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Customer Reviews (1)

Best coaching book to start you off on the right foot (pun intended)
I bought this book before my first year of coaching youth soccer and am now in my second season and I still use it every week.I have played soccer for years but this helped a lot getting myself organized for coaching.After looking at many books, in my opinion this is the best overall youth soccer coaching book.It includes soccer basics, warm ups, drills, and tips on coaching youth soccer at all age levels.If you're looking for lots of drills then maybe a dedicated book with just drills will suit you but this includes tactics and practice plans and everything in between and is a very good one stop reference. ... Read more

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The room was a marketer s dream, filled with educated, savvy women with money and the urge to spend it. Holly asked a pointed question: "How many of you in the room consider yourself a Soccer Mom?" The silence reached a crescendo and nary a hand rose.Every time Holly asks that question, usually only one or two women raise their hands. The numbers never change. Normally, only one to two percent of the crowd identifies themselves as a Soccer Mom. If you listen to marketers and politicians, there are millions upon millions of Soccer Moms out there, yet we've found only about seven.What's going on here? Why aren't more women identifying themselves as Soccer Moms? Come on, there's nothing wrong with being a Soccer Mom, right? Right?If women don't consider themselves Soccer Moms, what does that say about the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of billions of dollars of advertising aimed at this group?It's time for a wake-up call about who today's female consumer really is, how she really thinks, and why she really buys both online and offline. Prepare to kick the Soccer Mom myth to the sidelines, and learn how to market to women in a way that translates into more customers, AND bigger profit. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

At least it was the best of 3 purchased "marketing for women" books
It is inspiring, makes you turn pages, there are things worth to read and think about. Entertaining, probably if you do marketing for living, you could know half of these things,or could come to similar conclusions and techniques based on "personas" by your own experience. I think it is fresh. They do not repeat themselves, they do not advertise their own business (just a bit):), they do not give headers and nothing inside, but sort of referral "details and quality, profound decisions we discuss in our office ,please)- opposite 2 other books that I bought at the same day here.

Worth reading...and re-reading
I read this book when it first came out and thought it was great. I underlined ideas within the book that I thought were especially helpful. Ironically, I picked it up again about three weeks ago and noticed that so much of what I underlined had found its way into our work. I judge a business book as successful if it provides at least three ideas you can actually use to your advantage. In this book I found over a dozen.

Excellent Read!
The Soccer Mom Myth is a well-written, easy to read, fun, and very informative book.It's full of relevant and eye-opening information and includes many annecdotes and case studies that really illustrate the point that Holly and Michelle are trying to make. My business partner and I have started to incorporate many of their ideas and suggestions into our marketing and business plans for a new start-up.Thanks Holly and Michelle!
My only reason for not giving this book a full five stars is that I would have liked a references section listing the resources and research that they used in compiling their data.

Katy Papadopoulos and Brian Leitch

Marketing with Heart
Holly and Michele did an excellent job of presenting a clear, concise and compelling case for us to discover and/or create new ways of communicating in the marketplace. Read the book and you'll get detailed insight into getting that whether you're wanting to connect with women or men, it's about being authentic, in integrity and transparent. Holly and Michele want us to get that if you want people to take your message to heart, they need to know you're coming from your heart.

The book is excellent especially if you're looking to market products on the Internet.

If the Soccer Mom is a Myth, then why repeat the theme throughtout the book?
This book makes a number of relevant points.However, I kept asking myself why on earth do they have this red high-heel and soccer ball of *every* *single* chapter, if they are basing their central thesis on the fact that women cannot be easily be labeled and categorized using words like "soccer moms"; the usage of this repeating photography just didn't make sense to me at all.I would go so far as to say it distracted me as I was reading this book! ... Read more

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Step onto the pitch focused, confident, and positive. Walk off a winner.

Customer Reviews (4)

Good soccer sense
Beswick presents very practical information on the psychology of soccer. Most coaches ignore these ideas and, yet, these very issues make or break a team. This book does a pretty good job of explaining the different mental aspects of sports pychology for soccer and is very comprehensive. However, I found the book lacking in simple application of the ideas. He does have a Master Coaching DVD series which probably better presents the application of these ideas. Although, if you have some background in psychology, you can adapt the ideas and develop practical applications on your own. These are simple cognitive behavioral techniques mixed with an Adlerian approach.

