Amazon.com
Few people outside certain scholarly circles had heard the name Robert D. Putnam before 1995. But then this self-described "obscure academic" hit a nerve with a journal article called "Bowling Alone." Suddenly he found himself invited to Camp David, his picture in People magazine, and his thesis at the center of a raging debate. In a nutshell, he argued that civil society was breaking down as Americans became more disconnected from their families, neighbors, communities, and the republic itself. The organizations that gave life to democracy were fraying. Bowling became his driving metaphor. Years ago, he wrote, thousands of people belonged to bowling leagues. Today, however, they're more likely to bowl alone:
Television, two-career families, suburban sprawl, generational changes in values--these and other changes in American society have meant that fewer and fewer of us find that the League of Women Voters, or the United Way, or the Shriners, or the monthly bridge club, or even a Sunday picnic with friends fits the way we have come to live. Our growing social-capital deficit threatens educational performance, safe neighborhoods, equitable tax collection, democratic responsiveness, everyday honesty, and even our health and happiness.
The conclusions reached in the book Bowling Alone rest on a mountain of data gathered by Putnam and a team of researchers since his original essay appeared. Its breadth of information is astounding--yes, he really has statistics showing people are less likely to take Sunday picnics nowadays. Dozens of charts and graphs track everything from trends in PTA participation to the number of times Americans say they give "the finger" to other drivers each year. If nothing else, Bowling Alone is a fascinating collection of factoids. Yet it does seem to provide an explanation for why "we tell pollsters that we wish we lived in a more civil, more trustworthy, more collectively caring community." What's more, writes Putnam, "Americans are right that the bonds of our communities have withered, and we are right to fear that this transformation has very real costs." Putnam takes a stab at suggesting how things might change, but the book's real strength is in its diagnosis rather than its proposed solutions. Bowling Alone won't make Putnam any less controversial, but it may come to be known as a path-breaking work of scholarship, one whose influence has a long reach into the 21st century. --John J. Miller
Book Description
Once we bowled in leagues, usually after work -- but no longer. This seemingly small phenomenon symbolizes a significant social change that Robert Putnam has identified in this brilliant volume, Bowling Alone, which The Economist hailed as "a prodigious achievement."
Drawing on vast new data that reveal Americans' changing behavior, Putnam shows how we have become increasingly disconnected from one another and how social structures -- whether they be PTA, church, or political parties -- have disintegrated. Until the publication of this groundbreaking work, no one had so deftly diagnosed the harm that these broken bonds have wreaked on our physical and civic health, nor had anyone exalted their fundamental power in creating a society that is happy, healthy, and safe.
Like defining works from the past, such as The Lonely Crowd and The Affluent Society, and like the works of C. Wright Mills and Betty Friedan, Putnam's Bowling Alone has identified a central crisis at the heart of our society and suggests what we can do.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Data, Interesting Story... may be limited by logical fallacy.......2007-09-19
This is a well written book about the decline of certain activities that have historically been central to the "social capital" of American society and the pervasive consequences on American lives. While I think much of Putnam's story is on the mark, I believe his diagnosis of the problem depends on several logical flaws and this could potentially imply that different conclusions should be reached. Let me explain:
The book basically says, "here's a laundry list of activities that Americans don't do as often as they used to including clubs, religious activities, unions, house parties, picnics, etc." The evidence is overwhelming that all of these activities have become less common as a share of American activities. They're all major components of what we typically consider social activities. Putnam therefore concludes that Americans are building less social capital. Does this evidence lead to this conclusion? Let's replace some of the words and concepts and perhaps we can illustrate why it may not.
Assume Americans are spending less money (or a smaller percentage of their income) on makeup, perfume, and hair salons (I don't necessarily believe this is true, but for the sake of the example). We consider all of these activities beautification. Now would a reduction in the share of household wealth spent on these activities necessarily imply that Americans care less about beauty or are less beautiful? What if we "forget" to mention (or simply miss) that people are now spending a huge share of wealth on plastic surgery and that this didn't even exist in our "reference period?" What if people are spending less on makeup because they get far more "beauty" for the same amount of money today?
To be truly conclusive, Putnam needs to not only prove that people are spending less total time on social activities but that these social activities are less rewarding on the whole (and what we've replaced them with are not more rewarding than our losses).
Critical to this point is the question, "what is it that social capital is supposed to deliver?" I took the time to write this review instead of socializing. I won't necessarily receive any direct compensation from a reader as I might have gotten from the friend (emotional support, contact to a job, introduction to a significant other, fun of company). It appears that I've lost social capital. BUT, how many of your friends would you have needed to ask before you got a review like this (or others submitted here). How many friendships would I have had to make to get the benefit of the other reviews that I've read on Amazon. Am I worse off or have I simply participated in a less personal exchange that is of much greater value to society (and in the long run to myself)?
