Sports Books

And... it's good! I think it was brilliant for Mike Lupica to name his book the Two-Minute Drill. My reason for that is the football team had to run a two minute drill to win the championship. Chris, my favorite character, is the quarterback that had to lead the team down the field. A reason I enjoyed reading this book was that it shows how one friend can make all the difference. Scott and Chris worked together to solve their challenges. Chris encourages Scott to join the football team after seeing Perry Field (Scott's backyard). They both had personal setbacks, Chris was dyslexic, but Scott was extremely smart and tutored him, while Chris, the best player on the team, helped Scott with football. People that love sports, challenges, and conflicts should read this book. Mike Lupica's style was hard to get used to but once you get in, there's no getting out, especially if you like sports fiction and football. The middle of the book was easy to follow because it had a nice clam flow. If you have already read this book I recommend Hot Hand another book in the series. This book is a must for football fans!

And... it's good! I think it was brilliant for Mike Lupica to name his book the Two-Minute Drill. My reason for that is the football team had to run a two minute drill to win the championship. Chris, my favorite character, is the quarterback that had to lead the team down the field. A reason I enjoyed reading this book was that it shows how one friend can make all the difference. Scott and Chris worked together to solve their challenges. Chris encourages Scott to join the football team after seeing Perry Field (Scott's backyard). They both had personal setbacks, Chris was dyslexic, but Scott was extremely smart and tutored him, while Chris, the best player on the team, helped Scott with football. People that love sports, challenges, and conflicts should read this book. Mike Lupica's style was hard to get used to but once you get in, there's no getting out, especially if you like sports fiction and football. The middle of the book was easy to follow because it had a nice clam flow. If you have already read this book I recommend Hot Hand another book in the series. This book is a must for football fans!

And... it's good! I think it was brilliant for Mike Lupica to name his book the Two-Minute Drill. A reason I enjoyed reading this book was that it shows how one friend can make all the difference. Also, the way the main charters, Scott and Chris worked together to solve their challenges is something I liked. Chris encourages Scott to join the football team. My favorite charter is Chris because he is a great quarterback and a great friend. The football team has to run a two minute drill to win the championship. They both had personal setbacks but they accomplished their goals on and off the field. The story is told in Scott's point of view. I recommend it to people that love sports and challenges or conflicts and people that love sports fiction. Mike Lupica's style was hard to get used to but once you get in there's no getting out especially if you like sports fiction and football. The middle of the book was easier to read because I understood the story. If you have already read this book I recommend Hot Hand another book in the series. This book is a must for football fans!

This is a very good book, my son is finishing it right now, it seems he appreciates sports more as a result of the book, and also that there is a tie into the sciences. Very well written, as an adult, I'm also going to read it. Well done Mike Lupica, thanks for joining the gap on sports and friendships.

I picked this book up both for entertainment and because I was interested in learning more about the experience of thru-hiking the AT. Satisfaction was delivered on both fronts. The author provides just enough detail that you're there with him on the trail, while not boring you with constant day to day information which could get tedious. This is not a book for planning a hike, however is still a useful read for anyone who may be toying with the idea.

I won't pretend to know what it's like to be on the trail for 6 months and 2173 miles, but at the end of the book I felt a sense of not wanting it to end. When AWOL speaks of his longing and loss in the months following his hike the reader feels a similar nostalgia. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to spark their sense of adventure.

I've read almost a dozen books on thru-hiking the AT and this is simply the best. Honest and real in his actions and thoughts- AWOL represents the best you will ever encounter on the AT.

This book is very well written and gives great insight into the motivations and commitment that that form the basis for undertaking this incredible journey.

I highly recommend this book for hikers and non-hikers alike.

As soon as I finished reading Awol on the AT, I wrote the following note to the author:

"Just a quick message to let you know how much I enjoyed Awol on the Appalachian Trail. I read it for the first time last week, and I can't stop telling my friends about it. I've read a lot of books about the AT, and your book is now one of my favorites -- definitely the best-written. Your insightful descriptions of the sights along the trail and the mental highs are lows are absolutely top-shelf. You are truly a gifted writer. Some of your imaginative metaphors -- such as giant rocks that look like the backs of whales diving into the soft ground -- will stick with me forever. Although I've not (yet) hiked the AT, my fever to do so is getting stronger. Thanks for the added inspiration. By the way, if you aren't currently writing for a living, you absolutely should be. Excellent work. Adventure onward!"

If you are interested in hiking the AT, this is one of THE books to read.

I've been considering hiking the A.T. for many years now, after reading this book its a no-brainer. Insightful, funny, i felt as if i was walking up every mountain right beside Awol. This book is a must have for any reader who enjoys the outdoors and all the struggles and joys that comes along with challenging yourself and reaping every benefit.

