Sports Books

I have read "Total Control" by Lee Parks "Motorcycling Excellence" by the MSF and the new second edition of "Proficient Motorcycling" by David Hough. All of these books were very good, and each touches on points that others don't hit, so I am glad to have read them all. Nevertheless, if I could give just one book to my son to read and learn from it would be "Sport Riding Techniques. I think that Nick Ienatsch does a superior job in breaking the key components of riding down to their related actions, whether it concern braking, steering, or riding through traffic.

This is a great book that will help improve your riding and smoothness.

This is the second book I read regarding riding techniques. The first book is Pridmore's "Smooth Riding the Pridmore Way" which is an excellent supplement. If you will only read one book, read Nick's Sport Riding Techniques.

Comparing the two, I would say Pridmore's book helps with the mechanical aspects of riding: Braking, shifting, turning, etc. Nick's book tends to be more about the mental game of riding, specifically on the street: Situational awareness, traffic, smoothness...

Both books are valuable, but Nick's book is the better, more valuable read.

Nick Ienatsch does a good job of explaining the skills required to ride a motorcycle and how to hone those skills. While it is written for sport bike riders others can benefit too. His explanation of available traction under different situations and maneuvers is crucial to riding a motorcycle and he does a great job of explaining the concept. The illustrations and photos are relevant and well done. I have bought several copies of this book and given to new riders.

This book is more for the advanced rider than for a beginner. It is a good follow up to David Hough's Street Survival.

I loved this book and the technical information it contained. If you can't ride year round then this book ia a reference to dust off your riding before you start the season is a must have.

If you are at the very beginning of your training and have never done sports before in your life then this is a good book for you. If your looking for more of a stratigical more informational book then dont bother. It does give te reader a little insite on the MMA life style and mentality. It is also chock full of quotes form famous people and photos. It takes up alot of the books volume actually is photos and quotes. But mostly about what muscles to target and many ways build them. Has a chapter on nutrition, endurence and a small incomplete chapter about enjuries and mentality. If your looking for something more indept, try something else.

This book contains everything you need to know when it comes to fitness for mixed martial arts and combat sports. Almost every single exercise that has existed in the history of the world for every single part of the human body is in this book. There are many combat sport-specific drills, but there are also your typical gym fitness routines. Even if you're not a mixed martial artist and don't have any plans to be one, this book will still serve your needs as a fitness enthuasist. There is a chapter for every muscle group, which contain about 15-30 different exercises each. There are also sections on diet and nutrition, cutting weight, and flexibility, there is the beginning section explaining the philosophy behind being a warrior and why hardwork and preserverance is important. When I say this book has everything, I'm not kidding. Once you have this book, all you'll need to get in shape from this point on is hard work and disipline, such as getting off your butt to go to the gym and staying away from pizzas and bacon cheeseburgers. There are too many exercises in this book, you can't do all of them. Just pick out 5 exercises and let that be your fitness routine for the next three weeks and pick another 5 exercises for the three weeks after that, changing up the routine every three weeks, you should get results in a few months because of muscular confusion(your body constantly changing to adapt to different physical activities).

This book has a TON of great exercises. Yo may not have access to al the machines and tools to do all of them but you can still utilize plenty if these exercises. A great tool for MMA fighters as well as average Joe's trying to get in better shape.

Few trainers or coaches have the education to train someone when it comes to MMA, BJJ, or martial arts in general. This book will serve as a complete guide to exercise as a "warrior" ready for battle as opposed to a body builder or weekend warrior. Although you do need "fancy equiptment or tons of space for a few of the exercises; the majority of the exercises can be completed at home or at a local track. The nutrition section is easy to use as well on the section on how to porperly go food shoping. This is a must have for anyone willing to kick butt on the ring or mats.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Martin Rooney has effectively given us the conditioning road map. The book is of the highest quality, the photographs are excellent, the editorial succint and clear. For anyone who want the conditioning edge, this is the book.

Fighter or not TFW provides a broad range of excercises and drills. The book follows a logical path giving an overview of MMA and then gets into Warrior Anatomy covering warm-ups, training by bodypart (don't confuse this with traditional body split training) and then goes on to cover specific programs, nutrition and injuries. You can follwo the programs or mix it up and simply focus on the areas that you need to work.

As for the weight training aspect, I'm a RKC Kettlebell instructor and consequently the Kettlebell is my tool of choice. I simpy us kettlebell drill and lifts to replace the conventional weighted drills.

