Reading & Research

Patrick T. Donovan MEd, ATC, PES Assistant Athletic Trainer, at the University of Illinois at Chicago wrote to ask me what I was reading and researching. I am taking a very eclectic approach. Much of my research and reading has been outside the area of training and rehab. I am always looking to find better ways to teach and understand movement. Therefore the search for knowledge must be broadened. I am always looking for better ways to explain the things that I see and do. With that said here are some books that I have read recently that have proved helpful:

1) Planificacion del Entrenamiento Deportivo by Juan Manso, Manuel Valdivielso and Jose Caballero

2) Planificacion Y Organizacion Del Entrnamiento Deportivo by A. Vasconcelos Raposo - These first two are in Spanish, but have some of the best current information on periodization that I have seen. They go beyond anything I have seen in English.

3) Running – Biomechanics and Exercise Physiology Applied in Practice by Frans Bosch and Ronald Klomp. This is one of the best books I have come across in the last 15 years. I am now on my third read.

4) The Dominance Factor by Carla Hannaford, Ph.D. This is a must read. I have neglected to implement some of her tests in the past, but I am going to use them going forward.

5) The Zen of Creativity – Cultivating Your Artistic Life by John Daido Loori. Some great insights into the Zen approach.

6) Complexity – The Emerging Science At The Edge of Order And Chaos by M. Mitchell Waldrop. I have just finished my fourth read of this book. A wealth of stimulating ideas from quantum physics. Very though provoking. Non mathematical, conceptual or I could not read it.

7) The Info Mesa by Ed Regis. More on complexity but a little different approach.

8) A Whole New Mind – Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age by Daniel H. Pink. This has been panned by some scientists but it has a a wealth of good information and is presented in an interesting context.

9) The Ten Faces of Innovation by Tom Kelly. This is a follow-up to The Art of Innovation by the same author. These will make you think. If you want to innovate and see the world differently through new eyes read theses two.

I have always believed that knowledge is power. I am always trying to find new solutions to old problems. If you want to lead you must keep learning, as soon as you think you know it all, you will be beaten. Besides learning is fun!