In the same vein, I may not go hang out with my friends the way my parents did, but I can IM and TXT my friends no matter where they are in the country. I may not meet my neighbor but I can share interest in games or politics or economics with people around the country and I'd like to think I get a lot out of my participation in these kinds of communities. Is my life really worse if I can't invite all of these people to the bowling alley with me? Is my life or my participation in society really diminished if I don't attend a meeting in their physical presence?
If I had no friends in town, certainly the cost would be real. But I would never trade my deep personal relationships with friends in New York, Pittsburgh, and Chicago for a dozen bowling buddies here in Columbus.
Despite my concerns regarding the specific arguments and conclusions, I actually enjoyed the book and encourage people to read it. However, the book only receives 4 stars because the data may not necessarily justify the conclusions and readers are therefore cautioned about taking it all at face value.
Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community.......2007-09-10
Why does the idea of community seem to have vanished? Why are we not as close to our neighbors as our grandparents used to be? What are the changes that have accorded in these last few generations that have caused such isolation? Read Bowling Alone to find out what has killed the spirit of neighborliness and volunteerism.
Social Capital without a shared vision??.......2007-07-12
Putnam has done a good job of marshalling an incredible amount of graphs, tables, charts, etc. while still keeping the reader's (my!) interest. He makes an impressive case on 2 fronts: one, that we're less socially connected today, and not as socially invested as we once were; and two, this state of affairs is not a good thing in many ways (personal and social health, etc.). The book is far less convincing when it appears to suggest that the great template for a generation that DID invest heavily in social capital was the generation that had its heyday in the post-war years. In other words, the "greatest generation." While I believe that they were heavily socially invested, and developed many and wide-ranging ways to increase that social capital, I do NOT believe that our (or future) generations can replicate that. We now celebrate tolerance and diversity today, in fact worship at their feet. Previous generations in this country did not, and that's the rub. You need a society that's pretty much agreed on what makes a good life or a good person before you can get large numbers of people to sign on to groups that nourish that idea. Today, we live in a circus atmosphere in which there is no right or wrong way to live, as long as you stay out of my hair. That might be well and good, but HARDLY a vision that will inspire any investature of social capital. I don't think Putnam sees this difficulty clearly enough (although he does mention it) because if this difficulty is insurmountable (as I think it is unless society undergoes a sea-change in belief) there is NO remedy for modern society's fragmentation. I guess what I'm saying is that you need a vision of community that the vast majority of movers, shakers, and regular folks have bought into, before you can talk about recapturing that sense of community. And today we don't have that, not even close. Tolerance and diversity both act to fragment community and that process is only accelerated when such attitudes are held by societal leaders. Putnam also needs to focus more on the decade of the 60s (say from 1963 - 1973) and fess up to the fact that people--whether they totally bought into the cult of the individual that sprang from that time or not--were ALL affected by that decade. Society simply looked at things differently (specifcally authority-mediated knowledge) when they came out this end of that decade. We can't go back, and Putnam ought to know that every time he sits in a faculty meeting at Harvard and looks at the non-conformist dress, jewelry and lifestyles that are exhibited there (imagine their wardrobe and attire on 1950s' Harvard faculty!). Each generation learns its knowledge base from authority-mediated knowledge transfer--either formally or informally, from sacred texts to how to use a crescent wrench. The post-60s generations simply do not and cannot look or accept authority like the generations that Putnam praises for their civic involvement. He castigates television for much of the problem but to me that's more symptom of this deeper cause (else why is the older generation somehow nearly immune to watching TV as much as the younger). I also wonder when Putnam tries to make a case for how social involvement can help the individual but using a quick vignette of an affluent couple who try and increase social involvement and capital by NOT taking their kid out of public school. This coming from a professor at the most well-known PRIVATE institution of higher learning in the country?? I wonder how many of his colleagues have their children in public schools, or would put them in some of the worse public schools, far from Cambridge, Mass? still, this is a thoughtful book and societal critique, whether you agree with his assessment or not. It will engage you.
A thoroughly researched opus -- a must-read for anyone interested in American society.......2007-06-18
As I read through Putnam's book, I was repeatedly impressed by how thoroughly researched his points were. Bowling Alone has over 100 figures and tables dispersed throughout, and while that would be considered an "overly academic" death knell for most books, this book comes out as both interesting and highly readable. The points are backed up by hard facts and Putnam is very careful to state which opinions are his own as opposed to some other source's. His style of reasoning and argument always includes an examination of possible alternative explanations, which is something all non-fiction writing of this type should require.
