A wonderful introduction to the world of hooping.
579867
This is not a workout dvd, rather it is something that you watch, pause while you practice, then move on to the next move. It is nice to have to refer back to when I keep not getting it, but I can basically do all the moves that are taught on the dvd after three weeks of practicing. The main thing to hoop dancing is to practice and devote your time to it; the dvd can't make you better, only practice and determination can. Hooping is a wonderful cardio and toning workout, and its really hard to not be happy or having fun when hooping. I get inside my hoop and before I know it its been an hour and I am all smiles. Its very rewarding when you learn a new trick or get better at it. I plan on getting the level 2 dvd when I feel I am proficient at all the moves discussed in this dvd.
2871842
I received this book in 1976 and was delighted with it's content, easiness to read, motivational pages, and most importantly how the author had successfully captured the game of basketball, his memories, your memories, and placed them on the printed pages in a wonderful fashion. This iS NOT A BASKETBALL SKILLS BOOK. This is a BOOK ABOUT BASKETBALL AS LIFE.

I must point out, one particular section of the book (I think it's called BASKETBALL IS) is written in such a unique format, that when the reader begins to read this page, he / she will immediately connect with the ACT OF PLAYING IN A REAL GAME OF BASKETBALL. Never read anything that captured this as well and I highly recommend this section, and the entire book, for ANYONE who has played the game, or who is playing the game, of Basketball. I've kept my copy for 39 years!
209858
Anyone interested in basketball and the sociology of sport in the inner city will love this book.
706190
It is very interesting to read about the invention that allowed the game of basketball to celebrate the slam dunk as it does.  I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the modern game.
3525612
If you are starting with kids that don't know anything about the sport of basketball this is a great book to have, so you can teach the fundamentals of the game.
Coach Flores
1015954
This really is *the* book on professional basketball in the USA. I've read several other classics - Loose Balls, Tee Breaks of the Game - however the depth of research that has gone into this book is extraordinary. A must read for any hoops fan.
87741
The Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics quite possibly featured the best team in team sports of all-time, the USA men's basketball team which took on the name of Dream Team, initially because of the all-star cast of characters, and eventually because of the way it dominated on and off the court.

Jack McCallum goes all out to bring all that to us in chronological order, starting with introduction and background on the 12 players and the head coach, the late Chuck Daly. He covers a lot of the backstory of how the team was assembled, why these players were selected, why some were left out (such as Isiah Thomas). After the team was assembled, we follow them, from practices to qualifiers and behind the scenes, with a whole chapter devoted (chapter 28 from what I recall) to the greatest game almost no one saw (a spirited intra-squad practice with Jordan vs Magic). Then we have the Olympics games and the after math of the gold medal. The author also "interludes", where-are-they-now segments, linking the past to the present as the story unfolds.

Overall, this is a fun and entertaining read, it does not read like a box score. Humor is definitely in the mix, although at times some of the pop culture joke attempts misfire as they are just off or they are orders of magnitude more obscure than the actual subjects, which defeats the purpose.

If you were expecting to read box scores and Xs and Os, this is not a series of box scores or a basketball theory book.
1305582
As a beginner, I picked up this lovely book and immediately was drawn to its format. The hard cover, yet internally spiral bound book, is for the majority of pages, split into two books with a seperate top and bottom section. The Top Section covers 23 different jewelry making projects, while the bottom section covers in detail 20 core craft techniques, from cutting materials to soldering, polishing and setting stones.
While viewing the detailed steps in any of the beautifully photographed projects, one is referred by number to the specific technique employed in crafting that step. The reader can then turn to the specified technique in the bottom section of the book while still viewing the project step itself.  This actually gives a nice flow to the project and stimulates the learning process in linear fashion. You don't lose focus on the idea of the project while searching through indexes or tables of contents to figure out which technique is required, and where to find it. You are sent to the specific information you need, and can refer back and forth between the project and the skill required for a particular step with only a flick of the eye.
This helps to make the book a good one for the beginner, as do the wide variety of projects, and the well detailed techniques. There is a good description of what is needed for a home workshop, how to set it up, what basic tools one needs to get started, and how to use them.  I bought the book and pored eagerly through it, learning a lot. The 23 projects were selected to teach the basic techniques a beginner would employ, yet the results of each project are a lovely piece of jewelry that the artist would be proud to display.
The author has included at the back of the book a gallery of other artisans works which I found appealing as it showed what could be accomplished with more demanding techniques and experience. After reading the book, the beginner is able to view these items and identify most of the basic steps involved in their creation using their newfound knowledge.
Further in the back of the book were some useful tables and  technical information of interest to the beginner,as well as a glossary of commonly used terms particular to the craft.
All in all, I loved the book because it very quickly taught me the individual steps and techniques needed in the crafting of a number of very appealing jewelry pieces, in a way that elegantly allowed me to learn the techniques without losing focus on the flow and beauty of the project itself.
The author, Madeline Coles, has made an honest effort to bring to the beginner both the joy and beauty of the craft on the 'artsy' level, while performing the difficult job of teaching a lot of very detail specific technical skills.  I think she did a commendable job on both fronts.
I know this won't be the last book I will  buy on the subject of jewelry making/SilverSmithing, but I'm glad it was my first!
1521777
If you are an avid professional basketball fan like me who appreciates the history of the game, you should know that there are so many captivating memories surviving to this day. This book focuses on the more prominent players and plays of the NBA's past and present; the buzzerbeaters that have won championships, the slam dunks that defied gravity, the amazing assists that made you wonder if he could see through his head. All these memories come alive again in NBA's Greatest. From James Naismith's invention of basketball to George Mikan, Bill Russell,'Houdini of the Hardwood' Bob Cousy and the early dominance of the Minneapolis Lakers and Boston Celtics, to the era of great swingman such as Dr. J, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird, to the continuity of today's superstars, this book has them all.

