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The Sock Thief
by Ana Crespo Nana GonzalezBrazilian boy Felipe doesn't have a soccer ball. So, when it's his turn to take one to school, he uses a little bit of creativity . . . and a few socks. Felipe is the sock thief. Along the way, Felipe leaves delicious mangoes in exchange for the socks he steals. This is a fixed-format ebook, which preserves the design and layout of the original print book.
The Sons of Westwood: John Wooden, UCLA, and the Dynasty That Changed College Basketball (Sport and Society)
by John Matthew SmithFor more than a decade, the UCLA dynasty defined college basketball. In twelve seasons from 1964 to 1975, John Wooden's teams won ten national titles, including seven consecutive championships. The Bruins made history by breaking numerous records, but they also rose to prominence during a turbulent age of political unrest and youthful liberation. When Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton--the most famous college basketball players of their generation--spoke out against racism, poverty, and the Vietnam War, they carved out a new role for athletes, casting their actions on and off the court in a political light. The Sons of Westwood tells the story of the most significant college basketball program at a pivotal period in American cultural history. It weaves together a story of sports and politics in an era of social and cultural upheaval, a time when college students and college athletes joined the civil rights movement, demonstrated against the Vietnam War, and rejected the dominant Cold War culture. This is the story of America's culture wars played out on the basketball court by some of college basketball's most famous players and its most memorable coach.
The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America
by Joe Posnanski“One of the best baseball books in years”—a journey with Negro League legend Buck O’Neil by the New York Times–bestselling author of The Baseball 100 (Cleveland Plain Dealer).Winner of the Casey Award for Best Baseball Book of the YearWhen legendary Negro League player Buck O’Neil asked award-winning sports columnist Joe Posnanski how he fell in love with baseball, that simple question eventually led the pair on a cross-country quest to recapture the love that first drew them to the game. This book recounts their emotional quest to find the heart of America’s beloved sport that still beats despite the scandal-ridden, steroid-shooting, money-hungry athletes who currently seem to define the sport. At its heart is the story of 94-year-old Buck O’Neil—a man who truly played for the love of the game. After an impressive career in the Negro Baseball Leagues in which he earned two hitting titles and one championship, O’Neil made baseball history by becoming the first African-American coach in major league baseball. Posnanski writes about that love and the one thing that O’Neil cherishes almost as much as baseball: jazz. This heartwarming and insightful tour of the country is an endearing step back in time to the days when the crack of a bat and the smoky notes of a midnight jam session were the sounds that brought the most joy to a man’s heart.“Engaging and spirit-lifting . . . much like Mitch Albom’s Morrie.” —Sports Illustrated“You won’t read a better baseball book this year.” —Newsday“A moving elegy for both the Negro Leagues and one of the game’s biggest personalities.” —Entertainment Weekly“How good is [this] book? It’s right there with Robert Creamer’s Babe.” —Toronto Sun“Poignant, very funny, and ultimately inspiring.” —Dave Barry“Document[s] in loving detail the story of a man who figured out early how to live every day with joy.” —Boston Sunday Globe
The Soul of Basketball: The Epic Showdown Between LeBron, Kobe, Doc, and Dirk That Saved the NBA
by Ian Thomsen&“A fascinating, thorough look at pro basketball&’s continuing evolution to becoming the &‘sport of the American Dream.&’&”—Publishers Weekly The Soul of Basketball tells the story of an NBA prodigy, his league, and their sport in the throes of crisis during the pivotal 2010-11 season. It began with The Decision, that infamous televised moment when uber-star LeBron James revealed that he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers—thereby distancing himself from his role model Michael Jordan—to pursue his first championship with his former opponents on the Miami Heat. To the great fortune of LeBron, the NBA, and basketball itself, the mission didn&’t work out as planned. In this book, veteran NBA writer Ian Thomsen portrays the NBA as a self-correcting society in which young LeBron is forced to absorb hard truths inflicted by his rivals Kobe Bryant, Doc Rivers, and Dirk Nowitzki, in addition to lessons set forth by Pat Riley, Gregg Popovich, Larry Bird, David Stern, Joey Crawford, and many more. Brimming with inside access, The Soul of Basketball tells the inspiring story of LeBron&’s loneliest year, insecure and uncertain, when his ultimate foe was an unlikely immigrant who renewed the American game&’s ideals. From Miami to Boston, Los Angeles to Dallas, Germany to the NBA&’s Manhattan headquarters, the biggest names in basketball are driven by something more valuable than money and fame—a quest that would pave the way for Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and future generations to thrive. &“Ian Thomsen provides an antidote to the fast-food, twitter feed of instant information consumption…deft prose and snappy anecdotes…Great, great stuff.&”—Leigh Montville, New York Times-bestselling author of Sting Like a Bee &“A fine work of sports journalism.&”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey
