We are born with the God-given right to move efficiently, gracefully, and joyfully. We lose this right only through society's mind-body split, faulty modes of physical education, and overemphasis on winning. George Leonard's simple and radical notion is that within each of us, regardless of age, sex, or physical condition, there exists an ultimate athlete waiting to be born. With a poet's passion, fifth-degree aikido black belt Leonard evokes the transcendent moment in sport--the catch that defies gravity and chance, the play that makes time stand still--as emblematic of the Greater Game of embodiment itself, of life and death, a Game we all can play to depth and breadth of body and soul. The Ultimate Athlete helped create the participatory sports boom of the 1970s and 1980s. This revised edition is addressed to a new generation of ultimate athletes.

An infinitesimal difference exists between being a good athlete and being a great one, a difference so tiny it's easy to overlook. This book helps you jump that gap and take your game from ordinary to extraordinary. You can take your game to the highest level you can imagine-to the ultimate level-but first you must achieve a balance of inner Peace and external Power. In this book, former NFL running back Prince Daniels Jr. shares with you the path to unlocking your true potential as an athlete through the practice of mindfulness and meditation. He shows you that by applying these practices diligently, you can overcome all the noise and programming that keep you from attaining your goals. When you cultivate not only your body but also your mind and spirit, your entire self functions as an integrated whole, allowing you to access "the zone"-where there is only the present moment and effortless action. When your spirit moves you, everything just seems to click. In this space of enhanced confidence and focus, you discover that anything is possible because you truly believe it to be. Why take your game to the next level when you can take it to the highest level? To the ultimate level?

Ultimate Athleticism breaks down complex strength movements into simple progressions and variations for the beginner and the experienced athlete alike, providing the key to strength, flexibility, and health over the long term. Included in this book: -How a few simple movements will give you a grip that could crush a potato and help keep your elbows healthy -The simple key to gaining the endurance you need for YOUR sport -The easiest way to cut through all the programming confusion and set up your workouts for ultimate efficiency and success -How to convince your nervous system it's safe to give you up to 50% more strength instantly! -The fastest way to improve your posture and flexibility -The two muscle groups you need to be focusing on to unlock all of your athletic potential *Book purchase includes 14 day access to step by step instructional videos-register at www.ultimateathleticism.com/amazon Whether you are a personal trainer or someone who is simply looking to better yourself, you care about results. If you are a trainer your livelihood actually depends on it. The #1 reason why a person will stay with a trainer is that they continue to get results and avoid injury. The main reason the average person stops working out? Injury. This is why it is so important that you have a way to guide your journey in health and fitness. I take a great deal of pride in finding what works the best and forgetting the rest. That's what I want to always provide you with-my absolute best. I was very fortunate to find something I love at a very young age. This is what lets me dedicate the time to learn, evolve and get better every single day. It's important to me to share this and help as many people as possible.

THE SECRETS OF SUPERHUMAN PERFORMANCE Never have the best sportspeople seemed so far removed from the rest of us, their prowess so unfathomable. So how are these extraordinary athletes made? THE BEST reveals how the most incredible sportspeople in the world get to the top and stay there. It is a unique look at the path to sporting greatness; a story of origins, practice, genetics and psychology. Packed with gripping personal stories and interviews with top athletes including Elena Delle Donne, Pete Sampras, Joey Votto, Steph Curry, Kurt Warner and Premier League superstars Marcus Rashford and Jamie Carragher, it explains how the best athletes develop the extraordinary skills that allow them to perform remarkable feats under extreme pressure. THE BEST uncovers startling truths of athletic greatness-including why younger siblings have more chance of becoming elite, which towns produce the most superstars, the role of informal play and the best time to be born in the school year. It goes inside the minds of champions to understand what makes them perform during high-octane competition, how to hit a baseball or tennis ball in under 0.5 seconds, the secrets of how the best train and what makes a great leader. The book appeals to all lovers of sport, anyone with an interest in psychology and excellence, the parents of budding athletes, and fans of books like Freakonomics, Outliers and Range. It is a deconstruction of what it takes to be the best-and how we can all improve in sport and beyond.

