TRAINING FOR SPORTS (CLASSIC REPRINT)

Walter Camps 1921 Training for Sports was intended to be a guide for physical education teachers, coaches, and athletes on how best to prepare their bodies for physical activity. In this sense, it may be best viewed as a guidebook rather than a step by step instruction manual. The book is divided into chapters, which focus on general physical conditioning, mental conditioning, the importance of sleep and diet, as well as specific chapters on the popular sports of the day, such as football, baseball, and track and field.It goes without saying that exercise science has progressed immensely in the nearly one hundred years that have passed since the original publication of Training for Sports. Noserious coach, trainer, or physical educator would be advised to use this book as a reference today. Techniques for both general physical conditioning and sport specific movements have evolved significantly since 1921. Todays game of football is vastly different than that of 1921.The value of Camps book is thus the historical snapshot it provides. In 1921, training for sports was as much a preparation for a potential war effort than it was for leisure. Camp acknowledges as much in the section on general physical conditioning, stating, The word training essentially implies a preparation, whether it be for severe physical effort as any athletic competition or military service in time of war, or merely for the ordinary conduct of life.It is clear however that Camp was an expert on the subject matter at the time of writing, and surely would be today were he still alive. He demonstrates remarkable understanding of practices that would come to be known as periodization and specialization, and discourages trainers from promoting a single-sport approach too early in a young athletes life. Many coaches today would be wise to heed his advice.Training for Sports is recommended for anybody curious about the history of physical conditioning, particula