by Muhammad Ali Hana Yasmeen AliFormer boxing legend Muhammad Ali, one of the best-known and best-loved celebrities and an international goodwill ambassador, offers inspiration and hope as he describes the spiritual philosophy that sustains him.&“During my boxing career, you did not see the real Muhammad Ali. You just saw a little boxing. You saw only a part of me. After I retired from boxing my true work began. I have embarked on a journey of love.&” So Muhammad Ali begins this spiritual memoir, his description of the values that have shaped and sustained him and that continue to guide his life. In The Soul of a Butterfly the great champion takes readers on a spiritual journey through the seasons of life, from childhood to the present, and shares the beliefs that have served him well. Ali reflects on his faith in God and the strength it gave him during his greatest challenges. He describes how his study of true Islam has helped him accept the changes in his life and has brought him to a greater awareness of life&’s true purpose. As a United Nations Messenger of Peace, he has traveled widely, and he describes his 2002 mission to Afghanistan to heighten public awareness of that country&’s desperate situation, as well as his more recent meeting with the Dalai Lama. Ali&’s reflections on topics ranging from moral courage to belief in God to respect for those who differ from us will inspire and enlighten all who read them. Written with the assistance of his daughter Hana, The Soul of a Butterfly is a compassionate and heartfelt book that will provide comfort for our troubled times.
The Sound of One Team Sucking: Mindful Meditations for Recovering Leafs Fans
by Christopher Gudgeon Tavish Gudgeon Joey Mauro Yusuf SaadiA hilarious self-help book for recovering Leafs fans everywhere. We’ve all heard it. The sound of one team sucking. Our team. The Leafs. It starts as an almost imperceptible hum, a month or so after the home opener, once the shine of the new season wears off, building in intensity with each defeat until the sound explodes like the noise a star might make if you ripped its heart out. Fact is, being a Maple Leafs fan is a kind of addiction: irrational, compulsive, dependent. You can’t just quit cold turkey. You need help … And that’s where The Sound of One Team Sucking comes in. Think of it as your own portable support group, designed to accompany you through another disappointing season (plus draft day!), and guide your recovery as you strive to live a more emotionally and spiritually balanced life. Written by Leafs addicts, The Sound of One Team Sucking is a hilarious meditation on the futility of Leafs fandom.
The Southern Surfcaster: Saltwater Strategies For The Carolina Beaches And Beyond
by S. Cameron WrightThe Southern Surfcaster will increase your knowledge of fishing and help you develop into a more confident salt-water fisherman. Explore creative techniques and the latest strategies that have transformed the sport over the last decade. Many of the old-school methods of fishing are updated for modern practicality. The Southern Surfcaster will change the way you think and what you thought you knew about salt water fishing.
The Southpaw
by Mark HarrisWith The Southpaw, novelist Mark Harris begins the remarkable saga of a gifted baseball pitcher named Henry W. Wiggen, which would unfold in four novels over the course of some 27 years between the publication of The Southpaw (1952) and It Looked Like For Ever (1979). Harris frames The Southpaw in an irresistible way, letting the fictional hero Wiggen "tell" his own story in the vernacular--bad grammar, run-on sentences, the works. In fact, the title page tells the reader that The Southpaw is "by Henry W. Wiggen / Punctuation freely inserted and spelling greatly improved by Mark Harris." Henry Wiggen is a beautiful athlete, but despite his talents and his natural grace, the unpretentious small-town boy reaches manhood by the same arduous route followed by most boys, complicated in his case by that very talent and grace, and the expectations they create in everyone. Wiggen is that rarest of fiction heroes, a certifiable good guy, without guile, who wants always to do the right thing. Even for him, the challenges posed by personal and professional needs sometimes seem to be too much, as the stakes in his career steadily rise. The Southpaw follows Wiggen from his early days all the way to the World Series, a winning story of a good man living an extraordinary life. "By far the best 'serious' baseball novel published," the San Francisco Chronicle wrote of The Southpaw--a critical response that is frequently echoed in discussions of all four of Mark Harris' novels about Henry Wiggen. The Southpaw defines Wiggen, and Harris wields his vivid, stream of conscious style with wizardly skill. The acid test is whether the experience of The Southpaw encourages the reader to follow Wiggen's saga in Bang the Drum Slowly. Invariably, it does.