In this book you will learn a good deal about the advantages and disadvantages of community groups and why America -- as a society -- has drifted away from the close-knit communities of the 1950s and early 60s. Bowling Alone is one of those rare books that has a little bit of everything: sociology, psychology, urban planning, political commentary, and good old-fashioned statistical analysis. And these topics are all covered in a way that bring the social phenomena to light without getting bogged down in the numbers. Putnam's book is truly an impressive piece of work.
does not make an adequate argument.......2007-04-07
This is a fairly academic description of the decline of civil society. It is well written and the information is clearly presented. The arguments are clear and easy to understand although not truly persuasive. This book spends an inordinate amount of time hammering a point that is obvious enough- Americans join and participate in fewer groups than they used to. I like most people already believed that when I read the book synopsis. Instead of detailed data about the mempership decline in churches and bridge clubs etc., more analysis about the causes and effects of this decline should have been included.
As for the argument of this book, did not convince me. The chapter on the dark side of social groups provided a superficial argument for why social groups promote equality and fraternity. I did not care for the reliance on constructs such as the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity (those are just part of french enlightenment ideals, they are not some kind of measurable benchmarks to make sweeping judgements about society with).
In the end, I am the generation x-y child of parents that were active in a number of social organizations, PTA, neighborhood get togethers etc. I belong to no groups and do not spend time with my neighbors. Like most people my age, I have observed my parents involvement in groups and do not wish to follow suit. The author did not seem to take any time to analyze why people would willingly abandon a civic life when they know exactly what they are missing. I do not see America degenerating because of people's desire to live highly independant existances.
Product Description
The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Bowling is the most comprehensive and up-to-date bowling-specific training guide in the world today. It contains descriptions and photographs of over 80 of the most effective weight training, flexibility, and abdominal exercises used by athletes worldwide. This book features year-round bowling-specific weight-training programs
guaranteed to improve your performance and get you results.
No other bowling book to date has been so well designed, so easy to use, and so committed to weight training. This book will have you increasing your average by focusing on the endurance, strength, and flexibility needed most by bowlers. By following this guide you will
get more speed on your rolls, more pin action, and overall higher scores and success on the lanes.
Both beginners and advanced athletes and weight trainers can follow this book and utilize its programs. From recreational to professional, thousands of athletes all over the world are already benefiting from this book and its techniques, and now you can too!
As an added bonus, this book also contains links to free record keeping charts which normally sell separately for $20.
Customer Reviews:
Not a bad book.......2007-02-18
I just got this book and just read the table of contents. The first thing I noticed is that it only has 6 pages on leg exercises. I am becoming a good bowler because 50 percent of bowling has to do with having strong, quick, and flexable legs and knees. Yet he only has 6 pages on the subject of leg exercises and the reccomended exercises with legs.
Another reason why I am starting to get good at bowling is because chest mussles a long with back mussles are very important at bowling. Working on my chest and back mussles will increase my bowling greatly. Having strong chest mussles, good strong Abs, and back mussles is 25 percent of being in good enough shape to be a good bowler.
He has 4 pages of exercises on Chest exercises and 4 pages on Back exercises and 5 pages on Abs. So 75% of what you need to be in shape to be a good bowler he only used 17 pages out of a 64 page book.
Now he does have 4 pages of exercises on Biceps and Forearms Exercises. These exercises are important to being a good bowler. If I had to say about 20% of what you need to be a good bowler. So the book is a total of 64 pages and in 21 pages he has 95 pecent of the exercises that will help you become in shape to be a good bowler.
Having strong shoulders is a very small part in becoming a good bowler. I would say maybe 5 percent. Yet he has 5 pages of exercises on it. The good news is that if you want to know in my opion what exercises you need to due to be in shape for bowling all you have to do is read 26 out of 64 pages of the book.
The rest of the book while it will make a great work out program and make you in beter shape. It should not really help you in your bowling game because you are just doing exercises that really don't have to do with mussles that will help in bowling. However if you wanted a general weight lifting book these pages might come in handy.
Was it worth me buying yes because 21 of the pages are really going to help me in my bowling a lot and 5 pages are going to help me in my bowling a little the Shoulder Exercises. Is 21 pages of great help and 5 pages of little help worth 20 bucks? I say yes because it is the only book on Weight Training for Bowling out there. So I would say spend the 20 bucks and read the 21 pages and do those exercises.
Not bad.......2006-06-29
Not a bad little guide.
BTW it's cheaper to just buy it from the author's website.....just look at the 2nd page of the excerpt.
Tex McFaden's Review of The Ultimate Guide..........2005-03-06
It's not only the "ultimate" guide to weight training for bowling, but I think that it's the ONLY guide to weight training for bowlng. Obviously, anyone could build a workout program to strengthen their body, but it's nice to have a resource provided by knowledgeable folks to make it easy for you. This guide provides an easy to ready plan, complete with pictures, to help bowlers improve their strength. The purpose is to help bowlers ultimately improve the explosive quality of the ball in the pocket, from the first roll to the last. This is most critical when bowlers get caught in a long day at competitive meets where they are sure to bowl more than three quick games. The stress of competition can easily tire a competitor physically, so physical fitness is a must. This book walks you through the stretching and the exercises and a rotation plan that uses four different training programs. It's a short, to-the-point book that may be a no-brainer to fitness buffs, but still serves as a handy reference to keep everyone, at any level, focused and fit. The rating is based on the fact that the book accomplishes its stated purpose and meets the expectations that anyone should have for this book.
