Sports-Safety Books

My first copy was pretty worn, so I decided to buy this edition. Really interesting new stories, not only from the Pardeys expereinces in storms, but also from others. I liked the deductions made by folks from both ends of the experience spectrum, one a real novice, others all along the expereince wave, they all add to the information Lin and Larry share in a very understandable manner. I still think this book is really important. And this edition is definitely easier to navigate. I have the Storm tactics DVD and like it. The two work well together.

The authors give their opinion. It can be discussed but they support it by many examples. I was convinced by the interest of heaving to in bad weather or just to wait and rest at sea. Now, I am buying a parachute anchor...

In my humble opinion this is the Pardey's best book to date. The techniques they present are life savers have no doubt.
M. Bertsche

My wife and I spent four years living on our sailboat (55ft) voyaging from Calif. to the east coast and read every book I could find on heavy weather sailing. About half-way through I came across Pardey's book. I think it's far and away the best volume out there on the subject. Even if you pass on the parachute angle and just plan on heaving-to in a tough situation. Should be in every crusing boat's library, and read and implemented by the skipper.

After reading this book you will know a lot of theory about when and how to heave to. Diagrams and well-written explanations describe methods and techniques of survival during a storm at sea. Also consider "Heavy Weather Sailing" (revised edition) as an excellent source of information on storm tactics and heavy weather sailing. It describes the yacht's stability in more detail.

I have previously spent a year living aboard a Hans Christian 38 on the west coast and in the Sea of Crortez. The sailing bug has hit me again and plan to get out again in a few years. This book rekindled knowledge that I already believed in and offered insights that I wish that I had had before. A true joy to read.

So many ideas, most will save you time, some safety tips could save your life.

I recommend this book to all novices and many experienced offshore sailors to prepare for the unexpected problems that you need to address or avoid especially when you are so exposed to the extremes of nature, and completely disconnected from any immediate help. Lots of good lessons learned and references.
Chris C.

This book looks disappointing at first because it is a thin expensive hardcover, but it is worth the money. There is very little fluff and the content is well structured and to the point. It covers most things necessary to prepare your boat for offshore sailing including tool lists, weight distribution, polars and VMG, secants and many other useful tips. Lots of pictures, tables and diagrams.

This is a very comprehensive book explaining what you need to know about offshore sailing.

This is a great book on kayaking. William Nealy does a great job of explaining basic and advanced techniques through a combination of words and illustrations. He does all of this while adding a great dose of humor at the same time. Even though this book is a few years old, it is the best book I have found at explaining how rivers work and what is going on under the surface of the water. William Nealy explains how to roll, brace, self-rescue, and rescue others. He explains many concepts that are difficult to explain. As someone just starting to kayak, I have found this book an invaluable asset to have in my aresenal. If you find this book available - get it - you will not regret your purchase.

Great book! The best book I have found for those looking to understand whitewater.

Most introductory paddling books begin with equipment and clothing, run through basic strokes and present a couple of simple moves, eddying out and peeling out, for example, with some fundamental river information thrown in at the end. The assumption is that you will learn what you need to know on the water.

This book is different. It may very well be the best introduction to flowing water on the market. Though it is supposed to be for advanced paddlers, the information and techniques it imparts are useful to boaters of all skill levels. It teaches you to approach a rapid and to figure out how it works, and what it will do to you when you get into it. Nealy's cartoons are humorous and engaging, and offer him a visual means of explaining a sport that doesn't generally translate well into print.

I generally re-read my copy a couple of times a year.

For ANYBODY interested in Kayaking ... this is THE book!

I found it very informative, while also being highly amusing. The illustrations in this book are very entertaining.

