Routledge Strength and Conditioning for Sports Performance | Training Science

Routledge Strength and Conditioning for Sports Performance offers a thorough, practice-oriented introduction to the science and application of athletic training. In this second edition, the work blends clear explanations of core concepts with actionable guidelines coaches, students, and athletes can adapt to real-world settings. It emphasizes the coaching process and translates principles into day-to-day sessions, providing step-by-step guides to essential training modalities—strength, speed, endurance, flexibility, and plyometrics—making it a versatile reference for designing effective training programs across sports and seasons.

What’s new and why it matters

The updated edition expands the opening coaching section and adds a dedicated chapter on current training methods, including skill acquisition and motor learning. This helps readers understand how athletes improve from intention to execution within a structured framework. Alongside the general chapters, the book features an extensive set of sport-specific chapters. Each one examines how strength and conditioning principles apply to a particular sport, from soccer and basketball to golf and track and field, with new material covering rugby union, rugby league, and American football. The result is a blended resource for broad plans and sport-specific programming.

Trusted expertise and practical value

Contributions come from world-leading specialists who have worked with Olympic medalists and top international teams. The text is designed as a core course resource for degree programs and accreditation, as well as a practical reference for practicing coaches, offering clear explanations, practical methodologies, and ready-to-use frameworks.

Whether you are designing a season-long plan, planning a single session, or teaching a class, this book provides guidance you can adapt to your context. It invites you to consider goals, monitor progress, and apply evidence-informed techniques in ways aligned with athletes’ needs and coaching philosophy.

Two quick references

• Core topics covered include strength and power training, speed and agility, endurance conditioning, flexibility, and plyometrics.
• Sport-specific programming spans soccer, basketball, golf, track and field, rugby, and American football.

Who should read this book

• Students pursuing degree programs or accreditation in strength and conditioning.
• Coaches seeking evidence-informed frameworks and practical methodologies.
• Athletes aiming to structure their conditioning with sport-specific insights.
• Sports programs building sport-specific conditioning modules and coaching curricula.

Note: This resource presents possibilities and practical guidance built on established science; outcomes depend on many factors and vary by individual context.