reflect on his past.

At the beginning of the story, the Fisher family has just moved to Florida from Houston. The diary entries tell the story of how Paul's brother, Erik, has always bullied him. He even has his friends call Paul Eclipse boy because of a bad vision problem that was supposedly caused by Paul looking at an eclipse for too long. His parents virtually overlook Erik's digressions because they are focused on what Paul calls the 'Erik Fisher football dream.'

To make things worse, Paul gets kicked off of his new soccer team because his Mom had told the school that he has a visual 'handicap'. But Paul believes that his vision is much better and it is proven in his many observations chronicled in the diary.

When the portable school units had Paul's middle school are swallowed by a sinkhole, Paul is given a chance to go to another school and he takes it. Because he knows that at Tangerine Middle School he can play soccer. Paul's ability to 'see' people for who they are may be even more sharp than his ability to see. He doesn't see the class or racial barriers that separate him from the kids in this other school. His eagerness to play also earns him the respect of the other team members.

As the story unfolds, Paul sees snippets of his past and the history of his family comes clear to him. And he is the unlikely hero in this heartwarming tale.

Paul was endearing from the start. The writing in this novel is impeccable. The story is fantastic - a real page-turner. I read it all through in a day. There is a dark undertone to this book though so I would not recommend it for younger kids.

What a page turner! This engaging book is about a boy who has just moved to a new area, Tangerine County, Florida, with his family. He is a young man who is constantly outdone by his older star-football-player brother and is stuggling to find his place in life, in Tangerine county, and in his family. This book captures you into his world, taking you through the ups and down of the self-awarness and moral issues of middle school. This young man must ultimitly chose to do the right thing or to do what is expected of him. It deals with a question that every young person is asked, "What do you want to be?"
Relativly short and an easier read than some, this book is a good read for most middle schoolers and young adults alike. It is well written and engaging with many twists and turns (especialy the ending!!!).

I'm a 46 year-old Mom and I bought this book because of the great reviews, but I didn't know which son to give it to. My 4th grader falls into the age-range mentioned here at amazon, but based on the plot synopses here I felt it was more a book my 7th grader would like.

So I read it myself first. I LOVED it. What a great, moving, inspiring, different book. As stay-with-you as Hoot, or Terabithia, or Stargirl, or... to date myself ... as The Outsiders.

It's well-written, it's gripping, it's multi-layered, and it manages to keep track of multiple story arcs within itself without dropping any or using any sort of deux ex machina to get out of any. It presents it's villains without caricature, and it's heroes without pandering. It surprises you at nearly every turn - but not in a forced we-need-a-plot-twist way.

I won't describe the plot as it as been so well-described here. I'll just reiterate that this is an amazing young adult novel that I thoroughly enjoyed for myself as well.

And I personally would not give this to my 4th grader. Not that the reading level is too difficult, but I think the content is too dark and the layers perhaps too subtle for a 10 year-old. I'm giving this book to my 7th grader tomorrow (I just finished it tonight!) and I know he'll devour it.

What if you can find a book that gives you the basics and the better moves for training your athletes in speed, agility, quickness, and more (balance and reaction time)...? Well here you are! Even better, it's ordered by every ability, numbered, b/w pictures or diagrams (and a DVD that gives very detailed info on the exercises), very well explained and the most important: scientific! Meaning: proved results! Two very distinguish authors and also very known for their knowledge in the area.

This book has lots of drills to improve athletic performance. Although I haven't had a chance to try them out yet (I'm currently injured and unable to train), they seem like they would definitely improve your athletic performance.

This is a great book, it covers a wide range of training. I coach little league and have been able to take parts of this book and incorporate them into our conditioning and training at all levels. Have not used the DVD all that much but the book alone is worth it

If you're looking for drills to improve you or your athletes speed, agility, or quickness- look no further.

The book starts out with a short chapter on preparing for the drills followed by another short chapter on "needs analysis" (which shows you how to evaluate the need for a speed, agility, and quickness program).

The rest of the book from there is the "meat" of the book: three sections of drills, one for speed, one for agility, and one for quickness. Each of these sections is loaded with great pictures of the drills along with the purpose of the drill and an explanation of how to do it.

