Editorial Review

In September 2008, Northern State University men’s basketball coach Don Meyer stood on the brink of immortality. He was about to surpass the legendary Bobby Knight to become the all-time NCAA wins leader in men’s basketball. Then, on a two-lane road in South Dakota, everything changed in an instant.

In How Lucky You Can Be, acclaimed sports journalist Buster Olney tells the remarkable story of the successive tragedies that befell Coach Meyer but could not defeat him. Laid low by a horrific car accident that led to the amputation of his left leg below the knee, Coach Meyer had barely emerged from surgery when his doctors informed him that he also had terminal cancer. In the blink of an eye, this prototypical 24/7 workaholic coach—who arrived at the gym most mornings before 6 a.m.—found himself forced to reexamine his priorities at the age of sixty-three. A model of reserve, Coach Meyer had sacrificed much of his emotional life to his program. His wife, Carmen, felt disconnected because of his habitual reticence, while his three children—all now well into adulthood—had long had to compete with basketball for his attention.

With sensitivity and skill, Olney shows how Coach Meyer mined his physical ordeal for the spiritual strength to transform his life. In the months that followed his accident and diagnosis, he reached out to family, friends, and former players in a way he had never been able to do before, making the most of this one last opportunity to tell those close to him how he felt about them—and in turn he received an outpouring of affirmation that confirmed how deeply he had affected others. Sustained throughout an often painful recovery by his love of basketball, he would return to the court once more—with a newfound appreciation for the game’s place in his life.

The inspirational story of a life renewed by unimaginable hardship, How Lucky You Can Be proves that it’s never too late to start making changes—and reminds us that fortune can smile upon us even in our most trying hours.
  ... Read more

Reviews

Spot on!
Knowing and having worked with Coach Meyer I thought this book was spot on! Coach Meyer is an amazing man and his is an amazing story, well worth the read. Buster Olney did a wonderful job portraying coach, I couldn't put the book down!

Absolute Must Read for Everyone - Not Just Sports Fans
This book exceeded my expectations. I just bought a case and plan on handing them out at church this Sunday. This book has the potential to transform lives. I know it has caused me to think about what's truly important in life. Buster did a fantastic job telling Coach Meyer's story. He made it relevant to all of us - not just sports fans. My favorite part was when Coach talks about the "F" words getting him through - faith, family and friends. May God continue to bless and use Coach Meyer. Thank you Buster Olney for bringing this story to the people!

An Inspiration To All
While we were in Minneapolis for our little girl's cancer treatments a couple yrs ago, we had the "chance" privelege of meeting Coach Meyer & his beautiful wife Carmen. Although it was a very brief encounter, Don leaves such a positive impression on people. We have kept in touch with him through letters & e-mails. Less than 2 wks ago, we received a wonderful care package from him. He is a remarkable man who gives true meaning to the terms "wounded healer" and "prayer warrior!" We have been blessed to have him come into our lives & rally behind us with our fight with childhood cancer! (Our little girl, Cedar, is kicking cancer's butt too!!!) Unlimited blessings to Coach Meyer & his family. This book is SOOOOOO WELL WRITTEN! Kudos to Mr. Olney on telling Don's miraculous story so well. It captures your attention from the first page & is hard to put down! I love this book and am gifting several copies this year for Christmas. Our love & prayers continue to be lifted up to Don, Carmen & their entire family ~ thank you for blessing us!!!

Great Coach - Great Read
Buster Olney has a lot of insight into this humble,incredible man, Coach Meyer.One does not have to be a diehard basketball fan to love this book -- Meyer has had many triumphs, and one horrendous car accident -- his attitude and love of God pulled him through so he can now tell others to persevere. I loved the read, book just left we wanting to know even more about this wonderful human being.

How Lucky You Can Be
America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 1: Feeling Lucky

We all need inspiration from time to time, and this book give that and more. Good read. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The modern game of football is filled with plays and formations with names like the Counter Trey, the Wildcat, the Zone Blitz and the Cover Two. They have become part of the sport's vernacular, and yet for many fans they remain just names, often confusing ones. To rectify that, Tim Layden has drilled deep into the core of the game to reveal not only how these chalkboard X's and O's really work on the field, but also where they came from and who dreamed them up.

These playbook schemes, many of them illuminated by diagrams, bear the insignia of some of the game's great innovators, men like Vince Lombardi, Don Coryell, Tom Osborne, Bill Walsh, Tony Dungy and Buddy Ryan. But football has also been radically altered by the ingenious work of men with more obscure names, like Tiger Ellison, Emory Bellard and Mouse Davis.

In Blood, Sweat and Chalk, Layden takes readers into the meeting rooms-and in some cases the living rooms-where the game's most significant ideas were hatched. He goes to the coaches and to the players who inspired them, and lets them tell their stories. In candid conversations with some of football's most intriguing characters, Layden provides a fascinating guide to the game, helpingfans to better see the subtleties of America's favorite sport.

The game of football is cyclical. Coaches today are getting too much credit for formations and offenses that were dreamed up years ago. Tim Layden does a wonderful job of tracing the origin of those ideas in Blood, Sweat and Chalk.
- Urban Meyer, Head Football Coach, University of Florida

Tim Layden explores the minds and ambitions of the game's formative thinkers. Serious students of football must have this on their bookshelves!
- Steve Sabol, President, NFL Films

Blood, Sweat and Chalk is a must-read for all football aficionados. I, of course, especially enjoyed reading about the great Don Coryell, a true innovator in the game we all love. His ideas changed football-and this book shows you how.
- Dan Fouts, Hall of Fame Quarterback, San Diego Chargers

Tim has created a playbook that's instructional, a history book that's fascinating and a football bible that's a must-read for anybody who loves the game. All in one.
- Dan Patrick, Host, NBC's Football Night in America

Tim Layden does a great job telling the story of the people and the ideas that had a major impact on the game of football as we know it.
- Mack Brown, Head Football Coach, University of Texas

This is one of the most important sports books of our generation-and a lot of fun too. The formations and philosophies that win Super Bowls and national titles are made crystal clear. If you live for fall weekends, this is your book.
- Peter King, Author, Monday Morning Quarterback ... Read more

Reviews

Solid Primer on the Evolution of Modern Football Strategies, August 7, 2010
This is a book for professional football fans who love the history and evolution of the game, and the X's and O's that keep coaches up until the wee hours of the morning.

Author Tim Layden, Senior Writer at Sports Illustrated, has laid out a reasonably well organized set of chapters that goes into the innovations in football strategy that have made the game what it is today.

He starts out back in days of Pop Warner and the Single Wing formation. Back in the rough and tumble days when football was about big men smashing into each other and running the ball, Pop Warner came up with a formation that maximized deception and utilized the full talents of three running backs (with the quarterback essentially handling ball and either handing off or running). He then walks through all the variations of this basic attack in both college and professional football that defined the game for decades.

As we get into the modern era there is an excellent chapter on the late Don "Air" Coryell and his passing attack that really is the progenitor of many of the pass happy offenses in today's NFL. Of course Coryell's strategy was attacking deep with his platoon of great receivers and Hall of Fame Quarterback Dan Fouts. Coryell's offense was the origin of some utterly failed and passďż˝ schemes like the run and shoot offense. But it's also the foundation for very successful offenses such as Sam Wyche's no huddle offense that took the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl, the K-Gun Offense with Jim Kelly and the Buffalo Bills riding their pass oriented offense to four consecutive trips to the big dance, and The Greatest Show on Turf highlighting the offense of Mike Martz and quarterback Kurt Warner, culminating in a Super Bowl win.

Bill Walsh's "West Coast Offense" featuring the short passing game and receivers that can run after the catch is, of course, the other great offensive scheme that dominates the NFL's passing schemes today. Layden has a very nice chapter on how Walsh's scheme evolved and its importance in today's NFL.

Thankfully, Layden doesn't forget the defense. From the zone blitz, the cover two (made famous by Tony Dungy and Monte Kiffin in Tampa Bay), and Buddy Ryan's 46 defense that focuses on attacking the quarterback, to the late Jim Johnson's Double A Gap blitz, he lays it all out with clear prose. He tells how and why the schemes came about, and gives us a glimpse into the personalities of the coaches who created them.

There are several excellent aspects to this book. First the author describes the X's and O's and why various formations or schemes evolved the way they did in a prose that is easily understandable to the avid football fan. He also places each scheme within the context of the history and rules of the game that made the formations or schemes more than passing fads but foundations that can be seen in today's game. And finally, he allows the personalities of some of the great football minds to come forth in the book, so it's not just dry chalk talk.

The only drawback to the book is it does not fully explain how changes in the rules are really what have made offensive football today more about the pass than the run by limiting what defenses are allowed to do to stop it. While rule changes are mentioned, and certainly rule changes often spur innovation in the game, these changes are not given enough "credit" for how the game has evolved.

Despite these drawbacks this is a great football book for football fans. It is not a book for the very casual fan, but it clearly is not intended to be. It's impossible to go into all the chapters in one review, suffice it to say there is much more here for the football fan to absorb.

Flawed, August 12, 2010
Tim Layden's book "Blood,Sweat, and Chalk" is so flawed, I hardly know where to begin. I'll concentrate largely on the chapter on the West Coast offense.

All the play diagrams are terrible; rounded, cutesy chalk drawings that are inaccurate, the kind of stuff you see in print advertisements during football season - ten to twelve X's and O's per side, arrows and blocks in all kinds of crazy directions. If you are writing a serious book about innovative developments in football strategy, then it follows that you should have real playbook schematics,i.e., diagrams that are both precise and correctly drawn.

One of the signature plays of the West Coast Offense is "Flanker Drive". Traditionally run out of a two-back set (usually Near), the flanker (or Z) motions tight to the formation before running a "Drive", a crossing pattern at 4-6 yards. The tight end runs an In at 10-12 yards; the halfback runs a Corner at 12 yards; the split end (or X) runs a Streak. The book's diagram illustrates the play out of a singleback set (a rarity for Walsh). There are only 10 players shown because apparently there is no running back. The slot receiver (or Zebra in West Coast terminology) is designated as the flanker(!?); he goes in motion before running a corner pattern. The flanker, designated here as no. 80 (for Jerry Rice) runs the drive, the tight end runs the In, the split end runs the Streak. This play is not a secret, you can find it in any West Coast Offense playbook. For crying out loud, it's been in the Madden videogame for years! And more accurately drawn, I might add.

The chapter consists largely of material cribbed from other sources. No mention of the slant pattern is made, a strange oversight, considering how effective Montana was in throwing it to Rice and Taylor, and how effective they were in yards after the catch. There is the bizarre assertion that Andy Reid brought "zone-blocked power running game"(!) to the WCO, which will come as a surprise to Mike Shanahan, Alex Gibbs, the Denver Broncos and Andy Reid himself.

The chapter on Buddy Ryan and his sons shows the worst depiction of the "46" defense I've ever seen. As far as I remember, the traditional setup featured the D-line covering the guards and center, with Richard Dent in an outside shade over the left tackle. The two out side linebackers. Otis Wilson and Wilbur Marshall were aligned on the line of scrimmage, one shaded inside the tight end, one outside the tight end. Middle linebacker Mike Singletary set up behind the D-line over the strongside B-Gap, while the strong safety aligned over the weakside B-Gap. The book's diagram of the "46" gets everything wrong. The D-line is set up in reverse; yes, the center and guards are covered, but the lone defensive end is set up in the strongside C-gap between the right tackle and tight end. The two outside backers are shown on the weakside, aligned off the line. The Mike backer is over the weakside B-Gap and the strong safety is shown stacked behind the defensive end on the strongside. What the hell?...

I can't comment on the accuracy of every chapter, I'm an avid fan, not a football coach. But these glaring flaws render all the material suspect to me. I wanted to like this book, I really did. Tim Layden's prose is likeable enough but his research is sadly lacking.

Great read for those interested in history of football schemes, August 3, 2010
As a football coach, this book was invaluable as a source of history as it pertains to the various schemes of football. The author presents a very basic, step by step introduction into how football has evolved over time. I found it very helpful and easy to read, informative, and even entertaining.

Each chapter covers one aspect of the game and gives the reader a history of it with quotes from various coaches and players. Some examples include the history and evolution of various offenses such as option, run and shoot, single wing, spread, etc., as well as defensive systems such as Tampa 2, Zone Blitzing, and the double A gap blitz.

While I found the book very enjoyable, the novice football fan may find some of the terms confusing (hence the 4 stars I gave it). If you don't have some background in football as either a coach or player, some of the vernacular may present challenges. Nevertheless, if you love football and want to have a better than average fan understanding of how things got to where they are today, buy this book.

Needless to say, if your a coach or looking for something to get a coach as a gift, they will not be disappointed with this book.

This is a History Book and not a Playbook, September 5, 2010
I saw a chalkboard on the cover photo and the words "Ultimate Playbook" in the title so I was expecting a book about play design. Instead, I found this book to be about the providence of important football plays. Each chapter is focused on a particular football play or formation but the book is light on play design and heavy on names and places. If the publisher were to take the words "The Ultimate Football Playbook" out of the title then it would be pretty much as advertised. I am fascinated by football and read through the book regardless. It was interesting but definitely a bait and switch situation.

Slightly disappointing, August 13, 2010
I was excited for this book initially, because it was advertised as an X's and O's breakdown of some of footballs most used plays. But each chapter spent 1/2 page or so explaining the play and each player's assignment, and the other 8-10 pages profiling the people who came up with the play and their influences. If that is what you're looking for, then this is a very well-written book. But that just wasn't what I wanted.

of two minds, November 11, 2010
I'm of two minds on this book. As a history of football, I give it top marks. It was a fun, enjoyable read. As the "Ultimate Playbook" it is worthless! There is only one diagrammed play per formation given in the book. The intent, it seems, is to just show the "signature" play of each formation and then trace its developement back to the originator. Lots of history, very little X's and O's. Even for the plays diagrammed, the blocking assignments are only vaguely shown against a generic defensive formation. I was hoping for more. If you enjoy, as I did, the history and re-birth of the single wing, etc., then I think you'll enjoy this book. Otherwise pass (or run) over this one.

One ironic theme throughout the book is the number of coaches credited with creating or re-inventing an imaginative offensive formation only to find themselves without a job a few years later. It just proves that if you can coach blocking and tackling, the rest takes care of itself.

Great Book--Needs and Index, August 31, 2010
"Blood, Sweat, and Chalk" is an excellent book for anyone who wants to learn the history of football formations, plays, and defenses. The coaching network and idea sharing by coaches conducted through the years is also an enjoyable read. The dustcover of the book plots the network of coaches who have influenced others along the way. My only complaint: no index, so it is impossible to find all of the references to a particular person in the book.

Great Read, August 20, 2010
Full disclosure: I was interviewed by Tim Layden and I am mentioned in the book.

Tim Layden really knows his football to begin with. To that knowledge he has added exhaustive research and his artistry with the written word, and has produced an outstanding book. He manages successfully to achieve a delicate balance between entertaining and enlightening reading for the average football fan and a deep enough survey of major football innovations to interest more serious followers of the game. He has a unique ability to make the technical both understandable and interesting, without having to dumb things down.

I have been coaching since 1970, and following football since I was a little kid in the 1940s. I am a historian of the game with a rather extensive personal library of football books, and "Blood, Sweat and Chalk" will occupy a proud spot in it.

Disappointed, September 1, 2010
I purchased this book after Peter King plugged it in his weekly MMQB column. King also works for SI and he said something to the affect that this book greatly improved his knowledge of the NFL. This coming from a guy who has been paid to cover football for nearly 30 years. I figured if Peter King could learn some new things, it must be a worthwhile read. I think Peter King must have been throwing bones to his fellow writer. This makes me distrust Peter King's opinions.
The book does give some fair biographical information on some of the coaches who pioneered or re-discovered some of the formations and plays in football history. Some of the personal connections are explored, such as Bill Walsh's connection to Paul Brown. But the descriptions of the formation's and philosophies of the various offenses and defenses are cursory at best. Usually a single play is diagrammed from each formation.... the signature play I suppose. But I wanted to know more about the other plays run from each formation and how the opposing defense (or offense) is kept off-balance.
I also wanted to know more about the blocking assignments from the various formations. For example, I noticed from watching Florida's games the last few years that on almost every play the offensive lineman never fire out of their blocks and attempt to drive their defender backwards on running plays. Rather, they would get into a pass-blocking stance without forming a pocket. They would remain at the line of scrimmage and attempt to cut off the defender in front of them whichever way he wanted to go. It is almost a zone-blocking scheme without the movement. Then the QB makes the decision to run, pitch or throw depending on what the defenders do. It really appears to be quite a different blocking scheme for the offensive line and I was really hoping to get a better explanation of what their thinking was. But it was not to be. The spread offense was made to sound almost the same as the run and shoot. But I believe the spread is vastly different in many ways.
If you've watched pre-game shows or listened closely to analysts such as Ron Jaworski or Chris Collinsworth you won't learn anything new from this book. T

Vince Lombardi Would Give Layden A "2", August 14, 2010
In grading a players'performance in a game, Green Bay's legendary coach, Vince Lombardi, awarded a "2" for a superior block or tackle, a "1" for a satisfactory performance, and a "0" for an unsatisfactory performance.

Sports Illustrated writer Tim Layden's book, "Blood, Sweat and Chalk: The Ultimate Football Playbook: How the Great Coaches Built Today's Game," which details football's greatest play designs and designers, is a "2."

I know. In 2008, I uncovered and told many of the same stories in a scholarly paper, "Quantifying NFL Coaching: A Proof of New Growth Theory." (See [...])

From Lombardi's sweep and the triple option of Bill Yeoman's veer and Texas' wishbone to Walsh's rhythm passing West Coast Offense, Layden nails offense. Other than not giving the great Army coach Earle "Red" Blaik--who mentored Lombardi, Yeoman and Sid Gillman Walsh's foundation)--enough credit, Layden is insightful. In discussing Walsh's signature play, the shallow cross, Layden notes "the tight end runs a 10-yard cross, stretching the linebackers horizontally, while the 'X' receiver runs across the formation from the opposite side, capitalizing on the chaos created by the tight end." Here Layden uses the term "chaos" in the Biblical sense to mean the void or open area that Walsh's design created. It's a reverse "Creation Story." This seems appropriate as like all great football coaches, Walsh loved a well-executed reverse like the one involving Freddie Solomon that he sprung on Dallas in the 1981 NFC Championship Game.

Layden observes that "a play's value is not only in the play itself, but in the counter it sets up." He wryly notes that "innovation is often accidental, and it
certainly is in football." Layden's recounting of how Yeoman discovered the triple option and current Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez discoverd the zone read makes it sound like the exact same historical accident occurred on two different practice fields that were separated by 1200 miles and 30 years. (Yeoman comes across as perhaps the most underrated football innovator in history. His name keeps popping up.)

Moreover, consistent with the principles of Growth Theory, Layden notes that non-rival knowledge that is available to all coaches is at the heart of the game. "Coaches find each other. They hang together and eat together--and
they speak a language that nobody else really understands. It is their way of
finding normalcy. But it's also a way of staying in the endless loop of
innovation. Friends do not hide discoveries from each other."

Layden is correct only to a point here. In Layden's book, "'the offense gets the chalk last,'" to borrow a phrase from run-and-shoot innovator Mouse Davis. "'That's coachspeak,'" Davis told Layden. "'The expression derives from the practice of coaches scheming offenses and defenses together on a chalkboard, passing the chalk back and forth in response to the other's moves. He who moves last has the advantage.'"

History teaches that this indeed is the story of play design in the NFL. In response to Vince Lombardi's power sweep, Dallas' Tom Landry designed the "Doomsday" flex defense. In response to Walsh's passing game, New England's Bill Belichick designed mysterious defenses that to this day defy easy description. However, Landry and the flex are not even mentioned in Layden's book and Belichick is only along as a sort of curator of history. Layden makes no attempt to analyze the most abstract defensive mind in the game's history. (Although, to be fair, Layden does include an excellent narrative on Dick LeBeau's zone blitz concepts.)

I speculate that perhaps the reason Layden overlooked Landry and did not presume to attempt to analyze the inscrutable Belichick is the common human tendency to think of things that are very much alike as being exactly alike when in fact those things have subtle differences. For example, one can think of a Lombardi or Walsh offense as a ship that is trying to cross a sea to get from Port A to Port B. If so, a Landry or Belichick defense likewise must be a ship that goes out to sea and attempts to sack or intercept the offensive ship, right?