Book Description
A user-friendly, highly illustrated, straightforward boxing guide that promotes fun, fitness, self-defense, and self-confidence. Endorsed by USA Boxing, national governing body for amateur boxing.
Customer Reviews:
going, going, gone!.......2005-10-19
This is hands down the best boxing book i've ever read! not to vague like most boxing instuction books. i recommend it to all my students as a guide. if you like this book i strongly encourage you to consider fighting fit. it's the sequel to boxer's start-up. both books don't take anything for granted. it's easy to follow, filled with practical advise and in perfect sequence. buy this book!!
A really good read and introduction to the sport.......2005-08-02
This was a really easy read and enjoyable book. The points and presentation are first class and explained very well.
On the whole a really good introduction to Boxing and its nuances.
Boxing Hopefuls - Welcome To The Basics.......2004-02-04
I really liked this book.
The first 2 chapters are an introduction to boxing and what equipment you'll need as you go deeper into training.
Chapter 3 through chapter 10 are the fundamentals - from stance (very important) through sparing.
Each function and mechanic of a technique is described very well and great and useful detail is given.
The section regarding wrapping your hands - don't worry too much if you don't get it here. It takes a while to figure out how to wrap. They have dvd's and videos dedicated to just wrapping your hands so don't stress out.
The writing has personality and the teaching isn't preachy or too butch or too vague. It's a nice and easy introduction to the fundamentals. Again - this is a beginners guide and is really for the beginner - NOT exclusively as I got some good detail regarding throwing a hook punch.
Also the pace of the book builds as your skill builds - the order of chapters and tools taught are exactly where they should be.
Chapter 11 is a brief history of boxing which I enjoyed.
Chapter 12 consists of the author's journal entries(a newcomer to boxing)- they are his first 6 months of lesson's with Alan Lachica - who sounds like one very cool guy and one of the best coaches out there for those interested in practicing the Sweet Science.
Great book for the beginner
Exellent instruction.......2003-09-04
I have previously thought that you simply can not learn a new physical skill by just reading a book. After being introduced to Boxer's start-up my opinion has changed. The book is filled with exellent photography to support the text, and you really can learn the techniques from just reading the book!
The book can be divided into three parts. The first part covers about 100 pages, and it is the actual instructional part of the book. It covers everything from the ground up (boxing gear, stance & footwork, the punches, punching combinations, hitting the bag, defense & counters, sparring, and so on). The second part is really just one chapter, and it covers the essential history of boxing, including the greatest fighters. The third part is shortened version of the author's diary, covering his experiences on learning to box. This part is about 35 pages long, and it's a matter of taste if this is too much. On the other hand, you don't learn much from reading this, but on the other hand it is fun to read other beginner's experiences.
In conclusion, I have to say that I was impressed with this book. It's amazing how good an intruction you can get from reading a book. Compared to the instruction I got from my beginner's boxing class, I think I learned more from this book.
great book on the basics.......2003-01-02
This is a great book for anyone interested in learning to box, as well as for martial artists interested in more practical striking and footwork.
If you're serious about learning to do it right though, find a qualified trainer. Books are great supplements to qualified instruction, but even well written ones like this can never replace it.
Book Description
Bringing Peace Into the Room examines the personal qualities that make a mediator effective. The eminent authors of this volume go beyond traditional descriptions of academic training, theoretical orientation, and refinement of technique to confront issues related to personal temperament and the crucial psychological, intellectual and spiritual qualities of the mediation professional— qualities that are often the most potent elements of successful mediation. In this comprehensive resource, Daniel Bowling and David Hoffman bring together a stellar panel of practitioners, academics, teachers, and trainers in the field— Michele LeBaron, Kenneth Cloke, Robert Benjamin, Don Saposnek, Sara Cobb, Peter Adler, Jonathan Reitman, Lois Gold, Marvin Johnson, and others— ?who share their personal experiences as mediators. Each contributor demonstrates that at the very heart of conflict resolution is the subtle interaction between the parties and the mediator's personal and authentic style.
Book Description
This completely revised edition of the best-selling Multiple Sclerosis: The Guide to Treatment and Management is a comprehensive, accessible guide to the present therapeutic options and their efficacy. Special features include expert opinion statements for each MS therapy; a unique guide to the wide diversity of therapeutic options available; a thorough discussion of the usefulness, effectiveness, and side effects of individual treatments; a new chapter on unconventional therapies; and a detailed guide to further reading.