PSYCH!!!
Great Book!
Saw Beswick at the SMU coaching clinic and he was absolute spot on in his presentation on the role of the coach and the development of the player in the modern game of soccer.

Impressed
As a thirteen year veteran of coaching high school and club soccer, it is hard for me not to view any book with a bit of skepticism. So upon purchasing this book I was intrigued to see what Beswick had to say and not positive he could teach me anything new. I was dead wrong, he is fantastic and much of what he writes about can be transferred to sports other than soccer. I was especially impressed with his ideas and examples of assessment tools for coaches and for player self-reflection. I have already begun to create my own versions of them in order to use them with my side this fall. A highly recommended read for players and coaches alike.

A must-read for serious soccer coaches
Bill Beswick, one of the world's premier sports psychologists (currently employed by England and Manchester United) and an accomplished coach in his own right, has written a book that is destined to take a place on the priority reading list of all aspiring soccer coaches.In it, he describes the mental, emotional, psychological, and lifestyle aspects of a complete player.The book is full of tables, checklists, and charts for self and team assessment, and the book has been beautifully tailored so as to be applicable for both coaches and players.The main strength of this book, though, is its practical recommendations for every topic it addresses (visualization, self-control, team cohesion, confidence, and mental toughness to name a handful).For example, Beswick gives the example of a striker who is not scoring goals in the chapter on confidence.How does the coach, in cooperation with the player, address the situation to help him regain confidence?Beswick asserts that other components of his job description should be brought to his attention (by asking the player), and that he should be encouraged to self-evaluate his performance based on how well he completed all of the aspects of his job description, not just scoring goals.This may sound like a "feel good" tactic at first glance, but Beswick also provides case studies of specific players at the highest levels who were positively affected by this approach (In this case, Dean Sturridge of Derby County).The book encourages a holistic approach to both coaching and playing, and discusses the benefits and potential pitfalls along the way to creating that holistic balance within a team and its players.Indeed, this is the kind of coaching and type of player that must prevail in the future if soccer is to continue to grow and develop, and Bill Beswick has done the sport of soccer and those who love it a distinct service by writing this book. ... Read more

Product Description
This title is for children aged 7 to 10 years. A gold medal is missing at the soccer match and Meg Mackintosh is on the case. Her fellow team-mates, the coach's son, and even the parents are suspects. The reader may search the pictures for key clues. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Meg Mackintosh
Book is for my granddaughter, who is going to be 10 years old. Looks like a book she will enjoy. I liked it. ... Read more

Product Description
Building on the success of Soccer: the Ultimate Guide, DK's bringing the world's game to young readers in a revised and updated edition. More pages, more pictures, more facts, stats, and info make Soccer: The Ultimate Guide truly ultimate. Updated and revised in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Soccer the Ultimate Guide
I think Soccer the Ultimate Guide is a great book for someone who is looking for a book about the history of soccer.It has a paragraph about every National team.It tells who each nation's record goal scorer is.It also has a page on many professional soccer tournaments.Another part of the book is the Soccer Hall of Fame.I think it is a mediocre Hall of Fame because it does not have stars such as Pele, Maradona, and Cruyff.On every page it has a great soccer quote.This book has very, very few flaws and altogether it's a very great book.I recommend that others interested in soccer buy it. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

An Insider's view of 20 years of American Soccer growth
Gary Hopkins provides a terrific inside view of the extra-ordinary growth of soccer in the US over the last two decades.He is able to chronicle the quantum changes that were wrought by the ascendancy of Steinbrecher, Rothenberg, Gulati and Garber to the helm of the sport in the United States.

While Hopkins played a significant role himself he does not dwell on his own contributions but instead examines how a unique mix of personalities, corporate interests and FIFA's desire for a greater presence of soccer in the US came together with immaculate timing for the development of the game. Using his strong personal relationships he also takes us behind the scenes revealing the enormous leaps of faith required for the US to host the 1994 World Cup, the Womens' World Cup in 1999, and to initiate and sustain MLS through its early struggles.