The Southpaw
by Mark Jonathan HarrisA story of coming in age in America by way of the baseball diamond. Lefthander Henry Wiggen, six feet threee, a hundred ninety-five pounds, and the greatest pitcher going, grows to manhood in a righthanded world. From small-town beginnings to the top of the game, Henry finds out how hard it is to please his coach, his girl, and the sports page -- and himself, too -- all at once. Written in Henry's own words, this exuberant, funny novel follows his eccentric course from bush league to the World Series.
The Southpaw's Secret (Mel Martin Baseball Stories)
by John R. CooperWhile baseball is Mel's major interest, somehow mystery and danger seem to follow him and the Wright twins. "Pop" Korn, coach at Westwood High, buys the camp at Lake Dunbar and enters his team in the County Summer Camp League. Will Mel and his buddies work around everything and everyone who gets in their way to win the championship?
The Sovereign Colony: Olympic Sport, National Identity, and International Politics in Puerto Rico
by Antonio SotomayorCeded to the United States under the terms of the Treaty of Paris after the Spanish-American War of 1898, Puerto Rico has since remained a colonial territory. Despite this subordinated colonial experience, however, Puerto Ricans managed to secure national Olympic representation in the 1930s and in so doing nurtured powerful ideas of nationalism. By examining how the Olympic movement developed in Puerto Rico, Antonio Sotomayor illuminates the profound role sports play in the political and cultural processes of an identity that evolved within a political tradition of autonomy rather than traditional political independence. Significantly, it was precisely in the Olympic arena that Puerto Ricans found ways to participate and show their national pride, often by using familiar colonial strictures—and the United States’ claim to democratic values—to their advantage. Drawing on extensive archival research, both on the island and in the United States, Sotomayor uncovers a story of a people struggling to escape the colonial periphery through sport and nationhood yet balancing the benefits and restraints of that same colonial status.The Sovereign Colony describes the surprising negotiations that gave rise to Olympic sovereignty in a colonial nation, a unique case in Latin America, and uses Olympic sports as a window to view the broader issues of nation building and identity, hegemony, postcolonialism, international diplomacy, and Latin American–U.S. relations.
The Spanish Doctor
by Margaret BarkerNew baby…new love?When staff nurse Pippa Norton goes into labor on the way to a new life in Spain, her new boss, Dr. Carlos Fernandez, comes to her rescue. He brings baby Matthew safely into the world, and from then on, Carlos is never far from this brand-new family. Though Pippa has been badly hurt by Matthew’s biological father, she finds herself daring to hope there can be a future with Carlos—until she discovers her passionate Spaniard has a past.…
The Spartan Way: Eat Better. Train Better. Think Better. Be Better.
by Joe De SenaNew York Times bestselling author Joe De Sena, founder and CEO of Spartan, the global health and wellness platform, leader in obstacle racing, and executive producer of NBC’s television show Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge, challenges you to live The Spartan Way.Determined to yank 100 million people off their couch cushions to start living instead of being passive observers of life, Joe De Sena has one ultimate goal: to help improve everyone’s physical and emotional health by teaching them the tenets of Spartan living from ancient Greece: simple eating, smart training, mastering resilience, and an all-out commitment to achieving a goal. Like Spartan training, living The Spartan Way requires endurance to reach your finish line, the goal that inspires and drives you to succeed no matter what obstacles are thrown in your path. De Sena believes you can gain that endurance in just thirty-six days by following the ten Spartan Core Virtues, timeless principles to help you embrace adversity and overcome any challenge, and making them a permanent part of your own personal core. The Spartan Core Values include:Self-Awareness—Know yourselfCommitment—Be dedicatedPassion—Discover your purposeDiscipline—Practice diligencePrioritization—Put your house in orderGrit—Push your limitsCourage—Face your fears and your failuresOptimism—Look for the positives Integrity—Act honestly Wholeness—Live as a SpartanDe Sena turned this philosophy into a lifestyle—and so can you. With The Spartan Way, you’ll discover your true north, unleash the warrior within, and transform your life to 10X your maximum potential.