Not necessarily. Another way to conceptualize the defense is as the sea itself. On the surface, the sea may appear to be something that it is not below the surface. This deception may result in conditions that keep the ship from ever reaching Port B and, even after succeeding, defy description or tendencies that could be charted in a way that would enable the offensive captain and navigator to know what to expect the next time they go to sea. QC believes that it is this subtle conceptual difference that distinguishes great offensive coaches like Lombardi and Walsh from great defensive coaches like Landry and Belichick.

Nevertheless, it is perfectly clear that Layden gets it right throughout this book. In the end, Layden quotes Duke University coach David Cutcliffe to succinctly summarize the role of play design in football. "'Here's what a system does: It tries to put players in a position to succeed. That's what it is.'"

For that answer alone, Layden gets a "2." ... Read more

Editorial Review

Eight years of unfettered access, a keen sense of a story’s deepest truths, and a genuine compassion for his subject allow Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist George Dohrmann to take readers inside the machine that produces America’s basketball stars.
 
Hoop dreams aren’t just for players. The fever that grips college basketball prospects hoping to strike big-time NBA gold afflicts coaches, parents, and sneaker executives as well. Every one of them has a stake in keeping America’s wildly dysfunctional, incredibly lucrative youth basketball machine up and running—no matter the consequences.

In Play Their Hearts Out, George Dohrmann offers an up-close and unforgettable look inside the maw of that machine. He shares what he learned from his years spent embedded with a group of talented young recruits from Southern California as they traveled the country playing in elite Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) events. It’s a cutthroat world where boys as young as eight or nine are subjected to a dizzying torrent of scrutiny and exploitation. Coaches vie to have them on their teams. Sneaker companies ply them with free shoes and gear. “All-star camps” are glorified cattle auctions, providing make-or-break opportunities to secure the promise of an elusive college scholarship.
 
At the book’s heart are the personal stories of two compelling figures: Joe Keller, an ambitious AAU coach with a master plan to find and promote “the next LeBron”—thereby paving his own path to power and riches; and Demetrius Walker, a fatherless latchkey kid who falls under Keller’s sway and struggles to live up to the unrealistic expectations his supposed benefactor has set for him. As their fortunes take shape and the pressure mounts—Demetrius finds himself profiled in Sports Illustrated at age fourteen, while Keller cultivates his business empire—Dohrmann weaves in the stories of numerous other parents, coaches, and players. Some of them see their prospects evaporate as a result of poor decisions and worse luck. Others learn how to thrive in a corrupt system by playing the right angles.

Written with incomparable detail and insight, Play Their Hearts Out is a thoroughly unique narrative that reveals the inner workings of an American game, exposing the gritty reality that lies beneath so many dreams of fame and glory. ... Read more

Reviews

A rich, detailed and unforgettable look at modern basketball., September 16, 2010

Very good. The shocking story of youth "pro" basketball., September 25, 2010

Insightful, a book with a purpose, October 10, 2010
What if I were to tell you that if you come with me and read this review, you'll make it someday. I'll do whatever it takes for you to read this review, because that's how confident I am that you are special. Honestly, I've never met anyone like you. You're incredible. We're going to be a team, you and I. You're so awesome. What? Your mom can't afford rent? Done. Helping you means that much to me. I'll always be there for you. OK, yes, we're like family. Every step of the way, you can rely on me. I can get you where you need to go. I have connections. Trust me.

Review:

What's great about this book is that it's not just for the basketball minded. In fact, it's an interesting study in human behavior, people using people to get ahead - only, in part, the people being used are 10 year olds. From chapter to chapter you have to remind yourself that these are just kids. Seriously. The pictures before every chapter helped remind you of that important detail. The narrative does a great job depicting the decisions and scenarios that surround these children at every turn. They're children. Before you know it, you involve yourself in those decisions. But believe me, you very rarely win. Shoe companies are using the coaches, coaches are using the kids, and the kids (rather their parents) are using the coaches. In the end, who wins? Bittersweet wins. College scholarships are on the horizon for some of these kids, that's the sweet part, and there are some real heroes in this story. The bitter comes with the success of the main (adult) antagonist/protagonist that with every chapter aims to "coach" his way into millions. Disliking he and the system he rode in on is the easy part. The hard part comes with, perhaps, finding yourself rooting against his teams at these kids expenses. Yes, he is THAT unlikable. It's not until (spoiler alert) he rather rudely drops them from his life, along with all of his promises, that these kids begin to run into some serious trouble dealing with that change in speed. It's then where you start to really feel terrible for them, regretting having felt angst when they succeeded under his tutelage (if you want to call it that). All the elements in a great story are here, live and in person. There are cautionary tales. There is some coming of age. And, unfortunately for a chapter or two, there is seduction. This book comes highly recommended, whether you are in it for the basketball or not. You'll get incredible access to the underworld of grassroots basketball, provided with the keys to the minivans that once drove the likes of Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and other highly touted phenoms of our generation. More importantly, you're also driving those that fell short, that's the rub. So punch your ticket, take the ride, it will cost you less than a pair of basketball shoes...you'll know what I mean.

Now that you read my review:

It's a shame we can't continue our relationship. I guess we have to go our separate ways. I wish we could solve all our issues but I guess we will have to go our separate ways.

My message to parents and guardians of talented athletes, November 29, 2010
What can be gained by reading this book? If you're a parent of a talented basketball player, it's a must read. You'll learn a lot about the pitfalls of youth basketball and the importance of shepherding your child through this maze of deceit, corruption and confusion.

Hopefully, readers will understand the folly that is grassroots basketball and how it's not necessary in the middle or early high school years to expose your child to the endless stream of games that are a part of travel team basketball. Sonny Vaccaro's advice to Roberto Nelson's dad about being selective about the camps/tournaments a child attends and making certain that young players are mentally and psychologically ready to handle the stress of these events sounds the strongest chord with me: [...] I also appreciate the comments of Ryan Smith, Demetrius Walker's High School coach in his sophomore year at Fontana High: "Going to tournaments all over the country isn't going to help you. What you need is to spend every hour in the gym, working on individual skills. I don't think you should play grassroots basketball at all."

There's no substitute for skill development in basketball. You can play all of the basketball you want, but if you don't master the fundamentals of the game, your game will be exposed at higher levels of competition. Best to strike a balance between skill development and playing the game. Don't rush the process parents! Find a trustworthy coach, who knows the game of basketball. Watch various practices before committing your child to a program. If you watch a variety of practices conducted by different coaches,you'll eventually be able to tell if a coach is organized and has a sound philosophy and teaching style.

Don't sell your son to the highest bidder. So many stories in this book about parents who abrogated their duties as a parent. Chasing the celebrity of basketball is a powerful elixir for both parent and child. Don't fall for the hype!

The amount of rules violations conducted at the college level is to be expected. I'm not naive, but the rules violations and payoffs that are detailed in this book at the high school and travel team level is very disconcerting. How the hell do you garner the respect of a kid when you're paying his mother's rent or putting him up in an apartment by himself in an affluent area at the age of 16. Talk about growing up too fast!

Athletes often talk about the plantation mentality that schools, teams and people have towards them because of their unique talents. Joe Keller, the antagonist in this book devised a sophisticated form of slavery to build his fortune, his American dream. The fact that he did it and is still doing it off middle school athletes with the blessing of their parents is the tragic component of this tale.

Parents, please let your children be children! This book is a wake-up call to parents of young athletes to slow the process down. Don't let your child be "The Hurried Child." If you don't understand the ramifications of "The Hurried Child," read David Elkind's fine book [...] on the consequences of putting children in harms way by exposing them to too much too soon. I hope parents heed my message, but I'm not counting on it.

NOTE TO BASKETBALL PARENTS - I'm a former NBA scout. Rankings at the highest level never mattered to me. All I cared about was a player's game, not a number on a piece of paper. That Demetrius Walker's mind was programmed at such an early age by Joe Keller to fixate on a number is the highest form of psychological child abuse. Demetrius' growth as a basketball player and a human being was stunted as a result of adults prioritizing an "agenda" instead of a long range "objective." It's a testimony to him and the positive adults that he encountered post Keller that he is as well adjusted today as is represented in the Epilogue.

My hero in this book is Ryan Smith, Demetrius' High School Coach in his sophomore year. A young coach with old school values who turned the tide for Demetrius by stressing fundamentals and discipline. That he was Demetrius' accidental coach is just one more example that there is a God. When Demetrius needed a positive mentor at a crossroads moment in his life, out of nowhere came Ryan Smith. Parents always go for substance and character over style and flash when choosing a coach/program for your child.

A must read for anyone who has ever filled out an NCAA Tourney bracket, October 15, 2010
This excellent, engaging book is perfect for both dedicated sports fans and for any casual observer who has so much as filled out an NCAA Tournament bracket. I've often wondered about the NCAA or NBA players I see on TV. How did these young men end up in front of thousands of fans in the arena and millions more watching on TV? Dohrmann's reporting allows us to be present at the creation of these stars and the boys who never "made it." He crafts a layered tale of boys becoming young men - often before they should - and their struggles, failures and triumphs. "Play Their Hearts Out" is an unvarnished look at the youth sports culture and the coaches and parents who both prey on and selflessly support children. It's a must-read for parents thinking about allowing their children to play on a travel team in any sport.

A must read grass roots basketball book, November 26, 2010
"Play Your Hearts Out" is an absolute essential read for all middle school and high school basketball players and their parents who want to understand the grassroots basketball scene and pitfalls. Unfortunately players and parents go through a lot!. I personally know many of the coaches first hand and have had dealings with Joe Keller and my son has been through a lot of the problems and drama mentioned in the book first hand.

This book explains all the issues and all that is bad about grassroots and AAU basketball and what it does to these young boys through the lives of the boys in the book. Any parent wanting to put their son on an AAU team should read this book and it will help them avoid the many pitfalls that will come. The book is true and one cannot put it down once started. I actually ordered the audio book as my son is presently applying for High Schools so extremely busy so we listened to the book in the car and every evening and finished it with a few days and it really helped my son feel a little better about himself as he heard that so many others have gone through what he has gone through.

This book is a true 5 star book and very educational.

One of the best, November 11, 2010
Talented young basketball players face intense recruiting pressure from time they are pre-teens. Many self-styled scouts or agents unscrupulously fish the waters of school basketball courts for likely prospects, hoping as much to connect with their own mega-paydays as the right placement for their young charges. George Dohrmann, a Pulitzer Prize winner, digs into this world of grammar school athletes who face the lure of corporate gold without adequate guidance and advocacy.

Rated one of the top 20 new sports books - see [...]

Thank the shoe companies for the sleeze in youth basketball, November 15, 2010
Just the tip of the iceberg. George Dohrmann, an award winnng Sports Illustrated senior writer, does a great job of exposing the underbelly of youth basketball. You have to feel for the kids who become pawns for the power brokers tied to shoe company grassroots promotion money and major alumni benefactors "donations" to the tax exempt "foundations" of these same AAU coaches and organizations. Pretty naive to believe that all these elite athletes are going to play at the college level for only scholarships covering tuition, room and board, and a small stipend after coming up through organizations where they received gifts, clothing, cars,phones, and spending money, and maybe their mom's rent paid for by their AAU coaches and/or their AAU coaches agent buddies. Sad commentary on how the whole "high level" youth basketball industry - and that is what it is - an industry - has evolved on the backs of kids with dreams of making it in the NBA.

The Friday Night Lights of Basketball, November 4, 2010
Foremost, the book is very entertaining. In simple terms, it is the Friday Night Lights of basketball. The book methodically illustrates the good, the bad and unfortunately a basket full ugly with competitive traveling / grassroots basketball.

A must read for every parent who has child considering, is currently playing or has played for a competitive traveling team You will be better informed, educated, wiser and more equipped to be positive influence in your young athlete's life

Both enlightening & a great story, November 1, 2010
This story must be well written for someone like me to enjoy it from beginning to end. I dont follow college or youth basketball & have nothing in common with mostly inner city athletes. To become so engaged with their individual stories & the inner workings of the business end of youth basket ball was an exposure to a whole new & interesting world. And not being the most voracious reader these days, I'm surprised & pleased how easy it was to follow, enjoy & be engaged by.

Also feared the authors background might cause him to write in a manner requiring a solid understanding of the game. Or that his writting style would be too influenced by his ivy league education & vocabulary; and could make the story difficult to read. not at all...

I tend to be quick to judge talented athletes due to my low tolerance for all the cockiness & arrogance that comes with greatness. I think this story will help me to cut em some slack in the future. There are powerfull influences & forces at work. This book humanizes these guys & tells a wonderful inside story.

... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Amazing book by an amazing trainer, December 1, 2010
As someone who has penned several fitness books (including the Ultimate Dumbbell Guide and The Body You Want in the Time You Have) and has written about exercise for 17 years, I can say without question that Pat is one of the true--and few--pioneers in the 'no-spin, tell it like it is' approach to fitness and exercise. I rarely praise celebrity trainers because many that are 'known' really aren't as wise when it comes to fitness...they are simply admired for their client list. In Pat's case, there's a reason A-listers turn to him...his methods are sound, true and effective. Keep up the great work Pat... and thank you for producing one of the few books out there that definitely delivers the results that a reader would hope to expect.

Myatt Murphy ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

The best. Period., January 17, 2008
In my opinion, the goal of this book is to give people who want to compete in triathalons a scientific, self-coached training plan. Does it deliver? Absolutely. The book accomplishes this through six, cleanly divided parts.

Part one, "The self-trained triathlete" is concerned with the "philosophical" basis for methodical training. It deals with things such as attitide and commitment, which are as important to me as the physical training.

Part two, "From lab to real world" talks about the scientific foundation of training and goes into the science and priciples of training (i.e. progressive resistance, periodization, etc.).

Part three, "Training with a purpose" seems to pull together parts one and two in which a system of purposeful training is described. This part will help the reader to determine exactly what their training needs are and the best ways to address them.

Part four, simply titled "Planning" is really the heart of the book. Here the book helps you design your own training plan for a season, week by week.

Part five, "Racing and recovering" takes you through the many details of preparing to race and recovering after. In other words, it gives you info on what to do before and after the actual race. This information is essential as many athletes neglect to recover properly before starting training again for the next race.

Part six, "The competative edge" talks about other supplemental aspects of training that can contribute to peak performance. Here the book covers things such as swimming tips, weight training ex's, eating tips, keeping a training diary, etc. I like to think of this chapter as a kind of "tie up the loose ends" section.

Truly a book that lives up to its name, I can't see many readers coming away from this book without picking up much useful information- from the beginner to the experienced. Athletes who have shoulder trouble that interferes with their training might also find Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff helpful too. Happy training!

Comprehensive and scientifically proven, September 6, 2000
After reading this book, many other books and articles on the sport seem to be poorly written. The author provides the whole picture for his claims by mentioning relevant scientific studies both supporting and nullifying his training method. He does not base any of this book on opinion, but does point out that there is also an art to training that has nothing to do with science.

He gives excellent instruction for all three sports including how to devise a training plan customized for your goals, the special skills required for each sport, and nutrition. It is a very comprehensive book and will take at least a couple of weeks to finish, but the education is priceless. I never raced a triathlon before this book and after reading it, I felt like I had more information in my head on the subject than most seasoned veterans.

The only negative about this book is that there needs to be more on swimming and to truly become a better swimmer you will need another resource; I believe he suggests Total Immersion by Terry Laughlin. Joe Friel's web site is http://www.ultrafit.com/ and you can go there for more tips or to inquire about personal coaching services. I sent him an e-mail questioning something in the book that I didn't understand and he responded the same day. I constantly quote the book to my friends. Maybe that's why it's called the "Bible".

informative, August 28, 1999
Not being of the multisport athlete ranks myself (I'm a runner)I endeavoured to branch out this year and try a triathlon using the advice given in this book. I found that not only was this book incredibly useful for the novice triathlete, it was also the best book on running I have ever picked up. Advice on training cycles, nutrition, strength training, and racing was invaluable even for runners alone. I would highly recommend this book for any endurance athlete.

This book is essential for any self-coached triathlete., December 13, 1998
This book is as comprehensive as it gets on training for and competing in triathlons. The author outlines training programs for triathlons of all distances - sprint races to Ironman. He takes you through a self-evaluation that assists you in determining your strengths and weaknesses. This is a tremendous help in guiding you towards improving your performance, at whatever level you are competing.

The information in this book is very current and will help any triathlete avoid the many pitfalls of the over-ambitious nature of triathlon training.

The title says it all..., November 20, 2001
The title sums up what this book is about and who it is for better than any other training book on the market. It is a complete program for competitive athletes. If you are currently doing triathlons just to stay in shape and enjoy yourself without worrying about your finishing time, stay away from this book. Stick to your swim a little, bike a little, run a little and see what happens training program. But the second you find yourself saying, "I want to beat my previous time" or "I want to see how fast I can go", this is the book for you.

It is one of the only books out there that teaches you the information necessary to develop a customized training program that is perfect for only one person - YOU!

Beware of all the books written by the stars of their respective sports that show you what they did to win, then tell you to adjust their program accordingly. Granted, many of these books are interesting reading and have some insightful hints, but they don't teach you the skills to think up your own program that fits your lifestyle.

This book offers facts. It lets you decide how to incorporate all these facts into your own training, whether you are a first timer or elite competitor. The instant you decide that your last triathlon was not your best effort and you get competitive with yourself, buy this book.

training bible...., September 9, 2004
Training bible? Maybe for the top 5% of triathletes worldwide. But seriously though, I enjoyed reading the historical references and the way the author used evidence based data to solidify his arguments. However, at many points in the book, I found the authors writing style kind of dry and uninteresting. The section on periodization nearly put me to sleep (and I'm usually into that stuff). I didn't like the chapter where he used peoples personal training stories and regimens, I couldn't relate to that schedule. If you are like most recreational triathletes and don't have forever and a day to train, this may not be the first book to consider.

If you are serious..., August 17, 2002
Joe Friel writes for serious athletes. This does not mean you have to be a professional, it simply means that you need to be willing to invest the time both to understand his training concepts and to follow the training plan you develop. If you are looking for a "quick fix" then visit his website and have a computer develop a training program for you.

Joe's insights about specificity and periodization are well accepted by top coaches and competitors. By reading this book you will understand how to peak for your most important competitions. In real life this means that you will "race" and not just "survive" your chosen events.

I originally bought the Cyclists' training bible, and I used it to train for a 200 mile bike race from Denver to Aspen, Colorado (and I placed in the top 10). I subsequently bought this book for my wife, an avid triathlete. She used it to put together a training plan that brought two PRs and improved her times in every leg. Joe's methods work.

Easy to follow training throrough training manual., December 8, 1998
Joe Friel's latest training book is possibly one of the most encompassing books about triathlon training out there. It covers nearly ever aspect of the sport. While some people may disagree with some elements of Friel's training schedules, there is little doubt that they are solidly based. It is extremely easy for a reader to make their own schedule from this book. It makes the process simple and easy to understand. This book is a must for any triathlete who wishes to either know more about training, or who wants to set up their own schedule for periodization triathlon training.

Not for the Beginner Triathlete, March 19, 2004
I have been doing triathlons for three years and I feel this book is not for the Beginner Triathlete. This book reads like a College Text Book and is appropriate for the seasoned triathlete as it has invaluable technical data. I do not recommend this book for the beginner triathlete because I feel that it does Not address the mental and psychological aspects of doing a triathlon. Both of which I feel are extremely important hurdles for people to overcome when entering mutisports races. I recommend "Triathlon 101" by John Mora for beginning triathletes.

The Holy Grail of Individually Trained Triathletes, June 21, 2001
Joe Friel has done an amazing job on preparing this comprehensive triathlete training manual. Engaging as a read from start to finish, yet cross referenced well enough for virtually anyone to open it and find specific areas, this book covers it all. Friel believes in the art and philosophy of training as well as the scientifics--of which there are plenty, so the reader is given a "why" as well as a "how." You will be immersed in training ideas, nutrition, physiological data, calendars, and more. This book was vital in pushing me from being a recreational participant to a legitimate competitor. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Over 1 million copies sold! With new exercises, additional stretches, and more of Frédéric Delavier’s signature illustrations, you’ll gain a whole new understanding of how muscles perform during strength exercises. This one-of-a-kind best-seller combines the visual detail of top anatomy texts with the best of strength training advice.

