Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere: An Illustrated Introduction


Adele Westbrook - 1983
    To possess the skills, techniques and attitude of the faithful practitioner of aikido, one must achieve a very high level of integration of the powers of mind and body, the harmonious combination of physical means and ethical motives. By controlling body position and learning how to harmonize important physical and mental abilities, anyone (regardless of size, strength or weight) can fend off attacks using this sophisticated martial art.Written and illustrated by husband/wife team, Oscar Ratti and Adele Westbrook, Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere, with over 1,200 illustrations, includes many Aikido techniques in chapters such as:What is Aikido?The Foundations of AikidoThe Practice of AikidoThe Basic Techniques of NeutralizationAdvanced PracticeAnd more!

A Golf Swing You Can Trust


John Hoskison - 2012
    You needn't be most golfers.A Golf Swing You Can Trust is an original work by John Hoskison, a deep-thinking PGA tour player and teacher. Inside, John reveals how, after years of slicing, he went from the worst player on the European Tour to the National PGA Professional Champion by using these simple techniques.From the grip to the finish position, John coaches using humor, photos and unique analogies to explain how the golf swing works and how to build a swing you can trust.  Whether a golfer wants to improve their driving off the tee, iron shots to the green or their chipping and pitching, the tips and drills in this book will make it easier to hit the shots consistently.  If any golfer wants to build a swing that works, this is a must read. *Don't miss John's new biography about his days on the European Tour called - No Hiding in The Open.*  Excerpt from A Golf Swing You Can Trust:The correct stance is vital if you want to build a simple swing that repeats. But most golfers switch off and skip these chapters of a golf instruction book. I understand that. The grip and aim are not as alluring as advice on the theoretical advantages of pronation or supination through impact. And hey! You've been told you have a nice practice swing--you can't be that far off. Aiming correctly is for beginners!So just to dispel any reservations you may have that this book is not for you, here's one last piece of motivational talk before we move on to check your stance. It's very often a golfer makes a great practice swing but when they come to hit the ball the swing's completely different. That's because the hands and body don't communicate on a practice swing--they let you get on with it on your own. They only bother to 'talk' to each other when you're about to hit a shot at a specific target.When the crunch comes and you're ready to swing back, if the aim of the club doesn't match up to your intended swing path, they hit the panic button, take control and stick the swing on autopilot. They program in what they have to do and you can't override it. You might try to take the club back in one piece but it you're not aiming correctly--they quickly take over. And if you think you can kid them you'd have done it by now.If you are aiming at a target 250 yards away and your club face is only 3 degrees to the right, it will be pointing 13 yards right of target. If you try to replicate your nice square practice swing, but your hands pick up where the club is aiming the two angles are so conflicting your orthodox swing becomes impossible.The only time you can override your natural alarm system is when you're standing in front of a pro and he's watching you like a hawk. Then the alarm system becomes dormant--it trusts the pro to watch over you. Soon as you walk out the teaching bay, it switches back on.REVIEWS:"John taught himself great technique and knows as much about the golf swing as anyone I've met.  His explanation of the swing is fantastic." ~Nick Mitchell, Former European TourPGA Player"I went to John for the usual stuff; head in hands, not knowing what shot was coming next. John kept it simple... got me back enjoying my golf again.

Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning


G. Gregory Haff - 2015
    Developed by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, Fourth Edition, is the fundamental preparation text for the CSCS exam as well as a definitive reference that strength and conditioning professionals will consult in everyday practice.

Tapped Out: Rear Naked Chokes, the Octagon, and the Last Emperor: An Odyssey in Mixed Martial Arts


