The Science Behind Sports

Football
Author Jennifer Guess McKerley
Published by Lucent Books

This new title in the Science behind Sports series provides an in-depth look at the scientific principles involved in the game of football. The text includes a discussion of the types of exercises trainers use to build overall strength and to build the strength and skills for certain positions. The author explains the laws of motion that determine how the ball moves when passed, punted, kicked, or caught, as well as how velocity, momentum and mass determine the outcome of a tackle. The author also talks about equipment and how it protects players, and what types of injuries occur when it doesn't. The nutritional needs of football players and how their bodies respond to training are discussed, as well as the psychological aspects of winning and losing.

Review:

"By combining science and sports, the publisher has figured out a way to engage teenagers in learning about the physical and psychological needs of each sport, about the physical science concepts involved in playing each sport and about the treatment of sports-related injuries. Recommendations: All middle school and high school libraries need this series. The science teacher could organize the science curriculum around it or use it as a resource when teaching a particular lesson."
--Tri State Young Adult Book Review Committee, September 2011