2005 article

101 fun warm-up and cool-down games

JOURNAL OF LEISURE RESEARCH, Vol. 37, pp. 130–132.

By: A. Moore n

co-author countries: United States of America πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ
Source: Web Of Science
Added: August 6, 2018

101 Fun Warm-Up and Cool-Down Games, John Byl, Ph.D. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2004In the preface to his newly released book, John Byl poses the question, Why start a practice or a class with something boring, when the warm-up experience can begin the activity in an invigorating and motivating way? (xxiii). Byl's 101 Fun Warm-Up and Cool-Down Games provides the reader with plenty of options to the often utilized ho-hum alternatives. Presented in an informative and practical manner, this book would be of value to coaches, physical education teachers and recreation leaders, as well as to the players themselves.Drawing from more than 25 years of experience coaching and teaching physical education, Dr. Byl has organized his material in a very readable and logical manner. 101 Fun Warm-Up and Cool-Down Games begins with an alphabetically arranged matrix of the games and variations listed in the book. Each entry includes the game's name, page location, number of players needed, level of experience required, type of playing area, sport(s) for which the activity is best suited, and whether or not the game could be used as an effective cool-down activity as well. Beginning and veteran coaches alike will find this tool valuable for quickly locating an appropriate activity for their particular athletes, environment, and purpose. By placing the Game Finder in the front of his book, users will be able to more readily locate both this tool and the game that would be most suitable for their purpose.In the Preface and Introduction, Dr. Byl shares foundational information regarding the value of warm-ups, cool-downs and stretching for athletes. In these first ten of his 187-pages, Byl effectively informs his readers of the importance of these aspects of physical exercise, citing studies supporting what he has found true from his experience. He shares this in a tone which sounds much more like a coach than an academic. ByI has obviously benefited from putting these techniques into practice, and desires his readers to share the success that he has had. More importantly, ByI knows the value of physical exercise and wants to help leaders instill a love for physical activity in the students and athletes with whom they work.The bulk of 101 Fun Warm-Up and Cool-Down Games is descriptions of the games themselves. Byl organizes them into two main categories: General Warm-Up and Gool-Down Games, and Sport-Specific Warm-Up and Cool-Down Games. General games are divided further into Quick Movement Games, Tag, Relays and Races. …