 

Many books explain what muscles are used during exercise, but no other resource brings the anatomy to life like Strength Training Anatomy. Over 600 full-color illustrations reveal the primary muscles worked along with all the relevant surrounding structures, including bones, ligaments, tendons, and connective tissue.

 

Like having an X-ray for each exercise, the anatomical depictions show both superficial and deep layers and detail how various setup positions affect muscle recruitment and emphasize underlying structures. New pages show common strength training injuries in a fascinating light and offer precautions to help you exercise safely.

 

Author and illustrator Frédéric Delavier is the former editor in chief of the French publication PowerMag. He is a journalist for Le Monde du Muscle and a contributor to Men’s Health Germany and several other strength training publications.

Reviews

==Lots of Strengths==, January 8, 2008
With over 450,000 copies sold, this book is arguably the best book of its kind. What's it useful for? Mainly to help the reader (from the weekend athlete to the athletic trainer to the professional bodybuilder) figure out what exercises work what muscles.

It's neatly divided up into sections (arms, shoulders, chest, back, etc.), so all you really have to do is flip to one of these sections and it will have detailed pictures of various exercises and exactly which muscles are involved.

A great reference to keep have around, I give it five stars easy. Readers who lift weights regularly might also be interested Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff to avoid shoulder problems a lot of lifters eventually get.

Execllent Anatomical Reference for Weight Training, July 18, 2002
This book is an excellent weight training reference for insight into the anatomy of the major muscle groups, and the exercises best suited to train specific muscles.

The book is broken down into seven major muscle groups: arms, shoulders, chest, back, legs, buttocks, and abdomen. Within each muscle group are multiple exercises, each comprised of detailed anotomical illustrations, instructions on performing the exercises, and key information such as variations (for specific focus on particular muscles) and warnings (to aviod injury).

Using this book, one could easily select a variety of exercises to build a total body workout program. The selection of exercises also allows for some routine variation to keep one's workout from getting stale.

The illustrations are of an exellent quality, as are the materials. The pages are of heavyweight paper, with a semi-glossy finish.

Although I rated this title highly, I did so with the understanding that it suits a very specific purpose, and is not a general purpose introduction or guide to weight training. This is an ANATOMY REFERENCE, specific to selected weight training exercises. It does not contain any other information concerning weight training, diet, exercise, etc. In fact, there is not even a brief introduction by the author, simply the reference material itself. But, in terms of its intended purpose, it is an excellent reference. If you already have some sort of "Bodybuilding Encyclopedia", you probably already posess much of the information contained in this title. Having no interest in the history, self-promotion, and general testosterone driven attitudes of many of those types of titles (as well as the phonebook sized package), I much prefer this concise book as an exercise reference.

very useful !!! excellent, February 5, 2004
Lots of good info. However, it is an anatomy book so the information is limited to anatomy. This book shows you what the involved muscle does during a specific exercise. This book will not teach you how to work out, and has no info on diet or nutrition. If you are a beginner you may want to start with a different exercise book. If you already work out and you need to know which exercise hits which muscle and how, this is the book to get.

New 3rd edition - with red cover - is even bigger and better!, March 26, 2010
Frederic Delavier's stunning Strength Training Anatomy (Sports Anatomy Series) is an essential resource for any strength training enthusiast. While others have tried to mimic Delavier's incredible illustrations of muscle performance during strength training, no one comes close to capturing Delavier's level of detail and style. The pretenders either deliver sterile computer models or come off as second rate approximations of Delavier's unparalleled artwork.

One look and you'll be sold. The cover touts selling over a million copies of Strength Training Anatomy and its been the best selling strength training title at Amazon year-in and year-out.

This newly released 3rd Edition packs even more information on strength training, sport injury and prevention, and now adds material on stretching/flexibility for the first time. At 192 pages, this edition is 50% longer than the original 2001 publication. It now contains over 600 full-color illustrations.

Believe the hype - this is a FANTASTIC resource! Highly recommended!

Excellent strength training resource from a company with top-notch customer service, March 24, 2010
I bought the 2nd edition of this book well over a year ago when I was on a working out kick. Unfortunately life got in the way and I stopped going to the gym for several months, and even when I started back I only dabbled with cardio workouts. About 4 months ago I started back on weights and dug out this book. Prior to that I hadn't opened it. The book as it turns out had serious printing issues, making much of it unusable. It was long past the time frame in which I could have returned it to Amazon so I contacted the publisher, Human Kinetics, instead. Their customer service was excellent! They were aware of a small number of mis-prints that fit my description and were more than happy to replace it. The CS person asked if it would be ok if the replacement was delayed a few weeks until the 3rd edition was available which greatly pleased me. I received the new book about a week ago and it was in perfect condition. Many thanks to the HK folks for their fine customer service!

For those that don't already know what's in this book let me explain in detail. Everyone has seen the anatomy posters on the gym walls. The individual caricatures on the posters display a cut-away model of the human body sans skin. It highlights a muscle or group of muscles and then shows you an exercise that you can use to work that specific muscle. There usually isn't much more detail than that. Text is minimal. This book is at it basics a book version of those posters. However this book goes much, much further. The caricatures for individual muscles and muscle groups in this book usually have multiple exercise options. Text in this book explains in detail how to properly perform the exercise. It also provides useful tips on how to slightly alter the exercise to accommodate common injuries (ie, turn your wrists this way to not engage a torn wrist flexor). There are several pages of guides and background information on how to avoid certain injuries such as not fully extending your arms when doing curls to avoid tendinitis down the road. As another example the book goes into detail on how and why crunches should ALWAYS be performed with an inward curving spine (ie, fetal curve). This is to minimize the usage of the Psoas Major & Minor hip flexors and avoid the back injury they can cause. There are several excellent section of pure information in this book. The caricatures in this book are truly excellent. The artist did a fantastic job positioning and drawing the body to emphasize exactly what the reader needs to see and understand. The 3rd Edition also adds text on proper stretching among other things.

I highly recommend this book to every single person lifting weights at all levels. I've shown the book to friends, coworkers and people at the gym. I've even sung its praises to complete strangers in checkout lines and restaurants. I can't say enough good things about it. The only negative thing I can think of (more of a wishful thinking thing) is that it's only available in paperback. I wish it was also available as a hardback. Taking this to the gym with you will wear it out eventually. Of course for its low price replacing it is inexpensive. It's an excellent resource.

A Must-Read if You Lift Weights, July 30, 2006
I'm very impressed with this useful book. I've lifted weights for a long time and I appreciate knowing how best to work certain muscles. I also like to do lifts that are easy on former injuries but still work the muscles. This is a perfect book for that.

Knowing what muscles your exercises use is critical to someone serious about gaining strength and building muscle. This book has those answers and is very easy to read and understand.

The book is the best one for both men and women. The author's book for women only deals with the lower part of a woman. News flash . . . we have an upper part too. And furthermore, we care about it just as much as our butts and thighs.

This books covers it all and also has drawings of women as well as men. It's really a great book and if you lift weights (and you should) this book is something you really should have.

It gives you instructions for all of the exercises you'll need and it shows exactly what muscle groups or muscle it works. It helps you avoid injury as well.

A great book. I highly recommend it to both men and women.

Great learning tool, July 6, 2002
I bought this book because it's hard to find a strength training book that isn't full of oversized bodybuilders talking strictly about building HUGE muscles. This book is perfect for the average person who just wants a scientific explanation of which muscles do what and the proper strength training technique to use for each. I found almost all common exercises included, and they are easily organized by body part.

Not very useful, January 28, 2003
Propably the first thing you notice when you open the book is quality. The paper is thick and glossy and the quality of printing is good. The pictures are beautiful, and it's easy to find exercises for a certain muscle group.

Then the bad news: While the pictures look great, on many occasions they are too detailed, to the point of being unclear. Every exercise is given a full page (two pages on some occasions). But the majority of a page is filled with large drawing of the exercise, with the stressed muscle groups shown. The performance of a given exercise is given far less detail, on some occasions only a few lines of text. I think it would be far more benefical to give more detailed explanation of correct performance and/or common mistakes, and print the picture a bit smaller.

The exercises in the book are divided on seven sections, based on which muscle group they mainly stress. This is OK, but the division of muscle groups is a bit odd. There is a separate section covering exercises for buttocs, but at the same time all other muscle groups in the leg are combined as "legs". It would be more reasonable to combine buttocs with quads, or thights, and give calves a separate section.

There are about 110 different exercises, and variations on some exercises. The selection of exercises is a bit odd in my opinion. For example, there is a page on seated calf raise (on a machine), and the author advises that as a variation you can do the exercise without a machine, using a barbell across your legs. Then, on the next page that very same exercise is presented as a separate exercise! And there are some basic exercises missing, like toe presses on leg press machine, for example.

Perhaps the main problem of the book is that it doesn't expalain the muslce mechanics at all. It would be great if the kinesiology of given muscle group would be explained at the beginning of each chapter, but there is no explanations at all about what a given muscle does, and how it affects the whole body. For example, the book says that seated calf raise targets the soleus, but there is no explanation what this means in practice. And there is no explanation which exercise I sould use if I wanted to emphasize the outer calf, for example.

As a conclusion, I would say that in certain circumstances this book can be a valuable asset, but you can't use it by itself. You need to have some books on kinesiology, and some books which describe the correct performance of each exercise in detail.

Indispensable!, December 12, 2002
I buy lots of fitness and strength training books, and this one is by far the best I've purchased. The book may look small, but it provides an extensive listing of exercises and includes tips about variations that will change how you work each muscle. This is important for a couple of reasons.

To maximize your gains in the gym, you have to constantly change your program so that your body doesn't hit a plateau. Regularly incorporating new exercises will also keep you from becoming bored with your workout. This book will show you how using a rope attachment with the pulley works a different part of the triceps as opposed to doing bench dips or doing a kickback. Also, the illustrations show you the auxiliary muscles that are recruited during compound movements like presses and deadlifts.

At first I was worried that the book might be too much for me to absorb, but it's not because the author does not get overly-technical with the explanations. The text is concise, yet thorough, and the pictures are highly detailed.

This is a wonderful reference book, and I highly recommend it.

Visually engaging and concise, February 19, 2005
This book has been very helpful to me in free weight training to validate if I am concentrating on the correct muscles in an exercise. The presentation is colorful, rich and engaging. This is the only exercise book I have seen that approaches the weightlifting body from the inside-out. In addition to the terrific musculature and skeletal diagrams on each page, the exercises are explained briefly but in sufficient detail with pointers for what to do and not do. The most popular exercises are presented here, organized by major and minor muscle groups.

This is not another encyclopedia full of exercises (though I find those helpful too). This book helps make you more aware of your muscles so you have another way of visualizing correct form in an exercise. The diagrams depict both men and women in a realistic way so both genders can benefit from the book. However, Delavier has another edition of this book showing other exercises popular with women.

I work out at home so without the benefit of trainers or other experienced lifters around me, I have found this kind of info invaluable. Make yourself a smarter lifter and get this book for education and reference into the future. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The renowned instructor behind elite pros such as Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh shows you how to conquer the ten shots you fear the most.

Some golfers stand over shots with so much fear in their hearts that they can't bear to swing their clubs. Others, filled with anxiety, butcher shots they might otherwise hit reasonably well. After conducting worldwide surveys to determine which shots golfers fear the most, master golf instructor Dave Pelz has focused his skilled research and development on creating a methodology and conditioning process proven to teach golfers how to conquer their top 10 most feared shots. The first book to use the "Golfer's Eye View(tm)"-a technique developed for Pelz by "hall of fame" golf photographer Leonard Kamsler-Dave Pelz's Golf without Fear features Pelz's signature combination of science and savvy.

Coaching readers through their shots, Pelz offers a visual method of instruction, with close-up images of the problems that caused their fears, the solutions to those problems, and step-by-step instructions for how to execute those shots with confidence in the future. He retrains golfers to apply precise, clearly defined body positions and setups, in addition to specific techniques for the moment when contact with the ball occurs, making Dave Pelz's Golf without Fear a trove of score-saving lessons. With full-color photography throughout, this is a powerful course in making winners out of even your worst shots. ... Read more

Reviews

improving your golf, December 22, 2010
the latest book from david pelez is just fantastic and if you get a chance to go to one of his day clinic that in conjunction with the book will improve your golf i did here in ireland at kileen castle ... Read more

Editorial Review

The Wisdom of Wooden is John Wooden’s final book, completed just weeks before his passing in June 2010. In it he shares his most treasured memories and never-before-seen photographs as he looks back on an extraordinary life on and off the court.

Hailed by many as the greatest coach in the history of American sports, John Wooden is as famous for his personal philosophy as he is for his career achievements. He inspired, guided, and motivated generations of fans with his bestselling books on leadership, values, family, and the true meaning of success.

Coach Wooden wrote his final book, The Wisdom of Wooden: My Century On and Off the Court, in the last months before his death. Filled with his most treasured memories and more than 100 photographs, many never-before seen, it captures a life spent teaching, guiding, and serving others. Starting with his father’s now-famous 7 Point Creed—including “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece,” “Help Others,” and “Be True to Yourself,”—Coach Wooden affirms the principles to true success that helped him become an All American at Purdue University, a winning coach at Indiana State University, and an iconic sports figure at UCLA.

Yet anyone who knows John Wooden knows his record on the court was only part of the story. In The Wisdom of Wooden the legendary coach offers readers a rare glimpse not just behind the scenes but inside the man; not just on the court but in the huddles; not just his maxims but his poems, those he wrote and those he loved; not just the people he inspired, but the family, friends, and fans who inspired him; not just the lessons he taught but the lessons he learned; not just what was on his mind but what was in his heart.

Ultimately it was the life he lived that served as a model for his greatest lesson of all: a deep commitment to family, friends, and faith—the bedrock values of the man we all called, “Coach.”

Praise for John Wooden

“The Wisdom of Wooden has given me the life that I have . . . Thanks, Coach, for your faith and patience.”
—Bill Walton

“The Wisdom of Wooden is a lifetime of Coach Wooden’s ideas on how to live life without sacrificing your moral principles. His life is a prime example of how this can be done--one that we can all learn from.”
—Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

“John Wooden sets an example for all of us by constantly striving to be the best in every aspect of his life. Throughout my life, I have found inspiration and direction in the Bible. Today, I also find inspiration and direction in the words of John Wooden.”
—Tom Coughlin, Head Coach, New York Giants

“One hundred years—what an amazing life. But here’s what's even more amazing about John Wooden and the timeless verities his life has embodied. One hundred years from now they will still be talking about his accomplishments and his approach.”
—Bob Costas

"There has never been a finer man in American sports than John Wooden, or a finer coach."
--Sports Illustrated ... Read more

Reviews

A how-to guide for living an extraordinary life, August 26, 2010
This charming book celebrates the extraordinary life of coach John Wooden and shares the principles that guided him throughout his career. Contents include the 7 point creed and the two sets of threes from Wooden's father, Wooden's own Pyramid of Success, the Pyramid of Success modified for children, and his Sportsmanship pledge for youngsters. You don't have to be a sports fan to benefit from the collected wisdom and quotes in here. His words are simple, powerful, and sane. Buy this book and read it together with your children, your parents, or your grandparents.

The Wisdom Of Wooden, August 22, 2010
I have become a real fan of John Wooden and his great wisdom!!I am very glad that we have his books through which he can share his wisdom with us. I am giving these books to my grandson and some young friends so that they, too, can learn to be a man like Coach John Wooden. He has put his ideas down so simply that anyone can learn from them. His life can continue to change and mold young people for years to come.

WOODEN, October 24, 2010
Can't just have one or some of Woodens's books. He is a teacher and there are life lessons in all Wooden did. This is a book that's style is easy to read but many visuals. Follow what he says and learn. A great summary/

A Legacy in quotes and photos., September 6, 2010
A great way to remember a great man. Open any page for
a memory or a memorable and inspiring quotation.

I thought it was great., July 29, 2010
I thought it was great. It encompasses all of Coach Wooden's thoughts and beliefs combined with his life story. I plan on putting it out for my students to read. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Good Addition but Touts Disproven Physiology Theories, January 12, 2010
Fitzgerald is a great training resource, and I was very excited to get this book as weight is not addressed enough in the sport of running and how it can affect performance.

Unfortunately, he does fall back into some of the party-line statements about diet and calorie consumption that have been outdated or completely disproved.

For instance, he touts the discredited theory that muscle burns 40-50kcal per pound whereas fat only burns 3-5kcal. This factors heavily into his argument for being lean rather than just light, but it IS NOT TRUE. Muscle does burn more calories, but the two numbers are more like 4-6kcal/lb for muscle and 3-5kcal/lb for fat. It is a small difference overall.

And he also touches on nutrient timing for performance, which is GOOD. But he too easily slips into saying that you can also change up the times of the day that you eat in order to lose more weight. Also, not so much.

So... not a bad book and it addresses an underrepresented topic, but check sources and make sure that you really trust what he is saying before committing 100% to his statements.

EXACTLY what I've been looking for...for a LONG time!, December 18, 2009
I have been searching and hoping to find a book that covers this topic. And HERE it is, like an early Christmas present! There are so many books out there about nutrition, but they are not written for people who train their behinds off 6-7 days a week.
I love the way this book talks about WHEN to eat and how that affects your body.
I am happy Matt included different specifics for different endurance sports. This is not just a running book. It's for rowers, cyclists, triathletes, and anyone who knows what its like to workout for over an hour.
I think that knowing and understanding some of the science behind what happens to your body when you work out and when you eat helps to stay committed to getting to "racing weight".

Plus, I've always wondered what the top athletes really eat...and now I know. It's all here, and it couldn't come at a better time for me since I happen to be in the middle of training for the Boston Marathon and struggling to lose these last stubborn 15 lbs.

This book is helping me understand why the pounds are there, why they stay there, and how to shed time...I can't wait :)

[...]

What a terrific book!, November 30, 2009
I love this book. Filled with great, down to earth info on maintaining weight and not the latest fads in diet. The fact that it's also "sport specific" is really a welcome feature as well. I learned something new reading each chapter. I also like the fact that when a statement is made, it's backed with research and not conjecture.
It doesn't hurt that the author seems to a likable guy and writes in a nice breezy style. Just the last chapter (Supplements) was worth the price!

I finally know my Optimum Performance Weight, January 5, 2010
Racing Weight: How to Get Lean For Peak Performance
By Matt Fitzgerald
Velopress, 2009, 288 pages, $18.95
Reviewed by Charles Kyle (chuckkyle@me.com)

Like many other books on cycling fitness, I picked up Racing Weight purely do to advertising within Velonews. I really had minimal expectation and figured that this book would layout the obvious points that many others do at each publication. The first thing that caught my attention was the second chapter entitled, "How to Determine Your Optimal Performance Weight". Noticing that it was just a mere 21 pages from the beginning, I resisted the urge and started on page one. Unlike many other writers, Matt Fitzgerald kept my interest peaked as he explained the five steps outlined in Racing Weight. My eagerness to jump to page twenty-one was set to rest as I began highlighting information just in the introduction.

Chapter Two continued information that I have been looking for since my first cycling event over a decade ago. My calculation of what I felt would be a good "weight" was close, but the concept of BMI had only been a reading that I saw on the three hundred dollar Tanika scale that sits on my bathroom floor, not something that I would train towards. Though I had to read chapter two twice, to gain a firm grasp of the concepts, I walked away with the ability to log onto TrainingPeaks and enter a season goal, based on knowledge and research, not a blind assumption on my part. I now know my BMI Goals. Notice I did not talk weight goals, why not, read Chapter Two and you too will be thinking is this manner.

Matt continues his book by articulating the five steps to achieve this Optimized Weight. The steps are simply improving your diet, balancing your energy sources, timing your nutrition, managing your appetite and training right. Though this information is sporadically found in other books, Racing Weight lays them out concisely and provides a simple means of calculation, unlike other books trying to account for the number of calories in that last Mocha. Matt's methodology looks at food in a more holistic view, based on quality not on strictly counting. Yes, that Snicker's has carbs but should it really be counted as part of the typical 60-20-20 carb, fat, and protein ratio?

Matt finishes off the book with a chapter showing what a professional athlete consumes, a chapter giving the recipe of some "Endurance Fuel", and finally the obligatory appendix on some strength exercises. I am looking forward to trying some of the recipes. Matt also includes a very informative chapter on the roles of supplements, which many cyclists will find interesting.
All in all, Racing Weight is well written and a fast read. Mine is now littered with highlights, notes, and sticky flags and will become part of my daily reference library. This is necessary read for all amateur cyclists who desire to take their training and racing to the next step.