My nieces loved the book, however, I did think it was a bit thin for the price.

I used to enjoy these as a wee lassie to pass the time. The Highlights books are fun and children love them. Great book to have around.

This book has enlighten my nieces and nephew for they look with anticipation every night of completing a puzzle. They were so use to getting used books from the five and dime store and erasing the found missing objects and look for them again as if they never found them in the first place. Having a brand new book brings a smile to their eyes!
Only wish they were a bit cheaper.

I used many of the core exercises to train for 100 mile trail ultra-marathons. A strong core is essential to optimum athletic performance as well as helping those of us with chronic lower back problems (which are problems no more after strengthening my core!).

I was excited to get the book and flipping through it, was excited to start reading it. But reading it I found that each chapter was written like an introduction. He hints at what you'll be doing in the program without ever showing you how to do it. The program is essentially presented as one table with a two line explanation of how to use it. There is a huge explanatory gap between the "introductory" chapters and the presentation of the program. The introductory chapters could have been condensed to one quite easily, leaving plenty of room for real information on how to use the program, how everything fits together.

The table references all of the program's exercises, which are great. I quite like the exercises but the single table program doesn't quite work for me. Without any explanation of how I might customize it, I'm just doing my own thing with the exercises.

In the end it's just a bunch of new exercises.

This book shows you some new teqniques for improving your form and strength.
The section on the foam roller has been invaluable to me.
The book sort of ends quickly....I wish there was a bit more on implementing a program.

Mark Verstegen deserves a lot of credit for his ability to take a basic concept and milk it into a very lucrative cottage industry. While I actually liked his earlier Core Performance Essentials book (it's a good basic introductory book, though admittedly not much is new there either), Core Performance Endurance offers virtually no new material. Instead, the book is a complete rehash of Essentials and his first book. The rehashing goes so far that entire sections of Endurance are copied word for word from the earlier two books. Other sections show substantial overlap (but not verbatim) with the earlier two books. The two exceptions is that he spends a little more time introducing plyometics (though an introductory text on plyometrics can do it better) and regeneration (the novel concept that endurance athletes should schedule regular rest and active regeneration instead of going 100% every day).

I was also disappointed in the lack of new exercises presented. Whereas Essentials provided an interesting variety and progression of exercises, Endurance was fairly minimal in its presentation. I was especially expecting more challenging exercises that would be appropriate for endurance atheletes.

Finally, I was annoyed by the endless cross-selling of other products endorsed by Verstegen. I already bought the book and buy into the philosophy, but there were too many pushes of the coreperformance website (a subscription service that offers more exercises) and other products sold by Athletes Performance or strategic partners. There is a time and a place for cross-selling, but this book crossed the line.

Overall, if you're a Verstegen fan and want to know what the whole core thing is all about, I'd recommend Essentials over Endurance, but even then I'd recommend it only if you're looking for something fairly introductory.

I am a big fan of Mark's 'original' book, so I was thrilled to see a version specifically for endurance athletes. This version does borrow many of the same exercises from his first book -- but, if they work why change them?

The workouts are quick and effective. So, this is the way to go if you are considering strength training into your plan. Many traditional exercises (like leg press, for example) really do not translate into improvement in endurance sports. The strength and power workouts really have resulted in better cycling and running. The Core Performance sessions are completed quickly and allow you to recover for your swim/bike/run workouts. Mark uses the 'incremental' approach to improvement. This is not a workout session that will require you 3 days to recover.

Also, I've found the 'Movement Prep' and 'Regeneration' movements most helpful. My back has never felt better.

The ESD (or cardio) part of the program really should be ignored. Your run/bike/swim workouts more than cover this aspect.

Mark does provide a free code for a 3 week trial of the coreperformance.com site. This site provides really nice video snippets of how to complete the exercises and a detailed diet plan. Good stuff. Now, after the 3 weeks you have to pay -- but, it is only like $[...] for the year. I learned the proper form during the trial phase and chose not to renew.

This lab manual is the best I have seen. Both experienced and novice practitioners will find this book a valuable resource. Field and clinical tests are presented for each component of exercise physiology: aerobic, anaerobic, pulmonary, cardiovacular, body composition, etc. Each chapter begins with enough theoretical background to fully understand the physiological responses. The methods are detailed enough for the novice to follow, but advanced enough for the experienced technician to gain insights. The results and discussion sections provide excellent insights as well as tables of comparative and interpretive data. It is one of my most used shelf and lab references.

Well, I was forced to take the class I used this book for so I really don't think I am in a good position to give a reliable review about the book. I read the book because I had too. Although I can say, that I was able to take and adapt a few pointers here and there and according to a few of the guys that took the class with me, and those that are in the 'pedagogy' field this book is really helpful and really good. I hope that helps.