This is however no dry academic study of the economic forces and management strategies that influenced soccer's development. His book has sufficient focus on the personalities of the major players and has enough humor to make it an easy read.

While his view of the future of soccer in America may indeed be overly influenced by his European roots he knows whereof he speaks. And who knows, he may be right!

Great topic, yet tragically under-researched
It's hard to knock Gary Hopkins for tackling such an ambitious topic - how the '94 World Cup really paved the way for the sport's success here in the States. But with that ambition, a tremendous amount of research, interviews, and critical analysis had to be undertaken to truly examine the idea and reach a sound conclusion. Unfortunately, Hopkins failed to accomplish little to any actual research, other than his own first-hand account of what the nation's soccer pulse was during his time in States as a marketing man and journalist.

Hopkins relies far too heavily on his own memories, and fails to support his ideas and conclusions with any hard evidence, other than an occasional rudimentary graph or basic statistic. By the time I reached the halfway point of the book, all I could do is wince at some of the generalities he kept feeding the reader (like how soccer isn't "Dad's sport" or how the nationa's soccer-playing kids will someday steer the U.S. towards becomeing a "true" soccer nation). To make matters worse, he bashes baseball and American football at the expense of promoting soccer, which clearly hints that the British-born author has no concept of the mindset or disposition of the American sports fan. The more I read, the more it became evident that this was no more than one man's personal diary of what he thought contributed to the success of soccer here in the States.

Of course, the icing on the cake is his unabashed praise for the Who's Who of American soccer, i.e. Hank Steinbrecher, Alan Rothenberg, Mark Abbott, David Downs, Sunil Gulati, etc, all of whom, in Hopkins' view, turned everything they touched to 24K gold. It's embarrassing, really, to see an author bend over backward to dole out the praise without a single scent of criticism (i.e. the many bridges burned by Rothenberg's orchestrated FIFA election as USSF President) or objective analysis.

All you need to know about this title is contained in the sterling reviews provided by Rothenberg, Abbott, Steinbrecher & Co. This book, from start to finish, is an ode these men, with supporting, severely-biased evidence provided none other than by the author himself. Do yourself a favor: skip this book entirely and read Filip Bondy's thoroughly-researched and impeccably-reported "Chasing the Game" for an authentic analysis of soccer in the United States. ... Read more

Product Description
When France both hosted and won the World Cup in 1998, the face of its star player, Zinedine Zidane, the son of Algerian immigrants, was projected onto the Arc de Triomphe. During the 2006 World Cup finals, Zidane stunned the country by ending his spectacular career with an assault on an Italian player. In Soccer Empire, Laurent Dubois illuminates the connections between empire and sport by tracing the story of World Cup soccer, from the Cup's French origins in the 1930s to Africa and the Caribbean and back again. As he vividly recounts the lives of two of soccer's most electrifying players, Zidane and his outspoken teammate, Lilian Thuram, Dubois deepens our understanding of the legacies of empire that persist in Europe and brilliantly captures the power of soccer to change the nation and the world. ... Read more

Product Description
This new edition of Eduardo Galeano's riveting commentary on the history and politics of soccer includes newly written material on the 2002 World Cup, which one quarter of humanity watched. Discussing everything from the leveling of the Twin Towers to the death of the sole survivor of that extraordinary match between British and German soldiers in 1915, one of South America's greatest commentators issues forth on robotic soccer in Japan, the mass-production of the game as a sign of the decline of civilization, the amazing success of Senegal and Turkey, and how Nike beat Adidas. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (35)

Extraordinary
Eduardo Galeano is a consumate writer. While ostensibly writing about soccer, he is actually revealing aspects of life. Good for the soccer fan and anyone who likes to read good writing.

