Introduction to Kinesiology: Studying Physical Activity

Introduction to Kinesiology: Studying Physical Activity, Fifth Edition With Web Study Guide, gives students a complete overview of the field of kinesiology and explores the common career paths, questions, and ideas that are part of this dynamic and expanding discipline. This engaging, four-color introductory text stimulates curiosity about the vast field of kinesiology, provides a foundation for students to build on through further study, and generates awareness of the long-standing and current issues that kinesiology professionals seek to understand and solve. Editors Shirl J. Hoffman and Duane V. Knudson have retained the book's strong framework and have used feedback from instructors to streamline and condense the text while adding new and updated content.

The fifth edition features a completely revitalized web study guide that encourages students to apply classroom content to real-world activities and better prepare for exams. The web study guide integrates reading assignments with gradable activities so that instructors can better monitor student progress, test understanding of key concepts, and adjust classroom discussions and pace.

Additional updates to this new fifth edition include the following:

* Updates to data, research, and graphics to incorporate the most recent discoveries

* An increased focus on public health, allied health, and nutrition and wellness to reflect changes in this dynamic and growing field

* New Professional Issues in Kinesiology sidebars that look at the issues of equality, evidence-based practice, expertise, and overload as they relate to the field of kinesiology

* New Kinesiology Colleagues sidebars that introduce role models who demonstrate professional life in kinesiology and its related fields

The text features the three-section structure that has always been a strength of this leading introductory textbook. Part I examines the diversity of physical activity and kinesiology and summarizes the importance of knowledge gained through physical activity experiences. Part II delves into the seven major subdisciplines of kinesiology, with an overview of major historical events, research methods, professional work and application, and ideas for career advancement in each. Part III elaborates on professionalism and then examines five main areas for career opportunities.

The extensive and revitalized instructor ancillaries include an instructor guide, a test package, chapter quizzes, a presentation package, and an image bank that includes most art and tables from the text.

Introduction to Kinesiology provides basic and essential information for students embarking on their study of kinesiology, and this updated fifth edition prepares them for future courses and further study.

Shirl J. Hoffman, EdD, is a professor emeritus of kinesiology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he served as department head for 10 years. He has served at many levels of education: as an elementary physical education teacher, as a college-level coach, and as a professor in both research university and liberal arts college settings.

Hoffman has published extensively on a variety of topics, including sport philosophy and ethics, religion in sport, qualitative analysis and diagnosis of movement, and motor learning and performance. Hoffman is the author of Good Game: Christianity and the Culture of Sport (2010) and was the project coordinator for Careers in Sport, Fitness, and Exercise (2011), published by the American Kinesiology Association. He has also been a frequent commentator on issues in kinesiology and higher education.

Hoffman is a former editor of Quest and was the charter executive director of the American Kinesiology Association (AKA). He is a fellow emeritus of the National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK).

Hoffman and his wife, Claude, reside in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Boone, North Carolina.

Duane V. Knudson, PhD, is a professor of biomechanics in the department of health and human performance at Texas State University. He earned his doctorate at the University of Wisconsin and has held tenured positions at three universities.

Knudson's research areas are the biomechanics of tennis, stretching, qualitative movement diagnosis, and learning biomechanical concepts. He has authored more than 130 peer-reviewed articles and 14 chapters. Knudson is the author of Biomechanical Principles of Tennis Technique (2006), Fundamentals of Biomechanics, Second Edition (2007), and Qualitative Diagnosis of Human Movement, Third Edition (2013). He has received numerous regional, state, national, and international awards for his scholarship and has been elected a fellow of three scholarly societies. He has served as a department chair, as an associate dean, as president of the American Kinesiology Association, as vice president of publications for the International Society of Biomechanics in Sports, and in numerous other professional leadership roles.