Yoga for Every Athlete: Secrets of an Olympic Coach (Llewellyn's Strategies for Success) [Paperback]

Aladar Kogler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1999

This text offers an holistic training approach that unifies body and mind through yoga. The yoga exercises in this book not only provide a greater sense of well-being and deeper unity of body, mind and spirit, they also increase the body's ability to rejuvenate itself for overall fitness. The yoga asanas can be used for warm-up, cool-down, regeneration, compensation of muscle dysbalances, prevention of injuries, stimulation of internal organs, or for increasing your capacity for hard training. The reader can experience the benefits of yoga that come from knowing yourself and knowing that you have the ability to control your autonomic, unconscious functions as you raise your mental and physical performance. Yoga is one of the most effective means for accomplishing the daily practice of concentration. Yoga training plans are outlined for 27 different sports.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Aladar Kogler, Ph.D., is a five-time Olympic fencing coach and Director of the Columbia University Sports Psychology Research Laboratory. Over a fifteen-year period Kogler coached four Olympic teams and produced National and World championship gold and silver medallists. After his 1981 arrival in the United States, Kogler was a U.S. National coach, seven-time World Championship team coach, two-time Olympic team coach and three time Pan American fencing team coach. He has produced Pan-American Games gold medallists, World Cup finalists and five NCAA overall championship teams.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (May 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567183875
• ISBN-13: 978-1567183870
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,356,262 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For lots of reasons the best, June 7, 2007

By 

Michael Weinstein (Glenwood Springs, Colorado USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Yoga for Every Athlete: Secrets of an Olympic Coach (Llewellyn's Strategies for Success) (Paperback)

I am actively retired and a very good, goal oriented skier. My background was hi tech where I was a lead manager at (perhaps) the most significant R&D Company of all time (Bolt Beranek and Newman - inventors of all things Internet). I mention this only since designing and then implementing networks is an exercise based on process understanding as the basis for detailed system design. So as I pursue my effort to become the best bump skier on my local mountains (Aspen Colorado) I am very focused on first understanding and then designing my training program ... toward which my current skills assessment is

a) coordination and active skills - very good
b) aerobic capabilities - good to very good
c) strength - so so to good ('HIT' weight training at the gym focused
mostly on quads and hamstrings)
d) flexibility - Horrid (I hate stretching)

But, I am anything if not committed so my chosen vehicle this year is Yoga and since I am skilled at process design and following a long search of so many books on yoga as it relates to sports improvement my review)

This is the best of so many books bought, scanned and then retired to my many book cases - most likely never to be read again. What makes it the best

1) It is written by an author who used the techniques recorded to
accomplish specific goals. Aladar Kogler is a PH.D. was trained under
in Czechoslovakia under the soviet systems (for my money the best in
the world) where he coached the highly successful Czechoslovakian
Fencing Team before escaping to U.S. Throughout his coaching career he
has trained an astonishing number of world class fencers, first from a
smaller Eastern Bloc Country and later a smaller U.S. University.

This is significant in the author's adoption and application of Yoga as
central to his training was TOTALLY driven toward measurable tests and
standard - where his fencers the best in the world. Contrast that with
so many yoga books written for distraught women and yuppies looking for
general health, happiness and renewal (whatever these conditions mean).

2) The book is clear, understandable and result oriented - rather than
general explanations this book details a specific regimen and plan -
pleasantly based on system design and mechanics. Kogler explains what
to do, why you are doing it, and what to expect.

So while I still hate stretching, I now have a highly accomplished coach who is providing me with a very good map - I know what and why I am doing each step and can gauge progress against clear interim and end goals.

And herein lies the magic of the book - while I am moving across well plotted terrain my coach is clear in having me not to take account interim or end point goals - while I am to create and record results in a journal, I am to push for progress. I am to follow the plan and take encouragement if (AS) progress is made. So even though I start unable to touch my toes I can see and have recorded some progress and have come to believe (given I understand how and why) that if I will remain true to the attempt and pay close attention to the asanas I will improve against my real goals (be a better bump skier on very steep and demanding slopes).

This book (in the best of the Chinese definition, is becoming my Tao) for turning a glaring and difficult weakness in a strength. And for that I thank (via this review) the author.

regards

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you, Dr. Kogler, August 26, 2007

By 

T-1000 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yoga for Every Athlete: Secrets of an Olympic Coach (Llewellyn's Strategies for Success) (Paperback)

I don't have much to add to the insightful comments made by Mr. Weinstein above. This is the most valuable sport-training book that I own, period. Not only for fencers. Very highly recommended.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what you need, November 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Yoga for Every Athlete: Secrets of an Olympic Coach (Llewellyn's Strategies for Success) (Paperback)

Having had Aladar as a fencing coach, I can say that he definitely knows what he's talking about. In fencing, one's muscles tend to develop unevenly (the front arm and leg work harder than the others) and yoga helps even them out and keep you balanced. It is also a good practice to come down from the athletic high that you can get after competition. The mindful practice of these exercises keeps you balanced as an athlete, as well as a person.