Nealy does a great job of conveying his to-the-point descriptions in terminology that even the most novice of paddler can understand. Keep in mind that this book is geared towards the paddler that has been in the water a few times, but it is still a great book if you have never even sat in a kayak. As far as a read, it is great. This is a real page turner with tons of diagrams. I had absolutly no question about what the author was trying to say. Overall, it is an excellent book and well worth the money

I was fortunate enough to win a copy of Graves' book 'The 10 Bushcraft Books' in 1976. It is in hardcopy and probably covers the same type of content that is included in this other bushcraft book; ropes & cords; huts & thatching; campcraft; food & water; firemaking; knots & lashings; tracks & lures; snares & traps; travel & gear; and, time & direction. It was printed by Hogbin, Poole (Printers) in Sydney, Australia (no printing or copyright dates). FYI, on the dust jacket it gives some background on Graves. He initiated and was the Commanding Officer of 'the Australian Jungle Rescue Detachment, assigned to the Far East American Air Force'. These were 60 specially selected soldiers who 'successfully effected more than 300 rescue missions, most of which were in enemy-held territory, without failure of a mission or loss of a man'. It goes on to say, 'An essential preliminary for rescue was survival, and it was for this purpose that the notes for these books were written. These notes were later revised and prepared for a School of Bushcraft which was conducted for 20 years'. And very accurately states that there 'is nothing quite like them, nor is any collection of bushcraft knowledge under one cover as comprehensive'. The ISBN was/is 0 909824 24. This book may be another option, though probably just as hard to find. Good luck!

I purchased this book back in 1983, and I referred to it frequently while I was in the US Army. This book is an excellent read for novice or expert alike, and Graves makes the message simple with straightforward instructions and illustrations. It is a shame that I cannot purchase this book again since I have just about worn out the copy I have!

Kenneth Smith

I bought this book way back in the mid 70's when I was in High School. I used it for a reference on my "Extreme" camping adventures. I then found it to be even more valuable and usefull while serving in the 82'd Airborne. I "Lent" this out to a friend and it was never returned. I know that info presented in this book has been used by my friend while assigned as a survival instuctor for a very elite unit in the U.S. Military. I would recommend this book to all who wish to have a practical guide to survival and I'm pleased to finally get a copy back in my hands.

I picked up a copy of Bushcraft in 1983 and it has been my constant companion. As an Instructor at the Marine Corps Jungle Survival School in Okinawa I used its lessons extensively and have never found a better manual of wilderness survival. Later, as an instructor for the National Outdoor Wilderness school, I taught my students some of the skills I learned from Bushcraft. If you can find a copy, buy it!

I bought this book 20 years ago, when I was a boy scout in the Pacific Northwest. It accompanied me during my Marine Corps enlistment -- and has been to more countries and climes than most people.

GRAVES writes in a straight forward and brief style that stays on message. Judging from GRAVES experiences and the few pics inside the book, it appears he was in the Aussie SAS -- although he never comes out and says so.

There are numerous sketches in the book that clearly demonstrate his ideas and methods.

I find it amazing that this book has not been reprinted. It is a shame...

Fred Neff has done a commendable job drawing together commando techniques and tactics for self-defense in his book Lessons from the Fighting Commandos. It provides training built on centuries of development of fighting techniques and tactics in the western sports of boxing and wrestling. When Fred Neff wrote this book in the 1980's it was a pioneering effort that made people aware of the rich heritage of fighting moves available from western sources. Since this book's publication through modern kick-boxing, tough man battles and other fighting tournaments that allow contestants to use Asian and/or western fighting techniques, the strengths of western fighting have been proven. Fred Neff's Lessons from the Fighting Commandos provides valuable information in a coherent, brief and well-composed manner. There are chapters in Fred Neff's book on answers to common questions, physical conditioning, fighting posture, manner of movement, punching, kicking, dodging, blocking, combinations of fighting moves, combining boxing and grappling and strategy. One really unique aspect of this book is the information it supplies on fighting an opponent once you have been thrown to the floor. Another valuable chapter deals with fighting strategy. Fred Neff has crafted a book that brings out the best of western self-defense in an interesting and useful manner. Woven throughout the book is a non-violent approach to defending oneself, which is commendable in and of itself. Lessons From the Fighting Commandos is a book that is well worth reading and studying.