This compendium of the most frequently used treatments for multiple sclerosis is an authoritative reference for all physicians and a factual guide for patients who need information about therapies. For reader accessibility, the book is organized into sections dealing with the treatment of acute exacerbations, disease-modifying therapies, symptom management, and alternative therapies. Each chapter in the new edition concludes with references, especially useful for readers who want more information about the therapies discussed.
Customer Reviews:
The best and most responsible update of MS.......2007-03-18
This is a book every MS patent should read. Especially those in early stages. This book is a very thorough and responsible review of MS
Excellent resource.......2001-10-03
When I was diagnosed my doctor threw 4 prescriptions at me for various steriods and other drugs and sent me on my way - wouldn't answer my questions (too busy) So off I went, got the perscriptions filled, had a nurse insert an IV and got busy. Luckily I had ordered this book in anticipation of the diagosis and it arrived as I started treatment. The first chapter is on Treatment for acute eexacerbations and it explained everything! The following chapters are: Treatments that effect long term course of the disease (the interferon drugs used in the US as well as drugs being used in other parts of the world and those under development), Symptomatic treatment of MS (fatigue, bladder issues, cognition, all the basic symptoms), Alternative therapies (some strange things mentioned here but the authors diplomatically describe what they are, id the risks and provide evaluations/conclusions). I really like this book. It helped me when my doctor could not....now I've got a better doctor, one who specializes in MS, but I still use this book to augment my understanding.
Book Description
Most bowlers in the 150-190 average range have developed strong basic skills but are hampered by one or two fundamental flaws that keep them from improving their game. Two-time PBA National Champion Mike Aulby and four-time tournament winner Dave Ferraro reveal their insider tips for analyzing and correcting common mistakes that prevent intermediate bowlers from rolling that coveted 200+ game:
- Converting the toughest spares and "unmakable splits"
- Increasing your strike-shot carry
- Making equipment work for you
- Overcoming the mental pressure of league play to bowl your best
Complete with photographs, illustrations, and a handy bowling ball comparison chart, Bowling 200+ will keep you consistent, game after game. Mike Aulby, the only man to be named both Rookie of the Year (1979) and Player of the Year (1985), is one of the top ten professional bowlers in terms of lifetime earnings. Dave Ferraro is considered the fastest-rising star on the PBA tour. He is one of only ten players in PBA history to win more than $150,000 in a single year. Dan Herbst is the author of several sports books.
Customer Reviews:
Trial and Error.......2004-02-10
The basic message was "trial and error" which, while it may be true, gives the reader no foundation upon which to build. Over and over, the authors related how professionals might approach a certain shot but that we needed to use trial and error to find how we should hit it, rather than to give some solid principle to begin to build our own process.
Your Friend - The Coach.......2003-06-26
Whenever you are bowling with poor results and cannot figure out the problem, just take this book out of your bowling bag and read "Analyzing Your Flaws" or the chapter on lane conditions. It feels like you're carrying around your bowling guardian angel when in competition. And when you leave the 10 pin, the book says you DO adjust. How you adjust depends on what kind of 10 pin you left: ringing, flat, etc. I LOVE this book.
read,think through and perform.......2000-05-05
From my perspective, I found the book very good. I am around 140, I have been bowling for around 5 months, the book contains a lot of useful information. From techniques,releases and the mental game, the book covers a lot of ground. Slightly out of date in regards to the equipment, but otherwise you could do yourself a favour if you are a bowler anywhere between 100 - 190 put it on your bedside table. The principles behind this sport have not changed, and with that I would strongly recommend this book. One main criticism is that there aren't very many pictures in relation to hand release, and the book is in black and white only. Overall, worth getting. If you only learn or understand one point or exercise from this book, it will be money well spent.
Very helpful!.......2000-05-05
I bought this book because of an Amazon.com coupon I receivedand I don't regret the purchase. I haven't finished reading the bookand it has already improved how I think about bowling and how I deliver the ball. I found the tips useful and almost immediately began sharing the book with others on my bowling team who also benefit from the information. I've looked at other bowling books and couldn't get past the opening pages. More illustrations could have been useful, but I appreciate the fact that information for us lefties is pretty well integrated into alternating chapters. It's hard to get good lefty information and having one of the authors be a lefty was a good move. I read one review that stated that the information was dated and I have to disagree. As a very new bowler--been at it for just a year--I've used the information to begin to bowl more consistently at 200 or better at least one or more games during our league matches. That, for me, makes the information timeless.
It can add pins to your game.......2000-01-06
There are some very good suggestions for intermediate bowlers in this book. It is really a series of articles somewhat well strung together into a book on improving your game.
I haven't missed a 10 or 7 pin leave since I read this book and implemented the suggestions. That had added up to 12 pins from just that one frame!
If you bowl 150-185, read the book. You are leaving open frames and this book can help.