Tiresome & Factually Challenged
This is the most tiresome book about soccer I have ever read.It is also the most factually inaccurate book about soccer I have ever read.There are lengthy passages that distort the facts so much that they can only be considered deliberate fabrications.The stories about Italy's victory in the 1938 World Cup are excellent examples.There are many more that contain just vague or inaccurate descriptions of the facts.There are numerous descriptions of goals that the author didn't see and that weren't recorded on video; why describe them?There is more to soccer than scoring goals, and these descriptions, although nicely done, are so numerous and interchangable that they become tiresome.When you throw all this in with the author's penchant for irrelevant political slogans and history, the book just isn't worth reading.If you want to read an entertaining and factual book about Latin American soccer try Alex Bellos's Futebol, which is fascinating, even if you aren't a soccer fan.

Soccer in Sun and Shadow
This is a wonderfully nostalgic group of vignettes and reflections. At times, the writing is quite poignant. This will resonate with long-time soccer (futbol) aficionados, who know the history of the game. Younger readers will be lost in some of the allusions and will not know some of the players.

Random Essays on Professional Soccer
Eduardo Galeano has collected a series of short essays developing random thoughts about professional soccer.He seems to decry the fact that professional soccer has become big entertainment business. I detected an inate longing for watching men play soccer just for the joy of participating in a boys game in several of Mr. Galeano's essays. However, he does develop some interesting imagry and metaphors to describe the game of soccer.

One of my all-time favorite books
I liked the my old paperback edition so much, I bought a hardbound version of the new edition.(The new material BTW is just a continuation of Galeano's commentaries this time centered on the 2002 World Cup tournament.Older version just went up to the 1998 tournament.)

Any discussion of Galeano's writing must begin with his inimitable style.For lack of a proper genre, I call his writings "mosaicos", as each little vignette is like an individual tile in a larger, greater picture.Sometimes this format can be a bit disjointed, but in "Soccer Sun Shadow", it works because the Reader understands that the vignettes are organized chronologically.Galeano does have some vignettes about the origins of the game and its spread to the far-flung corners of the world by British imperialists, but by and large the narrative begins with accounts of games/goals/players from the early 1950s.Since Galeano is Uruguayan, he also has a decidedly Latin American bias (so don't expect to be reading about European teams of the era).

I'm 42 years old and a fan of soccer; some of the stories/players mentioned I had never heard of, so it was refreshing to hear a bit of this history.Once Galeano's narrative caught up to my earliest memories of the game (1970/1974 World Cups), I felt like I was talking to an old friend about a subject we both love.I think that's why I like this book so much:it blends my love of literature (I'm an English teacher) with my love of soccer, and it does it so poetically, so precisely, with such quick turns of language, it is a distinct pleasure to read and reminisce.

I'm not saying you should buy two copies of "Soccer Sun Shadow" (like I did), but if you buy one, I'm sure you'll enjoy the read. ... Read more

Product Description
Amanda Caler thought getting a nosebleed during a game was bad.But now things have gone from bad to worse-she finds she's afraid of the ball!And as if that wasn't enough, it looks like someone is trying to steal her spot at halfback.Could one of her teammates really be capable of such a dastardly thing? ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

Cultural diversity and sports in one great kids' book!
Terrific book for kids into soccer. Writing is intelligent and not dumbed down for kids. Teaches about different cultures through the point of view of sports, showing that we all have something in common.
Educational exercises with a social and moral bent, and lots of fun for sports and soccer fans. In fact even kids not into sports will get something fun and meaningful out of this. And parents reading it to kids will enjoy it too. Highly recommended for homes and schools, kids will love it!

Excellent!
These books are such EXCELLENT ways for children to learn, have fun, and explore the world.I would highly recommend them to any parents or guardian who wants their child to have fun learning about other cultures.