The most valuable aspect of TFW is the way it translates many conventional drills into a MA context.

Most important, once you've read the text, looked at the pics...Go Train!

If you want to read an inspiring book on the power of the mind in sports, then this book is for you. It is not too packed with information, but it underlines many of the important points in mental coaching. Great stories and examples make it an uplifting read. The only thing missing was a step-by-step instruction guide to mind management - practice makes perfect.

Mind Gym is a great book! I highly reccomend picking one up. HOWEVER, Amazon sent me 2 books with damaged covers and ripped pages. Get the book, just not from Amazon.

a solid read, but i was expecting a book that got more into the intricacies of sports psychology, but this book seems to focus more on your thinking off the court then on it.

Training tips and exercises are paired with the psychological aspect of sports. Put your game into perspective.

I have read several books on the mental game in sports and this is by far the best. I work with collegiate and professional athletes and recommend this so often that Gary Mack should send me a commission!!!

I bought this for my husband for father's day. He's a huge Phillies fan, but he's said that even if he wasn't he would love this book. It's an inspiring story and a quick read. Would recommend to anyone, even if you're not a Phillies fan.

I tore through this book on the beach in less than 2 days. A credit to his wife Marcia for sticking with him and making sure he never gave up on his dream. Anyone with, or who once ad, major league dreams will appreciate this book. A great beach read.

Sadly the business of baseball is painted in this self penned tome by Phillies catcher, Chris Coste. Certainly if Coste had been a professional football (American) player, he would have been in much worse shape. But spending a few years being a professional, albeit by today's standards underpaid, baseball player on his hometown minor league baseball team, the Fargo Morehead RedHawks, precluded Mr. Coste from being exposed to MLB as a teenager; as most who enter it are. The trials and trevails are explained to both the novice and the not-novice alike. A little like Muhammed Ali, making a movie while still a professional boxer, you hope the ending of this book is really just the beginning of a great career. Especially if you are a Phillies fan.

THIS IS A GREAT READ AND A TRULY HEARTWARMING STORY. A TRUE TESTAMENT TO PERSEVERENCE. AN EXCELLENT BOOK FOR ALL BASEBALL FANS, NOT JUST PHILLIES FANS. TOO BAD THERE AREN'T MORE PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES WITH THE ATTITUDE AND VALUES OF CHRIS COSTE.

I am typically not a reader, but finished this book in 4 days. couldn't put it down

I loved this book. I had a hard time putting it down. It offers inspiration to all of us who are fat and slow or just new to triathlon, and want to compete. I bought this one and Triathlon Training in 4 Hrs. a week. They go well together.

This is a solid book written for the tri newbie or anyone interested in learning more about the sport. Don't buy this book if you're looking for a training manual or trying to figure out what you need to do to get prepared for your first race. It's a solid book to kick you in the rear and lead you to that next step if you can get past all the cliches & attempts at humor. The Triathlete's Training Bible is a "must read" if you're serious about putting together a plan of attack.

I love this book!!! It's great for unsure beginners!! The author really helps you with even the smallest details you need to know. I was so afraid to enter the tri world b/c I thought it was so elite but the author made me realize that ANYONE can do it and so can you!! Buy this book if you are new to triathlons and unsure of yourself. You will feel like a winner even before you race!!

Great book. Couldn't put it down- its not really a training book but a "calm your nerves, here is what it is really like" if you are slow, fat and want to be a triathlete. Of course, it works too if your not a slow fat triathlete as well.

I enjoyed this book and have already recommended it to my friends. I'll be doing my first triatholon in a few months. It is a very good motivation and introductory book. I'm reading another book for more detailed information into the actual training.

Great little book. Got it for my daughter before our trip to the beach. I was expecting a CD rom with it and it didn't come so that is why I rated it 4 instead of 5.

I love all the curious George books. Who Doesn't?

author of "Hobo Finds A Home"

My son and I love to read about the curious monkey. This book is great!

This book and Curious George himself takes me back to a gentler time. A time when I was young and a time when my son was young. He and I LOVE to read all about George's silly mishaps daily.

This book was an automatic favorite because we live in Rhode Island and live at the beach in the summer. So he would always take this book and his george doll down in his bag. These stories are filled with laughter and love, two things a child can't get enough of and there is usually even a good manners lesson taught to George too that they don't soon forget.

So, any of the Curious George series is a winner with our family...and we don't even live near the "man with the yellow hat". lol*

Have fun and make each night a night you read to your child...it's so important. I even read to him in the womb each night. He talked early and certainly knew my voice almost immediately.

