The first book endorsed by AYSO -- the organization that soccer moms and dads trust most -- that presents all the basics of youth soccer If you are a soccer parent, coach, or referee, or just a youth soccer enthusiast, The Official American Youth Soccer Organization Handbook is for you. Dr. Vincent Fortanasce, Lawrence Robinson, and John Ouellette, the National AYSO coach, have written the book that will help everyone to better understand the rules, regulations, and skills that are essential to the game and a rewarding soccer experience for the children who play. In a straightforward, easy-to-follow style, The Official AYSO Handbook covers: the five philosophies of AYSO: everyone plays, balanced teams, open registration, positive coaching, and good sportsmanship the responsibilities of each position the complete rules of youth soccer, including offside, throw-ins, and penalty kicks skills such as ball control, goalkeeping, heading, and shooting short-sided soccer rules for children between the ages of six and twelve information for the prevention and treatment of the most common soccer injuries AYSO is the best and most trusted youth soccer authority. And now, Fortanasce, Robinson, and Ouellette have collected AYSO's expertise in this indispensable book -- a must-have for anyone who embraces the important role that youth soccer can play in a child's life.

Every successful sports coach knows that good teaching and social practices are just as important as expertise in sport skills and tactics. Now in a fully revised and updated third edition, Understanding Sports Coaching is still the only introduction to theory and practice in sports coaching to fully explore the social, cultural and pedagogical concepts underpinning good coaching practice. The book examines the complex interplay between coach, athlete, coaching programme and social context, and encourages coaches to develop an open and reflective approach to their own coaching practice. It covers every key aspect of coaching theory and practice, including important and emerging topics, such as: athletes’ identities athlete learning emotion in coaching coaching ethics professionalization talent identification and development coaching as a (micro)political activity Understanding Sports Coaching also includes a full range of practical exercises and extended case studies designed to encourage coaches to reflect critically upon their own coaching strategies, their interpersonal skills and upon important issues in contemporary sports coaching. This is an essential textbook for any degree-level course in sports coaching, and for any professional coach looking to develop their coaching expertise.

Successful sports coaching is as dependent on utilising good teaching and social practices as it is about expertise in sport skills and tactics. Understanding Sports Coaching offers an innovative introduction to the theory and practice of sports coaching, highlighting the social, cultural and pedagogical concepts underpinning good coaching practice. Now in a fully revised and updated second edition, the book explores the complex interplay between coach, athlete, coaching programme and social context, and encourages coaches to develop an open and reflective approach to their own coaching practice. It addresses key issues such as: power and the coach-athlete relationship viewing the athlete as a learner instructional methods and reflection how our view of ability informs assessment coaching philosophy and ethics. Understanding Sports Coaching also includes a full range of practical exercises and case studies designed to encourage coaches to reflect critically upon their own coaching strategies, their interpersonal skills and upon important issues in contemporary sports coaching. This book is essential reading for all students of sports coaching and for any professional coach looking to develop their coaching expertise.

A unique and timely exploration of the cultural impact of sport on American society, including lifestyles, language, and thinking. Sport in American Culture is the first and only reference work to provide an in-depth and up-to-date exploration of sport and its impact on American culture. Essays from more than 200 scholars, professionals, and sports enthusiasts address how sport has changed our lifestyles, language, and thinking. Arranged alphabetically, the work introduces key sport figures and national icons, with a focus on their cultural impact, examines individual sports and how they have influenced society, and discusses such phenomena as the billion-dollar athletic apparel industry, sport as big business, and the effect of sport on gender, racial views, pride, and nationalism. In addition to expected topics, the work also includes less studied areas such as myths, audience rituals, Wheaties, comic books, the hula hoop, and religion.

For reference librarians and researchers seeking information on sports and fitness, this guide is an important first stop. For collection development specialists, it is an invaluable selection guide. Allen describes and evaluates over 1,000 information sources on the complete spectrum of sports: from basketball, football, and hockey to figure skating, table tennis, and weight training. Focusing on English-language works published between 1990 and the present, the guide thoroughly covers traditional reference sources, such as encyclopedias and bibliographies, along with instructional sources in print formats, online databases, and Web sites. To enable users in search of information on specific sports or fitness activities, chapters are organized thematically, according to broad- type aquatic sports, nautical sports, precision and accuracy, racket sports, ice and snow sports, ball sports, cycling, and so on, with subcategories for such individual sports as soccer, golf, and yoga. Within these categories, works are further organized by type: reference, instructional, and Web sites.

This Handbook offers an analysis of the relation between football and politics, based on over 30 case studies covering five continents. It provides a detailed picture of this relation in a wide number of European, American, African, and Asian states, as well as a comparative assessment of football in a global perspective, thus combining the general and the local. It examines themes such as the political origins of football in the studied country, the historical club rivalries, the political aspects of football as a sports spectacle, and the contemporary issues linked to the political use of football. By following the same structure with each study, the volume allows for the comparison between largely investigated cases and cases that have seldom been addressed. The Handbook will be of use particularly to students and scholars in the fields of sport studies, political science and sociology, as well as cultural studies, anthropology and leisure studies.