Sports Books

This book is a must for anyone who is interested in the development of golf. The history of the game and the development of professional and amateur play is well documented, along with the history of snobbery and class discrimination as well. Much of the latter has remained in the game, unfortunately.

I recently played a round of golf with a pretentious member of a local private club, who informed me he would never play with anyone wearing blue jeans. Why? I've met lots of unscrupulous golfers in Dockers. I'll not be playing with that jerk again.

I don't know about the rest of you folks, but if this isn't the greatest, most beautiful golf book ever written, then I'd like to know what is.

Just wonderful.

Great Little read. The story of Old Tom and Young Tom is quite facinating. The story of how people in Scotland lived in the late 18th century was very interesting.

Simply put, this has it all, from facts we all thing we know, to the lives of this family both the glorious and the very lowest God can hand to us.

In 2001 when my middle daughter was accepted to the University of St Andrews we were elated about the prospect of her studing abroad in a first class institution and she was especially excited about being a classmate of Prince William. Golf was an after thought. I had only begun playing a few years earlier and carried a 14 handicap. I read several books on the history of the town of St Andrews and played the course over a dozen times during the ensuring four years. When a friend metioned that he had read "Tommy's Honor" I was lukewarm but took his advice I ordered the book through Amazon. It was one the best written and compelling books I've ever had the chance to read. The humanity of the characters and the richness of the story line compares well with the best novels. I visited the grave site with mild curosity before but now I am making plans to return to St Andrews to play and to walk in the steps of Old and Young Tom Morris.

Fred Fernatt MA,MS,CPA,CFP

As a new fly tyer I find the book a terrific resourse for learning about the critters that trout daily feed on. The information has added a totally new dimension to my fly fishing.

This book is for the fisherman who wants to know what is going on underwater on trout waters. It details the life cycle of those insects that comprise the trouts diets and evolves a fly pattern to mimic each phase of insect development. This book is a must for anyone who fishes with flies.

Best book on fly fishing I have ever read. Wish someone had given me this book after I had been fishing for a year or so. Presents a lot of info in a well organized, manageable manner that is an enjoyable read. Give it to all of your fly fishing friends, but only if you want them to catch a lot more fish.

Dave Hughes has hit a homerun with this offering. Very informative! Good reading, as well as a great reference guide. I've been fly fishing for over 25 years and have accumilated quite a library of books that cover all aspects of the sport. Many books dredge over the same material over and over again. Handbook of Hatches gives a different perspective at choosing the best fly for a particular situation. Imitative vs. impressionistic. When and where to use each.
My copy stays in my Jeep, ready to be thumbed through during a break to help me solve any trout food issues that I may be encountering. It has proven to be a fine streamside guide that myself and my fellow fly fishermen have gone to many times.

This is far more than an introduction to the entymology, the context, and the how-to instruction to identifying, tying and fishing with flies that match the hatches. Clearly written and well illustrated with color photography, Handbook of Hatches is a pleasure to read and reread. Food here for the novice and for the experienced fly fisher.

Our boy looked at this book so much, he literally wore it out. It was his favorite. We purchased a new one for our little girl.

My son and my daughter both responded to this book when only 2 or 3 months old - the animals have big eyes and friendly smiles, and when they peek at the baby reader, the baby responds with smiles, coos, and wriggling. Perfect first book. Sturdier than most flap books, but will get lots of loving use, so why not buy 2?

We love this series! Large, colorful illustrations and full page flaps makes this a great book for little ones new to reading. A perfect gift too!

They used to read this book frequently at reading times in Ohio when my daughter was in baby laptime. She always loved it and I gave it to a friend as a gift. She says that her daughter is really enjoying it as well.

This book is great. I not only have my own children but I own a child franchise and I read this book to our 10-13 mo. olds and 12-15 mo. They just stare and smile and try to grab every page.
I love this book.

I enjoying reading this book and looking to make other things with the helpful ideas in this book.

This book is an ultimate hit. The history of the Lego is described and then creations that fit every category are shown. Some of the hints on how to build things are really helpful.

This book IS for anyone who likes Lego's.

I purchased this for my seven-year old, yet my 20-year old enjoyed it just as much! Great pictures!

I have 3 boys who all clamor to look at this book. They all love legos and this book has great pictures and inspiration. It's a must for any avid lego fan.

We bought this book as a Christmas gift for our 10-year-old nephew [in combination with Lego Crazy Action Contraptions: A Lego Inventions Book (Klutz)]. His eyes were as big and round as Christmas-tree ornaments as he flipped through the books and saw the myriad wonderful things he could build with his treasured blocks. And, with two huge tubs of Lego pieces already in his possession, we figured he didn't need yet another set of Legos... but perhaps something nifty to build with them all. This fills the bill nicely!

