This book is known unofficially as 'the stretching bible' in sports circles (no religious offence intended!). I first came across it in high school when someone else on the team had a knee accident --if only I'd bought my copy then and stretched properly...Oh, well--it's never too late. I notice that so many people don't stretch adequately, or correctly, and this book has all the answers, plus stretching routines for particular sports, and no-excuse times, like while you're watching TV, at work, or first thing in the morning!
I don't think many of the videos I've seen (except for pure streching ones) have enough stretching segments, and this book should help readers with that problem. Lots and lots of pictures courtesy of his wife, Jean, and his narrations tell you about good form.
This book is a must-have!
Kate Stanton
31 Jan 98
I think this book is great, but sometimes it shows it's age. For example, on page 179 it advises to miss a meal occasionally to give your digestive system a rest. I asked my doctor about that one, and he said that the common wisdom these days is to eat smaller meals more frequently and not to skip meals altogether. There are also some stretches (such as neck rolls) that one should be very careful with, but those are clearly marked.
I bought this book to take with me when I travel for work and also as a way to add new stretches before and after my workouts. I especially like the routines, which are very helpful if you're not sure what to stretch for what activities. The routines are in drawing format with the page number of the details in case you need to reference them. The instruction at the beginning is clear and detailed without being so boring you can't read it. I would suggest reading the whole instructional section before using the routines. You might not realize how easy it is to do some of the stretches incorrectly.
This was the only book I saw in the bookstore on stretching that was easy to use and didn't seem hokey and/or mystical. And I love the little guy with the hat!
Patti Walsh
6/3/98