Fantastic approach, January 1, 2010
Logically put together, Racing Weight creates a step by step process to analyze your current weight and to determine where you want to be and how to get there. From an author who has written in bits and pieces on many of the presented topics, it is really nice to have everything and more in one place. The suggestions for exercise and diet modification are perfect for anyone wanting to improve performance by reaching an optimal weight.

There are calculations involved, but they are explained and easy to follow. After reading tons of nutrition/diet books, I wouldn't have thought it possible, but from beginner through elite, this book really does offer something to everyone!

Pretty Standard really, January 7, 2010
This was a solid book but I found that the ideas and concepts mirrored quite closely concepts found in many other books. The unique idea expressed or implied that it had key information for shaving off final pounds for the already fit wasn't quite accurate as the concepts would be the same for weight loss across the board. Still, it was well done and well written.

Major omission in dietary advice, February 21, 2010
This long overdue book with advice about reaching your ideal racing weight in various types of sport (running, cross-country skiing, cycling, rowing and swimming) is well-written and very informative. I would recommend it for (almost) everyone who wants to lose weight and lean up for peak performance. As a vegan, I have one very serious problem with the dietary advice though. Good (quality) food types are arbitrarily divided into fruit, lean protein, whole grain, low fat dairy and essential fats. Athletes are supposed to eat at least one and in some cases more than one serving of each of these categories, to maximize their nutrition. Fine and dandy. Problem is, one of the mainstays of vegan nutrition - and in many cases omnivore nutrition as well - is simply ignored. That is of course beans and legumes. You won't find a word of advice about eating healthy, carb- and protein-loaded (not to mention fiber & a host of other nutrients including calcium!) beans of a wide variety, and other legumes such as lentils. That is like writing a book about opera and leaving out Puccini or Verdi! A major error like this makes me question other assumptions and conclusions. Who edited this book? Anybody with at least a working knowledge of nutrition knows that beans and legumes play an invaluable role in a healthy diet.

Looking to drop those last few lbs?, December 18, 2009
I believe that is one of the most underrated aspects of endurance racing, your weight. When I got into triathlons about 2 years ago I weighed just over 200 pounds, and I knew that it was going to be tough with that extra weight. Well I dropped down to around 170 that summer and felt much better. This year I am planning on taking my training to the next level, and I know that a major thing I need to do is drop the extra weight that I've been holding onto.

Matt's book is exactly what I needed. Not only did this really cover why the extra weight is hurting my performance, but it also showed me how to safely work off the extra weight. He has a specific plan to help reduce calories, and help get rid of fat (which is the thing that really hurts). One great aspect of the book is that he talks to professional athletes about what they do to help keep the weight off, and in some cases keep the weight on.

He also got a great recipe book from Pip Taylor (professional triathlete) so you can easily make meals that are better for you, and really does not take that much time to make. Believe me I was getting tired of eating oatmeal for breakfast, so this really gives me the variety I was looking for.

Thanks to this book, I'll be on my way to slimming down the correct way and not jamming a finger down my throat (aka the Olsen Twin diet).

Common Knowledged packaged for newbies..., August 23, 2010
This book will be helpful to beginning athletes or those who have been training awhile but have no idea what they are doing, or have never approached an endurance sport in a serious way. It takes concepts that are commonly known by experienced athletes and puts them in one publication. Everything here can be gleaned from other readings but this at least makes it convenient. I can't find anything here that I either hadn't learned myself or learned from others over the past 30 years of endurance racing, from swimming to cycling to running or even backpacking. If you've been at it a long time in a serious way you already know everything that is presented in this book and probably could add a few things of your own.

Great guide to getting fit, April 16, 2010
I have been training for triathlons and knew I was overweight but had no real idea where I really needed to be. This book helped a lot with that question. It also has some great guidence and references that make it fun to read. I have learned to read with a marker and pen in hand, loads of good ideas. His advice has helped me drop 24lbs so far and, thanks to this book, I have a good idea that losing another 15 will make running triathlons again (over a decade since my last) much easier and more enjoyable. It's not about just about losing weight but increasing performance by/while doing so. I'm feeling a major difference in my performance. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Efficient Training Method, March 30, 2008
I've always had the theory that if everyone who trained for a sport would cut their training time in half, their performance would improve. While this book doesn't advocate that exactly, it proves the idea that training a lot less does improve performance. The method is called the FIRST program, which stands for Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training.

The book is for anyone who wants to improve their running performance and is divided into 4 sections. The first section explains the FIRST approach, where a "3 plus 2" format is the foundation. This means you have 3 quality runs each week and 2 cross training workouts.

The second section is how to follow the program. Briefly, one day is a cross training day, then a "track repeats" day, then a cross training day, then a "tempo run" day, a day of rest, a "long run" day, and then either another rest day/or optional cross training day. Cross training days include activities such as cycling or swimming.

The 3rd section covers performance factors which include such things as running in hot and cold climates, nutrition, and injuries (readers who have plantar fasciitis that interferes with their running might also be interested in The 5-Minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution).

Lastly, Section 4 covers supplemental training, which I feel is an often overlooked/skipped part of running training. Here you get info such as instructions and pics on how to strength train and stretch for running (important!!).

The book ends with a bonus section on how to qualify/train for the Boston Marathon. Additionally, you get an Appendix A (pacing table) and an Appendix B (how to calculate pacing).

Backed by studies conducted by the authors, this is a great resource for anyone who wants to get better results with less training.

Dramatically change and improve your training methodology!, May 29, 2007
I've studied numerous training programs and methodologies (Daniels, Pfitzinegr, Higdon, others) and the FIRST program beats them all, hands down! I can't say enough about the 3-day/week training programs that have come from Bill Pierce and the folks at FIRST. I began using their marathon program 2 years ago to train for the Atlanta Marathon. In my previous marathon training, I was constantly dealing with nagging injuries from too much running, and trying to balance the demands of 50+ miles/week with family and career. Utilizing their method, I dropped my PR from 3:10 to 2:59 (set at Boston), and I stayed healthy and injury free in the process, while never running more than 35 miles in a week. I've since used their programs to train for 1/2 marathons, 10Ks and 5Ks, all with the same results - improved health, performance, and new PRs. If you're trying to juggle a busy life (work, family, running), or a multi-sport athlete balancing the training needs for 3 sports, then this is the perfect book for you. The addition of their insights on nutrition, strength training, and injury rehab/prevention, make this book an invaluable resource that goes much deeper that the articles that have appeared in Runner's World. Break away from the traditional 7-day/week, massive mileage programs, and take up the FIRST program. Your running times, and your health, will benefit.

Great method poor book edition..., December 11, 2008
I just bought this book a couple of weeks ago and was very intrigued and motivated about starting an actual training routine. However I was very dissapointed with the book in many aspects that should be weighted before buying the book.

Positive things first:
-the methodology and routines described in this book are great and pretty much proven scientifically which is rare in this kind of books
-a bunch of tables, statistics, etc.
-different programs for 5K, 10K, Half Marathon and Marathon
-lots of letters from runners and answers to their questions makes this more human and you feel less like a guinea pig for an experiment
-stretching diagrams are very detailed and well explained

Negative aspects:
-almost all the tables and programs are available for free from the FIRST web site: http://www.furman.edu/first/fmtp.htm so is it really necessary to write a book this extensive to repeat the information?
-I absolutely HATED that they use english system and then metric system at will.... I was completely lost at some points regarding the distance I was expected to run or my tempo... again, this is solved in the website where you will find the same information in metric units or english units but not mixed together
-first chapters are terribly repetitive, the insist on how less is better and it avoids injuries but is it necessary to repeat it over 50 pages?
-The book seems completely oriented towards qualifying for the Boston marathons... which is fine by me but not every reader cares about a marathon that is mentioned every 2 pages as reference against which all times are measured. I dont see why you cant focus only on 5K or 10K training and enjoy the same method created by FIRST. Yes those 2 programs are available but only about 5% of the book is dedicated to them.
-editor's did a lousy job and some tables go on for pages and pages or sometimes text is interrupted by a runner's letter and then a table and you are suddenly lost and need to focus on what page and what text you were reading


Overall I think its a pretty good running method and program but think twice if you really want to read or buy a book for a program that is already detailed for free in their website and occasiona Runner's World articles.

Stick with the program, March 7, 2008
The book might not be for everyone, but as a fairly new runner at moderately fast pace (sub-19 5k, sub-39 10k) it gave me lots of good advice pitched at an appropriate level. It does give information for people building up for a 5k, 10k, or half-marathon, but the focus is definitely on the marathon.

The program definitely caters to my obsessive tendencies, and I like the structure it brings to my workouts, but one could also use this book without being quite so detail-oriented.

I switched to this training program last summer, soon after the book came out. I've used it for two full-length marathon buildups. As other descriptions have said the basics of the program are straight-forward: (only) three days per week running, but also two or three days of solid cross-training, as well as strengthening and stretching exercises. In my case the cross-training meant swimming and cycling three days a week and one rest day.

The runs are organized into an interval workout (total mileage at speed of about 3 miles, plus warm-up, recovery, and cool-downs), tempo runs (some of which become longer "pace" runs closer to the race), and long runs, with the latter ramping up to much closer to race pace than my previous training plans.

The program is customizable to runners, basing paces for workouts off a recent 5k race time.

It took me a while to adjust to the different kind of workouts, and though I imagine I would also have benefitted from some other training methodologies it is hard to argue with success. This Spring I was able to achieve a new PR and made my Boston Qualifying requirement for 2009 with twelve minutes to spare. Not only a good time, but my recovery from my most recent marathon was much quicker than previously and I haven't had problems with fascia and shin-splints that have plagued me in the past.

I'm very happy with the results and I plan on using the FIRST program in my preparations for Boston 2009.

It works!, February 21, 2008
I just finished my 2nd marathon a few days ago using the FIRST training program. I cut down my time from last year's race by about 30 minutes (I don't have the official chip time yet).

For my 1st marathon, I used a different training program which required me to run at least 4 days a week. I can sum up that program in three words: fatigue, injury, boredom.

With the FIRST program, on the other hand, (1) I did not suffer from injuries; (2) I was less tired, even after long runs; (3) I in fact ran more kilometers (including more long runs) compared to my previous program; (4) I enjoyed the training, so much so that I missed only 3 sessions (all due to very hectic work schedule) - it was not difficult to get up in the cold winter morning, even when it rained or snowed; (5) I was able to easily re-arrange my running schedule to accommodate sudden surge in office work load; (6) I generally felt a lot stronger; and (7) I had a life outside of running while training for the marathon.

The book is well-structured, well-written, easy to read and accessible to runners like me who are not familiar with running terms. It explained everything in remarkably simple terms without talking down at the readers. The program is based not just on the experience of the authors as runners and coaches, but also on scientific studies they conducted with non-elite athletes. Unlike other books which provide a generalized program for mass consumption or require the reader to actually figure out his own program, this book has a program ready for a wide variety of runners depending on his current running ability. You will know how to do each key run and why you are doing it. No time or effort is wasted on junk miles. Since the program is based on each runner's ability, you will know how to adjust your runs as your performance change. Even if you are a very slow runner whose current running pace may not be covered in the book, you can easily adjust the FIRST program to suit your needs.

This book is definitely worth what I paid for it, if not more. I very eagerly recommend it to all runners who want to train smartly and improve their performance while having a life and avoiding injury.

Great Book, August 16, 2007
I was already familiar with the FIRST program from Runner's World and from their magazine. This book was great because it answered a lot of questions and went into more detail than the website. Any non-elite, real world runner who wants to improve their running times at any distance should give this a good look.

Another testimonial, October 15, 2007
The other reviewers pretty well summarized the book's strengths, so I'll just add another data point here.

I ran my second marathon two days ago, after having trained according to the book's program for my target time. I hit the target almost exactly - knocked 16 minutes off, achieved a PR, and qualified for Boston. More importantly, I did not hit the wall. No cramps, and only suffered in the last mile. I attribute some of this relative lack of pain to accumulated racing experience, but believe the training program's speed work and tempo runs helped.

Sure, you'll have to put the work into the 16 week training schedule, but the schedule won't take over your life.

You should be skeptical of any claims that promise more return for less investment (in running junk miles and risking injuries). But the authors seem to have based their recommendations on research rather than dogma. For what it's worth, here's another testimonial that this works.

Terrific all-around advice, September 10, 2007
I am not "well read" in the ways of running, so I can't comment on how this book compares to the myriad other available options. What I can do, however, is offer my opinion as a "newbie" to these issues. In short, this is a terrific, valuable, "easy read" for anyone looking to train smart.

The book offers both running theory and practical guidance. It does so in a light-hearted and fun manner. Readers interested in a dense tome detailing running mechanics should therefore look elsewhere. Instead, this book will appeal to readers interested in receiving guidance on what to do, as well as a basic explanation of why a certain approach is valuable.

Though I love the book, two caveats are in order.

First, this book's training plans require patience. Beginning runners looking for the "one month to marathon" race plans that seem so popular today will not be pleased by this text. In fact, if you are a true beginner, the book details a preliminary 12 week training plan, followed by a moderate 12 week training plan, after which the runner can finally use the book's primary 5k training schedule, which itself is another 12 weeks. In other words, it would take a beginner nine months to complete the book's full 5k training schedule.

Second, it appears the book may have been rushed to press as there are numerous editing mistakes. Some corrections have already been posted on the author's website. For example, page 81 states that runners should not start the training programs unless they have a minimum of 15 miles/week of base training for the preceding 3 months. On the other hand, page 51 states that runners can proceed to the official training plans if they have completed the book's intermediate training plan, which calls for far less than 15 miles/week for 3 months.

That said, let me say again, this is a terrific book, with lots of useful tips, advice and guidance. A terrific read.

The program really works!, July 16, 2007
Excellent description of the Furman 3 day per week running program. The book provides more detail than the Runners World article and the Furman website, and simplifies the splits for your target tempo, long run and track workout paces. I've used the program. IF you're willing to put in some intense workouts, you really can run less and become faster, while avoiding injuries.

Training Plan, but little more, April 13, 2009
This book provides with very specific paces, for three specific workouts. If you stick to the plan, I believe it works and it did, in fact, work well for me. However, every run has a pace and a purpose and unless your buddy is doing the exact same program, at the exact same pace, you're doing every single run alone over those 12 weeks.

My problem with this book is not with the training plan, though. My problem is that it is VERY SHORT on information other than the training plan. Instead it is filled with "hey, it worked for me letters." Yawn.

I had many questions which were never addressed in any way. The paces are all challenging, I was surprised they didn't address how to cope with the pain mentally. For me, I could hit all my paces, except the short tempo pace. I didn't know if I should change all my paces or just that one, or if I should run at that pace until I had to stop. In fact, the basic question of what to do when you weren't running at the desired pace was never addressed, other than to say that it should average out to the specific pace. Well, when you're having an off day the averages don't always work in your favor...It was difficult to find a cross training activity that left my legs alone so that they would be able to perform at their peak for my next run. Running a hilly course is never addressed; my paces were completely off when I had to run any hills at all. I've got a long list of issues that they apparently never thought of.

I found myself seeking out flat runs where I could maintain the challenging paces, and that in itself also got boring.

Ultimately, I felt like the authors took the easy way out in not addressing many of these issues. It's easy to say "go do this." It's much harder to write a book that helps you figure out what to do when you can't just go do that, for any reason.

Instead, I recommend Brain Training for Runners. That book also has 3 key runs a week, and gives you paces, however it delves a lot more into running: what it means when you are sore, how to combat fatigue, what to do when you are off your pace, how to mentally cope with pain. Run Less, Run Faster, doesn't deal with any of these questions. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

A natural diet with the athlete in mind, December 19, 2006
This book changed the way I look at nutrition. I have always been active and eaten a decent diet, but I knew I was too heavy on sugars and carbs in general. When I got into triathlons, I got Joe Friel's The Triathlete's Training Bible, and it turned me onto the Paleo Diet.

Since both authors have advanced degrees (Loren Cordain has a PhD in Exercise Physiology and Friel a M.S. in Exercise Science), it is heavy on science. The authors base their claims on numerous sources, and reference these sources throughout.

The basic premise is that the way we currently eat is contrary to how our bodies evolved over the millions of years prior to agriculture. Lean meat, fish, and fresh fruits and vegetables should be our staple, with a small twist. Paleolithic man could never have been a high level endurance athlete, as he just wouldn't have gotten enough carbohydrate to replenish his glycogen stores after a long or very intense workout.

This book, then, makes adjustments to the standard Paleo Diet to include certain types of foods normally not allowed during SPECIFIC periods of the pre and post-exercise window.

Post Script: Though I don't like to comment on others' reviews, I feel I must say that I don't agree with the assertion that the book doesn't place enough emphasis on when to eat the foods you eat. After the intro, the entire first few chapters are exactly that: What types of food to eat, and EXACTLY when to eat them.

Very helpful, but not perfect, November 20, 2006
I bought this book because my diet was already headed in the Paleo direction without anybody's book telling me to do so, but also because Joe Friel's web site recommended it. That made me curious about the details of why I should eat that way. I have slightly elevated blood pressure (pre-hypertension), and managed to bring it down from an average of about 129/84 to 124/81 or so just by eating low-sodium (I already was riding my bicycle 150-300 miles a week, so clearly more excercise wasn't needed). After having real trouble finding low-salt foods, I discovered that the produce section was my best friend, and the fresh meat/seafood section too; that was pretty close to Paleo already. But I was still eating lots of grains and beans, and this book convinced me to go full Paleo for non-sports reasons. Now I seem to be recovering much quicker and no longer have any of those rides where my legs are dog-tired. I've also gotten a bit leaner, though I was already at just 8% body fat. I then bought his first Paleo Diet book and read that. I now have pretty much gone completely Paleo, with some intentional lapses, and I don't really follow this second book so much. I follow his first book with its non-athlete orientation primarily to maintain my health as I get older, but I find that I can eat a Paleo omelette for breakfast, and ride for three hours with no sports drinks or gels (though I do bring dried fruit for any ride over three hours, and sports drink for long races or very hard training rides). Leaves me wondering if this second book was really needed. I strongly recommend his first book, and this one only if you're in the Ironman Tri, RAAM, or something extreme like that.

Very focused on endurance athletics., February 25, 2006
I was excited to try the Paleo Diet in conjunction with a general fitness improvement plan. However, I was slightly disappointed by the fact that the book is focused almost entirely on endurance athletics. Barely a mention is given of Paleo in conjunction with weight training or general weight loss.

The book does give lots of details for implementing the Paleo way of eating for intense athletes, so it's a great book if you fit that category.

Regardless of fitness level, there are many tasty sounding Paleo recipes in the book, so it will be a good companion to the original Paleo Diet book even if you're not a high-volume athlete. But for beginners, I would recommend the original Paleo Diet book first, because it is geared more towards general fitness and weight loss.

And one thing that I like about both of Cordain's books is that they have an extensive bibliography of references, so you can be sure his research is backed-up with lots of research.