Soccer World Mexico:Great Book for Children
I bought this book for my ten-year old son. He loves it!Ethan provides a personal gateway to Mexico with respect for being a guest in a different culture. The illustrations are engaging and well-done, and my son is excited about learning about the importance of community gardens, Diego Rivera, and Food Fun.The organization of the book and narrative in each part makes it very child-reader-friendly. We look forward to other Soccer World adventures to different parts of the world. ... Read more

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Anticipation - Imagination - Awareness. These are the buzzwords in the author's innovative and well-respected method of coaching young soccer players. His program focuses on the development of each player's soccer instincts through specially designed small-sided games. His program helps players to anticipate what will happen next on the field, develops the imagination necessary to solve the soccer problem and hones the awareness of where other players are on the field. ... Read more

Product Description
A fun developmental guide for the first time parent coach designed for children aged 5-8. The 58 page guide features 7 chapters, 30 soccer drills and games, 5 progressive practice sessions, and expert graphics of all drills and games.

www.soccercoachingbooks.com ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Helpful soccer coach tool
If you are new to coaching youth soccer, this is a good inexpensive book to get you started and give you ideas. The biggest challenge in coaching is structuring and conducting practices, this book will help. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

Red, White and Blue Soccer!
If you are a fan of the US National Team or MLS, you honestly owe it to yourself to read this.

This book is about our American game. Now, the Canadians likewise and others call it soccer, the National Team of Australia are the Socceroos so we aren't exactly alone in calling it soccer. I feel more like calling it soccer after reading this book. Soccer!

The author David Wangerin does his homework on the long and often patchy history of soccer in the US. My favorite part of the book was in the evolution of the game in the 1920s and 1930s. Indeed, soccer was vying to be one of the top sports in the US, along with American football ("gridiron" as the author and much of the world call it) and baseball. The depression hurt soccer's attempts to become as big as these other sports back then but within pockets of the US, there was acceptance. Wangerin enumerates on the teams and leagues of the past and we are able to look it up and find out more. Amazingly, besides some very poorly attended games sometimes, a few of the old pro games even saw pitch invasions and near riots, here in the Land of the Free, would you have imagined that? Wangerin seems to often quote attendances as a barometer of the popularity of the sport, maybe an over reliance on that too, it appears to be from a large part of his research that is taken from reading newspaper articles and spending long hours in the library.

Many of the assertions and stories by the author are in fact, concepts we vaguely knew about such as St. Louis being a hotbed for real red-blooded American "Yank" soccer back in the day. He clarifies the history. Though I do believe the author does his homework, when history reaches this far back, we often accept his word but I don't think it hurts to do one's own research on the subject.

His observations are very astute. As an example, he does talk about how the NFL has sought to expand itself into the European market with a European league that has basically flopped twice. What is the problem with this? It seems to be that the fans in places like London would indeed rather watch our top American NFL teams like New England or Dallas or whomever is at the top rather than watch a Euro team that is not going to be close to the quality of those in the USA. Aren't many American soccer fans the same way in being fans of Liverpool or Real Madrid or AC Milan or whichever squad versus cheering for the homegrown LA Galaxy or Columbus Crew type American teams? Yes. So here in this book, we see in some ways, how the old adage is true, "the more things change, the more things stay the same" meaning that we've had a whole series of soccer leagues going back to at least the 1910s but rarely having long term success. The MLS, set up partially in regards to the 1994 World Cup held in the USA (this was done to placate FIFA) has had a gradual growth from careful planning. Still, make no mistake about it, the MLS, Major League Soccer does have struggles it endures as a professional sport.

The woman's game is indeed treated very well, with it's own chapter considering basically history starting with that gender's world cup in the 1990s. Indeed, history in the woman's game before this could have been examined but his coverage is still rather detailed except for that.

A bit on the same note of coverage, the college game is talked about time and again in this book, while not covering it in depth.

The history of our National Team is basically well covered in it's highs such as the 1950 Belo Horizonte game in Brazil along with the low points and that seemed to be the rule rather than exception over the years prior to 1990. It is amazing, that at times, the history of our National team has rag tag records where maybe all games they have played are not even properly recorded anywhere. Pan Am games in 1958 anyone? Admirably, for a long time, the USSF, US Soccer Federation was it's own autonomous organization without government funding or other aid.

What more can I say?? I'm going to support MLS and other American leagues even more so now. I always thought it was a good brand of soccer but I am even more convinced to support these teams. It's important too in the long run and is Americanized versus what the NASL largely was with it's foreign stars.

In short and in my experience of reading some dozens of books on soccer/football, this one stands out and surely should be read by every fan of the American game. It's coverage is comprehensive including other items such as the origins of the US game and the annual Open Cup in the US. Every detail you can imagine is covered.

