Science of Sports Training: How to Plan and Control Training for Peak Performance

by Thomas Kurz

Book Overview

The purpose of athletic training is to achieve the highest possible sports result (for a given individual). Training is efficient if this result is achieved with a minimal expenditure of time and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 094014901X
• ISBN13: 9780940149014
• Release Date: January 1987
• Publisher: Stadion Publishing Company, Inc.
• Length: 290 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Very good

Mr. Kurz does go into a little too much depth sometimes, making it a little boring in spurts, but it more than makes up for it with the great information. I think it is a must-read for serious athletes.

I love this book!

This book is just awesome! It isn't a book you just plop down in a chair and read, but one you absorb a chapter or topic at a time. Re-read it as necesary and then when you think you grasp or remember most of the information move on to another. It is organized so that you can look up specific subjects that you are interested in without reading the whole book through, by the way. There's more information within its pages than you can shake an Olympic bar at and much of it you will be hard up finding anywhere else...much less all of it in one book. Don't think of Science of Sports Training as your guide to weight training or a specific sport. It's a compilation of all the finer things for those that already know their sport well, that can only come from a very experienced coach. You could say it's geared toward those with a mindset of being a "student of sport", not just a practitioner of some recreational fun. Mr. Kurz has alot of knowledge to convey to the West if they just give him a mind ready to absorb what he offers, I personally really appreciate the effort he put forth into giving us this book, as there are few like it at all esp. from Eastern European coaches. If you appreciated "Science and Practice of Strength Training" by Zatsiorsky, you should definiately pick this one up too.

Encyclopedia of training

This is a reference book on sports training. Kurtz discusses principles of training for various goals, such as strength, endurance, technical and combination of those. All relevant topics are covered: assessment of trainees, warmup, periodization, training cycles and many other subjects. The book is very comprehensive and is extensively referenced. It is also easy to read. I understand the frustration of some of the reviewers, because the book does not have the actual recipes for training. However, after reading it recipes are just not needed: one can design training programs according to the goals with the long term view.

A must read

After reading some of the more negative reviews encouraged me to write - A lot of this book has to be read in context, and it isn't a textbook on how to get better at playing a certain sport and it isn't a textbook on the mechanics of the body. These can be found in most local library's many times over.What it covers is the planning and control of training for peak performance, i.e. it tells you finer points that are often missed, for example how to cope with jet lag isn't going to be a problem if you don't travel, but for major athletes travelling is a part of the course which isn't touched in most books.To agree with another review - this book does need to be studied, not flicked through and pick out 'facts' or to criticise because of sections being pulled out of context.Also as an aside, Kurz's manner might be a little abrupt, but I bet he gets a lot of questions (I have asked a few and had them answered in a constructive way). He probably gets a lot of drivel in these questions and probably puts sarcastic answers to make writers think before they ask stupid questions.

You don't read this book, you study it

This book contains a wealth of knowlege extracted from scientific research journals and, at times, feels more like a survey article than a traditional book. This results in a very densely packed tome of data on all aspects of training. However, this type of book may not be suitable for all readers. To put it bluntly, you are meant to study this book and not passively read it. And when I say study, I mean be prepared to take notes and scribble down your thoughts. This isn't a book that you're going to lie down with and read in bed. Those familiar with Kurz knows that he does not mollycoddle the lazy and those that don't bother to think things through and this book certainly continues that tradition. You are expected to put in some kind of effort in developing your training method. This is actually quite reasonable: Kurz simply cannot be expected to draft up example workouts for every type of athlete.The key to appreciating this book is to realize what it is meant to do and what it is not. This book provides a wealth of data that you can use to develop your training regimen. It is not meant as a "by-the-numbers" description of exactly what to do and when. For example, other authors may tell you to do such and such. Kurz will report on exactly how level of performance improvement resulted from doing that in a controlled study and cite the appropriate research article. It is up to you to determine whether this level of performance is sufficient to justify incorporating the specific training methodology in question within your regimen. Kurz' intention seems to be to provide the reader with the necessary data to make informed decisions regarding training. What you do with that information is up to you. This is a no-nonsense book. Other sports training books feature lots of photographs of attractive male and female athletes in superb physical condition performing the exercises. Those pictures have been replaced with graphs displaying cold, hard data in Kurz' book. Kurz does not waste time trying to motivate the reader.If you are serious about your training and want to be responsible for crafting your own training regimen then this book will be a goldmine for you. The depth and breath of knowledge contained within its pages is astonishing. If, however, you want to be fed example workouts and explicitly told what to do, then you will be confused and frustrated with this book. I can easily see an exasperated reader sceaming "Get to the damn point, Man!" when reading this book. It comes down to whether you want to be your own coach or not. I've found it to be a wonderful resource and would definitely recommend it for advanced athletes and those who are serious about their training. However, for the begining athlete, this may not be the best choice for a first book on subject of scientific training.