Regurgitation of bad conventional wisdom under the guise of paleo, December 16, 2009
This book makes a lot of claims that aren't true. First and foremost, it is not paleo. It recommends a diet that is extremely out of whack in the macro-nutrient sense with that of paleo. Second, it purports that it is based on science and experience. The science piece of that claim is non-existent, and the experience portion is circumstantial (or anecdotal) evidence in support of their arguement. Third, it sets up contradictory advice for recovery. Fourth, it is extremely painful to read not just because it constantly passes opinion off as science, but because it talks down to the reader the whole time. Lastly, it defines "athlete" as endurance sportspersons.
1. Not paleo. Sure it tells you to eat a version paleo during the times when you aren't "training" (aka work out or exercise), but most people reading this book work out on a very regular basis. It also recommends that you prepare for exercise and immediately following an exercise by carb-loading. The carbs it chooses are very often not paleo - bars, sports drinks, grains, and legumes. In essence, if you work out every day, 2 out of 3 meals in a day would not be paleo. Even if you only work out 3 days a week, which is pretty much the bottom line if you are an "athlete," that is still 6 meals minimum a week that are heavily un-paleo. Why even bother calling yourself paleo at that point?
2. Science and experience. It makes claims, like "stay away from all that bad artery clogging saturated fat." I know a lot of people believe that claim, but that claim is not based on science, it is based on two epidemiological studies from the early to mid 1900's that cherry picked their data. There has never been any proven connection between cholesterol and heart disease. They never find a reasonable link between the two when they do clinical trials. By the way, Paleolithic people ate saturated fat. This is just one of the examples of this book pawning off opinion as science. As far as experience - Friel does have a lot of endurance experience. However, there are plenty of athletes who are in better total shape who eat paleo the whole time or who even fast for intense workouts. I know several first hand who switched away from the books suggestions to strict paleo and seen enormous results. In both Friel's and my case this is anecdotal evidence to support the claim, and shouldn't be used as proof that either works.
3. Recovery advice. Make sure you eat lots of protein, but all the protein has a high amount of acidity and you shouldn't eat any food that is acidic to recover. Make sure you get the base alkalines in there too, but to counteract the acidity of the majority of foods you need to eat, you need to consume unrealistic amounts of the alkalines. I could keep going in circles based on the advice, but I think 2 examples will do.
4. Talks down. "Optimize Performance. This is a big one." No kidding, huh? "All athletes are susceptible to inflammation of muscles and tendons" Really? I had no idea. By the way all those carbs they tell you to eat, promote inflammation.
5. Athletes. It bothers me that they define athlete as endurance sportsperson. There are soooo many other types of athletes that they never address. Sure you can make up some sort of variation and apply it to your sport, but then why'd I buy the book? I'd rather have specific advice from experts (not that I consider the advice in this book "expert") than make my own. Not that I consider the advice in this book "expert", it's just more regurgitated bad conventional wisdom that we've all heard - carb load, look out for saturated fat, etc. [...]

Paleo diet, with special attention on the "For Athletes" part, December 16, 2006
Paleo Diet for Athletes

A lot of what Dr. Cordain says (The Paleo Diet) makes sense -- basically, from the time of humanity's existence, 10,000 years is a short time to make adaptations in the way our bodies have evolved. Agriculture and dairy products, for instance, just happened in the past 10,000 years.

I won't go into the details of the hunter-gatherer diet that Cordain mentions. I believe that there are also other diets out there are similar (in fact, probably identical) in both reasoning and implementation (i.e., Evolution Diet, and other hunter-gatherer diets out there).

The Paleo Diet part gets 4 stars, and the additional star goes for the "for Athletes" part.

What makes this book different is the "... for Athletes" part. (On a separate note, the title would have been more apt if they said "ENDURANCE Athletes" instead, as other non-endurance athletes could probably be recommended the regular Paleo Diet by Dr. Cordain, or the other similar ones by other authors.)

I have always watched endurance athletes take down gobs of pasta and carbohydrates. And with that, assumed that Joe Friel, a premier coach of endurance athletes (just check out his "Bible" series books and his website), I assumed that Joe Friel was another carb junkie. Apparently, he WAS. Note, "WAS" is the past tense.

Dr. Cordain introduced him to the Paleo diet, and though Joe was hooked, he did some modifications on the diet for endurance athletes. And that's where this book stands out from other hunter-gatherer diets out there. (If you want to know more about hunter-gatherer diets, do a search for similar books here in Amazon and read the reviews. And a bit of search 'round the internet wouldn't be a bad idea).

I particularly like Joe's modifications in what he calls various stages: what to eat before exercise (both a few hours before, and immediately before), during exercise (obviously only applicable to endurance athletes in multi-hour events), and after exercise (further broken down into the first half-hour after, the succeeding hours or so, and the long term recovery strategy via nutrition). And that's what makes this book worth it, especially for endurance athletes and those regular blokes who work out or exercise everyday (those who put in maybe an hour or more of exercise a day). By the way, this is good for "regular" endurance athletes as well, not necessarily marathoners and other ultra-distance racers, or ironmen triathletes (i.e., this book is still perfect for "sprint distance" triathletes as well... and also 5k and 10k fun-runners).

Friel is especially keen on making sure the nutrition strategy gives one optimum performance (for either an exercise session or a race), as well as the all-important recovery (so you can go hard again in your next training session -- IF that is what you have scheduled).

I find it amusing that I know what parts Friel wrote, and what parts Cordain wrote, simply by reading. Maybe it's because I have Friel's other books that I already know his writing style, but it was easy to see which parts were written by whom.

I cannot comment if the Paleo Diet is better than The Evolution Diet (but, truth be known, I don't have The Evolution Diet), but I assume they're similar to the point of being nearly identical, as are PROBABLY all other hunter-gatherer diets out there. I cannot comment either on who has written a better book, or a better explanation, or a better implementation of the hunter-gatherer type of diet. But it is only The Paleo Diet for Atheltes that has a collaboration with an "endurance athelete guru" (i.e., Joe Friel) that addresses the needs of athletes. If you fall into that category, you will surely like the part that Friel contributed, especially the various stages of pre- during, and post-exercise nutrition strategy.

Geared towards endurance athletes..., August 14, 2009
I enjoyed Loren's first book so much I thought that this book would be an excellent addition since the title suggests it is for athletes. The book is geared mostly towards those that are involved in endurance sports/multi-sport athletes. Being a powerlifter/bodybuilder for a number of years, I was hoping there was going to be some insight in how to apply the principles for losing unwanted bodyfat, but this is mostly about maximizing post workout recovery and performance during workouts, not so much as how to become a leaner athlete. While it was an interesting read, I would probably choose his first book over this one.

Paleo Diet for Endurance Athletes, August 18, 2009
While this book was a great learning tool on what one should focus on as far as eating, and when to best eat before, during, and after a workout, it is geared more towards the endurance athlete. I picked this book up expecting to be able to find stuff that would help me as a Soldier, or, as I like to think of myself, as a "tactical athlete", but was disappointed to see that it focuses more on people who compete in ultra-marathons, Ironman triathalons and the like. It does have some great advice on the best foods to eat, as well as some recipies to choose from, but unless you're working on finishing a 100-mile ultra-marathon or something simliar, I would definitely recommend his first book, or even Mark Sisson's "The Primal Blueprint".

More appropriate for strength athletes, July 12, 2006
The authors play a rather silly game of exclude the middle.

They start from the premise that most endurance athlets overconsume refined grains to the exclusion of dietary protein and veggies. This isn't necessarily incorrect, I've seen endurance athletes do that very thing. I've done it myself.

Therefore, endurance athlete should go to the opposite extreme and eat lots of lean meat and fibrous vegetables and some fruits. Basically, a retread of Cordain's Paleo Dieting thing.

Except that somehow they then shoehorn recent research into pre/during/post workout nutrition on top of that. They argue that this will optimize endurance performance.

Apparently the idea of eating sufficient protein AND vegetables AND digestible carbohydrates was lost on them.

As well, they apparently forgot to look at data on the Kenyan runners who routinely consume 70% carbs and 10% protein and seem to be doing ok performance wise. Or the Tarahumara indians who eat massively high carb intakes and are known for their prodigious running abilities.

Don't get me wrong, I think many endurance athletes get insufficient protein and eating plenty of veggies should be a huge part of any athletic diet (or any healthy diet for that matter). But let's not pretend that you can't eat sufficient lean protein, plenty of vegetables AND get sufficient digestible carbohdyrate (from grains/etc) to support the monstrous training volumes common to high level endurance programs.

IMO, their recommendations would make far far more sense for strength/power athletes who simply don't have the carbohydrate requirements of long-duration endurance athletes.

Wow! Opened my eyes., July 12, 2007
This book is packed with some very useful information. I would have given it five stars, but I don't have the knowledge to thoroughly evaluate all the statements made in this book and I feel like there are probably some important points that are being left out. Nonetheless, it has made me aware of some very important and little understood issues relating to performance and diet. As a result of reading this book, I am much better informed and I will definitely be better able to understand additional material relating to nutrition and health.

I have read other books by Joe Friel, and I find that the incorporation of performance related principles from his other books is consistent and very helpful.

Useful information for low-carb endurance athletes, November 19, 2007
I have followed a low-carb diet for about 3 years now, and in the last year have gradually become an avid runner. I was looking for info on how to add carbs into my diet to support my running, and this book has specific, useful info on that topic. I do not agree with all of his dietary advice in general (for general info on low-carb diets I would recommend that you read a variety of books to gather well-rounded advice on this diet, as each author contributes a different piece of the puzzle), however I do highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for advice on how to properly integrate diet and sports, or who is suffering some sort of chronic problem during high-intensity athletic training - this book may straighten your problem out, even if you don't currently see it as related to your diet. This book is a valuable and much-needed addition on the topic of nutrition and sport. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

The Best Training Book Available, September 22, 2003
Having studied most of the works of Armstrong, Lemond, Hinault, Burke, Carmichael, etc. and having used personal trainers including Kirk Willett, the current Prime Alliance GM, I can say that this is the one book you simply cannot do without if you want to race a bicycle. Whether you want to train 100 hours a year as a first year racer, or are looking to rack up a thousand hours and get your first real pro contract, you will benefit from this text.

I work about a 50-60 hour week and raise a family. There is no way I could have achieved the level of cycling proficiency I have without this text. It makes the amount of time I decide to spend training pay dividends on race day.

This book has two potential drawbacks. First, it is possible to get too wrapped up in the minutae of planning each and every workout for the next six months. Friel offers literally hundreds of possible workouts to choose from, and a system for selecting workouts that will help you approach each ride with a specific purpose. So long as you have some ability to read and apply both principals and a suitable level of detail, this book can not be beat.

My second issue is that I have worn out the binding from so much use and now need to buy a new copy.

This book is not for everyone...Thank God, April 6, 2003
If your idea of a good season is to just ride, or be pack fill until the hills then don't waste your money. On the otherhand, if you can set goals, want results and need to raise your performance year over year then get this book. You have to read, understand and follow the content of this book closely. If you can, then you will be able to set up a year 'round training program which will provide the results you have been looking for. This book is technical. You will have to focus as with any effective performance program. No, you really don't need the expensive testing stuff. You can get the same test information with a cheap wind trainer or the recommended time trial tests. A bike, a good heart rate monitor, this book and a true desire to get faster (in this order)is all you need.

Overly complicated program, but useful for the dedicated, April 14, 2001
It is a little unclear for whom this book has been written. Professional, world class cyclists have their own training systems and don't need this book. It's difficult to see how 9-to-5ers who race on weekends have the time to follow a training program as complicated as this one.

The author starts by describing the basic cycling abilities of speed, endurance, and strength and goes on to describe the advanced abilities of muscular endurance, speed-endurance, and power. His training program consists of "periods" that emphasize the specific training of those abilities in varying proportions.

Those periods are Base I,II,III, Build I,II, Peak, and Compete. Throw in the factors of frequency, duration, intensity for all of the training periods, as well as lactate and cardiovascular monitoring and you have got yourself one complicated program. There is a lot of overlap in the training: to say that this manner of riding is this kind of training can seem somewhat arbitrary.

As a long-time runner and cyclist, I can attest to the fact that numerous training books exist for runners that are far easier to follow than is this one. There are a few basic workouts that can make one a successful runner. It is the opinion of this reviewer that the author would better serve those likely to buy this book or a next one if he would make the effort to simplify and reduce his descriptions of basic physiological systems and the corresponding training needed. And the author does readily admit that some cyclists are successful without going through such a complicated schedule. There must be some middle ground here.

Excellent book for serious cyclists, May 21, 2001
This is a bold book in my opinion, and the author doesn't cut corners. Friel states up front that cycling requires tremendous dedication and makes no apology for this nature of the sport. Other books are soft in comparison. Sometimes I re-read this book simply for inspiration to train well because the author is so passionate about optimizing one's ability.

The only downside may be that his training advice is very hard to follow for most people. The natural inclination is to do fairly idle rides without purpose, but the book emphasizes always riding with a purpose and gameplan. The very act of organizing a yearly calendar and planning for peaks can be daunting. In fairness, he does provide some good advice for riders who have limited time to commit to the sport, but one can gather from the tone of his writing that the book is really meant for the individual with at least 15 hours a week at his or her disposal for training. Afterall, this is the cyclists training *bible*.

I have found personally that the book was helpful for me to become versed in the language of cycling training. I use a coach on my team for my training regimen, but this book has educated me so that I understand that purpose for what I do. This alone has improved my dedication and enjoyment in following a regimen.

A Great Resource that Requires a Little Work, December 16, 2003
This book is for someone who wants to race a bike and doesn't want to look foolish doing it. The book has everything you need to organize and create a training regimen that will lift your racing fitness to an entirely new level. Based on the concept of periodization, i.e.-training broken into four week blocks with scheduled increases in intensity and active recovery, the ideas presented by Friel will allow the reader to schedule and implement a year-long training plan.

The main drawback of the book is its complexity. The book never claims to be a one-size fits all sort of plan so there is a lot of information that will allow the reader to customize his or her own training. This can be overwhelming at first. The best approach to the book is to read it through a couple of times to get a feel for what is being said. Once this is done, the material will feel a lot less overwhelming. In any case, there is some effort to be put into understanding the book just like there is effort that must be put into training to achieve the result of better performance.

Short of going out and hiring a coach to do your thinking for you, this book is the best way to start training for competition.

Short but Sweet, January 4, 2000
A practical approach to managing training time for the cyclist who "has been training and racing for some time". A good implementation of periodization (including annual plan) emphasizing importance of recovery. Cyclists wishing to optimize workouts and improve performace will benefit from this book, however this highly structured optimization will cut back on the fun group rides and spinning sessions; Friel's Training Commandment 5 is "Train with Groups Infrequently". For more technical background see "The Bicycle Racing Guide" by Van der Plas and for the less experienced cyclist see "Richard's Cycling for Fitness" by Schubert.

For Racers Only, January 9, 2007
This book should be called the "The Racing Cyclist's Training Bible". My interest was riding for fitness and general health and prepping for centuries and other special events. I don't feel that this book addresses those goals well. If you're interested in racing, this may be a much better book for you. I'm not really able to evaluate the book for that use.

This is the disadvantage of ordering a book online. Had I been able to read the book at a store first, I would not have bought it.

This is all you need to get strong, May 31, 2005
Hands down, Friel's book is the best on how to become a strong cyclist. I disagree with some of the previous reviews' comments that this book is too complicated; I found it relatively simple to follow. This book is way better than the Carmichael books in that it gives you specific information on how to design a training program to fit your specific needs. It has really great information on different workouts to make you stronger, proper nutrition, recovery, weight lifting, and stretching. If you buy this book and follow it, you will, without a doubt, reap incredible benefits in your cycling.

Much better than the competion, January 31, 2006
I had read all the Chris Carmichael traning books, and found them lacking. There isn't enough detail about what lies behind his programs to allow one to adapt them very well.
What I like about Friel's book is that it lays out all of the principles behind the programs. Knowing the principles allows you to make reasonable adaptations to the programs. For me it's helped make good decisions concerning what to cut when I find myself short of time in some given week. Do I cut the long ride? Do I cut the power work? Would it help to add a couple of miles to my commute to make up for it? After reading Carmichael's books I was still mostly clueless when it came to making those calls. After reading Friel's I feel pretty confident that my decisions are at least not egregiously stupid.
The book might be too detailed if all you are looking for is a few simple programs you can copy, or some ideas for different sorts of training to add to your routine. The book would be overkill for that.
This is really a book for serious self-coached cyclists who want to plan a training season and who want to be able to make good trainnig judgements as they proceed through the season. It would also be useful for the coached cyclist who might be more strongly motivated if they understood more of the why and wherefore of their routine.

Great motivational book too!, March 12, 1999
What a great book. Friel's approach to training is excellent, and easy reading for someone who WANTS to race faster. Friel himself is a very accomplished bike racer, and his son Dirk is on fire this year (just raced against him in Arizona.) Now, if this New England snow would just melt... NOTE: Ths book is for experienced, motivated cyclists, probably too much too soon for beginner cyclists or those w/ little patience. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Drawing on his work with some of the top teams in professional sports, noted sport psychology consultant Gary Mack shares with you the same techniques and exercises he uses to help elite athletes build mental "muscle." These 40 accessible lessons and inspirational anecdotes will help you gain the "head edge" over the competition. ... Read more

Reviews

Well worth the time and the price. If more tactics, better, December 6, 2005
Many readers said that it's clumsily written. I really cant agree so. It's a little repetitive especially in the second half of it. However, the author did quote a lot of real life examples including successful players' personal quotes to stress the importance of the mind on performance. The key message had been well delivered, for sure. However, it would be better if he could tell more on the "how" side, as in page 9, "One key to achieving success in sports is learning how to focus on the task and not let negative thoughts intrude. The mind can concentrate on only one thing at a time. So, rather than suppress what you dont want to happen, you must focus on what you do want to happen or on some neutral thought. In working with the placekicers, I use a distraction technique. I ask them to create a word that, when said to themselves, will block out all negative thought and help relieve tension."

Certainly a good read for aspiring athletes, for leisure and for life. Anyway, below please find some copy and paste of my favorite messages for your reference.

Competition is won or lost on the six inch playing field between the ears. Practice the seven C's (Competitive, Confident, Control, Committed, Composure, Courage, Consistency) of mental toughness. Learn to love the competition. Pg 28

It takes years of hard work to become an overnight success. Are you willing to make the committment and pay the price. Pg 69

Learn how to fail successfully. Hate to fail but never fear it. Learn to view failure as feedback. Pg 80

You cant outperform your self image. - Dennis Connor. Pg 81

Discipline means doing what you have to do when you need to do it, whether you want to or not. Pg 95

The more you hurry the later you get. When you find yourself rushing you are no longer in the present. Pace instead of race. Pg 144

The less tension and effort, the faster and more powerful you will be. - Bruce Lee / The way to run faster is with four fifths effort. Just take it nice and easy. - Bud Winters Pg 145

The will to win is important, but the will to prepare to win is vital. - Joe Paterno / Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. - Wayne Gretzky Pg 155

Excellence for all life's pursuits, April 30, 2005
Mind Gym is one of my favorite books to pickup whenever I need a little inspiration and encouragement. While the many stories and quotes are derived from the world of professional athletics, the book is really about creating excellence in one's life with applicability to any pursuit and any profession. The main theme is that once one reaches a certain level of competency, the level he achieves in performance will be determined by how well he learns to utilize his mind. With this, the author takes us on a fascinating tour of the minds of some of the world's greatest coaches and athletes; their successes, their challenges, and the mental tools they employed to succeed. To borrow a line from the book, "it takes years of hard work to become an overnight success", Mind Gym is an excellent coach along the way.

Not well written, rehashes other books., June 21, 2005
I have just about every book on the topic of sports performance.

I've read others that were more impactful and helpful.

Granted, this book is good if you're just looking for some inspiration that might eventually lead you to results. For immediate results to use on one's game, however, this book isn't it!

As another reviewer said, it's clumsily written. For my hard earned money, I'd like something that I can actually use on my game right away.

If you're a couch potato athlete that only watches a game, this book is probably good. My brother-in-law loves it. He's never played a sport in his life, but is a big fan. For competitive athletes who are more interested in RESULTS and can get their cliches from TV announcers, this book isn't for them.

I'd give it one star, but those who've met the guy seem to like him enough to log onto amazon and write a review. Nothing personal, but I can't give this anything like the rating the others did.

Crippled by one jaw-droppingly awful flaw, April 5, 2009
Mind Gym's theories on sports psychology are not all that revolutionary. Any good coach will already understand the author's thoughts on discipline, preparation, confidence, positive imagery, etc.; however, there is substantial value in the dozens of anecdotes and stories from household name athletes. These examples make great talking points when explaining psychological concepts to kids.

So, until I was almost finished with the book, I definitely enjoyed it. That was until the author revealed that he has all of his clients close their eyes and listen to "Hero" by Mariah Carey. Wow - talk about a blow to his credibility.

If you believe you can overcome this horrendous nugget of info, then you will probably like this book. But if you, like me, find this just too much to bare, then don't waste your time.

Gary Mack, October 23, 2002
Gary Mack is the author of the sports psychological book "Mind Gym." I rate this book with 5 stars becuase I feel that it is at the top of its catagory. For the athlete who desires to gain a mental edge over his/her opponent, there is no better book to shed light on that subject. I read this book while I was healing from a broken back and it turned me around about how I thought about my sport of gymnastics. Garys book opened many doors for me in the way I thought about competition, training, and everyday life. I recommend it to every athlete in every sport because the psychological side of sports is often overlooked. Gary does a great job creating motivation, and better yet--sport and life lessons.