...it should be this one. All the basics are here, copiously illustrated (some of the images featuring judo's founder, Jigoro Kano) and explained in a fair amount of detail. Although other books may offer more variations and flashier presentations, herein can be found all the rudiments of Kodokan judo. If the subject interests you at all, you simply must own this book. With judo's popularity on the rise (even professional mixed martial artists, typically reliant on either wrestling or Brazilian jiu-itsu, have begun to reevaluate judo and its usefulness in the combative context), no serious student of the martial arts can afford to ignore Kano's work, and this book is the gateway to understanding that work.

Complete text of traditional art by authoratative author. Excellent reference of techniques. Chinese author has slight problem with english in this translation. Does not delineate when or where to use techniques. Must learn Chin-na with instructor to learn this.

As stated above, this book is considered the foundation of Judo, both modern day and early judo. Please be aware that this book is not to purchased and read as a novel: it is to supplement judo training in the dojo and assist with one's desire to achieve success in the sport of judo.

I purchased the book with the hope that it would include more detail on the martial aspects of Judo, i.e. atemi (strikes), leglocks, and other things considered illegal in competition. It has some, but speaks of them very generally, and always refers one to the Kata. As a general reference it good, but not exactly what I had hoped.

I have been practicing /training in Judo for approx. 3 months, great book for review /insight before and after training and performing at Dojo.

I am partial to this style of the martial art. I have met Master Oshima and practiced with him. This is a traditional style of karate and an excellent illustration.

This was my first time using Amazon to bought a book that I am looking for. So far, I am satisfy with this service instead of I buy in book store. Price is my concern and Amazon give this.

If you do Shotokan or any karate for that matter you should have this book, If you do Shotokan you HAVE to have this book and you are very luck to have so much of the founders works published in english and still in print, i train in Kyokushin and most or Mas Oyama's work is in Japanese only and long out of print

This book is a fantastic must-have for any Karate enthusiast. It really is The Master Text (it says so right on the cover). The early chapters provide an insightful background and history of Karate and Shotokan, and are a great read. The later chapters serve as wonderful reference material for the practicing Karate-ka.
Highly recommended.

I am a 2nd-dan practitioner under Tsutomu Ohshima, the translator, and I want to point out a few things, regarding the comments. Mr. Ohshima read the original Japanese text of his teacher(Funakoshi), at least 50 times (before translating), and was authorized by his family to translate it into English. With those considerations (and the fact that it took 10 years), it was a monumental undertaking--personally, professionally, and historically. I can appreciate that he used his own photos, because, as someone else pointed out, the stances got lower and longer, and some things were in transition at the time the book was written--think of it as a "2nd, updated edition." For more information on the changes going on at the time, investigate Shigeru Egami's excellent Karate-do Nyumon, also available here. Egami was Mr. Ohshima's senior and very close friend, considered by many to be the top karateka during his life.

Master Funakoshi mastered 2 styles--shorei-ryu and shorin ryu-during his lifetime, instructed by Masters Itosu and Azato. The former has powerful, hard directed movements, rooted in deep stances, while the latter has swift, sweeping, bird-like movements, and we have kata from each style (Ie. the Heian/Pinan forms are Shorin, while Tekki/Neihanchu kata are shorei). Traditional "karate" come from Okinawa, and the different regional styles, named for the towns, drew some influence from Chinese sailors trained in kung-fu, who washed ashore and trained the villagers, further influencing their styles, and differentiating them. "Shotokan" means "House of Shoto." "Shoto" was Master Funakoshi's nickname. When a karateka was asked where he was going, he'd say "Shotokan," or Shoto's house. "Shoto" also means the sound the wind makes when blowing through pine needles, which Master Funakoshi loved.

Numerous styles claim heritage through Funakoshi, and widespread, unauthorized use of the Shotokan "circled tiger" has ensued. This symbol was created by one of Funakoshi's students, and is trademarked. You can see it in the opening of one of Jet Li's movies, and probably many others.

Traditional Tae-Kwon-Do was created by practitioners who got their karate black belts in Japan in the 20th century (according to my research) although there's a raging debate about the "ancient" origins of those arts. Some claim Tae-Kwon-Do descended from a children's game in which practitioners tried to knock down their opponents with a kick, which was banned by elders long ago--a view that is often ridiculed by martial art historians. This is buttressed by the fact that many Tae-Kwon-Do schools use this Kyohan as their text, and either the exact same kata (particularly the Heian), or lightly modified (usually with modified or added kicks).

Not all "karate" styles are directly descended from Shotokan. Goju-ryu and others at least partially developed in parallel, but they definitely influenced each other, and had common roots. To be called "karate," however, implied, originally, Chinese roots. This changed, later, to mean "open-hand" styles, so karate, today, is more generally loosely defined. This website has a clear "family tree," of karate heritage, as well as incredibly useful information and links-- [...]. Ohshima Shihan's website is [...]. Also see [...] (in English or Spanish).