Great athletes make difficult moves look effortless with a combination of skill, strength, and balance. Traditional conditioning builds a fitness base, but modern sports training takes into account athletic movement patterns. Athletic Body in Balance is the first guide of its kind to show you how to train for smooth, fluid movement and prevent muscle imbalances, mobility restrictions, stability problems, and injuries. Physical therapist and sports conditioning expert Gray Cook has proven the effectiveness of his approach through the performances of athletes in the NFL, NBA, NHL, WNBA, and Reebok® University's sports training system. Cook's methods will help you identify functional weaknesses; correct imbalances; explore your potential; and refine sport-specific movement skills such as jumping, kicking, cutting, and turning. You will see where conditioning is breaking down and how to get your body back on track. Whereas other books concentrate on maximizing your strengths, Athletic Body in Balance focuses on exposing and overcoming your weaknesses to form a foundation for long-term training gains. Learn how to maintain what you gain and build on your improvements. Make this comprehensive assessment tool your training guide. Prepare and repair your body for ultimate athletic performance with Athletic Body in Balance.

Improve your athletic performance, extend your athletic career, treat stiffness and achy joints, and prevent and rehabilitate injuries—all without having to seek out a coach, doctor, chiropractor, physical therapist, or massage therapist. In Becoming a Supple Leopard, Dr. Kelly Starrett—founder of MobilityWOD —shares his revolutionary approach to mobility and maintenance of the human body and teaches you how to hack your own movement, allowing you to live a healthier, more fulfilling life. This new edition of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller has been thoroughly revised to make it even easier to put to use. Want to truly understand the principles that guide human movement? Becoming a Supple Leopard lays out a blueprint for moving safely and effectively through life and sport. Want to learn how to apply those principles to specific movements, whether you are doing squats in the gym or picking up a bag of groceries? Hundreds of step-by-step photos show you not only how to perform a host of exercise movements, such the squat, deadlift, pushup, kettlebell swing, clean, snatch, and muscle-up, but also how to correct the common faults associated with those movements. Frustrated because you can’t perform a certain movement correctly due to range of motion restrictions? Breaking the body down into 14 distinct areas, Starrett demonstrates hundreds of mobilization techniques that will help you resolve restrictions and reclaim your mobility. Unsure how to put it all together into a program that addresses your individual needs? This updated edition lays out dozens of prescriptions that allow you to hone in on a specific limitation, a nagging injury, or an exercise fault that you just can’t seem to get right. It even offers a 14-day full-body mobility overhaul. Performance is what drives us as human beings, but dysfunctional movement patterns can bring the human body to an abrupt halt. Often, the factors that impede performance are invisible even to seasoned athletes and coaches. Becoming a Supple Leopard makes the invisible visible. Whether you are a professional athlete, a weekend warrior, or simply someone wanting to live healthy and free from physical restrictions, this one-of-a-kind training manual will teach you how to harness your athletic potential and maintain your body. Learn how to perform basic maintenance on your body, unlock your athletic potential, live pain-free...and become a Supple Leopard. This step-by-step guide to movement and mobility will show you how to: • Move safely and efficiently in all situations • Organize your spine and joints in optimal, stable positions • Restore normal function to your joints and tissues • Accelerate recovery after training sessions and competition • Properly perform strength and conditioning movements like the squat, bench press, pushup, deadlift, clean, and snatch • Build efficient, transferable movement patterns and skill progressions from simple to more advanced exercises • Identify, diagnose, and correct inefficient movement patterns • Treat and resolve common symptoms like low back pain, carpal tunnel, shoulder pain, and tennis elbow • Prevent and rehabilitate common athletic injuries Use mobilization techniques to address short and stiff muscles, soft tissue and joint capsule restriction, motor control problems, and joint range of motion limitations • Create personalized mobility prescriptions to improve movement efficiency