Karate is a growing phenomenon in the United States and internationally, and adults as well as children of all ages have discovered this Japanese martial art. In Karate for Kids, author Vincent A. Cruz presents a discussion of the essential physical and philosophical elements of traditional karate and provides clear and purposeful instruction for the young practitioner. Cruz, an experienced teacher of karate, offers an introduction to traditional karate and shows that is an exciting, healthful, physical art that develops the body and mind and is an effective form of self-defense. In this guide, he defines the concept of karate; discusses the history of the martial art; explains its physical, mental, and spiritual principles and philosophies; and describes and illustrates essential punching, blocking, and kicking techniques. Geared toward young adults as well as parents, Karate for Kids offers a complete guide to traditional karate using easy-to-follow instructions, caricatures, and diagrams. Cruz communicates how young people can develop a sense of worth through traditional karate and how karate can help youth to master life with an inner respectability.

This book has obviously been written for those who officiate, umpire, referee and judge sporting events. It has also been purposely designed for leaders in business, other professions and avocations to encourage "thinking outside the box" while establishing, reviewing or modifying their philosophy of leadership. If you look at this book only as through the eyes of a sports official, the "covers" may be too far apart...so read between the lines Hopefully this book will help trap you into doing your own thinking for developing, re-thinking or re-framing your own leadership style. In other words, the author is challenging you to personalize your own style of leadership and make it work for you. The author also believes that many of you will be more focused in your philosophy of leadership and rewarded if you apply some of these thoughts and concepts to your own life style.

"Knockout: The Boxer and Boxing in American Cinema" is the first book-length study of the Hollywood boxing film, a popular movie entertainment since the 1930s, that includes such classics as "Million Dollar Baby," "Rocky," and "Raging Bull." The boxer stands alongside the cowboy, the gangster, and the detective as a character that shaped America's ideas of manhood. Leger Grindon relates the Hollywood boxing film to the literature of Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, and Clifford Odets; the influence of ring champions, particularly Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali; and controversies surrounding masculinity, race, and sports.

"Knockout" breaks new ground in film genre study by focusing on the fundamental dramatic conflicts uniting both documentary and fictional films with compelling social concerns. The boxing film portrays more than the rise and fall of a champion; it exposes the body in order to reveal the spirit. Not simply a brute, the screen boxer dramatizes conflicts and aspirations central to an American audience's experience. This book features chapters on the conventions of the boxing film, the history of the genre and its relationship to famous ring champions, and self-contained treatments of thirty-two individual films including a chapter devoted to Raging Bull.

Cold Steel (originally published by Leatherneck magazine), was the Marine bible of unarmed combat. Emphasizing the practice aspect of bayonet, knife and stick fighting, this rare volume also provides short courses in unarmed combat and knife throwing. For academic study only

Wild Geese - Cheerleaders Code is the story of a group of high school students - a cheerleading team - who live on a quiet simple island. Then, when they're faced with a supremely difficult challenge - taking on a violent gang - they must show what they're truly made of. Hope you enjoy it, and take inspiration from it.

No sport offers more allure and repulsion than the inviting and abrasive world of boxing. Starting on the mean streets of 1950s Chicago, this collection of essays moves into a close reflection of the boxing world up through the glitz of today's boxing circuit.

For Ted Sares, boxing is more than a sparring match between two combatants violently punching each another. It is a visceral experience that reaches in all directions, from his childhood memories of visiting the Chicago rings with his father to today's all-out-fight demeanor of Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao. At the same time tender and brutal, triumphant and tragic, in the end these pieces are about the last man standing and the hope for fair judgment between the victor and the defeated.

"Boxing Is My Sanctuary" is a collection of essays that explores both sides of a sport that is colored with paradox. Between the violent and affectionate, the barbaric and the civilized, Sares finds a ringside refuge in the midst of the sights, sounds, and smells that define boxing.

Miami, 1963. A young boy from Louisville, Kentucky, is on the path to becoming the greatest sportsman of all time. Cassius Clay is training in the 5th Street Gym for his heavyweight title clash against the formidable Sonny Liston. He is beginning to embrace the ideas and attitudes of Black Power, and firebrand preacher Malcolm X will soon become his spiritual adviser. Thus Cassius Clay will become 'Cassius X' as he awaits his induction into the Nation of Islam. Cassius also befriends the legendary soul singer Sam Cooke, falls in love with soul singer Dee Dee Sharp and becomes a remarkable witness to the first days of soul music. As with his award-winning soul trilogy, Stuart Cosgrove's intensive research and sweeping storytelling shines a new light on how black music lit up the sixties against a backdrop of social and political turmoil - and how Cassius Clay made his remarkable transformation into Muhammad Ali.