One reviewer criticized the Shotokan punch, and it seemed that he was responding not to the book, but to Shotokan generally. Our stances have gotten longer and narrower. When Funakoshi brought karate to mainland Japan, many practitioners were already experts in judo and kendo. One effect was the lengthening of the distance between fighters--often a judo expert would immediately slam a karateka to the ground, or a kendoka would quickly "spear" the uninitiated with a punch. These 2 aspects, as you might imagine, caused a relatively immediate change, not unlike (although it's a long-shot) the effect Gracie Jujitsu had on early mixed martial arts events. These three disciplines (and others) combined to develop the efficacy of Japanese karate, as practiced by Funakoshi's students.

Another reviewer sharply pointed out that the book was written for beginners, as well as advanced practitioners. One isn't meant to punch (and fight) with the hand opposite the punching hand pulled back to the hip (ie. "pulling hand), so there is no "arm ending up behind one's body" as the other reviewer had mentioned. This is taught to beginners to show them the proper movement, and is often reverted to by the advanced, to refine the development of power through the thrusting of the hips. In a real engagement (and sparring), fighters hold their hands up naturally, like boxers or MMA fighters.

This review is supplemented by my material here--[...]

The highly-rated Karate Jutsu: The Original Teachings of Gichin Funakoshi, by Ohshima godan John Teramoto (and also available here on Amazon) is the first official English translation of an earlier Funakoshi book. Also do not miss Funakoshi's Karate-do: My Way of Life.

I purchased this book and also the Bicycle Builder's Bonanza by the same author because I wanted ideas on how to build my own recumbent bike or trike. The plans and details are awesome, and Brad often explains why certain design decisions were made. I think the best thing about the book is that it inspires me to go out and build something. My mind is already cranking on how to modify the designs presented in the book. Now, my only problem is deciding between the Delta Wolf and the Street Fox!

Tennis Skills: The Player's Guide, by Tom Sadzeck.
Excellent book. I would recommend to all tennis players, all levels.

I looked at all the tennis instructional books in the library and this is the best so I ordered it. Very good on grip. I am a veteran tennis player.

What An Awsome book! Specialized for beginners to intermediates, or for anyone wanting work on different stroke techniques. Awsome tennis book

For 10 bucks, what do you expect? I guess I expected more! But for the price, it's a good book. A tad bit simplistic and sketchy on the shots, it has a lot of great drills (if you can hit the ball that great after the short instructions!) The pictures are good quality and they take the stills at just the right point--but they need more pics--and more on hitting the ball and more on footwork. There's a few good tips. Overall, I'd say if you're not too serious, this is the book for you! For me, it's on to the next one. -- an avid tennis enthusiast

My coach said "nice backhand slice". I said I got it from a book. I learned a sweet and powerful one-handed backhand from this book, also, and today a tennis friend asked where I learned that stroke since I have hit two-handed for years. This book is modern and it's easy to take what you read to the court to practice.

An avid runner, I enjoyed the book immensely. Read it before you hit the roads.

i am always interested in reading about successful athletes. pre was a great read, simple easy read, some great insight on pre from some of his running partners. i enjoy the statistics and he had many.

Taken too young from us - will always be a hero to us.
Read this motivational book.

This is an excellent read for anyone. You don't have to know who Steve was to enjoy this book. The book has a lot of information and details that were not in the movies.

This is one of the few negative reviews I have ever given. But I bought this book because I think Pre is interesting and I love Track and Field.

This book is sooooo boring. I forced myself to finish after a few months of reading it on and off. This is basically a book just listing times from races and people talking about how much they loved Pre.

Do NOT buy this book!

I'm always saying I'm bored but when I got this cool craft book for Christmas, or Hannukkah or Kwanza or Diwali, whatever you prefer, (I guess I'm every religion) all that changed. Now whenever I say I am bored I just think about my craft book and head for the kitchen. But today when I was making jewelry, things didn't go as planned. When my projects were in the oven they started to shrivel up and not uncurl, because the two sides were stuck together!!!! I couldn't uncurl the sides so I made a new one but the same thing happened!! I made another one and I thought the same thing had happened but I left it in the oven and the sides uncurled on their own. So I put the next batch of jewelry in the oven. This time I had cut the holes too close to the edge and they ripped so I made another one. It all came out beautifully and I get so many complements on my jewelry. Despite all this, I give my jewelry book five stars !!!!!!!!

I bought this for my granddaughter and she enjoyed it so much that I bought two more for her to give to friends. It's a very special idea and kids have such fun with it.

Leave this one for the kids. It's a good value, but I think this book is for kids. The first clue is the girl on the cover.

Tired of spending large sums of money on my daughter's friend's b'day presents and knowing how much my daughter enjoyed art, I picked up this book and told my 14 year old that if she would use it to make gifts, I would pay for it. I figured it would be a win/win situation. She went to town making earrings and bracelets, wearing a new one each day to school. Her 18 year old sister came home from college and wanted everything she made but instead sat down and made her own. They shrinky dinked so much that I am ordering a refill pack and another book for my daughter to take back to college. Moral: kids of ALL ages will love this (including me). One of the most fun Klutz books we've gotten (and we've gotten a lot). And with a friend's b'day party coming up next week....