The Spawning Run
by William HumphreyWilliam Humphrey's delightful chronicle of an angling holiday in Wales celebrates two equally astonishing creatures: the Atlantic salmon and the British fly fisherman In order to mate in the same freshwater stream where it was spawned, the salmon swims one thousand miles or more and overcomes countless obstacles, from trawling nets to twelve-foot-high waterfalls. To catch the King of Fish at the end of its incredible journey, the Anglo-Saxon angler subjects his pride, his bank account, and his taste buds--poached milk, anyone?--to similar dangers. Nine out of ten salmon do not make it back to the sea once their spawning run is finished; nine out of ten sportsmen return to the hotel empty handed when the fishing day is done. And yet, year after year, they return to the rivers and streams of Great Britain--fish and angler both. Why? Perhaps "poor Holloway," who has yet to land a salmon after twenty spawning seasons but whose success rate with the bored wives of more skillful fisherman is scandalously impressive, knows the answer. An elegant blend of fishing narrative, travelogue, and character study, The Spawning Run is a hilarious and heartfelt tribute to the irresistible passions that unite us all: man, woman, and salmon. This ebook features an illustrated biography of William Humphrey including rare photos form the author's estate.
The Spectacular Adventures of Sophie and Sebastian
by Ruth JeyaveeranSophie is a hippo with dreams-BIG dreams that involve flying high through the air on a skateboard. But even Sophie’s best friend, Sebastian, isn’t sure that it’s such a great idea for an O V E R S I Z E hippo to soar and glide. So what’s a hippo like Sophie to do? All day long the other hippos grumble and gossip about her daydreaming ways. If only she could figure out how to make her wish come true . . . Sebastian says Sophie needs a little inspiration. But where will she find it? And, more important, what sort of adventures will she have when she does?
The Spectrum of Sport Coaching Styles
by Shane Pill Brendan SueSee Mitch Hewitt Joss RankinFor the first time, this book applies The Spectrum to sports coaching to become a Spectrum of Coaching Styles. The non-versus approach to pedagogy taken by The Spectrum places athletes or players at the centre of their learning and clearly defines who (player or coach) is making pedagogical decisions in each style. This clarity allows players and coaches to have their teaching behaviours and decision-making clearly defined, and it provides a common language for players, coaches and practitioners to talk about coaching styles and the expected outcomes. For coaches interested in the holistic development of the player/athlete, The Spectrum provides a detailed framework for achieving multiple learning outcomes through cognitive, social, physical, ethical, emotional and social development. Written by coaches for coaches, this book applies Spectrum theory in a coach-specific/friendly way to the following: Introduction to The Spectrum and the sport coach as educator; Summary and detailed description of the 11 coaching styles and their suitability to particular types of coaching episodes; Outlines of the strengths of each style with application examples; and Explanations of coaching to develop reflective practice, self-analysis and error correction, how to coach players to decide on appropriate practice levels or challenge points, player problem solving and solution generation ability. The Spectrum of Sport Coaching Styles is important reading for coaches, athletes, students and lecturers of sports coaching across any sport.
The Spectrum of Sport Coaching Styles
by Shane Pill Brendan SueSee Mitch Hewitt Joss RankinFor the first time, this book applies The Spectrum to sports coaching to become a Spectrum of Coaching Styles. The non-versus approach to pedagogy taken by The Spectrum places athletes or players at the centre of their learning and clearly defines who (player or coach) is making pedagogical decisions in each style. This clarity allows players and coaches to have their teaching behaviours and decision-making clearly defined, and it provides a common language for players, coaches and practitioners to talk about coaching styles and the expected outcomes. For coaches interested in the holistic development of the player/athlete, The Spectrum provides a detailed framework for achieving multiple learning outcomes through cognitive, social, physical, ethical, emotional and social development.Written by coaches for coaches, this book applies Spectrum theory in a coach-specific/friendly way to the following: Introduction to The Spectrum and the sport coach as educator; Summary and detailed description of the 11 coaching styles and their suitability to particular types of coaching episodes; Outlines of the strengths of each style with application examples; and Explanations of coaching to develop reflective practice, self-analysis and error correction, how to coach players to decide on appropriate practice levels or challenge points, player problem solving and solution generation ability. The Spectrum of Sport Coaching Styles is important reading for coaches, athletes, students and lecturers of sports coaching across any sport.
