The Young Athlete's Manual

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up A serviceable guide for teenage athletes who take competition seriously. Flexibility and strength training, diet, drugs and injuries are covered in adequate depth, and a bibliography is appended for those interested in more detail on a specific topic. Line drawings of both male and female figures illustrate the various exercises described in the text. The chapter on ``Training for Various Sports'' is the weakest section, with some sports (basketball and rowing) receiving fairly extensive treatment, while others (soccer, football) are treated superficially with more emphasis on skill practice than on fitness training. There is clear, non-hysterical coverage of the effects of drug use, including alcohol and tobacco, on fitness and performance, as well as descriptions of some common sports-related injuries and their treatment. The information on injuries and substance abuse is treated in less depth than in Berger's Sports Medicine (Crowell, 1982), but this book is more accessible to younger teens. The material on exercise is also covered in Antonacci's Physical Fitness for Young Champions (McGraw-Hill, 1975; o.p.) but that title lacks the medical information found here. All-in-all, this is a worthwhile acquisition where there is a demand for books on fitness and training for athletic competition. Elaine Fort Weischedel, Turner Free Library, Randolph, Mass.