Growth patterns and sports performance / Peter Russel.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction -- Sports in relation to adolescent growth and development -- Physical health and sports performance -- Sports fitness -- Nutrition and athletic performance -- Speed and agility training for basketball -- Performance analysis -- Fitness and performance -- Yoga and sports performance.

"Sports programs need to be wide and varied enough to support a diverse range of interests and capabilities. Each child's cognitive, motor and social development needs to be taken into account when determining their ability to meet the demands in any given sport. Simple adaptions to sports programs, such as equipment variations, length of time spent playing and practicing, avoidance of specialization and changing the focus of games from competition to fun can make all the difference between a child becoming a happy fit athlete or dropping out of sport altogether. High performance sport or elite sport is sport at the highest level of competition, with elite athletes as the competitors. In sports administration "high performance sport", where the emphasis is on winning prestigious competitions, is distinguished from "mass sport" or "recreational sport", where the emphasis is on attracting the maximum number of participants. This latest book provides a succinct but comprehensive account of major theory and research in sport study and development, whilst maintaining the readable style and student-centered approach"-- Back cover.