Sports Speed - 3rd Edition [Paperback]

Robert D. Ward (Author), George B. Dintiman (Author), Bob Ward (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 2003

Reach your playing speed potential! As an athlete or coach who knows that faster is better, you'll appreciate the advice offered in Sports Speed.

With all-new techniques and drills to improve your straight-ahead and multidirectional speed, Sports Speed will help you improve your ability to start, stop, change direction, and accelerate, taking your performance to the next level.

No matter what sport you play or coach, you'll learn all aspects of speed development, including

-tests and assessment,
-strength base building,
-ballistic and plyometric training,
-speed endurance training,
-running technique,
-footwork drills,
-overspeed training, and
-program planning and periodization.

Photo sequences accompanied by detailed descriptions teach all the fine points of technique. Sample speed training programs for basketball, football, baseball, softball, and soccer can be used as they are or modified to meet specific needs. Charts, tables, and worksheets in each chapter help coaches and athletes understand and apply the material.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"From Running.about.com"
...quite possibly the best but, at the same time, most overlooked (by the running community) book about increasing not only speed but endurance speed as well.
"From WomenRunners.com"
If you are involved in track and field, or have a high skill level in a speed sport, such as soccer, basketball or tennis, you may find this to be a very useful book.
"From Rocky Mountain Sports"
If you're feeling the need to improve your speed, then check out the latest edition of Sports Speed.

Review

From Running.about.com
...quite possibly the best but, at the same time, most overlooked (by the running community) book about increasing not only speed but endurance speed as well.

From WomenRunners.com
If you are involved in track and field, or have a high skill level in a speed sport, such as soccer, basketball or tennis, you may find this to be a very useful book.

From Rocky Mountain Sports
If you're feeling the need to improve your speed, then check out the latest edition of Sports Speed.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Human Kinetics; 3 edition (September 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0736046496
• ISBN-13: 978-0736046497
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #230,950 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A very tough read., November 21, 1999

By 

fblaw6 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sports Speed: #1 Program for Athletes (Paperback)

As the title suggests, this is a book about improving your speed. It is a general book applicable to any sport. And so the authors go to great lengths to generalize their program. I expected to read about the latest in exercise physiology concerning speed, recommended training, and exercises. We do get that sort of thing in a manner of speaking, but to put it very bluntly, this book is one of the most jumbled, mixed up, illogical presentations you are likely to read. Hard to believe three college graduates put this together. In order to get anything out of this book you kind of have to trudge all the way through it and improvise your thought process as you go. The authors give absolutely zero help. Do we get titles to the latest studies on sport speed--in the negative. Do we get information on the latest persons doing research on the subject--in the negative. Do we get a logical, understandable training program--in the negative. What we get instead is kind of a hodge podge of information coming from all directions without hardly any logical organized presentation. Oh--there is the seven step speed training program presented in 7 different chapters. And to give credit--it does look like this is a good speed improvement program. However the information the seven chapters (and you have to get through 3 almost imconprehensible chapters to get to the program) seems to rain down from the sky in a very disconnected fashion. There are few explanations of the whys and wherefores; there are zero explanations on where the program comes from or how it was put together, or where it fits in anywhere in what is being done by any one. It is just there, presented, and I suppose we are supposed to swallow it all on faith. There are presented many descriptions and photographs of useful looking exercises. I do know more about speed improvement after reading the book. But the information was gotten by pulling teeth.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't believe the hype!, March 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sports Speed: #1 Program for Athletes (Paperback)

The book deserves some credit because it does list contemporary training techniques in a comprehensive fashion, but it does not bring them together in a practical manner. There are also certain errors: 1) That you should do plyometrics last in a training program. Yeah right, high intensity training when you're tired. That removes the benefits and sets an individual up for injury. 2) Not mentioning true periodization for strength training. 3) Presenting impractical programs, especially for high school athletes. 4) Giving credibility to a fad diet (i.e. The Zone). That's almost shameful. If I had time, I'd list some other complaints. It's sad, but I have to admit that this is the best book out there for speed training. Just read it critically!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good book for the non-track athlete, August 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sports Speed: #1 Program for Athletes (Paperback)

Unfortunately this book ignores periodization issues with the 100-200 meter runner. Excellent ideas are presented here for the track athlete, but the focus of this book is on the football, basketball, and baseball players of the world. One good thing about this book is that it does not believe in the defeatest attitudes of many coaches: "Speed can't be taught", "Sprinters are born, not made". Houston McTear, being the exception, most sprinters have to be developed.