Physical Education / Sport Science

Sport can be a fantastic pathway into reading.  For some reason, people sometimes get categorised as “sporty” or “smart”.  We’re lucky to have students who are both, but if you are struggling to find books that interest you, and sport is one of your favourite things, we think that these books might ignite your interest in reading.  They cover a range of sports and activities, some are historical and some are very up to date.  There is bound to be something to interest you on the list.  Most of these books can be found in the school library.

• A Season on the brink; John Feinstein - US College Basketball

• Moneyball; Michael Lewis - Baseball

• Tales From the Secret Footballer; Anonymous - Football

• Paper Lion; George Plimpton - American Football

• The Sports Gene: Talent, Practice and the Truth about Success; David Epstein

• The Dirtiest Race in History; Richard Moore - Athletics

• Run, Swim, Throw, Cheat: The science behind drugs in sport; Chris Cooper

• The Secret Race: Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France: Doping, Cover-ups, and Winning at All Costs; Tyler Hamilton - Cycling

• Bounce: How Champions are Made; Matthew Syed

• The Inner Game of Tennis, Timothy Gallwey

• Dark Trade: Lost in Boxing, Donald McRae - Boxing

• The Glory Game, Hunter Davies - Football

• Fever Pitch; Nick Hornby - Football

• Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times; Thomas Hasuer - Boxing

• We Are the Damned United: The Real Story of Brian Clough at Leeds United; Phil Rostron - Football

There are a host of quality sports podcasts, and the list grows almost weekly.  Below is a sample of those that we enjoy listening to.  Some are very focused on a particular sport, while others cover a variety of activities.  Have a listen…..

• Tailenders - cricket podcast with Greg James and Jimmy Anderson

• Sport’s Strangest Crimes - BBC - This series looks at Marco Pantani, an Italian cyclist

• Football Weekly - The Guardian with Max Rushden and Barry Glendinning

• The Fast and the Curious - F1 Podcast from Greg James

Sports Science is a burgeoning industry and area of study.  Below are some links that might interest you, or give you good ideas for areas of research for your own studies (your Extended Essay or Internal Assessment, for example):

• BASES - British Association of Sport and Exercise Science 

• British Association of Sport Rehabilitators and Trainers

• CIMSPA

• English Institute of Sport 

• National Strength and Conditioning Association 

• Sport England

• UK Sport 

• American College of Sports Medicine