A winner any way you look at it. : ) Thank you George.

George is good to read after an exasperating day with your toddler or preschooler. It reminds you that it could be worse, you could REALLY have a monkey to care for, and your monkeys don't really mean to get into mischief, they are just very very curiouus.

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!

We are still trying to fit a set time for this yoga with our crazy schedules, but we have already worked on it some and my husband and I and our two girls one five and the other three all love it. The creator of these cards seem to want to create strong families. It should be easier after the holidays to establish a family yoga routine. I can't wait.

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!! It teaches young ones about yoga and breathing with great illustrations. This is an awesome book for parents and children to bond with as well. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who have children!

What I like most about these is that they are color coded for different kinds of poses and activities. I like the flexibility of mixing up the poses or focusing on one kind, rather than using a book that sets the sequence. The only thing I don't like about this and some other kids yoga products is that the names of poses are changed to make them more kid friendly. Since there's no consistency between products, one will call child's pose, for example, "sleeping mouse," and another will call it "rock." But overall, I highly recommend these cards.

I bought the book with it and they are wonderful. My 4 and 2 year old can do many the yoga positions!! Great way to connect and to wind down for bedtime!!

Even though I've coached for a couple of years, this book had great ideas for new drills and twists on old drills.

Got the book last week, read it over the week-end. First practice last night with the 8-9 year old team. I had prepared drills for the D-Line as I am D-Line coach.

The defensive coordinator couldn't make it and there were only 11 kids at practice on defense because of vacations.

I improvised with individual and group drills, that I picked up in the book, for 60 minutes. Kept the practice quick paced like Coach Bass said.

Amazing! The kids were all into it. No talking and fooling around like usual because they're bored waiting their turn.

I recommend it to any Youth Coach who is starting out or event with some experience.

If you have never taught / coached youth football before this is a step by step guide to running an efficient and productive practice session. Packed with specific drills for all the positions. Teaching / Coaching youth football is nothing like having been a player! I played peewee all the way through college and coaching is a totally different animal!

This book is a must for all riders/trainers who love and care for horses. Reading it was a rude awakening for me since it showed me how harmful my "modern" training and riding were for my horses. I want healthy and happy horses so no more shortcuts for me.
Pascale

I would that every rider, regardless of discipline, would read this book. It relates excellent information that goes against the grain of much commonly held training. Our horses would move with more freedom and pleasure and have long careers instead of early retirements. Well illustrated and explained. It's actually a quick read. The principles are simple and consistent. Very accessible.

This book is great for riders, judges, and anyone interested in the good of their horse. Pictures are very informative to show correct & incorrect riding, training.

There aren't enough superlatives to praise this book. It is a must read in my view for anyone who owns, rides, trains, or works with horses.

Horses are amazing animals so it is up to us as riders to be educated from all points of view. This book explains in extreme depth and anatomically why rollkur and other harsh methods do nothing for the horse except give them a pain in the neck, poor muscling and other problems. If you are sick of being told that "modern dressage" is the way to go then read and be educated, take a stand for your horse.

Mike Lupica, the veteran sports columnist for the Daily News in New York, is not content to rest on his laurels. In addition to his adult audience, he's reaching out to younger readers, trying to teach them lessons on the field that can be extended to everyday life. His previous works in the genre include HEAT, TRAVEL TEAM, SUMMER BALL and MIRACLE ON 49th STREET.

His latest offering is THE BIG FIELD, the story of Hutch Hutchinson, a star shortstop for his American Legion team who is displaced by Darryl "D-Will" Williams, a better player with a questionable attitude.

Despite the natural misgivings, Hutch is willing to take one for the team, giving way to Darryl and moving over to second base. The parallel to Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez is unmistakable. So is the tense relationship as the two 14-year-olds vie for dominance. Darryl has his mind set on being the "next big thing," already attracting the notice of scouts and the media. Hutch, on the other hand, is content to live in the here-and-now, with the sole goal of playing for the regional championship at the minor league venue of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Hutch is joined in his quest by Codey, his best friend and affable sidekick. It's not too far a stretch to think of the trio as a less dangerous version of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy, with bats replacing magic wands.

As the team moves through the rounds of competition to put them in the big game on The Big Field, Hutch must deal with several issues: his continuing resentment of his rival, his perhaps over-consuming love of baseball, and his relationship with his father, himself a heralded player who still has trouble dealing with his failure to make it to the major leagues.