A Good History of the Game in America
This book provides a great look into the history of the American game. Other books (Soccerhead being one of the better examples) have provided short outlines of pre-NASL soccer, but Wangerin is successful at seeking out the distant past of American soccer and provides as indepth a history as anyone will probably ever do. One of his main arguments, that while soccer may never be big in America, it's never been a better time for American soccer, is well proved throughout the book's tales of organizational infighting and inexplicable decisions by almost everyone involved in the sport at its highest levels in the US. This book winds up serving not only as a recounting of the past, but also a warning for the future so that American soccer never falls back into the depths of despair it has in the past.

The few issues I have with the book are that little attention is given to the women's game (roughly 12 pages in the 300+ page book), and it feels that Wangerin rushes through the post-1994 history, only hitting some major talking points of the 1998 and 2002 World Cups and some brief history of MLS. Also, very little is mentioned about the US Youth National Teams. I would also like to suggest that eventually this book be updated, since it ends around 2005. The back of the book mentions David Beckham's move to the US with the LA Galaxy, but the book ends its look at the sport in America before Beckham arrival.

With that being said, anyone interested in soccer in America should definitely check this out.

The best book on American soccer
Many people think that the history of soccer in the United States dates back to around the time that Pele arrived in New York in 1975. This magnificent book very firmly refutes that idea, giving a full account of the sport's history in this country dating back to its 19th-century origins.
---Roger Allaway, Historian, National Soccer Hall of Fame ... Read more

Product Description
All over the world, soccer is known as “the Beautiful Game” and is the most popular sport. But in the United States, professional soccer still has a hard time catching on.

It has had some successes here. The American Soccer League of the 1920s, Pélé and other international stars in the North American Soccer League’s glamorous 1970s, the indoor soccer phenomenon of the 1980s, and the U.S. women’s win in the Women’s World Cup of 1999 all hinted that the American public is ready to embrace pro soccer.

In its short history, Major League Soccer (MLS) has survived and even started to thrive, drawing steady crowds and loyal fans. In Long-Range Goals, Beau Dure profiles teams and players, including D.C. United, the Los Angeles Galaxy, Landon Donovan, Freddy Adu, and Coach Bruce Arena, who are all vital to MLS. Some of the triumphs include an expansion of the league and its ownership group, the contribution of MLS players to a strong U.S. World Cup showing in 2002, and the construction of soccer stadiums nationwide. At the same time, MLS has occasionally stumbled, during costly legal battles with players and seeing two teams fold, but its investors have remained strong, figured out how to make money, and support the league.

From the league’s formation in 1993 to the David Beckham era, this book reveals all the action on and off the pitch: the politics, the lawsuits, the management of its teams, and the savvy business deals that helped MLS rebound. It also revels in the big personalities of its stars, the grace of its utility players, and the obstacles the league faces in meeting its long-range goals. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

LONG RANGE GOALS: The Success Story of Major League Soccer
I was a bit apprehensive about a history of Major League Soccer because I've found too many times soccer journalism in the states speaks more to the non-fan than to those that are familiar with it. I was wrong to be apprehensive. This book provided a clearer context for the creation of the league than anything I have ever read previously and it did so without catering too the leaders of US Soccer. I found it to be an honest and unbiased look at what has made Major League Soccer a most unique sporting league: Single Entity. The only criticisms were that it was a bit limited with source material and it spent a little too much time on league results - particularly for someone who was an avid follower of the league since it's inception. That being said it was a joy to read something about MLS that was not written for the non-fan.

This book was okay.
For newcomers to the league, this book might be an interesting read that roughly summarizes the history of the 14-year old soccer league.But for fans of MLS, there are no real insights to be found here.As any fan knows all too well, there isn't a whole lot of compelling material in the short history of the league, and the book seemed padded out with long block quotes and uninteresting summaries of each MLS season.Much of these summaries seemed very similar to Dave Litterer's excellent US soccer history web page: http://homepages.sover.net/~spectrum/.

