Strength and Conditioning for Sports Performance

An effective strength and conditioning program is an essential component of the preparation of any athlete or sportsperson. Strength and Conditioning for Sports Performance is a comprehensive and authoritative introduction to the theory and practice of strength and conditioning, providing students, coaches and athletes with everything they need to design and implement effective training programs.

Revised and updated for a second edition, the book continues to include clear and rigorous explanations of the core science underpinning strength and conditioning techniques and give detailed, step-by-step guides to all key training methodologies, including training for strength, speed, endurance, flexibility and plyometrics. The second edition expands on the opening coaching section as well as introducing an entirely new section on current training methods which includes examining skill acquisition and motor learning. Throughout the book the focus is on the coaching process, with every chapter highlighting the application of strength and conditioning techniques in everyday coaching situations.

Strength and Conditioning for Sports Performance includes a unique and extensive section of sport-specific chapters, each of which examines in detail the application of strength and conditioning to a particular sport, from soccer and basketball to golf and track and field athletics. The second edition sees this section expanded to include other sports such as rugby union, rugby league and American football.

The book includes contributions from world-leading strength and conditioning specialists, including coaches who have worked with Olympic gold medallists and international sports teams at the highest level. Strength and Conditioning for Sports Performance is an essential course text for any degree-level student with an interest in strength and conditioning, for all students looking to achieve professional accreditation, and an invaluable reference for all practising strength and conditioning coaches.

Ian Jeffreys is Academic Director of Setanta College, Ireland’s largest online sports college, and is the Proprietor of All-Pro Performance based in Brecon, Wales. He is an internationally renowned coach and educator, and is regarded as a world authority in the development of speed and agility and conditioning for team sports, where his unique Gamespeed system and RAMP warm-up protocols have been adopted by a range of coaches and organisations. Jeffreys is a founder member of the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association and was a member of the Board of Directors from the organisation’s inception in 2004 through to 2013. Jeffreys has authored nine books and is the editor of the UKSCA journal Professional Strength and Conditioning.

Jeremy Moody is a Senior Lecturer in Strength and Conditioning and Programme Director for the MSc in Strength and Conditioning at Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK. His experience extends across able-bodied and disabled sports, gaining an international coaching reputation having coached successful athletes at the Commonwealth, European, World, Olympic and Paralympic levels of competition as well as youth and developing athletes. Moody’s industry-based roles have included Regional Lead at the English Institute of Sport, Performance Manager at UK Athletics, Performance Director for the Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby Association, and Performance Director and Chief Operations Officer at Welsh Judo.