Matthew Polly - 2011
     Since the first Ultimate Fighting Championship in 1993, mixed martial arts (MMA) has punched, kicked, and wrestled its way into the public's consciousness. MMA is an often brutal sport that combines any and every unarmed fighting technique with pure grit. Today, the gross yearly profits of Ultimate Fighting Championship-the sport's premier professional league-exceed that of professional wrestling, boxing, and even the Boston Red Sox. In Tapped Out, Matthew Polly gives readers his on-the ground take of training and fighting in MMA. At the age of thirty-six, Polly was out of shape and totally unprepared for what was ahead: a grueling journey through leading MMA training facilities in Bangkok, St. Petersburg, Rio de Janeiro, New York, and Las Vegas. After being utterly beaten down and built back up, he fought his first match against a fighter nearly fifteen years younger-and not only won, but sent his opponent to the hospital. Polly intersperses his own narrative with the history and background of fighting and interviews with top UFC stars such as GSP, Fedor Emelianenko, Randy Couture, and Gina Carano. Evocative of George Plimpton's classic Paper Lion, Polly's honest, funny, and eye-opening account of his experiences will appeal to the millions of devoted MMA fans who are as hardcore as the sport itself.Watch a Video

The Swordsman's Companion


Guy Windsor - 2004
    This book covers everything from choosing a sword, to warming up, to fencing. Full of set drills and clear descriptions, this book has been the standard work on the subject since it first came out in 2004. The second edition has been updated and revised.

Complete Calisthenics - The Ultimate Guide To Bodyweight Exercise


Ashley Kalym - 2014
    This book shows you how to build strength, power, athleticism, and astounding physical ability using only your bodyweight as the resistance. Relying on virtually no equipment, this book promises to be the most comprehensive and detailed bodyweight exercise manual on the market today. Learn how to perform many different types of push-up, pull-up, core exercise, lower body exercise, and conditioning movement, and in the process develop the strongest and most capable physique ever. An abbreviated list of content includes: a huge number of push-up exercises and variations, a huge number of pull-up exercises and variations, a complete guide to learning the planche, a complete guide to learning the front lever, back lever, and human flag, a complete guide to learning handstands and handstand push-ups, a detailed look at muscle-ups and their variations, a huge number of core exercises showing how to build colossal core strength, extensive leg training and conditioning section, detailed exercise descriptions and teaching points for every movement, over 500 photographs showing the exercises from every angle, nutritional advice and sample diets and plans, equipment guide, comprehensive training program section catering for every level of ability, learn how to create your own programs, large mobility, flexibility, and physical preparation section, and much, much more!

Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning


Thomas R. Baechle - 2000
    In this text, 30 expert contributors explore the scientific principles, concepts, and theories of strength training and conditioning as well as their applications to athletic performance.Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning is the most-preferred preparation text for the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) exam. The research-based approach, extensive exercise technique section, and unbeatable accuracy of Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning make it the text readers have come to rely on for CSCS exam preparation.The third edition presents the most current strength training and conditioning research and applications in a logical format designed for increased retention of key concepts. The text is organized into five sections. The first three sections provide a theoretical framework for application in section 4, the program design portion of the book. The final section offers practical strategies for administration and management of strength and conditioning facilities.-Section 1 (chapters 1 through 10) presents key topics and current research in exercise physiology, biochemistry, anatomy, biomechanics, endocrinology, sport nutrition, and sport psychology and discusses applications for the design of safe and effective strength and conditioning programs.-Section 2 (chapters 11 and 12) discusses testing and evaluation, including the principles of test selection and administration as well as the scoring and interpretation of results.-Section 3 (chapters 13 and 14) provides techniques for warm-up, stretching, and resistance training exercises. For each exercise, accompanying photos and instructions guide readers in the correct execution and teaching of stretching and resistance training exercises. This section also includes a set of eight new dynamic stretching exercises.-Section 4 examines the design of strength training and conditioning programs. The information is divided into three parts: anaerobic exercise prescription (chapters 15 through 17), aerobic endurance exercise prescription (chapter 18), and periodization and rehabilitation (chapters 19 and 20). Step-by-step guidelines for designing resistance, plyometric, speed, agility, and aerobic endurance training programs are shared. Section 4 also includes detailed descriptions of how principles of program design and periodization can be applied to athletes of various sports and experience levels. Within the text, special sidebars illustrate how program design variables can be applied to help athletes attain specific training goals.-Section 5 (chapters 21 and 22) addresses organization and administration concerns of the strength training and conditioning facility manager, including facility design, scheduling, policies and procedures, maintenance, and risk management.Chapter objectives, key points, key terms, and self-study questions provide a structure to help readers organize and conceptualize the information. Unique application sidebars demonstrate how scientific facts can be translated into principles that assist athletes in their strength training and conditioning goals.Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning also offers new lecture preparation materials. A product specific Web site includes new student lab activities that instructors can assign to students. Students can visit this Web site to print the forms and charts for completing lab activities, or they can complete the activities electronically and email their results to the instructor. The instructor guide provides a course description and schedule, chapter objectives and outlines, chapter-specific Web sites and additional resources, definitions of primary key terms, application questions with recommended answers, and links to the lab activities. The presentation package and image bank, delivered in Microsoft PowerPoint, offers instructors a presentation package containing over 1,000 slides to help augment lectures and class discussions. In addition to outlines and key points, the resource also contains over 450 figures, tables, and photos from the textbook, which can be used as an image bank by instructors who need to customize their own presentations. Easy-to-follow instructions help guide instructors on how to reuse the images within their own PowerPoint templates. These tools can be downloaded online and are free to instructors who adopt the text for use in their courses.Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, Third Edition, provides the latest and most comprehensive information on the structure and function of body systems, training adaptations, testing and evaluation, exercise techniques, program design, and organization and administration of facilities. Its accuracy and reliability make it not only the leading preparation resource for the CSCS exam but also the definitive reference that strength and conditioning professionals and sports medicine specialists depend on to fine-tune their practice.