A great book from a great author, August 24, 2004
I had the fortune of knowing Gary Mack personally when I was playing for the Arizona State's Sundevils men's tennis, back in the 2000. All I can say is that the book was extremely useful to me, both in tennis and private life. The bottom line that we can all learn from it is that it's really all about attitude.
May Gary rest in peace.

Clumsily written, cliched, but with a great message, July 10, 2003
I had initially planned to give it just a skim, but then could not put it down. It is full of cliches and hoary coaching bromides, and is obsessed with commercial spectator sports; but its overall, can-do message negates any faults.

No depth at all, October 18, 2010
The author starts by stating how important psychology for sports is. It is.
After this promising start, however, we are presented with chapter after chapter of - well, nothing.
He states something obvious like "belive in yourself" and underlines this with some quotes and success stories from profs.
Great. This does not help at all. I already knew that I need confidence to excel.
No "how to", no in depth tipps, nothing usefull at all :-(

Best one for athletes!, October 4, 2007
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!!!

The Most Important Part of the Game, February 12, 2002
As the mild winter weather promises an earlier than usual start to the golf and tennis seasons, I am thinking about equipment, exercises, instructional videotapes and maybe a short "spring training" trip to Florida. But at the top of my list this year will be a re-read of a little book by Gary Mack that will have more impact than all of the above preparations combined. I learned from "Mind Gym" that, for most of us, how we approach our games mentally is the greatest key to improvement. It made a dramatic difference for me -- in attitude, enjoyment and score! ... Read more

Editorial Review

The building blocks of winning golf -- from one of the masters of the game.

Ben Hogan, one of the greatest golfers in the history of the sport, believed that any golfer with average coordination can learn to break 80 -- if one applies oneself patiently and intelligently. With the techniques revealed in this classic book, you can learn how to make your game work from tee to green, step-by-step and stroke by stroke.

In each chapter, a different tested fundamental is explained and demonstrated with clear illustrations -- as though Hogan were giving you a personal lesson with the same skill and precision that made him a legend. Whether you're a novice player or an experienced pro, Ben Hogan's Five Lessons is a must-have reference for anyone who knows that fundamentals are where champions begin. ... Read more

Reviews

Timeless Instruction from a Master, July 14, 2000
This excellent teaching device found me at the right time, having mysteriously started struggling with my takeaway and back swing [right elbow flying out at the top!]. I poured through it in a night to search for the secret cure and I found it. I can't believe it took me 18 years of golf to discover this book. This really should be in every beginner's bag, to get his or her mechanics and fundamentals together, as well as any long time golfer who occasionally 'loses' it. It's quite a testament to its staying power to note that there are no reviews of less than five stars for this wonderful manual [my rating will be no different]. Hogan boils down the game to one important aspect, striking the ball. Grip, stance, setup, back swing, downswing are all meticulously verbally described, and then highlighted by amazingly detailed and accurate drawings. Written as a series of SI articles in the 50's, the teaching voice has lost none of its punch over the ensuing years. The gods are in the details, and I noted immediately in the setup section things I was doing to hinder the chain-reaction of his preferred swing. Left foot out a quarter turn, hmm, that's new but makes sense, elbows at hipbone at address, and arms very close to chest to allow the right elbow to fold properly. That's what I needed. His description and the images of the glass / back swing / downswing plane will provide appropriate visual clues during practice. I found his discussion of the waggle and supination of left hand on follow through also quite interesting. I've purchased copies of this for my long-time golfer mother and my girlfriend who's just taking up the game, hopefully they'll enjoy it as much as I did, and we can discuss Hogan's straightforward instruction with a common background understanding.

You Won't Have to Buy Anything Else to Improve Your Golf, September 8, 2000
Forget all the other gimmicks you see on television infomercials; the super drivers, wedges, trouble clubs, fairway woods, videos, swing trainers, etc. Also, don't pay any attention to the lessons presented monthly in the two leading golf magazines. They're often in conflict with each other and give you too many things to think about during the swing. If you really want to improve your golf, buy this book.

Written by one of golf's greatest players and clearest thinkers on the mechanics of the golf swing, this book will, in simple and concise language and wonderfully detailed drawings, improve your game. My belief is, someone who has trouble breaking 100 will be able to get to 90 in short order. Anyone who shoots bogey golf (90) will be able to work him or herself into the low 80's. And if you're like me, in the 7 to 10 handicap range, the book presents a number checks on the grip, stance, and swing plane so that if your game does occasionally go awry, you'll soon be back in the groove. Mr. Hogan was correct. Anyone who is reasonably coordinated and applies the principles detailed in this book, should be able to build a repeating swing and break 80 on a consistant basis.

I had to smile as I read some of the other reviews of this book. Like many of the other reviewers, I too have had to repurchase this book a number of times because of the difficulty in getting the book back from those I've loaned it to. Other than getting a lesson from a top flight teaching pro, this book will do more to improve your game than anything else that's on the market.

The authoritave book on the basics, February 6, 2001
As a kid I took a few lessons from a top notch instructor, and I always found it helpful to think back and swing the way he taught me. Now in my early 40's, after years of infrequent play and bad advice, I lost my game. I read Hogan's book, and realized that it was the Hogan method - grip, stance, everything - that I was taught as a kid. This book was a godsend.

Hogan doesn't just tell you what to do, he explains why. He shows how to make the basic REPEATING swing that can be used with ALL clubs, driver through PW. This makes the game so simple. You can use this book to quickly learn the correct swing, and confidently hit a good shot every time because you know you are doing it the right way. This lets you think less and less about swinging mechanics and more and more about strategy, and the game becomes immensely more pleasurable.

Put this book and a 9 iron by your bedstand, practice as you read it, and you will find youurself hitting with more confidence and consistency after the first chapter.

A MUST HAVE BOOK FOR EVERY GOLFER, March 4, 2001
GET THIS BOOK !!!
Repeat GET IT NOW and it will, without a doubt IMPROVE YOUR GAME and outlook on golf 10 fold! I have had and read this book like a bible over the past 3 months and I will tell you unequivocally, It is simply the best book on what makes a golf swing a TRUE golf swing. I have been a golfer for 20 years and through all the articles I have read, any lessons I have taken, none have come close to breaking down what the mechanics of a golf swing truly are.
This book takes you from the start to a finish of a solid fundamental golf swing. As every individual has their own style, I would recommend once you learn these basics, make your own minor adjustments to suit your own physical limitations due to factors such as flexibility and body size.
Now I have to tell you, I am slow to comprehend and grasp new ideas but once I catch them, if they are indeed true, I embrace and preach upon them like a priest in the church. This book is a true awakening for a golfer and what it takes to make a real golf swing.
The amazing results of this book and what a golfer actually experiences when making a true swing as a result of the study of this book are absolutely astonishing. You should make this book your BIBLE to a great golf swing. The results you see (and feel) will leave you in total awe of how simple a great golf swing is and how easily it can be accomplished.
I endorse this book 100% and promise you will not be disappointed. Indeed you will be delighted and your game will see the dawn of a new day.
5 ***** book. A MUST for every golfer

5 Stars Does Not Do This Book Justice!, February 1, 2000
Quite simply the single most valuable book a golfer looking to begin or master the golf swing can read. I have read the book three times and look forward to the fourth. It is a no nonsense instructional guide with detailed drawings and precise text. It reveals to the reader exactly what is necessary to enjoy the game of golf by mastering the necessary fundamentals of the proper golf swing. A must read for any serious golfer.

Oh man, buy the book!, September 1, 2000
I'm 39 years old. I started golfing 5 weeks ago. Not counting the local par 3 course, I've golfed 18 holes of "real" golf in my whole life. I bought the book. I read the book. I struggled with the book. Today, I was taking practice swings in the back yard, and I learned how to supinate my left wrist. I grabbed my 12-year old and headed to the driving range.

With my $25 driver, and my supinating wrist I hit longer and straighter than ever before. The bad drives carried over 200 yards, and I would have been able to find them on a course. Well over half the balls would have been in the fairway. The long ones were high and carried close to 250 yards. My three wood shots were towering, and landed softly around 200 yards.

I can't do it yet, but making a deliberate, controlled fade or draw now makes sense to me. I know how I'll do it someday, when I'm ready for that part of the game. I can't do it yet but taking a divot with my irons now makes sense, too. All in good time.

Buy the book, read the book, contemplate the book. But most of all, SUPINATE!

Simply the Best., August 6, 2002
When I took up the game about ten years back, a co-worker (and single-digit handicapper) told me "Get Hogan's Five Fundamentals. It will tell you all you'll ever need to know about striking a golf ball." As time passed and my game improved, those words rung truer with each passing season. I've spent hundreds of dollars on other books but I keep coming back to this little treasure. My paperback copy is literally starting to fall apart from multiple re-readings. The first time I read through the book, the only things I took from it were how to properly grip the club and that awesome image of the pane of glass defining the swing plane (accurate or not...). The later chapters just went over my head at the time. As I worked on my game however a funny thing happened. One by one I would make "breakthroughs" only to find them staring back at me from the pages of Hogan's book. The comment about this book being laden with hidden gems is right on the money. It seems like every time I read it, I pick up another subtle insight.

I've heard the criticism that if this was such a great book, you wouldn't have to read it ten times to get the meaning. Perhaps there's a kernel of truth in this, but I think the nature of the golf swing makes describing it a monumental challenge indeed. Like most pursuits of substance though, diligent effort will eventually be rewarded. Talking with accomplished golfers, I'm simply amazed at the number of different benefits people have derived from this book. For me, the best single piece of advice was to start a practice journal. Over several years this allowed me to boil a million different ideas about putting down into my own very personal set of putting fundamentals. This ridiculously simple set of rules has stood the test of time, serving me well for a number of years now. I've since tried to bring the same methodical approach the other areas of my game. So my advice is get your hands on a copy of this book and be ready to invest yourself in it. Give it some time to work and check back periodically. Soon you'll be hitting those "shots with real character" Mr. Hogan and Mr. Wind speak so eloquently of.

Great Book, December 28, 1999
Every literate golfer should be required to have a copy of this book in his/her library. This is a great book. Ironically, not really so much for the golf instruction. Rather more for the insight into the mind of the great Ben Hogan and his masterful inspiration for the great game of golf. It remains an inspiration to me. The man was something special and unique and he somehow captured it in this strange little book. The illustrations by Ravelli are beautiful art.

I would say the section on the grip is the best. Every beginning amateur could profit from these simple concepts and benefit for the rest of their golfing carreer. The next time you are on the course, keep a mental tally of the really excellent golf grips that you observe. Then go back and re-read Hogan's chapter on the golf grip. You may begin to appreciate the game in a new light.

Simply Amazing----What a Joy to Read!, January 25, 2001
I was a little skeptical about buying a book to help my golf game, but like all golfers, if it will help, I'll try it! I read the book in about 3 days and truly felt like Ben Hogan himself had been there taking me throught the motions of the golf swing. He breaks every movement down to a form that is easy to understand and apply. The way he presents himself gave me a sense of confidence that I could improve my game if I just followed his 5 basic principles. I am hitting longer straighter shots and for the first time I can hit my driver with minimal or zero slice.......Thank you Ben Hogan!

Hogan Teaches a SYSTEM, August 16, 2005
I have been playing golf for many years and have been very fortunate to learn from great teachers and golfers. I have spent a ridiculous amount of time practicing and studying this crazy game. My career round is a 73. I learned a high hands, long swing with a draw which had become a pull hook. I almost quit the game because of inconsistency. My wife bought me the Five Fundamentals at a garage sale and I never read it because I thought that the book only applied to Hogan. I was WRONG!
What Hogan teaches in this book is an entire system. You can not take any one thing out of it and mix it with the two-plane swing. The grip, set-up and basic move away and back through the ball, as described in this book, are all designed to facilitate a rotary swing with low hands and minimal lateral movement. If you want to learn a LOT about the golf swing, take this book and do EXACTLY what it says on the driving range for the next two or three times you go hit balls. This book teaches a swing that is entirely around and close to the body, It is very much like swinging a baseball bat. It allows you to have predictable lower body action and most importantly, it allows you stop thinking about your hands and arms. How many books are there about the intracacies of swinging a bat? Not nearly as many as golf. All you have to do is swing the club like a bat and have a set-up that allows for a longer flat spot at the bottom of the swing and you will be more consistent than swinging around then up and then back down with the hands and arms. People really misunderstand what this book teaches mostly because they think that Hogan just switched to a neutral grip to cure a hook. The elements and techniques in the book are all basic fundamentals which build a rounded, one plane swing. If you want to have a standard, hands and arm swing with some body thrown in, then read Harvey Penick(he was a GENIUS) and do the things that he teaches. If you want to have a system where you hit the ball predictably, do EXACTLY what this book says. Hogan did not teach the classic high hands, two plane, arc driven swing. This includes the stance and ball position along with the left hand and arm starting the swing. IT WORKS and is so SIMPLE and saved my game. Trust your arms to swing behind and around you and the set up, and marvel at what a genius Hogan really was. It's a different swing than most instructors teach. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Vijay Singh, Masters and PGA Champion, says, "ZEN GOLF is the bestbook there is for connecting golf and the mind together. It's foreveryone, and you're going to enjoy it. I keep it in my golf bag andtake it with me everywhere." Charles Howell III says, "The techniquesin ZEN GOLF for working with negative thoughts are better than anyother psychological approach." In chapters such as "Never Keep MoreThan a Hundred Thoughts in Your Mind During Your Swing", "Isn't WhereYou Have to Play It From Punishment Enough?" and "How to Enjoy a BadRound of Golf", the Dr. Joe Parent, a PGA TOUR Instructor, guidesgolfers with simple yet powerful techniques to prepare for, execute,and, equally important, respond to the results of any golf shot. Theauthor draws on his teaching experience and sense of humor to offerspecial methods that have led to amazing improvements in the games ofprofessionals and amateurs alike. By applying classic insights andstories from the Buddhist tradition to the challenges of golf, ZENGOLF shows you how to make your mind an ally instead of an enemy: howto stay calm, clear the interference that leads to poor shots, andeliminate bad habits and mental mistakes.Clear, concise, and enlightening, this book introduces a uniqueperspective combining modern psychology, Buddhist wisdom andprofessional golf instruction. Zen Golf shapes ancient philosophiesinto new teachings, leading golfers to the effortless focus andunconditional confidence of being in "the zone." ... Read more

Reviews

The Point, October 8, 2002
What's the point of golf? What are we trying to achieve while we're out there? Simply put, the point is to get the ball in the cup as quickly as possible and enjoy the process. I played a round early this summer, had an awful time, came off the course stressed and feeling bad about my behavior. I was literally hyperventalating over putts. Turns out I scored well. So something was amiss, right? This book has me enjoying the game again. Zen Golf is not a deep and difficult treatise of the deeper meaning of life and golf. It is closer to an instruction manual on how to play better golf and enjoy the game more. It addresses concepts like trust, confidence and positive thinking. I now enjoy those 3-iron punch shots out of the trees. I'm learning to enjoy those 5-footers. Every shot is an opportunity and there's no need for fear or negativity. My "evil caddie" seldom comes around, and when he does, I know what to do. This is simply the best golf book I've ever read.

get your mind out of the way of your golf game, June 3, 2002
The one time I had a perfect (for me) round of golf I noticed that the game seemed extremely simple. The rest of the time, I wonder how it can be so complicated to try and reproduce that simplicity. Zen golf gets to the root of this and offers a path there, and the opportunity to have that round at any time.
Joseph Parent's advice applies to all levels of golfers and is a guide to consistent and reproduceable results. It is one of those rare books on golf that doesn't fill your head with things to consider while you play, it does the opposite by showing you how to clear your head and in doing so clear away the obstacles that prevent us and our bodies from naturally performing the way we are capable of. I expect that the short time it took me to read this book will have a long-lasting effect on the way I will play golf from now on, and I am in the process of reading it for a second time.

Why you should buy this book!, August 14, 2002
As an avid, yet struggling golfer I was ready for just about anything that could improve my game, including a lobotomy. Zen Golf was not only straight forward, but incredibly useful. Shortly after reading the book, I went out and "trusting" my swing not only hit a lot of great shots, but actually began having fun again. I enjoyed myself so much that I scheduled a full day lesson with Dr. Parent. Talk about a book brought to life. He was wonderful. Not only was he full of insight and stress relieving approaches, but he was really fun to play with. In the last year or so, I have been shooting a lot of 80's and even some 90's. Employing Dr. Parent's concepts I shot 77 AND had a fun time. I don't dread golf anymore. I highly recommend the book to every golfer looking to play to their full potential and take the hernia out of the game. For those luckier still, I recommend a lesson with Dr. Parent. If you are struggling with your game, either take up tennis or get this book.

Yes!!! This book helps your mind when you are on the course., May 28, 2002
I bought this book because it had a quote from V J Singh on the cover. Singh endorses this book. Singh has been concentrating on the mental side of the golf game. For the amateur golfer, the first thing to do is groove a swing, and develop short-game skills. After that, there are dozens of sports psychology books waiting for you. I have read about 10 of them, and most of them gave me the same feeling, as if I was reading the same thing over and over. This book was a bit different. I felt that the tips were very basic, but a couple of them have really helped me on the course. They have probably helped me more than anything else that I have read. I would say that there were about 6 very good tips/thoughts in this book. And probably 2 of them will stay with me for the rest of my life.
One lesson helps you for when you hit a bad shot. Usually, I would get upset, and my mood probably wouldn't get better until the next time I hit a really nice shot. This book teaches you a very simple method which has helped me to not get upset on the course.
One note: to be honest, I don't think that the book has directly helped me hit the ball closer to the pin, or to play smarter. However, it has helped me enjoy each shot more, and I definitely do not get upset on the course, anymore.

Reviews by Nan Kilar and Bobby Miller, March 28, 2006
When I worked as the golf professional on Holland America's ms Westerdam, I told our guests that I saw the game of golf as four-dimensional: attitude, set-up, swing and course management. And I don't care if you are a tour player or a beginner, the very first thing that you take out of your bag had better be a good attitude, or you lose.

In "Zen Golf", Dr. Parent takes the game a giant step forward. He suggests that you never do or say anything on the golf course that you wouldn't do in front of your five year old daughter. What on earth does this have to do with improving your swing and game in general? Everything! Since I'm a golf instructor, not a preacher or counselor, I'll not even try to outline the many physical and mental keys that are presented in this book that'll help your game and home life after the game. I'll just say, "Buy it!"

Playing lessons, July 2, 2002
Finally, after reading hundreds of books and attending numerous golf schools, I have found instruction on how to manage my golf game and play with the game I have. Dr. Parents "Zen Golf" is a guide to the meditative aspects of golf, in fact he offers step by step instuction to begin meditation and work it into your golf game. Anyone who has ever meditated and played golf sees golf as "meditation in action": What's Tiger Woods advantage over the field of PGA golfers? Mind control he has gained trough years of meditation practice guided by his mother (from Thailand). Dr. Parents shows us how to "be" on the golf course to increase enjoyment and lower scores, but more importantly to play with honor and dignity regardless of the outcome that day.

For golf and beyond..., October 26, 2006
I really enjoyed reading Dr. Parent's book. It's quick reading, but not lightweight if you take the time to consider the lessons in the words. I'm a relative newcomer to golf and I think I have done well to improve my game in each of the four years I've been playing. A big part of this has been my outlook on the game and the ability to manage the inevitable bad shots that come as a starting golfer.

The lessons presented in this book are great for golf, but they can also be applied to other areas of life. If you don't worry about the results, but are mentally prepared to handle the outcome then you are a leg up on most people. Worry can be crippling on or off the golf course. (Note: this does not mean that you don't care about the results. There's a big difference in not worrying and not caring.)

I've read books by both Dr. Parent and Dr. Bob Rotella. Although both focus on the mental aspect of the game, I find the Zen Golf by Dr. Parent to be more practical. He gives specific examples and exercises that you can perform to make the Zen discipline a part of your practice and your game. That's not to knock Dr. Rotella - I've gotten good use of his books, too. I just find the Zen Golf to be a little more guided in helping you to seek the mental clarity that golf demands.

Zen Golf - The Best Book on Golf I have read, November 3, 2006
I've played golf for 40 years and have had a 10 hcp for most of that time. This book is the best I've seen. I think most golfers would agree that the game is 80 to 90 percent mental, and this book addresses that 80-90%. It almost totally ignores the physical aspects, which might bother some golfers, but my results have been have been amazing. My scores for the last 2 months have been in the low 70's. I don't even think about the mechanics of the swing anymore. The principles are very easy to understand and implement. I would recommend this book for any level of golfer.