The Spectrum of Teaching Styles in Physical Education
by Shane Pill Brendan SueSee Mitch HewittThis is the first in-depth, practice-focused book to explain ‘spectrum theory’ and its application in physical education and sports coaching. Spectrum theory identifies 11 distinct teaching styles, with decision making as a central characteristic, and allows teachers to select age and developmentally appropriate styles across social, physical, ethical, emotional and cognitive channels. The book brings together leading thinkers in spectrum theory, to demonstrate how it can be applied to improve teaching and learning in PE and coaching. Drawing on real-world research in schools and universities, the book considers the history of spectrum theory, and examines its significance across important areas such as physical education teacher education, sport pedagogy, teacher development, models such as Games Sense and Teaching Games for Understanding, skill acquisition and student learning and perception. Every chapter highlights the practical implications of research in real-world settings and considers how spectrum theory can enhance learning experiences. This book is invaluable reading for all pre-service and in-service school physical education teachers, sports coaches, school pedagogical leaders and college lecturers.
The Speed Game: My Fast Times in Basketball
by Paul WestheadPaul Westhead was teaching high school in his native Philadelphia when he was named La Salle University&’s men&’s basketball coach in 1970. By 1980 he was a Los Angeles Lakers assistant, soon to be hired as head coach, winning an NBA title with Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and rookie guard Magic Johnson. After compiling a 112-50 record, he was fired in November 1981. After a short stay as coach of the Chicago Bulls, Westhead reemerged in the mideighties as a coach at Loyola Marymount in California, where he designed his highly unusual signature run-and-gun offense that came to be known as &“The system.&”The Speed Game offers a vibrant account of how Westhead helped develop a style of basketball that not only won at the highest levels but went on to influence basketball as it&’s played today. Known for implementing an up-tempo, quick-possession, high-octane offense, Westhead is the only coach to have won championships in both the NBA and WNBA. But his long career can be defined by one simple question he&’s heard from journalists, fellow coaches, his wife, and, well, himself: Why? Why did he insist on playing such a controversial style of basketball that could vary from brilliant to busted? Westhead speaks candidly here about the feathers he ruffled and about his own shortcomings as he takes readers from Philadelphia&’s West Catholic High, where he couldn&’t make varsity, to the birth of the Showtime Lakers and to the powerhouse he built nearly ten years later at Loyola, where his team set records likely never to be approached. Westhead says he always found himself telling prospective bosses, &“My speed game is gonna knock your socks off!&” So will his story and what it could do to bring back a popular style of play.
The Spin (Marcus Stroman #2)
by Marcus StromanIn this second book in the semi-autobiographical middle grade series from MLB pitcher Marcus Stroman, young Marcus continues to learn hard lessons on and off the baseball field.Everyone knows Marcus Stroman as a baseball player. He loves the sport, and yes, he probably has a shot at the pros. But &“baseball player&” doesn&’t totally define him. Why won&’t anyone also see him as a basketball player or a musician? While he loves being known for what he does well, he&’s struggling because people are trying to limit him to just one thing.Literally how high up a mountain does Marcus need to climb to be completely free of what everyone else sees? How can he protect himself from the online zings, the chatter, and the opinions? When you walk out on the field or that court, how much criticism is fair play? With some perspective from a new view, Marcus realizes that no matter what field, court, or classroom he&’s in, he has to block some shots.
The Spirit of St. Louis: A History of the St. Louis Cardinals and Browns
by Peter GolenbockNo metropolis in America has more pure baseball spirit than St. Louis, Missouri. It's a love affair that began in 1874, when a band of local boosters raised $20,000 to start a professional ball club, and the honeymoon still isn't over. Now Peter Golenbock, the bestselling author and master of baseball oral history, has written another remarkable saga enriched by extensive and incomparable remembrances from the scores of players, managers, and executives who lived it.These pages capture the voices of Branch Rickey on George Sisler. Rogers Hornsby and his creation of the farm system. Hornsby on Grover Cleveland Alexander -- and Alexander on Hornsby. Dizzy Dean on -- who else? -- Dizzy Dean. And so many others including "The Man" himself, Stan Musial; Eldon Auker, Ellis Clary, Denny Galehouse, and Don Gutteridge on the 1940s Browns; Brooks Lawrence, the second man to cross the Cardinals' color line; Jim Bronsnan, the first man to break the players' "code of silence"; Tommy Herr, Darrell Porter, and Joe McGrane on Whitey Herzog's Cardinals; and Cardinal owner Bill DeWitt, Jr., on the team today.