Supertraining


Mel C. Siff - 2000
    Every topic is covered in almost 600 pages. * Strength and the muscular system * Philosophy of physical training * The muscle complex * Adaptation and the training effect * Sport specific strength training * Factors influencing strength production * The means of special strength training * The methods of special strength training * Organization of training * Strength training methods * Designing sports specific strength programs * Restoration and stress management * Combination of resistance methods * The use of testing * Overtraining * PNF as a training system * Models for structuring the annual training * Preparedness and the training load * Periodisation as a form of organization * Plyometric

Free+Style: Maximize Sport and Life Performance with Four Basic Movements


Carl Paoli - 2014
    But who has the best solution and how do we know if and how it will work for us?After over 15 years of training as an elite gymnast and over a decade of coaching, Coach Carl Paoli offers a fresh philosophy on training by connecting movement styles to fit your specific purpose, while also giving you a simple framework for mastering the basics of any human movement. Freestyle: Maximize Your Sport and Life Performance with Four Basic Movements is an interactive way to learn how the body is designed to move through space and how to interact with our constantly changing surroundings. Using this framework and four basic movements, Paoli will help you maximize your efforts in sport and life, regardless of specialty. Despite Carl's experience as an elite gymnast and a renowned CrossFit coach, this is not a book about gymnastics, CrossFit, or any specific fitness program. Rather, it is a unique take on how Carl studies and teaches human movement and how you can better understand how to move yourself. Carl is not going to teach you the specifics of a movement or sport; instead, he gives you a template that you can use to develop any specific movement. For example, instead of teaching you how to throw a baseball, this book teaches you a universal foundation that will help you further develop your pitching skills. Human movement is intuitive, but not always perfect. This book shows you how to: * Turn on and trust your intuition about movement * Use tools that help optimize imperfect movement * Tap into the universal movement patterns and progressions underlying all disciplines * Use Carl Paoli's movement framework to create roadmaps for your physical success * Learn what being strong really means Freestyle is a practical manual to develop human movement regardless of your discipline. It is equally applicable to veteran athletes, weekend warriors, fitness enthusiasts, people trying to pick up a new sport, and people who are simply curious about improving their health. By developing your awareness and learning to see across other disciplines, you can tailor any training regimen to meet your unique goals.

