Sport Stretch-2nd

I am a certified personal trainer, athlete, medical massage practitioner and I teach anatomy/physiology, so I review this book with some authority. The opening chapters explain quite nicely the scientific rationale for, and benefits of, stretching for those who prefer to have a technical basis for what they do. You'll find great variety here and many unique stretches I've not seen in similar books. To address some of the negative reviews: Nowhere does the author recommend performing dangerous stretches or techniques beyond the abilities of the reader. Some advanced stretches are presented for informational purposes but with the caveat that these are for VERY specific applications and should be attempted ONLY if you do not have contraindicated conditions. To quote the book: "There is generally no such thing as an unsafe stretch or exercise: only an unsafe way of executing any movement for a specific individual at a specific time". In other words, everyone is different and the reader should use good judgment in their choices. Some people will take very "safe" stretches and get injured by using sloppy form or not training within their abilities while others can perform "dangerous" stretches very safely by proceeding slowly, deliberately and realistically training within their own physical limitations. Some reviewers purport that 2 or 3 stretches are all that you need and the author is fooling you with many "goofy" stretches. Ridiculous! Can a carpenter build a house with only a hammer and level? NO! If two good stretches were all you needed for each muscle, then the book would simply be entitled, "Two Stretches That Work For Every Person and Sport". Personally, I like that the author has provided a huge amount of variety. That way, I can try any number of the 311 stretches taught and find the 3 or 4 that work best for me for each muscle group. As my needs change, then I can go back to the book and try something different. I would rather have too much information than not enough. If some readers are annoyed by the variety there are plenty of very basic, boring stretch books out there to fill their needs. Also, if you read and understand the opening chapters, you'll know how to adapt any of the stretches to active, dynamic, PNF or vice versa. The book will not limit your advancement as some reviewers mistakenly believe. I highly recommend this book. It's clear, concise and presents many options, from basic to advanced, for you to build a good stretching program.

I was very pleased with this book. As I read the other reviews, there unhappiness with the book comes from the fact that it is not for every day people. I am very pleased with that fact and the title does imply that it is for people involved in sports. I am a mother of a 7 year old gymnast and I have been very challenged to find a book on stretching that will enhance her flexibility at an advanced stage. I am working with her coaches to ensure safety and develop a schedule that will make her a better gymnast. I was very pleased with the variety of stretches, pictures and descriptions for the stretches.

If I could only have one book on stretching, this would be it. Not only are there a whole lot of stretches, there is a very solid introduction covering the different types of stretching, how and why stretching works and how to stretch. I like the way there are plenty of choices for each body part. As a martial artist, I need to stretch every day and doing the same few stretches every time gets really boring. There are a quite a few advanced stretches here - especially if you participate in an activity that requires extreme flexibility like dance, gymnastics or martial arts.

Nicely compliments Alter's Science of Flexibility, this book has many many flexibility exercises and applies then to a good variety of sports (or you can use this as a very nice stretching reference - both for exercises and for theory and methods). I think this book is better than Anderson's book which has been used as the reference for stretching. One typo though, when talking about dynamic stretching, but the illustration is correct.

Michael J. Alter's Sport Stretch is one of the best sources out there for the Modern Athlete. I have used the book to assist in my Martial Arts training and it has helped to greatly improve my whole training program. Idea for every athlete but best for anyone who need to work on flexablity. Get this for the Martial Artist, Gymist, or Dancer that you know.