Great book!!! For Men that golf (or are golf nuts - as it were). In addition to being a "salty" golf yarn about a bet amoung friends, the story includes real life problems and how to deal with them (uuhhh well maybe not). Fun and quick.

My entire family loves this book. I don't think you have to be a golfer to enjoy it but it sure can't hurt. I have given this book to many a golfer friend and everyone likes it. Very funny. Lots of smiles and laughs throughout! I'd give it 6 stars if I could.

I had read this book right after reading a popular "chick lit" book and was struck by how similar the plot line was and how different the details were. In both instances, the characters were trying to meet a particular challenge. In Missing Links the challenge was to be the first to play a round in the elite golf course next door, where, I suppose, the grass is greener on the other side.

This book was a perfect choice for summer vacation reading. Quite entertaining and not too taxing. Sprinkled among the details were allusions to local features that someone from the East and older than 40 would remember.

I enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone seeking light reading and entertainment.

Wow. I'm really surprised at all the positive reviews of this book. Did we read the same novel? I had to force myself to finish this, and I'm a big Rick Reilly fan. Another page, another recycled joke written a much flatter tone than Reilly normally uses. Maybe if he'd gone with a 3rd person perspective instead of a 1st person I would have been more receptive. As it was, I never really got the sense that this was a real person/character telling this incredibly predictable story. There are some nice touches in this book, notably when he's talking about golfing with his uncle and really developing a passion for the game. But, more than anything, those touches are way too few and far between. Unless I'd recently received some sort of lobotomy, I'd move on to different book.

I haven't been reading many golf books lately, but I think Rick Reilly has just gotten my interest to a whole new level. You have to be patient with the book and forget your expectations, especially for those who aren't versed in Reilly-isms. But by the last few pages you realize what golf has really meant to you all these years and he puts the words to what we usually forget to do: get emotional! A great read, has all the characteristics of a classic golf story. Can't wait to read the sequel!

This book is the first book detailing Jim Hardy's one plane swing. It can easily be read in an afternoon, and discusses the fundamental differences between the one plane and two plane swings. This book is rather basic and covers the fundamentals including grip, stance, and posture . . . I would strongly recommend looking into the second book in this series (Master Class) as it goes into more detail and has a whole chapter on drills.

Whether you are a novice or an accomplished player, this book gives an excellent perspective on the golf swing. Of particular value is the simplification of the swing into 2 types with specific associated fundamentals that apply to each type. WJWeeks

Wow! After reading Jim Hardy's The Plane Truth for Golfers I immediately realized that I was mixing fundamentals for the one plane swing and the two plane swing. This was causing my ball striking to be very erratic. After practicing the drills set forth in the book for my style of swing (one plane), I began striking the ball much more consistently and more shots were on target. After about 6 months of utilizing the information from Mr. Hardy, my handicap has gone from an 8 to a 5 (I still can't putt) and I am striking the ball more solidly than I ever have in the 49 years I have been playing the game. If you are serious about improving your golf game and are willing to utilize the information and drills in this book, you will not be disappointed!

This is the golf mechanics info. I have been looking for for years. Breaks down the "mystery" of the golf swing into two simple sets of mechanics so that you can try both and choose the one that is more natural for you. Has helped my game immensely. As a companion book read "Extraordinary Golf" by Fred Shoemaker.

For over 20 years, I had been confused about the golf swing. After reading this book, for the first time ever, I feel there is a simple, solid, fundamental swing I can work towards. My handicap's been all over the board- Everywhere from single digits to as high as fourteen. It seemed the more Golf Digest tips I read, the more confused I became, and the more my swing suffered.

While most of the fundamentals you learned growing up- steady head, weight on inner right foot, consistent spine angle, chin up, good tempo, balance etc.. are also fundamentals in Hardy's two swings, there are some major differences. I've battled with getting 'stuck inside' and pushing/hooking since I was 16. Absolutely every part of my common sense and intuition, not to mention almost every teacher, book, and magazine tip, would tell me my takeaway was too inside and to overcorrect by getting outside early on (or at the very least on the target path) on my backswing and downswing.

I now learn from Mr. Hardy that that thinking couldn't be more wrong for my swing type. With the set-up for the one plane swing, he actually suggests what amounts to coming much much more inside on the backswing- I've tried it and it works. If you buy into the one plane swing theory, you best quit your subscription to the golf rags. They'll most likely contradict Jim's thinking (their own tips often contradict each other.) While I haven't looked as deeply into his two plane thinking, it's clear he has debunked a lot of swing myths, contradictions and confusion for that swing type as well.