In "The Meaning of Sports," Michael Mandelbaum, a sports fan who is also one of the nation's preeminent foreign policy thinkers, examines America's century-long love affair with team sports. In keeping with his reputation for writing about big ideas in an illuminating and graceful way, he shows how sports respond to deep human needs; describes the ways in which baseball, football and basketball became national institutions and how they reached their present forms; and covers the evolution of rules, the rise and fall of the most successful teams, and the historical significance of the most famous and influential figures such as Babe Ruth, Vince Lombardi, and Michael Jordan.
Whether he is writing about baseball as the agrarian game, football as similar to warfare, basketball as the embodiment of post-industrial society, or the moral havoc created by baseball's designated hitter rule, Mandelbaum applies the full force of his learning and wit to subjects about which so many Americans care passionately: the games they played in their youth and continue to follow as adults. By offering a fresh and unconventional perspective on these games, "The Meaning of Sports" makes for fascinating and rewarding reading both for fans and newcomers.

The secrets of billiards--taught by two of its greatest players

Pool legend Steve Mizerak has teamed up with Ewa Mataya Laurance, the Striking Viking, to write A Quick-Start Guide to Pocket Billiards, an essential resource for players of all levels to learn the skills required to attain proficiency at the game and then take their games to the next level.

In clear, step-by-step instructions and friendly language, it teaches readers how to:

• Think like a pro
  
• Select and hold the perfect cue
  
• Sink balls
  
• Analyze and set up shots
  
• Play the offensive in a game
  

England's head coach tells the gripping story of how he took the national side to victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup in this fully revised and updated paperback. Winning! tells the story of the remarkable past six years - an unforgettable journey that began in September 1997 and took the team from the lower ranks of international first-class rugby to the top as World Cup Champions. Sir Clive Woodward and his team mounted a campaign of vast change, great learning, team building and clear vision to achieve their aim. 'We would question everything, change anything and leave no stone unturned,' he writes. WINNING! will talk about the team's journey of innovation and discovery and will reveal exactly how it happened, the fundamentals of their success and how these principles can be applied to any human endeavour. 'We changed the way we coached, the way we played and, of equal importance, how we operated off the field.' Bringing his business management skills to the game, Woodward simplified the entire approach to the structure of the team and created new management systems both on and off the pitch.; In an anecdotal style, Clive Woodward entertains and informs while he describes the thr

A CIVIL WAR is an unforgettable portrait of college football in the purest form: two teams that play for the love of the game and for the honour of their respective schools, rather than for money or fame. As Feinstein follows the Army and Navy football teams through a single season, he takes us into the locker rooms, onto the playing fields and inside the lives of the players and coaches. His book captures the personalities and the behind-the-scenes struggles - culminates in a vivid account of the teams' dramatic December face-off, a stratling come-from-behind victory that resulted in a daredevil fourth-down touchdown attempt.

In a new afterword to the paperback edition, Feinstein reflects on the extraordinary 1996 season, which saw both teams achieve their best records in decades and win bowl-game berths

'A genuine presence on the field, Owen refereed with the perfect balance of respect and authority' Keith Wood 'Highly respected with vast experience and knowledge, Owen Doyle contributed hugely to the world of rugby refereeing, both on and off the field' Nigel Owens 'Owen Doyle was a highly respected referee who officiated matches with passion, commitment, knowledge and, occasionally, some great humour' Will Carling With a foreword by Donal Lenihan. Owen Doyle is an Irish Times columnist and former Irish rugby Test match referee. Here in his frank, revealing and often humorous memoir, The Ref's Call, he gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the high-pressured world of international rugby. From the processes involved in becoming a referee, to officiating in the Five Nations, touring Internationals and a World Cup, Doyle takes us through the most memorable matches of his career and how, following his retirement, he became instrumental in coaching the most successful generation of referees in the IRFU's history. Covering over forty years of rugby, and written in his own inimitable style, Doyle looks at the challenges facing modern rugby, particularly the issues of concussion and dementia, to give a fascinating insight into the great game, told from a unique perspective.

Packed with 175 drills straight from the practice sessions of the game's most successful programs, "The Softball Drill Book" will add variety to your practices and precision to your game-day performances.