My first introduction to Lessons from the Fighting Commandos was after I had acheived a black belt grade in Japan. When I first started graduate studies here in the United States, I found there was no one to practice my style of karate in the area where I was going to school. After a few months, I did meet another graduate student who had also earned his black belt in a style of Okinawan Karate that in some ways was very similar to my own art. One night we were at a local nightspot and a local tough guy picked a fight with my friend. My friend proceeded to fight this guy in the same way he handled me in sparring, which proved to be a disaster. The tough guy ended up taking my friend to the ground and pummeling him. After the fight my friend and I agreed that he had failed to assess his opponent's strengths and weaknesses and used the one-type-of-fighting-fits-all approach that we had both been taught. A few weeks later my friend found a copy of Fred Neff's Lessons from the Fighting Commandos. This book teaches you to adapt to the needs of the moment. While my previous training in karate had taught me technique, it did not teach me the all-important lesson of adaptation. The more my friend and I studied Lessons from the Fighting Commandos the more we appreciated its lessons. Frankly, this book's messsage of learning how to size up an opponent's strengths and weaknesses and develop a strategy is essential to good self-defense. A few months later my friend and I ran into the supposedly invincible tough guy at a local fast food joint and again he proceeded to pick a fight with my friend. They had a rematch, but with much different results. This time my friend used a hit and move strategy that eventually resulted in the tough guy finding himself on the ground hurt and worn out physicallly and mentally. My friend had not used the one-strike-will-end-the-fight approach that we had been taught in our respective arts, nor the charge in and hit with a quick series of open hand blows taught by some other schools; instead he used an approach taught in Lessons from the Fighting Commandos--that of out-thinking and manipulating his opponent. It has been many years since graduate school and I now live in an area where finding people to work out with is much easier. I still practice and greatly appreciate my style of Japanese Karate, but I also regularly work into my practice routine techniques and strategies taught in Lessons from the Fighting Commandos. I have introduced Lessons from the Fighting Commandos to my sparring partners, who also find it a valuable resource. This book is truly outstanding and well deserving of a 5-star rating. It is an essential resource for those interested in martial arts and self-defense.

A super present that I got for Christmas this year was a book by Fred Neff on the Fighting Commandos. I especially like this book's coverage of topics not normally discussed in other books on fighting techniques such as defending against hand and foot attackes from different ranges and in prolonged fighting situations. Unlike the typical karate books, Lessons from the Fighting Commandos covers basic grappling maneuvers and defenses when forced to fight on the ground. This book is solid platinum from cover to cover in its exploration and explanation of how to fight.

The other day I again came upon Fred Neff's book "Lessons from the Fighting Commandos," a book that I can best characterize as a classic in the field of self-defense. Years ago, as a high school wrestler, I thought I was really a tough guy until I took a beating at a party from a bigger guy. To add insult to injury, he told me that the next time he ran into me I could expect an even greater beating. Given the size of my hometown, it was inevitable that I was in for another beating. My pride was hurt and I made up my mind that if we were going to fight again, I was going to be on the winning end. A friend of my older brother, who had been away from town for several years serving in the military, recommended that I read a book on fighting commandos written by a great fighting master, the book was Fred Neff's Lessons from the Fighting Commandos. I read the book cover to cover and then started to use it as a practice guide. Every day I practiced the fighting moves from boxing and wrestling contained in the book. Within a short time, I felt confident enough to take on the bigger guy that had given me the beating. We ended up running into each other at a local hangout in a shopping area and as expected he picked a fight. This time I used the fighting tactics that I learned in Lessons from the Fighting Commandos and won. My friends made a hero of me because of my win. Lessons from the Fighting Commandos gave me more than fighting skills, it taught me the value of practice, adapting a winning strategy in dealing with an opponent's aggression and the power of thinking your way out of a problem. This is a five star book all the way, that really packs a powerful punch and will be appreciated by anyone who takes the time to read it.

A friend recently purchased this book for me knowing my interest in hand-to-hand combat and fighting techniques. This is an excellent book! It is jam packed with useful information while at the same time it is concise and to the point. The photographs illustrating each step of the techniques is terrific. The pictures provide step-by-step illustrations of the described techniques. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about hand-to hand fighting techniques. I found the approach taken by the author to be one that I can highly recommend to anyone, from child to adult, who is interested in self-defense.

