Athletic Body in Balance (Paperback)

by Gray Cook (Author) "An ancient Greek story about an Olympic hero named Milo is an apt illustration of modern principles of athletic conditioning and preparation..." (more)
Key Phrases: functional movement screen, basic bounce step, active straight leg raise, John Wooden, Bruce Lee, Buddy Lee (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
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.

About the Author
Gray Cook is a physical therapist, board certified in orthopedics. He also is a certified strength coach with experience in several sports at the youth, college, and professional levels. Cook is a nationally recognized lecturer and consultant to the NFL, NBA, NHL, and WNBA as well as numerous college sports medicine and conditioning facilities. His innovative research and applied work are found in many rehabilitation and conditioning publications.

Cook is the director of orthopedic and sports physical therapy at Dunn, Cook & Associates. He also serves as the creative director of sport-specific training for Reebok® and is Reebok's® first master coach.

Gray Cook received his graduate degree in physical therapy education at the University of Miami School of Medicine with a focus on orthopedics and sports rehabilitation and research in motor learning. Cook is a faculty member of the North American Sports Medicine Institute and is the codeveloper of the course titled Functional Exercise Training and Rehabilitation. He lives in his hometown of Danville, Virginia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 222 pages
• Publisher: Human Kinetics Publishers; 1 edition (May 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0736042288
• ISBN-13: 978-0736042284
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #30,500 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cook serves up some great advice., December 24, 2003

By	James D. Chlovechok "Doctor Jim" (Cambridge, OH United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This should be required reading for athletes as well as coaches. The author does an excellent job in defining the "weakest link" as a cause of injury or tissue failure, and distinguishing between the too-often blamed "over-training" and the real culprit, improper training. Stability is emphasized, as it should be, as the basis for effective movement. (As my Burmese boxing coach once told me, it does no good to launch a rocket from a bamboo pad.) Other good points of emphasis, among many, are the need to relax to maintain fluidity with speed, and to "be quick but don't forget to stick." Again, in boxing we were always told to stick and move, but too often the person advising this had no idea of how to go about it, let alone teach someone else to do it. Gray Cook does. Throughout the book, his prose is effective, his explanations are clear and concise, and his recommended goals are accompanied by explicit step-by-step instructions to achieve them. For poviding the reader an understanding of athletic movement and training and actual how-to for practice and execution, this book tops my list.

37 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent conditioning guide, August 2, 2003

By	"wernie" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

Very thorough, almost tactical approach. The author in his preface states that "efficiency and effectiveness" are his central themes. As the title suggests, the book focuses on balance, stability, agility, and strength of "the core" to build up a non-sport specific conditioning guide. The thrust of the book is really towards improving overall athletism.

There is definitely a clear emphasis throughout the book on the concepts of movement and space. The prose in the book and the depictions of different routines are very clear, and framed in a way that provides extra insights. A random example follows: "... Also a coiling movement is followed by an uncoiling movement that starts at the hips and then moves to the shoulders and arms. The weight shift is the trip hammer that sets the level of power. The goal is not to generate rotational power but rather to transfer linear or weight-shifting power into rotational power ... imagine an off-center playground seesaw ...You turned a short-distance force into speed because the long end traveled through a longer arc of movement in the same amount of time ..."

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Athletic Body in Balance" by Gray Cook accessible, comprehensive text for the non-pro who wants to improve performance., January 28, 2007

By	W. R. Mulkey "Mulk" (North Hollywood CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've only scratched the surface of the useful information in this book. It's full of stability, agility and explosiveness drills as well as strength and flexibility programs.

Anyone interested in getting the maximum functionality from their body should take a look at Gray Cook's site, especially the Functional Movement Screen. The programs in this book reflect the information on the site and are easily understood by the enthusiast without an exercise physiology degree.

Having gotten away from the bodybuilder-based mythology of my early years and moved on to core and performance-based programs, this book is a must for anyone wanting to get the best result for their training time.