The comprehensive collection covers every aspect of the game. From warm-up to conditioning, throwing to hitting, bunting to base-running, you'll find drills to improve position skill and team execution - all from college coaches and programs that have won 13 NCAA Women's College World Series titles and dozens of NCAA regional tournament titles.

Contributors include:

-Louie Berndt, Florida State

-Carol Bruggeman, Louisville

-Yvette Girouard, Louisiana State

-Michelle Gromacki, Cal State Fullerton

-Deanna Gumpf, Notre Dame

-Carol Hutchins, Michigan

-Kelly Inouye-Perez, UCLA

-Jay Miller, Mississippi State

-Jennifer Ogee, Nebraska

-Kim Sowder, Long Beach State

-Heather Tarr, Washington

-Michelle Venturella, Iowa

-Kirk Walker, Oregon State

-Margie Wright, Fresno State

One look at the names above and it is clear, "The Softball Drill Book" is your blueprint for championship practices.

Here's the "missing guide" for slowpitch softball. It's not a fastpitch softball book adapted to slowpitch softball. It's a comprehensive and original instructional guide to the unique sport of slowpitch.

With" Complete Guide to Slowpitch Softball," you will learn basic to advanced offensive and defensive techniques. And the comprehensive coverage of slowpitch strategies and tactics, as well as expert advice on physical and psychological conditioning, will ensure you step out of the dugout confident and prepared.

Senior softball Hall of Famer Rainer Martens and his wife, Julie Martens, put their wealth of expertise together in this one-of-a-kind book and DVD package. With over 45 years of softball experience and PhDs in the sport sciences, Rainer and Julie bring unique insight into all aspects of the game to help players, coaches, and fans alike hit a home run in this exciting game.

Greg Chappell: Not Out brings his many years of experience to the fore to discuss Australia's favourite sport from all angles, including scandals, mental skills, and the future of the game. Greg Chappell's retirement as a cricketer was the conventional end of a great sporting career. But it was only the start of an equally lively journey. An original thinker and a peerless judge of talent, Chappell commands respect and is widely sought after for his views on all things cricket. He has seldom been away from the thick of it. Here, he tells all. Forty years since the underarm, Chappell takes us inside the secretive world of selection. He tells the story of Twenty20's forerunner Super 8s, and reveals his insights from an eventful stint as coach of India. He speaks frankly on a decade at Cricket Australia, including warning signs he saw ahead of the Newlands scandal, and calls for greater focus on the game's mental skills. Chappell also unveils a blueprint for the future of Australian cricket. He argues forcefully that the game has drifted too far from the type of lean, hungry system that helped to take the national team to the top. Greg Chappell: Not Out is a uniquely insightful and entertaining look at cricket, and a must-read for all fans of the sport.

El presente libro se compone de dos bloques, en el primer bloque trata sobre el analisis de una programacion didactica de balonmano y el segundo bloque se basa en una trabajo de investigacion relacionando la velocidad y el baloncesto. La autora quiere acercar a los profesionales y sobre todo a los estudiantes de la educacion fisica diversos trabajos sobre analisis e investigaciones que les puedan ser utiles en su vida tanto estudiantil como profesional.

In a follow-up to his Clearing the Bases—Sports Illustrated’s book of the year for 2002—syndicated columnist Allen Barra turns his eye from America’s pastime to America’s passion. In this collection of essays, Barra delves into the gridiron’s all-time greats, some of the sport’s enduring controversies, and suggests new ways to think about the game that holds our attention from August through January, every year. Barra turns his aggressively intelligent writing to the Heisman Trophy and its controversies and demonstrates why the Bowl Championship Series has not and cannot work. He explains how the infamous tie game between Notre Dame and Michigan State in 1966 changed football forever. He compares the careers of Bear Bryant and Vince Lombardi, George Allen and Don Shula, Bart Starr and Johnny Unitas, and Joe Montana and Steve Young, probing beyond the myths that surround each man and creating a new context to understand their achievements. He explains how Notre Dame embraced a destiny in pads, beyond the Gipper mystique and Rockne speeches. No other writer challenges a sport’s myths, untrue truisms, and legends the way Barra does in these essays. The achievement of a writer who manages a balance between establishment insider and outspoken iconoclast, Big Play explores issues and controversies that fire up pigskin fans. Blending statistical commentary with insight and biting commentary with genuine fandom, Barra provides readers with another dose of his passionate, opinionated, and unique analysis of football.