My 5 year old would read this book every time we went to the doctor's office. A must have for little firemen!

First of all the pictures are well painted. Our son who is not yet 3 can finish the sentences from memory for each letter as we read together. This one was well worth the purchase.

This book is a great ABC teaching tool for children fascinated by the big red fire engines racing past. Learn some of the key terms and aspects of what firefighters do to save lives.

Young children will enjoy learning about the very exciting and dangerous aspects of being a firefighter. With the imagery and vivid colors, children will certainly get the message that fires are serious and dangerous business that should be left to professionals (and trained volunteers). It is a great book to approach the topic of fire safety with young children.

My almost three-year-old son Devon loves fire engines. He gets so excited whenever we're out and one goes roaring by, siren screaming. He loves books too and he already knows his ABCs, both upper and lower case and this book shares the credit with a few others and his loving and attentive parents for giving him this gift of the Alphabet as such an early age. He'll be reading by Kindergarten.

In addition to being a very good ABC book, this book tells the story of firefighters fighting a fire, something guaranteed to hold the interest of any little boy (and a lot of little girls too). All of the letter pages have beautiful, action filled illustrations that seem to draw Devon right into the book. No wonder he can sing that ABC song so well.

Jack Priest, Dad in Training

This is a really nice book to learn about firefighters. The pictures are bright. The fire is really vivid and a couple of the pages might scare really young children. It would be a good tool for teacher's to use during Fire Prevention Week.

John Lull is an excellent paddler and teacher, a combination that doesn't occur often. As the only core member of the Tsunami Rangers that paddles a decked(true)kayak, he lends a real, practical level of expertise to the science and execution of safety practices and rescue procedures. Unlike many other treatments of this subject, Lull looks at the big picture of hazards and conditions that can complicate recovery and rescue, rather than looking at the practices in a vacuum. Great photos give a real sense of progression to the rescue and recovery methods presented. These photographs are backed with well-written explanations that help paddlers choose and apply methods that appeal and apply to them. A really concise book that packs Lull's extensive experience and knowledge into a portable format, this is required reading for anyone venturing into water in a kayak.

This is the premier book on kayak safety for those venturing to the outer coast -- in my case for Alaska and BC coasts. It deals with rescues, rock gardens, breaking waves, surf landings etc. To the best of my knowledge, this book is the best of its kind.

Although there are a few similar books that focus on Sea Kayaking safety; this author's approach is my favorite. He approaches the subject from the perspective of managing risk rather than "being safe". In other words, he takes a real world approach to being out on the water where things are rarely "cut-and-dry". There are plenty of introductory level books, some with useful information for intermediate paddlers willing to look for it. Lull's work is clearly intended for the paddler who wants to develop their skills and "sea sense". I recommend this book to any intermediate sea kayaker.

A great comprehensive book about the skills required to safely Sea Kayak in just about any conditions. Well written, easy to follow explanations and pictures on the skills of rescues, rolling, strokes, "reading" the water and Weather, essential equipment....basically everything every kayaker needs to be safe on the water.

Novices and experienced kayakers will find valuable information in this book. Read through it in a few hours and can't wait to get out and practice!!

I am a new to kayaking with only beginning classes under my belt and 12 hours on mostly flat water. Living is the SF Bay area there is lots of water close at hand. Plenty of afternoon wind as well. As a newbie John Lull's book has been great. I really like how John breaks the water down into domains. As he goes through the characteristics of each domain he lists the "Skills Needed" to be successful in that domain. His first chapter "Building A Safety Foundation" has a great section on managing fear. I would recommend this book to anyone thinking about the sport of sea kayaking. It is a must read. It's an enjoyable read as well.