Book Description
"The Gold's Gym Training Encyclopedia is the best book of its kind. I wish I'd had this book when I began bodybuilding. It would have saved me two or three years of wasted effort." -- Samir Bannout, Mr Olympia 1983 Gold's Gym--the most trusted and best-known bodybuilding emporium in the world--presents the first encyclopedia of bodybuilding and weight-training exercises and routines ever assembled. The Gold's Gym Training Encyclopedia details the full spectrum of resistance exercises available--body part by body part, technique by technique. Featured are more than 300 proven exercises for all parts of the body, using free weights as well as Nautilus and Universal machines. Each exercise is clearly described and is illustrated by champion bodybuilders only, who in addition have contributed 150 of their best training programs. Such top stars include Scott Wilson, Carla Dunlap, Mohamed Makkawy, Tom Platz, Casey Viator, Tim Belknap, Rachel McLish, Mike Christian, Charles Glass, Inger Zetterqvist, Sue Ann McKean, Andreas Cahling, Rich Valente, Boyer Coe, Samir Bannout, and Julie McNew. Peter Grymkowski has won a number of bodybuilding titles, including IFBB Mr. World and Mr. America (heavyweight). He, Edward Connors, and Tim Kimber are co-owners of Gold's Gym Enterprises, Inc. Bill Reynolds is the author of scores of articles and books on weight training and bodybuilding, including The Gold's Gym Book of Bodybuilding, Weight Training for Beginners, and Bodybuilding for Beginners, all published by Contemporary.
Customer Reviews:
A Good Bodybuilding Training Manual with Lots of Exercises.......2006-08-08
This book has a nice collection of exercises, with photographs and detailed description on the proper execution techniques for each one of them. The detailed description on each exercise include: The muscles emphasized by the exercise, its starting position, movement performance, exercise variations and training tips.
One valuable aspect of this training book is that at the end of each chapter you will find a lot of routines from Professional bodybuilders and champs. Each muscle is treated with great detail in its own individual book chapter.
Since the Table of Contents is not included in the book information presented above by the seller, I am including how the book is organized, so everybody can visualize what topics are covered:
- Basic information.
- Biceps training.
- Chest training.
- Shoulder training.
- Back training.
- Thigh and hip training.
- Triceps training.
- Abdominal training.
- Calf, forearm, and neck training.
- Advanced training techniques.
- Glossary.
In summary, very useful manual, with lots of exercises and routines, and plenty of information on training techniques and principles as they apply to bodybuilding.
A Great Learning Guide for Weight Training.......2005-09-14
I have owned this book ever since it was first published. Periodically I give it to people asking for guidance on weight training. It is nicely comprehensive on the various exercises, giving the proper form and names of equipment, movements and such. The photos are 80's vintage and dated but the info is not. Training with free weights has not changed. The exercises that worked twenty years ago work just as well today.
Good Exercise Descriptions.......1999-12-02
This book has good detailed descriptions on every exercises and also has info on reps, restance training and how to recover from a workout. The exercise routines are a little out-dated.
This book gives you the "language" of the gym.......1999-10-28
I liked reading this book but I don't know exactly how scientific some of the terms are; like when he calls people who jerk the weights around for high reps "pumpers." I usually refer to them as time wasters because they are injuries waiting to happen. The book does present you with modern training methods, but if I have to recommend one book.....Steve Reeves' new book "Building the Classic Physique" is still the best.
The term "encyclopedia" is deserved.......1999-01-13
For those who want to learn an extensive set of exercises for each muscle group, this is the book. It illustrates every exercise it refers to and indicates the muscles affected. Moreover, the descriptions and illustrations are almost always on the same page for easy reference. Very useful for learning your set of routines and as a reminder before a training session.
Product Description
Want to be a better bowler? Sport Psychology Library: Bowling - The Handbook of Bowling Psychology is the guide you need for improving your performance. Esteemed Sport psychologist Dr. Eric Lasser, and legendary coaches Fred Borden and Jeri Edwards, have combined their expertise to create a master teaching guide for beginner, intermediate, and advanced level bowlers. This book is designed to push any bowler to the highest level and enable professionals and elite amateurs to stay there. The Handbook is organized into five sections: preparation for competition, routines before and during competition, keys to peak performance, advanced strategies for tough challenges, and team and family dynamics. Each section details information and concerns most important to the bowler, providing techniques for self-evaluation and the development of specific psychological strategies necessary for that sound mental game.
Customer Reviews:
Mental help for any bowler..........2007-07-05
I found the book easy to read and understand. I have applied some of the things I read in the book and found them useful and I feel over time the new approach to bowling will improve to my good.
