Gymnastics Book Club

Gymnastics books aren't just autobiographies "written" by U.S. Olympians. There's a colorful assortment of texts out there that can enlighten or entertain a gym fan and give them more confidence when speaking about the dynamics of the sport. Each month I'll highlight a book or two that gymfans should be reading, covering DIVERSE GENRES and AGE GROUPS. Note: all prices are in US dollars but always consult with your local library before you buy a book, people! Utilize your library's online database since many have modern features that allow you to read books online or borrow through kindle, nook, etc. 

These Battered Hands 

Blurb: Callie is a twenty-six year old gymnast and already has two Olympics under her belt. She has always placed well but never good enough. She knows that this will be her last Olympics what with most competitors being ten years her junior so she is going all out to make her mark this time around…but first she needs to qualify. Enter Nik.

Review: (Taken from Amazon) "This is my first time reading a book where gymnastics plays a large part in the romantic story. I thought Nik and Calia's relationship was pretty true as to what would happen in a situation with an Olympic athlete...and the ending was realistic...which I really liked." For reviews on goodreads click here. 

Price: Amazon Kindle: 2.99 (free with Kindle Unlimited).

Handbook of School Gymnastics of the Swedish System

Blurb: This book functions as a guide for teachers in America, written at the turn of the century, on how to apply gymnastics to gain advanced psychological and physical fitness. It has illustrations that today resemble what elite gymnasts would call conditioning. At the time of this edited publication, artistic gymnastics was just a year away from hosting its first ever World Championships in 1903, woohoo! I consider it a duty for fans of a sport they say they love to try to learn its history. BEFORE YOU DISREGARD THIS BOOK, FANS OF RUSSIAN GYMNASTICS SHOULD READ THIS EXCERPT: 

This is not a book to sit down and read like a novel; rather, turn to it from time to time as a reference, especially since so many Russian fans cannot adequately explain their dissatisfaction with the direction the sport is headed in and are labeled artistry snobs or crybabies. Who knows, perhaps this book has the words you've been grasping for all along! I'm sure I will disagree with many statements because the sport has changed dynamically every decade since its conception (of which I am thankful for), and it's not possible that Posse could've foreseen this. But there are poignant truths in this archaic book, I can tell. 

Meanwhile, I am amazed at the level of detail (it looks like an FIG CoP pamphlet). Don't let that deter you from catching some good quotes: "A gymnastics movement consists of a commencing position, a final position, and a chain of intermediate positions; and it is rendered exact [only] when these are correctly executed. A correct movement can be executed only from a correct commencing position; and it's final position, if correct, usually is a proof of exactness of performance." Boy, I'm just picturing this guy as a FIG judge watching all the soft kneed flat footed wretchedness on beam and downgrading everyone, lol. 

And you guys can read this book for FREE here and on Google Books.

For: September Book Club
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