I really learned a lot of useful and practical avy knowledge after reading this book cover to cover. The book is well written and engages the reader. The author has extensive experience and demonstrates in the book a sense of humility that made me appreciate the importance of what he had to say. Part of the book focuses on the human factor of avalanche safety and risk communication amongst your group. I have a number of other avalanche books, and although I can always learn more about avalanche risk assessment and safe winter travel by reading as much as I can, I truly think I learned the most practical information from this book

I own 6 of the most popular books on avalanche safety; this is by far the best. The core information needed to assess avalanche risk is given in some detail but the explanations are presented in "everyday" terms and are quite easy to understand. None-the-less,Tremper never talks down to his readers and the full level of complexity inherent in the subject matter is maintained. This is simply a very well written book by an author who appearantly is able to write well naturally. He would probably do very well writing about any subject.

The books is written in a easy to follow style,no-nonsense,and contains both academical info about avalanches and practical , hot tips. A lot of valuable information is packed up in this book. The book is also copiously illustrated with both photos and graphical drawings to reinforce the knowledge contained in the text.
All in all, it's a book that everybody which deals in mountain sports , or professionaly work in avalanche exposed terrains should read this book.

The Best Avalanche book I have ever read. I would recommend to pros and novices alike.

This book is comprehensive and very thorough. Even though it's the first book I've read on avalanche safety and do not have much experience in winter mountain travel I found this book very easy to read and comprehend. Some parts are repetitive and I wish I could skip them but I'm afraid I might miss an important point. The last chapter on human mentality is very insightful and perhaps it sets this book apart from others.

I though I had done that already. So, once again, the book arrived on time but the sender failed to tell that this was a LIBRARY BOOK. It was full of stickers with library numbers on the cover and inside the book itself. Had I known this, I would not have bought it. It's one thing to buy a "used" book. It's another, to buy a used book with stickers and notations. So, I am not very pleased and I emailed the sender upon receipt.

I have four daughters, and as I read this book I alternated between thinking "That's exactly right based on my experience!" and "Wow, I'm very glad to know that!"

The range and depth of information is impressive, and Dr. Metzl's writing style makes you just keep reading once you start.

This book should be required reading by all sporting parents. I can promise you'll be a better parent for having read it.

When my son slipped during a recent curling match, I was worried that he'd never feel comfortable comepting gain, but Dr. Metzl's excellent book gave my wife and me the information we needed to get our son back in the game. This book is a must-read for parents with kids in sports. It does for sports injuries what chicken soup and chopped liver do for the soul.

Dr. Metzl clearly articulates the do's and don'ts of sports medicine and there impact to young athlete's. He has a dry sense of humor that makes the book an enjoyable read. A must have for parents with active, athletic children.

This is one of the best health books, and one of the best parenting books, I have ever read. Dr. Metzl's style is both authoritative and engaging. I highly recommend this book.

I've been working my way into lead climbing and this is my favorite book on climbing anchors. After taking many classes and climbing with "old schoolers", the book really solidified what I had already learned and taught me many new modern techniques and "tricks". I also appreciate that the book presents the science behinds all the various anchor setups. Although there are hundreds of B&W photos, on occasion they are hard to decipher when showing complex setups. Climbing Anchors (second edition) by Long and Gaines is also an excellent book and covers the same material. Having read both has helped me tremendously!

Luebben's experience, knowledge and research shine through in this informative, accurate book on rock climbing anchors. I found the book to be useful for beginner and expert alike. This work is a full step beyond any other literature that is out there regarding building and analyzing rock climbing anchors.

Very current and well organized book! Craig Luebben has obviously absorbed the new anchoring concepts that have cropped up recently and has helped me understand the advantages and disadvantages to each new method. A better book in my opinion than John Long's new anchor book. Nicely illustrated and un-biased, this is the book I am recommending to my immediate/advanced clients. -Dave Lottmann, EMS Climbing Guide

Craig breaks anchors down into clear concepts, some of which John Long made blurry. The only thing I would have liked were color pictures...simply because some of the anchors were hard to see in B and W.

I've read all the anchor building books and so far, I have found this one to be the best one. Easy to understand, backed up by testing, lots of pictures (a picture speaks a thousand words!), a well-written guide!

I highly recommend this to all climbers out there!