The book ends with a 6th Chapter on sport-specific programs. Here the reader is given routines for all the different sports such as volleyball, karate, baseball, etc.

All-in-all I found this to be a very nice resource for drills- drills for really just about any sport. To boot, the size of the book is such that you can toss it in a gym bag and take it with you. Other sports resources I liked include The 5-Minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution if you suffer from plantar fasciitis. Happy training!

This is a great book and DVD set for plyometrics. Both the book and the DVD start with an "Athlete Fitness Assessment" so you can understand the athlete's performance at the beginning of training. This is lacking in many of the other plyometrics books and DVDs, which begin with instruction right away, without emphasis on assessing the athlete's ability prior to training. The materials are nicely organized into sections for Speed, Agility, Balance, Quickness, and Reaction Time. A "Purpose" is clearly defined for each set of drills, so readers at any level can understand the results which the exercises are intended to achieve. I am using this book to see where I am in my performance, and where I need to go. My only complaint is that the DVD plays the drills one at a time. It would be nice to have a "Play All" option in each section, so that I'm not using my remote every 30 seconds or so. The DVD is easy on the eyes and ears, though. Buy this set first, and save your time and money returning the other books and DVDs! Enjoy!

Your view of this short book depends on how much you know about baseball already and how much you want to know. Being that you are looking at it and the title, you are at least a little interested. I found myself speed reading through some sections, but others sections I read with great interest due to knowledge base or lack thereof. The author loosely organizes the book on sections about player positions, stadiums, and so forth. Organization is not a strong part of this book. But, there are some great facts in here. For 200 pages, I learned a lot.

This is a great book for moms who have sons playing baseball. I only wish I would have had this book when my son was younger. I always thought I knew what was going on in a game, but I didn't know so much. I have learned a lot from this book and highly recommend it to anyone who loves or hates the game of baseball.

I enjoyed this book, especially the glossary of baseball lingo. I think I'll keep this book near the TV when I listen to the "color commentator" spew all that meaningless baseball jargon! Some parts of the book were helpful, but a lot was fairly obvious if you've spent much time watching games or playing Little League. Still, the author includes some fun little-known facts...and I *think* I finally understand the infield fly rule! But don't quiz me on it.

I purchased this book for my husband who happens to be a deeply serious baseball geek. He's not much of a reader so I wasn't sure if the book would keep him enthralled enough to keep reading it. Much to my surprise he's yet to put the book down. The two of them have been inseparable since Christmas. I figure if it can keep his interest it most certainly will keep the interest of other baseball fans wanting to learn the sport. For this reason I highly recommend the book.

Football may have the hard-hitting action and basketball may have the slam-dunk feats, but baseball has character. In what other sport are the fans supposed to all stand in the middle of a game and sing a song? Furthermore, while basketball, football, hockey and soccer are all essentially different versions of the same game (pushing a puck or ball into the goal defended by the opposition), baseball has no real parallel (except maybe cricket, which is at most a minor sport in the U.S.). And, of course, unlike almost any other sport, there are no real time or point constraints to baseball; you're always in the game until the last out.

The unique elements of baseball can be off-putting to fans of other sports, who may find the subtleties of the game to be slow or boring. But as Zack Hample illustrates in his book Watching Baseball Smarter, there is a lot more going on than is readily apparent. Designed for the casual baseball fan, Hample offers insights into the sport that may escape most people (though the more die-hard fan will know much of what he describes).

After a review of some of the basics of the game, Hample has sections dedicated to the four major components of the game: pitching (and catching); hitting, base running and fielding. He then has chapters on stadiums, umpires, statistics and "random stuff". If you want to know the difference between a cut fastball, a four-seamer and a two-seamer, Hample provides the information in the pitching chapter. If you want to know why left-handed catchers are so rare, look in the fielding chapter.

For the avid fan, an error or two may be noted. For example, in the section on umpires, it is noted that the catcher can appeal to the first or third base umpire on a check swing; actually, he appeals to the home plate umpire, who can seek the appropriate umpires opinion. Any other errors also seem to be on such subtle issues, so it really isn't a major issue. In general, this is a fun book for baseball fans, filled with the slang and historical perspective that gives the sport its personality. If you enjoy baseball, you should read this book.