Lupica does an admirable job of presenting the drama of the games, which, with the attention to strategy, often feels more like a chess match. But several elements fall into the area of cliché: Hutch's team is obviously talented, but they're considered underdogs since they are in the low age range, 14- and 15-year-olds competing against players up to three years their seniors (the player pictured on the dust jacket seems more like 10 than 14). And although Hutch does have a couple of momentary setbacks, he nevertheless comes through when it counts, a baseball savant --- wise beyond what should be his ken --- who seems to have no other interest than to excel at his game.

The fact that everything works out to the good despite the blips is also somewhat unrealistic, but hey, this is fiction.

Overall, THE BIG FIELD is a genial, fast-paced adventure that should interest young sports fans.

--- Reviewed by Ron Kaplan

Reviewed by Ben Weldon (age 10) for Reader Views (6/08)

"The Big Field" by Mike Lupica is definitely a book for baseball lovers. Follow Keith "Hutch" Hutchison as he and his team push their way to the finals. Can Hutch overcome problems with a teammate? Will Hutch's father ever take notice of him? Will his team get to play on "the big field"?

Keith Hutchison, known to his friends as Hutch, is a fourteen-year-old baseball fanatic. He pretty much thinks of nothing but baseball. He has been shortstop "forever." He is the team captain of the Boynton Beach Post 226 Cardinals, and his team has a shot of making it to the State Championship. When Darryl "D-will" Williams, a star shortstop, moves to town, Hutch is forced to become second baseman. He makes the sacrifice for the good of the team but it is with grief and several fist fights.

As if it weren't bad enough to lose his position, Hutch finds his father playing ball with D-will. Hutch feels betrayed. His father, a former baseball player, won't even watch a baseball game with Hutch, let alone play ball with him. He barely speaks to Hutch and rarely even attends his games. Why is his father like this? Will Hutch ever be able to have a relationship with his father?

Full of baseball jargon, this book is all baseball and lacks a strong plot. Readers who do not know much about baseball, baseball teams and baseball players might feel a bit lost.

I would recommend "The Big Field" to people who want to read the sports page - this book is for them!

Keith "Hutch" Hutchison, the hero of sportswriter Mike Lupica's latest young adult sports novel, loved playing shortstop for his baseball team in Florida. Then Darryl Williams came along and took over at short, forcing Hutch to move to second base.

Worse than the sting of losing his old position, though, is the hurt Hutch feels at the absence of his father from his games. A former baseball player who saw his dreams crushed, Hutch's dad can barely bring himself to watch his son play. So when Hutch sees his father giving Darryl some playing tips, he has a whole new reason to dislike his teammate.

During a summer when their team is fighting to win the state championship and the chance to play on TV, Hutch's rivalry with Darryl threatens the team's chances, and he must come to grips with his father and his teammate to be the team player he needs to be.

While THE BIG FIELD doesn't bring anything new to the sports genre, this is an engaging read. Mr. Lupica throws in plenty of references to current baseball players, which brings even more realism to the story. The characters seem very true-to-life, and anyone who's ever played a sport or just loves baseball can relate to it.

Reviewed by: Katie Hayes

In the fascinating story of The Big Field, Mike Lupica shows a lot of breath-taking moments on the field, as well as problems off the field. Thirteen-year-old Hutch Hutchinson is a great shortstop, after all, his idol, Derek Jeter, is a shortstop and his dad almost made it to the big leagues as a shortstop. But when one of the best shortstops in the state joins the team, Hutch is forced to play second base. He is disappointed but that is only the beginning of the many disasters that happen to him.

The Big Field is one of the many great stories that Mike Lupica has to give. He keeps the problems coming and while using third person he makes you feel bad for Hutch, when he makes an error. This is a book for baseball fans young and old and for people who are disagreeing.

This will give you a sense of my sportsy prowess. I'm in a bookstore the other day and I see a book with a quote on it from Mike Lupica. The only thing is, it's an adult book. One that has to do with sports of some sort. So I rub my head and I actually have this thought while standing there: What is Mike Lupica doing writing quotes for adult books? You see the problem here? I know Mike Lupica as one thing and one thing only; this is the guy who knows how to write a fabulous sports-related work of fiction for young readers. He's the Matt Christopher of the new millennium. Now I don't like sports myself. They don't really fall within my perceived everyday reality. I know they exist and I know that people follow them, but as far as I can tell I am interested in virtually nothing that has to do with one or another. But do I head for the hills when I see that Mr. Lupica has written a new title for his young fans? I most certainly do not! The notable thing about "The Big Field" is that it returns the author to what is undoubtedly his favorite sport to write about. Baseball. Lupica lovea him the natural tension and stress and story arc that comes with the game. You can hardly blame him. The craziness is that in the process of getting excited, this author has the ability to get YOU rather excited too. I don't love baseball. I know that a lot of kids are like me in this respect, but hand them a copy of "The Big Field" and get them to read the first few chapters. If Mike Lupica does nothing else, he proves to us that good writing is good writing and can lure you in, regardless of the subject matter.