Once Is NOT enough!, March 30, 2004
I read Zen Golf and immediately thought that this was THE best book on how to improve your golf game and how you enjoy it. The book is NOT how to create the perfect golf swing. It is all about the mental side of the game and how you can improve your results by improving the way you think. Shortly after reading the book, I realized that reading it only once and expecting to achieve the intended results was simply not enough. The book must be read multiple times, use a hi-liter to mark the passages you want to improve on. There are so many wonderful mental suggestions that it is almost impossible to pick them all up the first time you read the book. I thought so much of the book, I purchased the book on CDs. I have read the book three times and listened to the CD's twice and will continue to read and listen until I have a clear picture of exactly what I want to accomplish. Since I only play on weekends, the time between rounds/practice tends to dull the lessons learned if you read it only once. Once is simply not enough! I know of no other book on golf I would recommend more. The principles also apply to life in general and sales specifically. The similarities between golf and sales are incredible!

Zen Golf: Mastering the Mental Game, August 3, 2005
Joseph Parent truly succeeds in integrating what he has learned from his Zen teachers and teachings with one's round of golf. His book is a must for all golfers, beginners and experts alike, duffers and long hitters. Points that Parent makes including breathing, putting beyond the cup, and not hitting "anyways shots" will truly improve one's round of golf. It will also impact a reader's attitude toward hitting the ball... from approach to follow-through, from driving to putting. Zen Golf is a great book and the unabridged book on CD is a must for travelers. The book has my highest recommendation. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Much has been written about the putter (both the instrument and the one wielding it), but never like what you'll find in The Best Putting Instruction Book Ever!, your ultimate guide to learning how to read putts and stroke them consistently into the hole. In this fourth installment of best-selling lesson manuals, Golf Magazine assembles and all-star cast of putting experts-who teach a combined 200+ Tour professionals-to help you eliminate the fear and doubt you have about your putting game, and replace it with new, proven ways to make the putts you should (and a few that you shouldn't). The Best Putting Instruction Book Ever! covers every aspect of rolling the ball into the cup in never-before-seen detail, with research to back up every lesson and hundreds of full-color photographs that make the tips easy to follow, learn and repeat on the course. ... Read more

Reviews

LOVE this book!, October 20, 2010
This book is great! I bought it online and was enjoying it until my father-in-law "borrowed" it! haha
I had to go back and by two more! Another one for me and one for my Dad! This is a must buy! Great photos too!

Must read if yoiu want to be a great putter, October 12, 2010
OK, so I'm biased because I'm an Edel putter fitter and an AimPoint instructor, but who better to write a review. I've sold hundreds of custom fitted putters and trained hundreds of AimPoint students and I can categorically state that to be a good putter you need to be able to aim your putter, start the ball on the correct line at the right speed and read the green.
So Chapter 1 and Chapter 6 are required reading. The other Chapters provide some interesting information which are more in the area of personal preference but the effects of correct aim and correct green reading are scientifically proven to improve your putting.
It's interesting to note that 4 Chapters are written by AimPoint instructors and 3 are written by Edel putter fitters. The overlap of knowledge is critical in much the same way as golf swing instruction and club fitting go hand in hand.
My personal experience - an Edel putter knocked 2 strokes off my game, AimPoint has knocked at least 3 more. I used to average 32-33 putts per round, this year it's a hair over 29.

Ultimate Putting Book, October 12, 2010
This book has everything you need to become a great putter, it is revolutionary. You cannot find this information anywhere else. The book is genius. David Edel gives you a great understanding on how to find the right putter for you. Edel helps you understand why certain putter designs will help you aim the putter while others actually distort your ability to aim, forcing you to make in stroke compensations. Dr Wright shows you how to find your stance, Mike Adams gives you the recipe for calibrating your putting strokes plus an awesome way to find your set up determined by your perfect putter. Maggie Will, Stan Utley and Scott Munroe give you the fundamentals for your ideal putter type. Finally someone helps you understand the difference between putters and the strokes that match them. Mark Sweeney gives a system of taking the guess work out of reading greens. He is genius. He takes green reading from voodoo to YOU DO, a scientific system that works every time. Mike Shannon's insight into linear vs nonlinear will clear things up for you, assisting you in how each person sees the line. Dr Farnsworth gives you a plan of how to practice and get better. This is the first Putting book that actually guides to become a great putter, a road map to success. The amazing thing it is written like it comes from one voice as these experts compliment each proceeding chapter.

The Best Putting Instruction Book Ever, October 16, 2010
Wow, GOLF Magazine finally got it right. Unlike the previous books of tips this one actually has useful information to make people better. As a golf professional, I recommend this book to all my members as all are looking to make more putts. This book has been an asset to my teaching ability as well. I have become a better teacher and more knowledgeable in all facets of putting. Regardless of ability, this book will help you make more putts. It will even help you find better equipment.

Mike Adams drills on how to find if you need a toe-weighted or face balanced putter actually works! His calibration system, is simple and effective for all levels... and this works too! You can improve greatly just by reading this chapter. Mike's segment will direct you to the proper putting instruction for your putter and stroke type.

Whether you are in need of a long putter (Scott Munroe), arc stroke (Stan Utley) or face balanced putter that uses a rail stroke (Maggie Will) your putting needs will be met in this complete putting book.
David Edel's putter fitting system is second to none and used by many tour players and amateurs alike. Keep in mind, amateurs need a putter that fits as much as the tour player!

Mark Sweeney's chapter on green reading is pure genius, you'll never look at a green the same ever again! You'll never miss-read a putt either. Mike Shannon gives a great understanding on whether you are a linear or non-linear player. This alone will make you re-think the way you putt and look at a putt. Craig Farnsworth's section on how to practice will give you direction and David Wright will get your body in the proper stance. Marius Filmalter's intense research could have been directed toward what makes the best putters in the world great rather than the yips. However, his research is accurate and will be helpful to you "yippers".

All told, the foremost instructors in the world of golf will make you putt better. Bravo GOLF Magazine!

Great Information! Well written., October 12, 2010
I highly recommend this book to any golfer who is serious about lowering their scores. The book combines numerous expert sections and covers all aspects of putting (including some that haven't been explored outside this book). I was especially impressed with the chapters by Mike Adams, Mark Sweeney, and Dr. Craig Farnsworth. In Mike Adams' chapter he discusses calibrating your putting stroke to match your natural rhythm and tempo. He also gives different setup techniques based on your preference of putter. Mark Sweeney's chapter involves the demystifying of green reading. He shows that each green can be broken down to discover the break just by using your feet and an easy to understand chart. Craig Farnsworth gives many useful practice tips and explains how to use your eyes to aid in alignment and distance control. The book has a very nice continuity to it and each chapter seemed to compliment the next. The only chapter that didn't quite seem to fit was the final chapter about the yips and performance failure. Overall a great tool to improve your putting and I believe it will help my game.

Worthless, save your money, October 27, 2010
Each chapter was written by a different person, some very obviously promoting their own self interests. I found some chapters incomprehensible and others totally worthless. One chapter on putting technique totally contradicted the material in the previous chapter. All in all, I ended up more confused than ever after reading the book. ... Read more

Editorial Review

How a movie about minor league hockey became a box office hit-and an international cult classic

Even thirty-odd years after Slap Shot's release, diehard hockey fans can still recite scenes of dialogue by heart, making lines like "putting on the foil" just common argot for the devoted. Yet many may be surprised to learn that the true story behind the making of the film is as captivating as the film itself. In The Making of Slap Shot, veteran sports writer Jonathon Jackson lets fans not only relive just how the film was made, but brings to light surprising facts (i.e., Al Pacino was the first choice for the role of Reggie Dunlop; almost every scene-even the absurd and unbelievable ones-depicts a real life event). With access to those involved in the making of the film, he brings to life some of the magic behind the creation of memorable scenes and characters, especially the Charleston Chiefs, one of the most popular fictional sports teams in history.

• Based on interviews with over 50 cast members, production staff, and anyone of note involved in the film's creation

Destined to be a collectible and keepsake (along with the jerseys, bobbleheads, and other paraphernalia associated with the film), The Making of Slapshot is a must for fans eager to learn even more about their favorite film. ... Read more

Reviews

If You're a Fan of Slapshot, You'll like this book. . ., October 6, 2010
This book gives some great insight into minor league hockey during the 1970s and tells the real story behind the stories in Slap Shot including info about the real players who were the basis for the characters in the movie, as well as the actors who portrayed them.

Jonathon Jackson also gives a compelling portrait of Johnstown, PA where the film was shot, and ends with a "where are they now" section about the actors, players, and filmmakers who brought us this classic movie.

Fascinating and scrupulously accurate history of the making of a cult classic, November 3, 2010
As the Hollywood producer who found, developed, and sold the script and ultimately produced the movie SLAP SHOT, I have to congratulate Jackson for having done an incredible job depicting in fascinating detail everything relevant to the making of what has turned out to be a classic cult movie. This book is scrupulously well researched, and (unlike many books about Hollywood) scrupulously fair and accurate as well--and wonderfully written. Everyone associated with the film is in Jackson's debt, and I could not recommend the book more highly to any fan of the movie and or the game!

Hockey Lovers, and film buffs too, October 14, 2010
I had the pleasure of reading this book on a long flight and I simply couldn't put it down. As a die-hard hockey fan, and someone who has seen the movie probably fifty times, I was absolutely fascinated by the background behind the making of the movie. It was particularly poignant given Paul Newman's recent passing.

There's no question that it is a "must-read" for hockey fans, but I dare say that fans of film-making, and of Paul Newman in particular, are in for a real treat.

Fantastic Book!, December 5, 2010
Wow. What a fantastic book. Not only does the author go into great detail about the making of the movie, he also gets very involved in the back-stories of the Johnstown Jets and all the real characters and situations of the movie.

I picked this up expecting a basic book that didn't get into too much detail, but what I ended up reading was a fantastic retrospective on not only the making of the movie, but fantastic backgrounds on all the stories that led to the movie.

I really appreciated the detail given on the city of Johnstown as well as the background stories of minor league hockey during the time. It was even cooler seeing my mom and dad quoted a few times!

This is a great book to pick up not only for fans of Slap Shot, but also hockey fans who never seen the movie (do those people even exist?)

I had a hard time putting this book down - I'm glad I bought it!

Hockey Hit, December 23, 2010
We were entertained by the movies and now by the book...the background stories are hilarious and make us realize even more what a small world the hockey world is. Also a good read for hockey fans who liked Bruce Boudreau's "Gabby".

Lots of interesting minutia for true fans of this film. But WHERE ARE THE PICTURES?, November 10, 2010
I enjoyed the book but it has a glaring gap - there is not one single picture.

As a result, unless you know every single character in the film (and can picture them in your minds eye) it is quite annoying.

... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

[...], October 23, 2010
RANDY COUTURE XTREME TRAINING
The Fighter's Ultimate Fitness Manual
with Lance Freimuth and Erich Krauss
(Victory Belt)
ďż˝ Marc Wickert October 23, 2010
[...]

This 320-page manual has been a long time coming, but well worth every minute of the wait. If you were to only have one piece of equipment in your gym, this book would have to be it.

What I really love about "Randy Couture Xtreme Training - the Fighter's Ultimate Fitness Manual" is that the book contains a lot of training advice and instruction that could have been passed down from the days of Randy Couture's great, great grandfather when fighters and wrestlers trained in old wooden sheds or rolled in the dirt in their backyards. Some of these moves could even be attributed to Cain and Abel's sparring days.

There's no ultra-modern equipment employed or any state-of-the-art wizardry - it's all "Natural", as you'd expect. And there are plenty of routines you can utilize when you're traveling where no gym is handy.

Another aspect of the manual I enjoy is the wide use of medicine balls in Randy's training: medicine ball slams for improving endurance and stamina as well as developing overall body conditioning; medicine ball jumping squats for explosive power and stamina; medicine ball punches to improve punching power; plyometric push-ups with medicine ball which also boosts stability and coordination; sit-ups and Russian twists with medicine ball for the abs; medicine ball cage walks; use of medicine ball for focus shield...

Then there are the sledgehammer strikes on tractor tires, tractor tire flips, rope climbs, flex bands, and much, much more. This book is chockers! But it's not just a selection of calisthenics thrown together. Randy systematically works on eight categories: strength, speed, power, size, endurance, coordination, balance and agility.

And as Randy states in "Randy Couture Xtreme Training - the Fighter's Ultimate Fitness Manual", "It is important to mention that this book is designed sequentially. The beginning of each chapter explains specific details necessary for understanding the pages that follow, and each section builds upon the previous section. As you read the book, you will discover not only what exercises I utilize in my fight preparation, but also why I utilize each individual exercise at various stages in my training regime."

The manual concludes with day-by-day and week-by-week programs that specify the number of sets and reps for each exercise. Randy Couture is with you every step of the way.

Contents
PART ONE: GENERAL PHYSICAL PREPARATION
Includes: strength, speed, power, size, endurance, coordination, balance and agility.

SECTION ONE: METABOLIC CONDITIONING
Dynamic Warm-Up
Includes: dynamic warm-up, agility ladder, hurdles, backward hop...
Full-Body Metabolic Conditioning
Includes: ropes, tire flip, sledgehammer on tractor tire, bent-over rows, squats, snatches, medicine balls...

SECTION ONE: POSTERIOR CHAIN
Double Extension
Includes: squats, hip thrust on stability ball, deadlifts, lunges, step-ups...

Triple Extension
Includes: jumping squat, plyometric routines, long jumps, sprints, power cleans, push press, snatch...

SECTION THREE: UPPER BODY PUSH
Horizontal Plane
Includes: bench presses, dumbbell presses, press on Swiss ball, presses with flex bands, push-ups, plyometric push-up with medicine ball...

Frontal Plane
Includes: triceps extensions, dips, handstand push-ups, overhead dumbbell press series...

Overhead substitutes
Includes: alternating dumbbell front presses and dumbbell lateral raises.

SECTION FOUR: UPPER BODY PULL
Horizontal Plane
Includes: various bent-over rows incorporating bench and Swiss-ball support, partner rows, standing rows with flex bands...

Frontal Plane
Includes: various pull-ups, laying dumbbell pull-over, rope climb, biceps curls...

SECTION FIVE: CORE
Abdominal Flexion
Includes: crunch, leg scissor crunch, sit-ups, flex band-resisted crunch on Swiss ball, V-up, pike, leg lifts...

Rotational
Includes: various Russian twists, scorpions, windshield wipers with dumbbell, suitcase deadlift...

Isometric Support
Includes: alternating two-point plank, plank on Swiss ball, various ab-wheel rollouts, side bridge...

Neck Support
Includes: various neck bridges, neck harness, lateral neck raises...

PART TWO: SPORT-SPECIFIC TRAINING
Includes: strength, speed, power, size, endurance, coordination, balance and agility.

SECTION ONE: SPORT-SPECIFIC STANDING
Solo Power Drills
Includes: medicine-ball punches, band-resisted punches, band-resisted knees strikes, band resisted double-leg, cage walk-ups, flex band shoulder throw...

Partner takedown Drills
Includes: bear crawl and frog hop drill, arm drag drill, headlock throw drill, running the pipe single-leg drill, throwing dummy suplex...

Partner Striking Drills
Includes: counter low kick on shield drill, alternating knees on kick shield drill, heavy bag combination drill, countering strikes to takedown drill...

SECTION TWO: SPORT-SPECIFIC GROUND
Solo Power Drills
Includes: physio ball squeeze, heavy bag ground'n'pound, guard striking to sweep to mount...

Partner Grappling Drills
Includes: turtle flips, guard passes, head control get-up, hip bump to bridge and roll drill...

PART THREE: TRAINING ROUTINE
Week One - Week Ten

ALTERNATE WORKOUTS
Novice Strength and Conditioning Workout
Beginner Strength and Size
Intermediate Strength and Size
Advanced Strength Building


"Randy Couture Xtreme Training - the Fighter's Ultimate Fitness Manual" is the ultimate companion to Randy Couture's "Wrestling for Fighting" book, where he covers his preferred fighting techniques that have made him one of the most successful athletes in MMA history.

wow!, October 13, 2010
Amazing book. Very detailed, informative, and well laid out. If I ever wondered why Randy Couture was still able to be a world class athlete at the age of 47, this book answers that question. To anyone who's interested in mixed martial arts, or just to get into better shape for any sport, this book is worth every penny.

Best Book Yet, October 13, 2010
In short, I have to say that this book is amazing. I train mixed martial arts, and I've read or purchased every book in the field, and nothing comes close to this book yet. This book is more than just a simple photo book of exercises, it's actually a legitimate training method broken down step by step. The other popular books in this genre are glorified bodybuilding books, with MMA fighters showing body part split routines that were already antiquated 20 years ago. By contrast Randy breaks the book down into two general sections, general training and sports specific training. The general training section is broken down by movement pattern rather than body part. This is a much more effective method for organizing your workouts, because your body never works in isolation. As you train your back, you'll often hit your biceps. As you train your quads, you'll often work your hamstrings ect. This book recognizes that, and groups together movements, not muscles. The sports specific section is also great, breaking down the ground and standing skills and drills up by level similarity to one another. The drills start from the very simple and go to the very complex, building upon the simplest movements and leading to the most complex.

The level of detail in this book is amazing. The photos are extremely clear and crisp, and do an amazing job of displaying the movement between each set of photos. The writing is also similarly crisp, and with a far greater volume than in other MMA training books. Each technique has a long, detailed intro explaining exactly what muscle groups each exercise is working, and what the emphasis of each workout is. In addition each photo is captioned, explaining the movement and the coaching cues for each individual phase of the lift. Finally, for anyone who's interested, there's an exceptional level theory in this book. Not only does Randy show his workouts in detail, but he explains WHY he organizes his workouts in that particular way. The beginning of the book explains the physiological mechanisms that occur when you train and how it develops your body, and how to specify your training to advance your personal goals. Towards the end of the book, Randy breaks down his training camp, which is something I've yet to see an elite fighter go into in detail. He not only explains how he organizes his MMA workouts for maximum effect, but he breaks down his entire pre-fight training camp. He explains how he eases into a training camp, at what stage he starts adding in weight training, when he begins to move into conditioning based routines, and how he tapers into the final week to come into the fight in optimum shape. Really I can't say enough good things about this book. For anyone who trains in any sport, I think this book will definitely teach you something that will be very helpful towards your goals.

I will never fight, but I definitely picked up a lot just by reading through his workouts., October 21, 2010
I'm a huge fan of Randy Couture, and was extremely happy when I finally got to look through this book. I don't fight, and I never will, but I still picked up a lot from this book. I go to the gym roughly 3-4 times per week, and I immediately recognized a lot of the exercises in this book. In reading through, I picked up lots of information and key points how to implement these exercises better. The back of the book even shows Randy's entire working in detail. He shows exercise and in every workout leading up to a fight. Again, I will never fight, but I definitely picked up a lot just by reading through his workouts. I've now changed the order of my exercises, as well as the sets and reps schemes of many of the exercises I do. All of this info was picked up from this book. Really great buy

Best S & C book on the market!, October 14, 2010
Having purchased training for warriors, xtreme training is hands down the best book on the market for strength and conditioning as it relates to fight specific training. Even if you're not an MMA fighter, this is an excellent book to have in your library. It covers everything: olympic and power lifts, core exercises, conditioning workouts, countless drills--many of which I've never seen--as well as legit programming. Everybody is always clamoring about how Randy stays in such good shape in this book explains how. The book is organized in a manner that is easy to understand, the techniques are beautifully described, and the programs are excellent. This is a bible of exercises and an all around masterful work. I'm extremely happy with this product and would recommend it to anyone interested in getting fit for fighting.

The True Recipe For Fitness, October 11, 2010
I had a lot of apprehension when I got this book. I have purchased a lot of fitness books in the past, and usually they just show how to do the same tired bodybuilder workouts. I have been getting more involved in crossfit and circuit trianing, and I didn't want a book that demonstrated workouts that just build impressive muscles, but rather a book that offered programming to build an impressive athlete. I don't train that much in MMA, but I know that MMA athletes such as Randy Couture are perhaps some of the best training athletes out of any sport. I wanted to understand what went into their fitness routine, and this book did not let me down. The book is broken down by movement rather than by body part, which caught my attention right off the bat and set it apart from most other books. In addition to offering hundreds of different movements, he shows different variations of the same movement to gain different athletic qualities. Granted, my goal is not to train for a fight, but I have always wanted to get into fighting shape. To show how to put all the different movements together to reach this end, Randy offers 30 pages in the back of the book that is devoted solely to programming. As a bonus, the entire book is in full color and the layout looks great. Best book I have found as far as improving your fitness.

