
Ok here is my review of Steve Cotter's "Complete Guide to Kettlebell Lifting. This is a combination Book/DVD package. List price is $79. I purchased it from Shihan.com for $59 plus shipping. I guess they were running a special (turns out they still are as I write this, see link at the end of this entry).
The Cotter vids can be stratified much like a game of pickup basketball. Shirts and skins. Skins are the one with a shirtless Steve on the package and the shirts are the other ones. The skins are his first two videos and the one shown below.

It may disappoint some of you to know that this video is a "shirt". I am sure the next time I see Steve he will greet me with a roundhouse kick to the skull for pointing that out. As long as the IKFF doesn't come out with a shirtless partner stretching video I think its all good.
So what do you get with this book. Basically it is a full color book where Steve breaks down 191 different kettlebell exercises. The pictures do most of the talking and there isn't a lot of text. I was a little disappointed that there were no pictures to color in but that isn't even close to a deal breaker when it comes to this book. Here is a photo of a page from the book. I hope Steve doesn't mind but I feel it is illustrative of the type of instruction found inside.

You can easily see how the technique is demonstrated. Steve also takes the opportunity to offer performance tips where they are needed, What he doesn't say here however is that if one testicle is pinched hard between the thumb and forefinger (hook grip) it really allows the lifter to up the intensity to get those last few reps.
In all seriousness this book represents a useful tool. I think its best place is actually in the gym . This is not the kind of book you read cover to cover. Instead it is a reference book to be used on the job. Keep it in your gym bag. A unique feature is the accompanying DVD. This shows all the movements as they are performed. There is no dialogue, just the exercises. I really like this combination because you get to see the movement broken down in the book and also performed on the video. The video menus are arranged in such a way that it is easy to quickly find what you are after without having to navigate through a bunch of stuff that you aren't interested in at the moment. Some companies might sell the book and DVD separately. I applaud Steve for taking the high road here. The video quality is good as are the color photos in the book. The chapters are logically organized as one would expect of any good reference source.
In my opinion this fits in well with the rest of Steve's products. Although much of the material presented here is covered in his Encyclopedia Vol 1 and 2, this latest delivery is in a more quickly accessible form. This is ideal for someone who is already familiar with the basics of kettlebell lifting. I would recommend that a true beginner start with the Encyclopedia 1 DVD. It gives a detailed explanation for all the lifts followed by multi-angle demonstration.
Overall I feel that this represents an excellent addition to any kettlebell lifter's library. The price seems quite fair especially when you consider how much material is provided. If you want to get one, here is the best price I could find:
Here is the link. They are still offering $20 off.