Fourteen-year-old Keith "Hutch" Hutchinson isn't the star of his American Legion team, Boynton Beach Post 226, the Cardinals. That honor belongs entirely to his fellow teammate Darryl. Hutch doesn't even mind all that much since it's really the love of the game that keeps him going. He's the team Captain and a pretty swell player in his own right, not that his dad would ever notice. A former local baseball star himself, Hutch's father had dreams once of hitting the big league. When those dreams didn't come to fruition he decided to protect his only son by denying him any pointers or chances to share in the game they both love so much. Now Hutch's team has a chance to make it all the way. To play for the state championship on "the big field" at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter. Only trouble is, there are some problems with Darryl and they involve Mr. Hutchinson. Hutch has never allowed outside distractions to keep him from playing his best, but now it looks as if the fate of the entire team depends on him and his ability to figure out why his dad is the way he is.

I saw a lot of similarities between Hutch in this book and the character of House in Deborah Wiles' The Aurora County All-Stars. In both cases the hero is a kind of Gary Cooper type. Thoughtful and a bit wise beyond his years, but still prone to anger if riled. And riled he gets! The raw jealousy Hutch feels when he sees his father playing baseball with the team star, something Hutch himself has never done, is palpable. It practically sends little ripples down the page. Normally in a middle grade novel a kid will feel betrayed by a parent or a friend and then just sit and stew for chapter after chapter. I was a little afraid that Lupica might go this route as well, but fortunately this wasn't the case. So it felt strangely satisfying to watch Hutch rip into his dad about everything the man has ever done wrong. It's excellent. You want to sip a cool drink after reading a passage like that. And what's even better is that Lupica can make Hutch be entirely in the right one moment and then entirely in the wrong the next without so much as a narrative hiccup.

I've read Heat and some of Miracle on 49th Street so I'm not a complete Lupica newbie. And from these books I've noticed a trend in the author's work. Mike Lupica has a deep and abiding interest in and affection for the smart alecky sidekick. The kind of sidekick that ends up being the voice of reason more than once, but is so jokey that the reader isn't supposed to notice. Some might see this as Lupica getting lazy with his characters, but personally I didn't really mind. In this book the sidekick is Cody, a kid who's been friends with Hutch since the beginning. As with many sidekicks he begins by being the untamed fellow who puts down Darryl while Hutch murmurs that they're all on the same team. Then, at some point, the tables turn and it's Cody who has to keep Hutch in line (and out of trouble). In Heat this kind of character would help the hero directly in a kind of deus ex machina manner. Here, Hutch has to do all the work himself, and as a hero he rises satisfactorily to the challenge.

Lupica isn't afraid of putting contemporary flourishes on his book. This will date it a bit more than it might if he left them out entirely, but in a way I enjoyed it. Admittedly, I liked the references to Derek Jeter better than the references to 24, but whatchagonnado? By the way, can I say how nice it is to have a protagonist in a book who isn't whitey white white? Hutch is part Dominican and it's not a big deal in any way, shape, or form. It defines who he is but isn't the focus of the narrative. It's just part of the story, and it's something that sets the book apart from the ten bazillion books with white kids in `em that stock our library and bookstore shelves.

You know what it is about this writer? Lupica satisfies a reader, deep down somewhere. You read one of his books and you feel good about... something. Maybe it's just about a game, or maybe it's about the characters and what they've figured out, but you feel good. Like you've accomplished something big. For kids who are already converts to Lupica's style, "The Big Field" is not going to be a hard sell. But for kids who enjoy sports and want something a little contemporary and fun, this will be a good Intro to Lupica: 101. Heck, even if they don't like sports this book will still suck you in. That is, if you can get `em past the initial premise. I hate utilizing sports metaphors when describing literature, so let's just take the phrase, "Lupica hits another one out of the park," switch it out for its literary equivalent for now.