Coaching Youth Softball is written especially for the unprepared parent thrust into the role of coaching his or her 8- to 12-year-old childs softball team. Upbeat and inspirational, it schools new coaches in the fundamentals of controlling, motivating, and encouraging a disparate group of kids in the art and science of softball.

Parents learn the logistics of running a youth team and the specifics of coaching softball. They learn how to match drills to a players skills and motivation level and gain a wealth of detailed instructions on such specifics as how to run a successful practice and manage during a game.

• Takes a drill-based approach to teaching basic skills
  
• Reviews softball fundamentals for inexperienced parents
  

Estructurado en torno a la tecnica: el pase, el regate, la finta, etc. y a la tactica: el ataque y la defensa, describe ejercicios para el manejo del balon y el dominio de los movimientos fundamentales para ninos y jovenes.

In "Football Coaching Strategies" you'll find 349 detailed diagrams showing a variety of offensive attacks, defensive packages, and special team tactics--accompanied by useful advice from the experts.

Best of all, the coaches are the recognized experts in the topics they cover. For example, read how these coaches explain game strategies and underlying principles:

- Running game--Tom Osborne, John McKay, and Darrell Royal- Passing game--Bill Walsh, Steve Spurrier, and LaVell Edwards- Defense--Dick Tomey, Barry Alvarez, Dave Wannstedt, and Jerry Sandusky- Kicking game--Spike Dykes and John Cooper- Philosophy, motivation, and management--Eddie Robinson and Joe Paterno

"Football Coaching Strategies" blends the invaluable lessons of the past with the best thinking in today's game. With it, you'll find the key elements for a winning game plan--on and off the field. It's the one book that every serious football coach, player, and fan will treasure.

'It's been the basis of my work since 1971. It's the internet between covers' John Motson 'The definitive chronicle of changing times for so many who love the sport' Ian Herbert, Daily Mail 'The Yearbook stands for authority and integrity' Martin Tyler 'The first reference book you should turn to' Daily Telegraph The Utilita Football Yearbook 2022-2023 is the market-leading book of football statistics, featuring everything you need to know about domestic and international football. Since its first appearance in 1970, The Football Yearbook has heralded the start of each new season and served as the sport's book of record, faithfully chronicling decades of both tradition and evolution. Now in its 53rd year of publication, the Yearbook celebrates that legacy and undertakes to do what it always does - to meticulously record the season just gone and look forward to the season about to start, all within more than a thousand pages of pure footballing facts and figures.

Passion and history unite in this account of Gaelic games at the University of Limerick and its predecessors on the Plassey campus, the National College of Physical Education, Thomond College of Education and the National Institute of Higher Education. It is a story of forging an identity in challenging institutional and sporting contexts. The Plassey clubs were clearly different from community-based GAA clubs but at their foundations were the Association's traditional spirit and ethos. The strength of the UL club is testament to the rich history that it has inherited. Plassey's Gaels have known glory and failure, joy and heartbreak. The brilliant Thomond team of 1977 - 78 won All-Ireland club football honours. Among the club's sweetest victories was the Fitzgibbon Cup hurling triumph of 1989, having previously been denied access to the premier intervarsity competitions. There have been emotive boardroom wrangles and off-field controversies. Some of the finest players of the modern era have the worn the jerseys of NCPE, Thomond, NIHE and UL, including Pat Spillane, Brian Mullins, Fiona O'Driscoll and Seamus Hickey. The campus has evolved dramatically over the last forty years but the collegial experience has remained constant and essentially undiluted. It is about love of the games, camaraderie and friendship.

As the most feared pitcher of all time, Roger Clemens has won more than 350 games in his 20-year baseball career, struck out more than 4,500 batters (the second highest total in the history of the game), and earned a record seven Cy Young awards. Along the way, he's hit 150 batters, knocked down hundreds more, and stared down every batter who tried to dig in against him. Facing Clemens explores what it's really like to face the Rocket Man. Author Jonathan Mayo has interviewed scores of players, including Ken Griffey Jr., Chipper Jones, Luis Gonzalez, Torii Hunter, Cal Ripken Jr., and even Clemens's own son, Koby Clemens, for a batter's box view of the Rocket bearing down from the mound.