Great investment.......2007-05-15
When ever you buy a book containing psychology, you think to say "I knew that!", but this book pinpoints the essens of bowling psychology. I've focused on several things that for sure will make me a better bowler.
very helpful book.......2007-03-06
I purchased this book to help with my bowling, since as a novice bowler,
I was dismayed by my embarrassing performance when bowling with friends.
I would bowl a strike and then have a string of gutter balls.
I found this book really helpful, not just for bowling, but for achieving excellence
in other sports. I was able to apply the lessons to other challanging areas in my life.
The book gives a comphrehensive overview of this incredibly popular sport. The writers have laid out a step by step mental
plan of action that accounts for most contigencies and can used when someone has to psychologically prepare
onself to perform at a high level.
The use of acronyms such as RALLY ( react, accept, learn, lean, yes )and the examples
of positive self talk particularly useful.
One of the best bowling books to date.......2007-01-09
I think this is one of the most up to date and detailed bowling books to date. It dives into the mental game aspect of the game and just helps you with the skills that most bowlers will need to take their game to the next level.
Not just psychological.......2006-11-06
Very in depth book on all facets of bowling not just the psychologoical aspects. Has good drills and if the drills are performed, your average will go up.
Book Description
Now available in a convenient paperback format, this berry growing reference is an essential guide for anyone growing them for pleasure or for profit. Berry fruits have long been used and appreciated in the kitchen, but the aesthetic appeal and practical benefits they bring to the garden landscape are all too often ignored. Whether using strawberry plants for ground cover, enjoying the colorful autumn foliage of blueberry bushes, or training a grapevine to climb a trellis, gardeners will find that berry plants can make highly versatile contributions to a range of environments. Backyard gardeners, as well as small fruit growers and nursery people, will find an abundance of valuable, practical information in this volume, including plant lists and tables, cultivation tips, and color photographs for plant identification.
Customer Reviews:
No California or Southwest.......2002-08-10
Covers strawberries, brambles, blueberries, and grapes very well. Other vine crops, such as kiwis, are covered too briefly to be of any value.
From the first chapter: "Recommended cultivars are not provided for California and some of the adjoining desert states."
Western gardeners beware.......2002-07-19
In the intro, the author warns (paraphrasing) that her experience is mostly in the eastern and midwest US - and her comments will be of most value for gardeners in those regions. That is a fair thing to state.. What I have a problem with, is the complete neglect of the Southwest - to the point I sensed that she doubts people even garden there - and its all commercial growers.
For example: in all the tables that mention regions, she has breakouts for New England, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, South Central, Souteast, and Pacific Northwest... Uh, what about West, or Southwest? We're here trying to grow these things too.
Other things that bothered me: in her very thorough list of Strawberry cultivars, she omits one of the most common varieties grown in the West (Sequoia). In her list of southern highbush blueberries, most of the best ones are omitted (O'Neal, Georgia Gem, Misty, Reveille, Jubilee are all missing).
The ommissions themselves are not so significant, its what it implies - which is the lack of consideration for what Western gardeners would deal with including chilling hour issues, high heat, etc. And in the minor berries, there is a dicussion of hardy Kiwi - but why not mention the regular Kiwi which can be grown many places (my point being the bias toward her native region)
On the positive side, this author has a solid academic background and covers many issues in the kind of detail I enjoy. But that's what makes it frustrating for me to read her book - because she does not apply that know-how evenly to what I consider important and did not seem to spend any time researching what's going on out West.
A very useful book.......2001-04-29
Barbara Bowling's book is well organized and well worth owning. There's an opening chapter about the general principles for growing all kinds of berries (or small fruits, as they are called, not because of the size of the fruits, but because of the size of the plants they grow on). Then, surprisingly, there is an interesting chapter about using berry plants for landscaping. It says, for instance, that elderberry bushes make good hedges.
There are separate chapters for each of these fruits: strawberries, brambles (raspberries, blackberries and the like), blueberries, grapes and minor berry crops (currants, gooseberries, hardy kiwi, elderberries, highbush cranberries, amelanchiers and still more minor berry crops such as cranberry, edible honeysuckle, jostaberry, ligonberry, maypop, rugosa rose and wineberry).
There's a highly useful appendix listing nursery sources for berry plants. Also, there's a glossary, a valuable list of references and 12 pages of plant name index and subject index.
If you're interested in growing one kind of berry, such as raspberries, you can count on having about a hundred pages of information that are directed toward growing raspberries, including the part applicable to growing any berry. And this is true for each of the other kinds of berry.
The chapter on brambles gives historical background and describes the biology of brambles. It lists many different cultivars of raspberries and blackberries, telling the hardiness, time of berry maturation and relative productivity of each berry cultivar.
Bowling tells how to select and prepare a site, plant berries and establish their growth, apply nutrition and fertilization, prune brambles and make trellises. She tells how to cope with pests such as viral diseases, gray molds, anthracnose, Phytophthora root rot and a long list of insects. Surprisingly, she chose not to include birds in her list of raspberry pests, although she mentions them in connection with other berries. She doesn't mention any mammals as raspberry pests, either. Most likely, these will be local issues. Not everyone has deer, black bear or rabbits in the neighborhood.
