Bloomsbury Publishing has become one of the world’s best stops for soccer and football titles, regardless of whether you are looking for ways to improve your game or just want a good story.
Strength and Conditioning for Football by Mark Jarvis is a world-class text that fits into the former category. Jarvis is the best in the business and consequently works for the very best. He has experience at the highest levels, in the English Premier League and the UEFA Champions League in addition to working with Olympic and Paralympic athletes. He brought his knowledge and expertise to Bloomsbury and they both came away with a great text, something best described as a indispensable handbook.
Being match fit is an essential part of being successful in the beautiful game and this book breaks the process of strength and conditioning down to the most minute details. The book itself is very organized, broken into easily digestible sections that focus on topics like philosophy, effective practice, injury prevention, performance enhancement, and application. You find out why you need to invest in strength and conditioning, but also how to go about getting it done.
This is sports science at its very best, mixed with actual application. You can read this book and start using the principles and ideas the very next day. It is very practical and user-friendly.
This is a must-read for coaches, players, trainers, parents of youth players, anyone that wants to learn more about the physical demands of the game. It is highly technical, has great photographs and graphics, but at the same time is easily readable for those that have an interest in the topic.
I could easily see this book as a gamechanger, something that would cause people to take a second look at their training sessions, programming, and techniques. This could be the first step in improving coaching and maybe entire clubs as a whole, a nice way to get an edge over the competition.