I am a fan of the league, and of sports non-fiction, but this book did not impress too much.It had all the information I expected, but fell short of being a good read.For casual US soccer fans wondering about MLS, I be much more likely to recommend Grant Wahl's "Beckham Experiment", which gives you all the background on MLS you really need, plus offers great insight into how the league operates, and includes profiles of Landon Donovan, Alexi Lalas, Ruud Gullit, Bruce Arena, and many every-day players from the 2007/8 Galaxy team.

Great book for any MLS fan or fan of US soccer!
Any fan of Major League Soccer will love this book. It's a detailed account of how MLS survived its infant years and is even starting to thrive now with new teams and stadiums being built all over the US. It really is a great league that doesn't get the attention it should. I recommend this book to any MLS fan or fan of soccer in America. Hopefully it'll bring more attention to this exciting league. ... Read more

Product Description
Legendary soccer coach Anson Dorrance has coached 17 of the last 21 NCAA women's championship soccer teams.Enough said."The Vision of a Champion" is just that, as Dorrance distills his vision in this mandatory guide for young athletes and coaches who want to inspire and train them. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Great book
I received the book it a short amount of time, and it was great to open and find the book is an autographed copy. It is in great condition, and I am very pleased with my order.The Vision Of A Champion: Advice And Inspiration From The World's Most Successful Women's Soccer Coach

The Vision of a Champion
This is a wonderful book about soccer and training, and the mental toughness girls possess that will help them all through life. This book will also help any parent who struggles with the proper involvement level with a soccer-daughter, and the reinforcement needed to help make the correct choices as she evolves with the game of soccer.

This book also gives extraordinary attention to the evolution of leadership roles for females, and the developement of these leadership skills in all young women.

There were hundreds of times i wanted to read passsages or paragraphs to each of my soccer-daughters after i was brought to near tears by the passages of empowerment and success for female athletes.

Awesome
This is a great book for the beginner and the advanced coach and I think it would serve parents and athletics as well.

Simply put a wonderful insight into the game of soccer.

The man's record says it all...
This book is well written and presents ideas for all level of player from rec through ODP and beyond.I recommend every coach who wants to improve read the book.Womens coaches benefit the most in light of Coach Dorrance's experience and well known success.
In the book you'll get advice (to varying extents) on just about every aspect of the game.This book is not written toward coaches, but to players.If you read the book as a set of guidlines for players, you'll be able to gather some insight about coaching and driving women to higher competitive levels.Great book.

Essential Reading
If you coach, this is a must read. If you coach women, this should already be on your shelf. If you coach womens soccer, I'm sure you've read it a dozen times. But if you're a parent or a player you may have missed this one. Dorrance is arguably the best in the business regardless of sport and there's not one thing he's touched that is shoddy. This book is a must-read, and I recommend you follow it up with "The Man Watching". ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

A Wonderful Window...
for children to look through and spot the similarities that we all share as humans, using the most popular sport in the world as a medium. This book is beautifully illustrated, and walks the reader through the Country of South Africa, sharing a plethora of interesting facts, offering ideas for experiments, and giving the reader a chance to experience some of the culture with recipes and language examples. After watching the world cup, it was absolutely icing on the cake for me to personally learn even more about the rainbow nation, and made me feel even more connected to what was happening there. I would recommend this book to all ages, as the story itself has many great anecdotes for the youngsters, and the factoids and experiments can be fun for all!

Excellent writing!
Terrific book for kids into soccer. Writing is intelligent and not dumbed down for kids. Teaches about different cultures through the point of view of sports, showing that we all have something in common.
Educational exercises with a social and moral bent, and lots of fun for sports and soccer fans. In fact even kids not into sports will get something fun and meaningful out of this. And parents reading it to kids will enjoy it too. Highly recommended for homes and schools, kids will love it!

Soccer World South Africa!
My child loves the pictures, the stories, and the whole premise that Ethan connects with kids from all over the world through soccer.It doesn't really matter if your child plays soccer or not, the book is a gem.I can't get my child to put it down, always a good sign!