There are some feats in professional basketball that you simply never forget, such as Jerry West's last minute heave from sixty feet out, or Willis Reed's comeback in the 1970 NBA Finals, or when Michael Jordan executed a flying dunk from the free-throw line, or when Anthony 'Spud' Webb won the slam dunk contest standing at 5'7". This book reviews those highlights in great detail, plus extra statistics that summarize the changes that have taken place over a century.
3076290
I spent a lot of years watching this incredible athlete build his career, with its ups and downs, yet never really knew the whole story - until now.  This book gives a great timeline of Allen Iverson's life, from childhood to present day, that addresses a lot of the misconceptions about the athlete and explains very well his impact on the game of basketball.

I also found the section on his personal life to be interesting as well. I would have loved to have seen some more images in the book but understand that this could be a copyright issue.  Recommended for sure!
4248984
This is a great introduction for beginners to this wonderful art form. I love the clear explanations of the dance posture and the basic movements, and the ever-present reminder that everyone is different, but no matter your level of physical activity and flexibility, everyone can learn and enjoy this art form. Madame Ona has an easy going teaching style and her personality really shines through. She's a character! She gives great metaphors to help you visualize the movement. That's really helpful for me!
The bonus performance at the end is a great way to see all of the things you have just learned put together to create a beautiful performance.
The music used during the instruction was a nice medium tempo piece by Carmine Guida. The music for the performance, by River Guerguerian, was nice because its not what youd expect for a belly dance performance.
The Bloopers are hilarious! There is one curse word, but it didn't bother me. Its also nice to see that Ona doesnt take herself too seriously.
This is a fun video that I really enjoyed.
2630700
We bought this basketball hoop for our grandson's 3rd birthday.  He loves it! The hoop lights up when he makes a basket, which makes it super fun for a beginner. It's good quality. It was a great gift!
44238
An excellent book which explains how community basketball can influence a community. Basketball has been a major sports in US and unlimited number of youths have seen their dreams into this beautiful game. The writer has carefully picked up some real life case stories portraying the overall effect of this game to the community as a whole. I would definitely love to refer this book to you all to read once.
3656732
I will be honest and say that I am not a large fan of basketball, however I have heard a lot about this player and was intrigued by his life. This is not a terribly long book but it does give a pretty detailed account of his life growing up from child to basketball court. He was the only son in a home full of sisters and it sounds like his family took that into consideration and took great measures to keep him safe. By the time he had gotten to high school he was emerging as one of the greats in basketball, racking up many awards. This was excellent considering his size, he defied the odds against him. He continued playing basketball through college and was very successful at that as well. Once he entered the NBA he was selected as a first round pick, it doesn't get much better than that. Through the injuries, his size working against him he was able to still remain at the top and one of the more relevant players in the NBA. There is so much more to this player, I highly recommend this book. It was well written and a decent length without being over the top long or unrealistically short.
3365560
This is an excellent documentary on playground basketball in New York. It primarily focuses on the modern era but does include a lot of the history of street ball in the city. It contains excellent, candid interviews with some of the best players in the game and their memories of games from years ago are really fun. As someone who has written on basketball history (Hoop Crazy: College Basketball in the 1950s) I would highly recommend this documentary to any basketball fan.
4339461
Great insider's look into rookies entering the NBA back in the day. I especially liked the passage about Keith Van Horn of the Nets shooting around by the world-famous Bendix Diner. Author Mike Monroe--who's been covering the NBA since Michael Jordan's rookie year--is a great sportswriter and an even better storyteller. This book is definitely worth searching out.
2011259
As a child, I was always a baseball and football fan.  I had a loose affiliation to Dr. J.  But other than that, I knew nothing about basketball.  That all changed when Larry and Magic came on the scene.  These two somehow elevated the sport to something new for me.  So much so, that I became a devoted fan of my local team--even though neither of them played the sport.  Things were just somehow better knowing that these guys played in the same league.

So, having said that, it is a safe bet that I was really looking forward to this book.  And, it did not let me down at all.  As I read, I learned many things I did not know about these two superstars. Reading this book also brought back a flood of basketball-related memories.  It was fascinating to relive these memories with commentary and thoughts from Larry and Magic.  What I found fascinating is that the two never really had a real conversation with one another until 1985 after shooting that famous Converse commercial.  And yet, before that they were the standard against one another were measured.  Here they both reveal the degree to which they measured themselves against one another--almost as much as the media and fans did.  From that conversation, which comes more than halfway through the book, a friendship emerges out of mutual competitive respect and admiration that moves beyond basketball.

I rarely read books written by (or written with) celebrities.  However, I made an exception for this book.  And I was truly rewarded with a pleasant read.  I stayed up late into the night two nights in a row plowing through this thoroughly enjoyable book in one sitting.  Although I am no longer the basketball fan I was in my youth, I found this book brought back all the magic (sorry) of the game during that era.  I suspect that anyone who was even a moderate fan of basketball in the '80s will find this book as enjoyable as I did.  For that matter, I also think younger fans of today who might be not remember that era of the game can learn a lot from this excellent book.  The Magic-Bird era was my favorite time of the NBA (with the possible exception of 1994 and 1995 (look where I'm from)) and I enjoyed returning to that time for at least two late nights.