Athletics is a metaphor for life; that's why Move Without the Ball is not just for athletes. Anyone who has ever been involved in the pursuit of excellence understands the need for dedication, perseverance, and sacrifice. Everyday, young adults are bombarded with images and stories of extreme wealth and fame -- be it in sports, music, or Hollywood. Their vision of success can become limited to these areas, and they lose focus on developing other talents and skills. A reality check is in order, because the odds are fifty thousand to one that a student athlete will play in the NBA, and similar odds apply to aspiring singers and actors who expect they will be the next superstar. The upside is that there is a much bigger world out there for young people to explore and succeed in, and Move Without the Ball serves as the guidebook. Stedman Graham -- businessman, lecturer, and author of the New York Times bestsellers Teens Can Make It Happen and You Can Make It Happen -- speaks honestly and directly to teens from his own experience. A former European professional athlete who never achieved his dream of playing in the NBA, Graham understands the pressures and temptations young people face. He discovered that there is a process for building success in many areas of one's life, and he has spent the last twenty years sharing this process with young people. The book overflows with powerful and inspiring stories and photographs of sports stars of yesterday and today, including Hank Aaron, Greg Norman, Magic Johnson, Mia Hamm, Pel , Dave Winfield, Serena Williams, Bo Jackson, and Cal Ripken Jr. -- just to name a few. It's not just these pros' athleticism that's highlighted in Move Without the Ball, it's the winning combination of courage, self-discipline, sense of purpose, and passion that they bring to their lives everyday -- both on and off the field.
I'm an adult and a founding board member of a sports leadership program for high school athletes. The book is dead-on for helping not only young athletes, but any youth to understand and meet the challenges ahead (as a leader.) The stories were good and applicable. Although I found that the beginning of the book didn't pull like I'd want...Stedman provides solid guidance and useful information later on. It's an easy and quick read that could become a reference for its market. I intend to present the book to my organization to see if they'd like to look into purchasing it for our students. I understand Stedman has also created a program to put action to the intent of the book, and I'm looking into that as well. Mary Kurek
Shooting from the Hip
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
This book should become required reading for all students in our high schools who have visions of a career in sports as well as other venues such as music, theater and otherwise that the road to these careers are not necessarily paved as exemplified in the media. It takes a lot of hard work, practice, practice, practice. Even then those who make it are few and far in between as Mr. Graham relates. As a young man I had visions of becoming a concert pianist but a wise and talented music teacher gave me information such as one will read in this book that I need to go outside the box and perhaps study something from which I could make a living. I studied accounting. I still play piano but in the privacy of my own home; I work in accounting and have worked ever since. (The copy of my book has a collating error in it. At what should be page 123, pages 75 thru 106 are repeated so that there are 31 pages of Stedman Graham's wisdom not there, however the rest of the book is an outstanding read).
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