7 Weeks to 50 Pull-Ups: Strengthen and Sculpt Your Arms, Shoulders, Back, and Abs by Training to Do 50 Consecutive Pull-Ups


Brett Stewart - 2011
    ARE YOU READY FOR THE ULTIMATE STRENGTH CHALLENGE? Follow the 7-week program in this book and you’ll massively increase your strength, muscle tone and overall fitness to such an extreme that you’ll be able to do 10, 20 or even an amazing 50 consecutive pull-ups!Offering several field-tested, day-by-day plans, this book has something for everyone: from beginners embarking on a new workout regimen to athletes looking to expand their strength-training options.Packed with clear charts and helpful photos, 7 Weeks to 50 Pull-Ups tells you everything you need to know about the ultimate strength-building exercise and includes:• Instructions on how to do a perfect pull-up• Easy-to-follow progressive training programs• Challenging pull-up variations

Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy


Bret Contreras - 2013
    With full-color anatomical illustrations, step-by-step instructions, and training advice, Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy is the authoritative resource for sculpting your physique without free weights, machines, or expensive equipment.Targeting all muscle zones and primary muscle regions--arms, chest, shoulders, back, core, thighs, glutes, and calves--Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy presents 156 of the most effective bodyweight exercises that can be performed anytime, anywhere. With expert advice from renowned strength trainer Bret Contreras, you'll learn how to modify, combine, and sequence exercises to ramp up your routine and avoid plateaus.In depth yet practical, Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy takes you inside every exercise through stunning anatomical artwork that reveals primary muscles worked along with the relevant surrounding structures, including bones, ligaments, and tendons.Whether you are just beginning your quest for a better body or simply seeking a proven approach for training at home, on the road, or on the go, Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy is a one-of-a-kind resource that you'll refer to again and again.

Pound for Pound


F.X. Toole - 2006
    Set in towns where violence is the norm and success stories take on an almost mythic importance, it tells of grandfathers and grandsons—older men for whom life has not been easy and the young men who look to them for guidance —and reveals the transformative power of that relationship. Dan Cooley, an aging but legendary Los Angeles trainer, takes on a troubled young fighter named Chicky Garza, hungry to make a name for himself in the San Antonio boxing circuit, which is rife with crime and corruption. The bond between them grows more powerful than the obstacles they face, ultimately reviving in each man the courage it takes to triumph both in and out of the ring.This masterful, posthumous novel follows Toole's remarkable fiction debut, Rope Burns (recently published in paperback as Million Dollar Baby), which earned comparisons to Ernest Hemingway, Raymond Carver, and Frank McCourt, and which became an Academy Award-winning film four years after publication. As James Ellroy says in the foreword, “F. X. Toole did not live to visit the set or hug the stars at the premiere. The rumor was true. He had a bum ticker.” It is a tragedy that the world will not hear more from F. X. Toole, but Pound for Pound is a novel that any writer would be proud to leave behind, marking his place in the world of letters.

Immortal and Martial Dual Cultivation: Book 4 - Arrival at the Heavenly Saber Pavilion


Fiery Moon - 2018
    Only there can he learn the technique to release Ao Jiao. However, the road is strewn with peril—both from natural dangers and dangerous women—and the Heavenly Saber Pavilion is little better. Not only does he have to vie with many others wishing to join the sect for the limited slots available, but he also has to survive the machinations of those actively seeking his failure. Embroiled in treacherous elders, romantic tribulations, and internecine politics, can Xiao Chen navigate such chancy waters? Find out in this fourth installment of IMDC! Read more chapters at https://www.patreon.com/DragonInWhite Discuss the novel at https://discord.gg/yPGRFu

Dragon Ball Z, Vol. 10: Goku Vs. Freeza


Akira Toriyama - 2011
    And his son, Gohan, shows even greater promise. But the stakes are increasing as even deadlier enemies threaten the planet. DRAGON BALL Z is the ultimate science fiction-martial arts manga.

Movement: Functional Movement Systems: Screening, Assessment, and Corrective Strategies


Gray Cook - 2010
    The discoveries, lessons and approaches you'll learn: How to view and measure movement quality alongside quantity; How to ascertain dysfunctional patterns with the Functional Movement Screen; What clinicians need to know about the Selective Functional Movement Assessments; When to apply corrective strategies and how to determine which strategies to use; How to map movement patterns and understand movement as a behavior and not just as a mechanical idea. This book is not simply about the anatomy of moving structures. Rather, it serves a broader purpose to help the reader understand authentic human movement, and how the brain and body create and learn movement patterns. Our modern dysfunctions are a product of our isolated and incomplete approaches to exercise imposed on our sedentary lifestyles. A return to movement principles can create a more comprehensive exercise and rehabilitation model, a model that starts with movement.