Fantastic advice, October 11, 2010
I don't train mixed martial arts, but I'm a huge fan of the sport and of Randy Couture. Randy is always in great shape, and this book shows why. I don't train, but I do go to the gym and work out to stay in shape. Believe it or not but there's actually a lot of good exercises in here that I'm going to use in my next workout. Some of the exercises shown in this book are brutal, so maybe I'll get in fighting shape too :) ... Read more

Editorial Review

Have you ever wondered why the average handicap on the USGA has barely improved in the last 20 years? The answer is very simple:

a) The Golf Swing is very difficult to understand and to perform.

b) The average weekend golfer would love to improve but doesn´t have the time or the interest to spend long hours practicing.

After studying the golf swing for over 25 years, JF Tamayo has developed a revolutionary method proved for the weekend golfer of any level to significantly improve distance and accuracy from day one, based on three main principles:

1) FOCUS ON CHANGES THAT MOST POSITIVELY AFFECT RESULTS: Opposite to the traditional methods, this book will only ask you to make changes in the most relevant parts of the swing needed to hit solid and consistent shots: the backswing and the transition between the backswing and the downswing.

2) LEARN HOW TO DEVELOP AN EASY, REPEATABLE AND SOLID BACKSWING: One of the biggest breakthroughs of the method was the development of a unique and much easier way to consistently make a solidly sound backswing that will look similar to the new Tiger Wood´s one plane backswing but much simpler to learn, to do and to repeat.

3) LEARN HOW TO CREATE LAG: Being able to increase lag during the downswing is one of the major differences between the amateur's golf swing versus a professional's and probably one of the most misunderstood concepts of golf. In this book you will easily learn how to lag the club like the pros, dramatically improving your clubhead speed, ball striking ability and distance.

This incredible and simple method will instantly take your game to a higher level while you will be helping others since 50% of the profits obtained from this project will be donated to charity.

Authors: J. F. Tamayo - 143 Photographs by J. Jaeckel ... Read more

Reviews

Astounding Results, May 10, 2010
When I first read "Finally: The Golf Swing's Simple Secret" I was a little skeptical. I have been playing golf for 50 years to a handicap that, for the last 30 or so years ranged from 11 to a low of 6. My short game has been, in my estimation, the strongest part of my game. I could never count on hitting the fairway or the green due to sometimes repeating flaws in my long game. When my putting went south on any given day (who hasn't been there at one time or another) the increased pressure on my already suspect long game often resulted in disaster and breaking 90 became a challenge.

I read the book and then re-read the passages on the swing and "lag"..then I went out and played...all I can say is OMG. The new problem I have now is that I have to go to the range and find out my new distances to keep from going over the green. The results, in both distance and accuracy, are amazing. The sound my clubs make when I make continual solid hits is music to my ears....what used to be a rare "solid" hit is now becoming commonplace.

I have a Kindle and the price for a download is amazingly cheap for the results I am achieving. This, by the way, is the FIRST time I have ever written a recommendation on the Amazon site.

The Book's Title Says it All!, March 14, 2010
I'm your typical weekend hack. I paly about once a week, struggle to break 100. and usually slice my drives into the adjoining fairway.

I bought this book (the Kindle version) on a lark. It was offered for only $0.99 - I figured it was worth a try. I bought Friday night, read it quickly, and practiced only a few of the drills in the mirror (without a club) before my Saturday morning round.

Everything was different during that round. I followed the setup and backswing instructions listed by Tamayo and my game changed instantly. I was hitting the ball cleanly and my power slice turned into a very gentle fade. I was hitting most fairways and many greens in regulation. I had 9 pars on the day and scored an 83! Up to this point, my low round was somewhere in the low-nineties.

What a difference. It was definitely the best golf advice I've ever received. If you're struggling with your game, buy a copy of the book -- you won't regret it.

Fantastic!, August 14, 2010
I have been playing golf for 40 years, since I was 10 years old. Recently turning 50, I have had more frustrations lately than I can deal with. I've gone from an 8 handicap to a 13 handicap, and thought about giving up the game. But since I am in the golf business, that would be difficult to do. I have read literally dozens of golf books, and spent thousands on lessons.

I just finished this fantastic book in less than 24 hours, and I know this is the answer. I haven't even practiced the drills, but I know that this is how the pro's and good players swing the golf club. And I also know before hitting one golf ball that this will change my life.

Kudo's to the author, great read, easy read, and without question the best instructional book with no bs I've ever read. And I do not write reviews. But I felt honored to write this one, as I would like to see like the author, more copies sold, as 50% of the sales will go to charities.

I will review a 2nd time after I've had time to take the lessons onto the course. I can't wait.

I honestly believe I have found it. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible is the first book in a four-book series, The Dave Pelz Scoring Game Series.The next volume in the series will be Dave Pelz's Putting Bible.

"He who rules the short game collects the gold."
--Dave Pelz's Golden Rule of Golf

Fed up with trying to imitate the pros, buying the latest expensive equipment, and seeing your handicap stay the same? The first book by bestselling author and internationally revered golf instructor Dave Pelz since Putt Like the Pros, his bestselling classic, Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible can show you the way to lower scores by improving your short game. The result of decades of scientific research studying thousands of golfers, Dave's philosophy is as simple as it is revolutionary and groundbreaking: Instead of practicing the wrong things the right way, or the right things the wrong way, Pelz shows you how to find your own personal weaknesses and how to improve them to efficiently lower your scores. Packed with all the knowledge, charts, and photos needed to learn from the master, Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible is the essential book for every golfer who's looking to improve his or her game.

Dave's approach to golf is easy to understand: 80 percent of the strokes golfers lose to par are determined by their play within 100 yards of the green--the crucial scoring game. The most important and yet the least focused-on aspect of golf, your short game, can indeed make or break your entire game. And nobody teaches the short game like Dave Pelz. His renowned golf schools and clinics focus exclusively on putting and the short game, attracting top players like Tom Kite, Colin Montgomerie, two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen, reigning PGA champion Vijay Singh, Steve Elkington, Payne Stewart, Peter Jacobsen, and many LPGA players including Annika Sorenstam and Liselotte Neumann. The pros know, as you are about to learn, that while others teach golfers how to swing, Dave Pelz teaches golfers how to score . . .and win.

A former physicist for NASA, Dave brings a scientific rigor to his research and instruction that has made him the top short-game expert in the world. Dave has observed and then taught thousands of golfers to improve their ability to score better. The years he has spent studying the short game, including chipping, lobs, pitches, distance wedges, and bunker play, have resulted in an unequaled expertise and a fascinating body of knowledge on golf, with the statistics and data to back it up. In this new book, Dave for the first time shares the understanding and techniques he has taught the pros, including a wide array of innovative tests and exercises for mastering those deceptive and high-pressure shots of the short game.

Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible is an essential book for golfers of all levels. Covering everything golfers need to know to improve their short game, Dave's system can--and will--help you to consistently shoot lower scores. ... Read more

Reviews

More Valuable Information Than I Learned in His Course!, July 20, 2000
I took the Dave Pelz 3 day short-game course a few years ago, and got great benefit from it. As helpful as that was, I found this book to be a big additional assist. It explained the Pelz principles better than the school did, and it also looks like he has learned quite a few things since I took the school. There's a lot to learn about the short game, and it is helpful to have this as a reference. If you don't know if you want to get his videos or attend one of his courses, this is also a good introduction.

I found out about Dave Pelz by accident. I was playing golf one day at La Quinta with a woman who hit one amazing pitch shot after another close to the pin. The rest of her game was below average, so I asked her where she had picked up the pitching game. She told me that she had just finished Dave Pelz's short game school at PGA West and said it had helped her a lot. Remembering that caused me to take the course.

Dave Pelz is the ultimate golf engineer. He measures everything, and that has led to new learning. For example, he has found that 60-65% of all shots occur within 100 yards of the hole. More importantly, "about 80% of the shots golfers lose topar occur within 100 yards." In further measurements, he noticed that the largest errors in missing the target occur with wedges (for amateurs and pros). These misses are usually in distance, rather than left and right variance.

From these observations, Pelz developed a four wedge system with 3 lengths of backswing that will give you much more distance precision with wedges within 100 yards. The reason this important relates to putting. Almost all 2 foot putts are made, but pros only make half of the 10 foot putts (amateurs do worse). Beyond 10 feet, the odds drop way off. This means that if you can get your wedge shot to within 10 feet you have a good chance of finishing the hole in one less stroke.

I still haven't converted to four wedges, but reading the book convinced me that I should. I didn't realize how much scoring I was missing with only 3. I can get the ball to 15 feet most of the time, and then 2 putt. Maybe I'll get that extra wedge today and get a lot closer.

There's a lot of other good information on sand shots, chipping, trouble shots of all kinds (including how to hit the ball out from under water and stay reasonably dry).

You'll need more than this book to really improve though. If you like the book, you should begin doing the drills in the back. I would suggest you also try the videos. If that is all helping, consider the golf school. You will get a lot of individualized diagnosis of your weaknesses and instruction on how to improve. I still refer to the notes I got, and find them helpful. One strength of the book is that it has a measurement exercise in it that you can use to diagnose the weaknesses in your short game, so that you can concentrate on those parts of the book that will help you the most with your practice.

If you are like most golfers, you love to belt the ball. That's great, but I'm sure you've heard the old saying "Drive for show, and putt for dough." This book will add the perspective of the short game as essential to that dough as well. You'll have to give up two long clubs (he makes recommendations) to put those two extra wedges in your bag.

Use this book to overcome your stalled thinking about how to improve your golf game. Despite better equipment and balls and a lot of instruction, the score of the average golfer hasn't improved in the last 30 years. With the Pelz approach that can change.

As much as I liked this book, I liked his new book, Dave Pelz's Putting Bible, even more. I strongly recommend that you read that one as well. You can implement it without attending the Pelz course. These two books are the first two in a planned series of four. I'm looking forward to the rest of them.

Donald Mitchel

Realistic advice for real players, June 10, 2000
As a graduate engineer and another NASA scientist, I can vouch for the science that lies behind Pelz's book, but I'm sure most potential readers know that Pelz is the real thing in that respect. The book itself impressed me in three ways:

1. It isn't written for scientists, just golfers. He provides all the information you need to make your own game better, but avoids the physics that underlie the advice. Pelz saves that level of science for the journals.

2. This is a textbook, not a teaser. After telling you what you should try to achieve with each type of shot, he goes into the greater detail you start wanting as soon as you actually start to practice a technique. Things like how much difference in roll distance you should expect between a lob wedge, a pitching wedge, and a nine iron for the same pitch distance.

Most "tips" sound good, but leave you wondering why they aren't quite working when you get to the course. Pelz starts you out with the basics of each technique and then follows through with the details you need to really use it on a course.

3. He avoids the "genius" techniques that some folks love to describe. His techniques work for people who are not born artists with a club, and even those of us who lack a spare thirty hours a week to practice the short game. (The amazing number of pros who go to his schools testifies to the value of his advice when you actually do have time to practiceThis is scoring golf for the rest of us. I'm not Seve, nor are most people. Pelz describes techniques that are more likely to work than not on any given swing because the physics of the swing are in favor of success.

An Excellent book. It should be in the library of any golfer who ever accepts a two-dollar Nassau.

Pelz has presented us with an instructional masterpiece., June 16, 1999
I have long been a fan of Dave Pelz' teachings. Maybe it is the engineer in me. He has applied scientific inquiry and statistics to the scoring games (chipping and putting) for about 40 years. In this very readable textbook, he presents all of his accumulated knowledge and study of the short game. It is both technical and down to earth. Superbly organized, this book can truely offer new insights to a PGA tour pro or teach a novice the basics of one of the most important games in golf. The teaching technique not only tells you what you must do for each type of shot, but explains WHY you must do it that way, and PROVES why this is so. These explanations make a lasting impression which the reader can carry to the practice tee and the golf course.

This is a must read for every player interested in lower scores. I can't wait until the rest of this 4 book series are in print.

improves short game, terrible to read and weak instructions, December 12, 2004
The Good:

Peltz introduces a smart and easy system of getting to know 3 distinct (or 6 if you include swings where you are gripping down on the shaft) shooting distances for each wedge in you bag. The system is very useful and gives reproducible results on the course, so the book definitely does gives you an edge training wise. I also liked how he by "scientific" analysis found out how to score better and why the short game is so important (and under rated) - very convincing. I found myself measuring off different wedge shots, putting labels with numbers on the shafts of my wedges (and having fun at it) immediately after reading the book.

The bad:

The book itself is however a terrible read. Peltz stated that he had read a book on learning theory at some stage, but I really wished that he had read a book about communication theory before writing this book. He repeats himself over and over and over and... it gets to a point where it is just not any kind of fun. Even some of the illustrations are repeated at least three times in the book. You constantly go either 'I got it I got it I got it - snap out of it!' or you go 'come on Peltz, get to the f..... point'. He also includes long and detailed annecdotes about how he and his tour friends discovered the facts that he now teaches in the book. This might be great if you are into the semi historical perspectives sitting in front of the fireplace with hot chocolate, but if you buy this book as a reference for improving your short game it just distracts you from the essence.
Another thing annoying me is how he sneaks in this feeling of "Trademark-of-Dave-Peltz-golf-school" all the time. F.ex. your swing plane and grip now becomes the "finesse swing plane" and the "finesse grip" for your "finesse swing" as if he invented the concepts of an upright swingplane and a loose grip for the short game.
The teaching of the mechanics of the short game swing was not very clear (at least for me they weren't). I had hoped for something along the lines of "Ben Hogan's five lessons" where you can feel the words in your body right there from the sofa. The pictures are inconsistent with what is being said. F.ex. he writes 'arms, hips and shoulders move back synchronized - no coiling takes place between shoulders and hip in the finesse swing' and the picture shows a 45 degrees hip turn with a 90 degrees shoulder turn :(
The description of the chip shot is also very weak. I now know where to place the ball, but what to do with the arms relative to hips and shoulders is still not clear.

To conclude:

The book will make you focus more on your short game and most likely result in lower scores if you practice was is being said, but the lessons does not justify a whopping 400 pages - not at all! Also the reading experience is very cumbersome.
The 3 stars reflects the fact that you do get some very useful knowledge from reading the book but also that after going through 400 pages of agonizing repetitions there are still some very fundamental issues about the mechanics that are not completely clear.

convert to disciple to apostle, March 28, 2000
This book is a masterpiece. However, be forewarned. "Feel" and "hands" players will be forced to leave their prior comfort zones if they wish to transform their games. Dave Pelz does not corrupt the "fundamentals", (although he does challenge some myths), in developing his system for attacking the short game. Even "feel" players will have fun with Dave's analysis of the impact of each of the "five games" especially the long game on one's score. The Trevino/Miller anecdote is especially revealing. My personal experience has been completely positive. Prior to reading the book and as a single digit amateur, I searched constantly to "perfect" my long game swing.(The short game test at the back of the book, was at once enlightening and humiliating. On some tests, I was no better than a beginner...and I routinely have scored in the low 80's/high 70's for years).

Finally, my short game shots have undergone a dramatic transformation. I now hit quality shots from within 120 yards under a variety of conditions, a majority that stop within one-putt distance. I even "back up" short pitches on occasion, (I don't understand the physics of how, since I am swinging with less force...therefore, should not be imparting as much spin...but it's true). If you are interested in improving your scoring, this book is the only one you need on the short game. It is far and away the most comprehensive ever written, (and I own all the others). Enjoy it.

the complete scoring manual, April 14, 2003
This book is simply the best scoring book that has ever been written. There are so many books on how to swing a golf club. This book explains in mathematical terms how to turn 4 into 3. That is the game of golf!
Until reading this book and taking his scoring test, i had no idea what parts of my short game hurt me most. However pitching chipping and wedging the ball to somewhere between 2 and 10 feet really ensures makeable par savers. Every scratch or better handicapper that i've played with did exactly what pelz talks about. That is, sand shots to 3' with regularity. If you think you can't get any better at golf, this is the book for you. Face the facts, measure your short game and begin to practice your weaknesses.
There are also some chapters that are a little dense. Pelz was a scientist. So i recommend reading the book like text book. Skip around to the revelant chapters and go from there. Leave it on the shelf as a complete reference.
I added the fourth wedge and have found moderate improvements. However, I use my 3iron so rarely that the benefits justify the added club. Plus around 100 yards, being able to swing exact distances is an added bonus. This book is my all time favorite golf book.

Must Have To Lower Scores, April 3, 2000
I have always been a feel player, especially with the short game and thought that Mr. Pelz would be a little too technical with his "Short Game Bible". But after reading his studies and trying his approach to the short game, I have lowered my handicap from a 7 to a 3 in the course of a summer. I have since become a huge fan of Mr. Pelz and I continue to get better and better. I highly recommend this book to golfers of every level of ability.

Peltz Does It Again!, January 20, 2000
Great instructional book for those wanting to shoot in the low 80s or breaking 80 3 out of 4 times. The 3X4 method improved my confidence that I will get the ball close, even when I miss the green. This has the effect of being aggressive with the irons and knowing that you'll still be able to make par. After reading the book, practicing and calibrating my wedges (I now play 5 wedges!), I have brought my handicap index from 13.2 to 8.8 in one month! It took a month to get used to the new grip, swing and the calibration. The improvement in my game and the bets I've won paid for this book 10 times over. Now that's what I got from the book.

Here's what's in it: First, there's lots of data regarding why the short game is important. Data on where golfers miss in the irons vs wedges. There are snipets of humor to emphasize his points. If you want to get the most at the shortest time, jump into the 3X4 system. Read the rest of the book at your own leisure and if statistical data turns you on.

Finally, if putting is your problem, try Peltz' "Putt Like a Pro." That's another must read book for those who can't average less than 31 putts a round.

Required reading for college golf team, June 13, 1999
As a collegiate golf coach, I have made Dave Pelz's book Putt Like the Pros required reading for the members of the team for over 4 years now. IT is real, and it works...The Short Game Bible can be expressed in the same terms. Unlike the pile of golf literature out there written by some big name player and providing advice that, while probably entertaining, will never lower your score...Dave Pelz PROVES it to you. Practicing the techniques in his book, with a practice buddy to make sure your form is correct, just twice a week for an hour...will give you a tremendous confidence boost, and the KNOWLEDGE to lower your score. I have been teaching these Pelz techniques to my team since I took his school with great results...this book just makes it simple and visual. Add another item to your summer reading list boys...Thanks Dave.

Concepts difficult to put into action, September 5, 2002
It's difficult to imagine a more clearly written book than "Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible". It has the look and feel of a college textbook, complete with scientific-style decimal section headings, but it has been written by someone with a genuine interest in your comprehension. One almost expects review questions at the end of each chapter to check your retention. But, it is not a book for the faint of heart. Rather than a collection of short game tips and tricks, Pelz offers an integrated system for hitting short shots precise distances. He directs his narrative toward serious golfers who know and love the value of practice. Others need not apply.

Pelz defines the short game as shots hit from 100 yards out to the edge of the green. He does not include putting (covered in a subsequent book). His method involves learning a "finesse swing", which is different from the power swing, and calibrating it to produce repeatable yardages. His goal is to have you hit your shots inside of 10 feet from the pin, because his research indicates that at that distance the chance of holing your next shot increases drammatically. His methods are based on years of the sort of research one would expect from a scientist, which he is. Many of his conclusions are surprising, but they take as much of the guesswork out of the short game as is humanly possible. With doubt removed, all that is left for the reader to do is practice, practice, practice...

And therein lies the problem, for unless you have a football field-sized back yard, there is nearly nowhere on earth where you can do the kind of practice Pelz recommends. Pelz wants you to learn three variants of his basic wedge swing and use them with four different wedges to produce 12 reliable ball flight distances. To calibrate this system, you have to measure the distance of *every* practice shot. Unfortunately, diving ranges won't let you walk out and measure your shots, and golf courses won't like you peppering their greens with the thousands of practice shots required to master this system. So, buy the book if you'd like the clearest description of the short game imaginable, but don't be surprised if you won't be able to put any of it to work. ... Read more