My kids love it
My 4 year old son and his older sister love this book. I recommend it for parents with younger children whom are interested in soccer and learning other cultures. ... Read more

Product Description
In a sport requiring spurts of speed and game-long endurance, even the most skilled soccer players can’t survive on talent alone. It also takes unbelievable conditioning. With more than 90 exercises, Complete Conditioning for Soccer tells you how to develop the stamina you need to run the field and still have the explosiveness to plow through defenders, battle for position, and drill the ball into the goal.

Written by L.A. Galaxy head coach Sigi Schmid and Bob Alejo, a veteran conditioning coach who has worked with the UCLA Bruins and World Cup Soccer Teams, Complete Conditioning for Soccer shows you how to get in great shape using the best

• flexibility and warm-up exercises,
• strength and aerobic training,
• power development,
• speed and agility exercises, and
• individual and team conditioning with the ball.

The exercises in Complete Conditioning for Soccer are easy to follow and understand.That’s because the authors have combined step-by-step instructions with more than 125 photographs and illustrations to ensure proper form and technique. Use these expert coaches’ conditioning programs to outperform and outwork your opponents, game after game! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

This book is decent
This book is supplementary at best in its conditioning program. The conditioning shown does not include enough variety to fully develop mature athletes.

Informative and to the point
This was my first year teaching high school soccer. After thorough research I develop a preseason workout, a season workout, and a thorough stretch routine.I did not suffer one muscle injury this year and I think that the stretches had a lot to do with this. Overall, This book has many great ideas and if you need a little guidance this is definately the book for you.

This is what you need!
This book is what every soccer player needs.
you can use it for short or long term goals.
enjoy the easy but complete instructions to improve your game.
... Read more

Product Description
There are 180 more outstanding drill and small sided from Holland, home of one of the most respected and successful youth soccer development models in the world. It also includes exercises for: Dribbling, Passes, Shooting and Combination Play. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good ideas just incomplete diagrams and/or descriptions
I've spent hours surfing coaching web sites looking for drill ideas and got frustrated enough to spend $20 on a book. I find the Dutch KNVB model to be a good approach for coaching youth soccer (small sided games, lot's of repetitions, etc) so I figured this would be close, though it is not an offical KNVB book.

There are many good drills that go hand in hand with the Dutch coaching style, for that it is a good reference for putting together a practice. Be prepared to finish many of the drills yourself, it is hard to believe this got published with the numerous ommisions.

Perhaps it was poorly translated from Dutch but there are errors and imcomplete descriptions. It's not just grammatical mistakes, there are many incomplete diagrams missing a number to a identify player and/or randomly missing arrows to indicate the flow. I kept asking myself "which player does X?" or "where does the ball or player go next?". Lot's of head scratching, you have to figure out many of the drills as they simply do not have complete explanations. I'd give it one star for lack of polish, but I just wanted ideas for practices and this book has loads of good ideas, just incomplete ones ... Read more

Product Description
Kick! Splat! Yuck!

Who let the air out of the soccer ball? WHo added salt to the water on the sidelines? Who put the red glop in the goalie's soccer shoes?

It's gooey. It's gross. It's not fair. Soccer is supposed to be a kick. But somebody's being a drag. Nancy Drew wants to know who's playing the silly games with herthird grade soccer team! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Another big case for our little Nancy Drew!
Carolyn Keene once again shows that she has her finger on the pulse of what young fans want to read about. This time, the background of the mystery is soccer team rivalry!

Nancy and her friends are all on the same soccer team, and when a new girl moves into town and joins their team, strange things start to happen to disrupt practice. You just can't help but suspect the new girl, because she used to play on the rival team!

Could she be the one who put salt in the drinking water, put equipment in the trash and even slimed someone's shoe? Don't go jumping to conclusions. It's Nancy Drew that will crack the case of The Soccer Shoe Clue!

Recommended.

Too Easy for a 9-year Old
Cute book, but too simple for a 9-year old.

I think it was a goood book from my school library
I think it was a good book, but when Nancy found clues in all the books that I've read, it was the most interesting. One that I really liked was called the "Sercret at Solaire".I read alot of Nancy Drew booksfrom my school library.But the Soccer Shoe Clue was one of the best. ... Read more