Of course, you should supplement this book with information from your local ag extension service or nursery. They will have a finer level of local detail about favored cultivars. Sometimes, your local ag extension agent will disagree with this author. For example, this author says that the "Blackhawk" black raspberry cultivar is tender, with medium productivity. The extension service at North Dakota State University, a state with a brutal winter, says that "Blackhawk" is "one of the hardiest black fruited varieties."
You'll need to adjust the book's information in terms of your specialized knowledge of your own local climate. For instance, this author describes the "Boyne" cultivar as a summer-bearing red raspberry suited for the climate of New England. She doesn't mention it in connection with the Midwest. The North Dakota State University Extension Service, on the other hand, says that "Boyne" is "excellent for [North Dakota] home gardens ... moderately vigorous, sturdy, winter hardy and very productive."
The important thing is that Bowling has listed many, many cultivars, together with enough information for a grower to know the right climate for each one.
a book brimming with love and information.......2001-02-15
I had the pleasure of knowing the author when she was a professor of horticulture at Penn State. She is a remarkable person, combining genuine love for berries with an encyclopedic knowledge of their biology and growing requirements. This book distills that enthusiasm and expertise in a very usable and enjoyable form. If you are interested in growing strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, grapes, or other berry crops in your garden, this is the book to have. It is engaging, authoritative, supremely practical, educational, and downright fun to read. Some garden publications are thick on pretty pictures but thin on substance, or may actually propagate horticultural myths not founded in scientific fact. This book is different. Reading it, you will learn a lot about how these plants work, and how to grow them successfully, including delightful sidebar "digressions" about the history and biology of berry species. Although packed with important information needed specifically by berry growers, the book is written in plain language, with clear drawings, color photos, and zest that makes it a delight to read. This is bound to be the best book on the subject for some time, that is, until she writes a second edition!
Book Description
The first edition of this authoritative book quickly became the single source for accurate and unbiased information on complementary and alternative medicine approaches for the management of MS symptoms. The second edition, completely updated throughout, reflects advances in the field since the book’s initial publication in 2001. Therapies are organized alphabetically so that readers can easily pinpoint a specific treatment and learn about its origins, merits, and possible uses in MS. In-depth discussions cover Naltrexone, acupuncture, biofeedback, chiropractic medicine, cooling therapy, yoga, diets, the use of supplements, herbs, vitamins, and minerals, and many other topics. This invaluable guide alerts MS patients and their families to new options for relief when conventional therapies are limited; directs them to therapies that are effective, low-risk, and inexpensive; and helps them recognize those that are ineffective, dangerous, and costly.
Customer Reviews:
Great book.......2007-04-12
This updated book is great for someone with MS or even if you are just interested in CAM. He explains the different methods well even if I don't always agree with everything he says.
Well-researched information.......2007-02-05
People diagnosed with an incurable disease are too-often targets of terribly unscrupulous or questionable methods of helping or curing them. When conventional medicine cannot cure us it is, to some degree, understandable. Dr. Bowling has put together a well-researched book that briefly discusses CAMs and various therapies, including yoga, tai chi, dietary supplements, vitamins and so forth. Each is briefly described, treatment method discussed, any known scientific research is summarized, side effects noted, practical information listed, and a conclusion and additional reading sources detailed. Dr. Bowling does note that some therapies, while not proven to help those with MS, may seem to help because of the "placebo effect." If it causes no harm, why not try it? However, some of these therapies can be detrimental to those with MS and it is wise to know what those are. This is a book for those who want objective and documented information. Some will claim it is biased against CAMs or undocumented therapies, but I did not find that to be the case. I found it very helpful.
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- Breakfast with Sharks: A Screenwriter's Guide to Getting the Meeting, Nailing the Pitch, Signing the Deal, and Navigating the Murky Waters of Hollywood
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
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- Busting Loose From the Money Game: Mind-Blowing Strategies for Changing the Rules of a Game You Can't Win
- Call of Cthulhu (d20 Edition Horror Roleplaying, WotC)
- Camilla Gryski's Cat's Cradle: A Book of String Games
- Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul: 101 Stories of Courage, Hope and Laughter (Chicken Soup for the Soul (Paperback Health Communications))
- Coaching and Mentoring for Dummies
- Cocktails In Tahiti
- Conversations with God : An Uncommon Dialogue (Book 1)
Books Index
Books Home
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1945 - Present
| 20th Century
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Better Together: Restoring the American Community
Democracies in Flux: The Evolution of Social Capital in Contemporary Society
Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life
Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy
Are Your Employees Bowling Alone?: How to Build a Trusting Organization