The Spirit of the Game: How Sport Has Changed the Modern World
by Mihir BoseThe spirit of the game was first nurtured on the playing fields of the English public school, and in the pages of Tom Brown's Schooldays- this Corinthian spirit was then exported around the world. The competitive spirit, the importance of fairness, the nobility of the gifted amateur seemed to sum up everything that was good about Britishness and the games they played. Today, sport is dominated by corruption, money, celebrity and players who are willing to dive in the box if it wins them a penalty. Yet, we still believe and talk about the game as if it had a higher moral purpose. Since the age of Thomas Arnold, Sport has been used to glorify dictatorships and was at the heart of cold war diplomacy. Prime Ministers, princes and presidents will do whatever they can to ensure that their country holds a major sporting tournament. Nelson Mandela saw the victory of the Rugby World Cup as essential to his hopes for the Rainbow Nation. Mihir Bose has lived his life around sport and in this book he tells the story of how Sport has lost its original spirit and how it has emerged in the 20th century to become the most powerful political tool in the world. With examples and stories from around the world including how the sport-hating Thomas Arnold become an icon; how a German manufacturer gave Jessie Owens a pair of shoes at the Berlin games of 1936 and went on to dominate the world of sport; how India stole cricket from the ICC; how an Essex car dealer become the most powerful man in Formula 1; and who really sold football out.
The Spiritual Foundations Of Aikido
by William GleasonA leading American aikido teacher shows how this 20th-century martial art developed from the ancient spiritual traditions of Japan, not as a fighting method but rather as a means of becoming one with the laws of universal order.
The Spiritual Foundations of Aikido
by William GleasonMorihei Ueshiba, who founded Aikido early in this century, intended that his martial art would give form to profound spiritual truth, and lead to a unification of the world's peoples. He saw Aikido not as a fighting method or as a competitive sport but rather as a means of becoming one with the laws of universal order--ki, or life energy. Unfortunately, the subtleties of Ueshiba's teachings, veiled in the esoteric terminology of Shinto, can be puzzling for even the most advanced practitioners. They are not passed down today, and have never been introduced to the West. Gleason, a fifth-degree (Godan) black belt in Aikido, recognizing the importance of the spiritual aspects of the discipline, researched its roots in Shinto, and in this book is able to offer a clear explanation of Ueshiba's teachings.• Unlike the common "how-to" manuals on basic technique, this is the first book to introduce the underlying spiritual principles of Aikido--the elusive concept of kototama (word souls), expressed as one spirit, four souls, three origins, and eight powers--and how they relate to the forms.• Teaches the student how to use Aikido to accomplish spiritual goals. • Reveals little-known teachings of Shinto and Aikido, relating them to Buddhism, Christianity, and other spiritual teachings.
The Spiritual Practices of the Ninja: Mastering the Four Gates to Freedom
by Ross HeavenExplains how the initiatory practices of the Ninja can be used to achieve self-mastery• Uses the five human archetypes of lover, seeker, magus, soul warrior, and mystic• Shows how to access kuji-kiri, the positive energy of the Ninja Godai, to dispel fear, disempowerment, and soul fatigue The Ninja are a mysterious warrior elite said to be so spiritually advanced they knew the mind and will of God. Regarded with awe as masters of invisibility and “warriors of the shadow-self,” their legendary skills include the ability to command the elements and transform themselves into Fire, Water, Air, Earth, and Void--the nothingness from which all things stem. In this book Ross Heaven reveals the training exercises and mental discipline used by the Ninja to develop these extraordinary physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual skills.Central to Ninja philosophy is the understanding that there is no higher power than the actualized human being. The Ninja believe there are four gates to freedom, and to pass through them we must overcome four initiatory ordeals. Succeeding at these enables us to combat fear, find true power, clarify our vision, and overcome the soul fatigue that is at the root of our personal and social problems in order to embrace our positive energies and realize our talents.Ross Heaven guides us through these four gateways with exercises and initiations that utilize the energy of the lover, seeker, magus, soul warrior, and mystic as well as dealing with their shadow manifestations that may be causing problems in our lives. We learn how to break the destructive habits of the past and create a bushido, a personal code to live by. Without initiation, we cannot access and channel our energies; they remain uncontrolled or even work against us. Ross Heaven provides the key that allows us to turn these elemental forces into allies.