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Team You
Young Athlete's Handbook: Youth Sport Trust. Human Kinetics 2001. 200 pages
paperback, £13.95. ISBN 9-780736-037129
This is a manual aimed primarily at young people who, we assume, have already
shown that they have talent and made some progress in their chosen sport, and
are therefore entitled to think of themselves as athletes. The concepts and
level of language imply that they will usually be at least in their teens.
The general approach is unexceptionable for any kind of sports handbook:
goal-setting, being part of a team (along with your parents, coach etc),
self-assessment, eating right, getting and staying fit, training, travelling
and competing abroad (this book is for potential winners), and psychology. It's
short (140 pages of text), physically quite big (7" x 10"), clearly laid out,
and easy to find your way around. There are a few decorative photos, and a set
illustrating a dozen basic safe stretches. Since it's based on Loughborough's
Performer's Diary it's written in good plain British English about sport in a
British context; there was no need for adaptation as is so often the case with
originally-American books.
All the advice is sound. The twenty pages on the mental approach is
particularly good, though I think that labelling four levels of attention BBC1,
BBC2, ITV and Channel 4 is just silly. Why not call them Dipsy, Tinky-Winky,
Lala and Po? Or 1, 2, 3 and 4?
All the advice is sound. The twenty pages on the mental approach is
particularly good, though I think that labelling four levels of attention BBC1,
BBC2, ITV and Channel 4 is just silly. Why not call them Dipsy, Tinky-Winky,
Lala and Po? Or 1, 2, 3 and 4?
Each chapter ends with a summary of key points and there are 52 useful diary
sheets at the end, though one would have done, since permission to copy is
given. You may also copy the 32 self-assessment tasks.
This would be an excellent book to give to a young athlete. There are parts
which call for discussion with a coach or team manager, particularly in
self-assessment of ability, skills, progress and life-style. I'm not sure that
encouraging the budding performer to think of 'Team You' is a good idea for
someone who, if he/she's successful, already has an ego the size of Wimbledon
Common, but it's one way of looking at it. Not absolutely essential, perhaps,
but I don't know of another book which fills this niche, and it's undeniably
useful for anyone working with young athletes.
Ramin Minovi
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