BOOKSHELF

Press, Volume C, Issue 29680, 25 November 1961, Page 9

BOOKSHELF

N. A. McKenzie, an outstanding figure in the history of New Zealand Rugby, died last year, but he has left his reminiscences of the game in his book, “On With the Game” (A. H. and A. W. Reed, 165 pp.). Mr McKenzie was a representative player, provincial and New Zealand selector, administrator and writer and his book, which covers a period from 1897 to 1960 is full of famous names, matches and incidents of the past. Mr McKenzie was sole selector of the Hawke's Bay Rugby team for 30 years, a unique record indeed, and in this time he encouraged and developed dozens of players who wore the Silver Fern. “On With the Game” naturally deals with many of these players, but the book covers very competently all aspects of the game, including such controversial subjects as trials, laws, tactics and training. Mr McKenzie, who perhaps might have known better than anyone else in New Zealand, felt that trials had grave shortcomings. “The trial system is as full of holes as a colander and anyone wlio cares to go back through the records will find that trials have rarely introduced to New Zealand Rugby outstanding players.” His view on early training is that Rugby is promoted far too early among the young players. "To me it seems idle to have competitive Rugby for teams containing boys of seven, eight, and nine years. They are thrown into the game without any preparation, and they develop into kick-and-rush exponents.”

“On With the Game” is pleasant- and interesting; as an accurate record of the strengths and weaknesses of players who today have become legends, it is invaluable.

F. C. Avis has undoubtedly expended much time and energy in compiling THE SPORTSMAN'S GLOSSARY (Souvenir Press, Ltd.; 301 pp.), a reference book to words and phrases used in 15 major sports. If there can be any criticism of his work it is that he has gone beyond the normally accepted usage of the sports concerned: such terms as “can you?” in cricket and “pull on to punch” in boxing should have no place in the sportsman’s vocabulary. An English publication, "The Sportsman’s Glossary’’ curiously defines a reporter as “a journalist who gives much time to writing accounts of cricket matches,” and finds a place for “inclement weather” in the section on golf. New Zealand readers will be horrified by the description of an up-and-under: “A deceiving kick, much practised by Australasian Rugby teams, in which the ball goes fairly high and bounces awkwardly.” However, the book, with its 10,000 separate entries, is most comprehensive in its coverage of the basic terms in sport, abbreviations, names of teams and a host of slang expressions, such as "kayo” and "shorter,” that have crept, regrettably, into use.

As its title implies, HOW TO SWIM WELL: TEACHING YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY (Hodder and Stoughton; 112 p.p.) is a publication for the family. Therein lies part of its appeal, for, as its cuthor, Charles Sava, says, it is a book for parents who want to teach their children to swim. But it is Just as applicable to adults who have never learned to swim or to those who can swim a little but find it hard work. Sava is one of America's top coaches and has taught about 75,000 people to swim in his 30-odd years of coaching. He claims to have developed a foolproof, step-by-step method of learning to swim and, with the aid of Charles D. Champlin, has written this book on it. Sava’s whole approach to his subject is as refreshing as the water he writes about. The progressive stages of learning to swim are covered expertly and the psychological aspect is not forgotten. Air, not water, is man’s natural element, he points out, and it is essential that

A belief that training the eye to observe a dive properly is a basic part of learning to dive has led Phil Moriarty to devote more than half his book SPRINGBOARD DIVING (Nicholas Kaye; 146 pp i to photographs. The reader, having digested the author’s concise and readily understandable treatment of the subject, moves on to 79 pages of photographs which, when flipped rapidly by hand, give an accurate picture ot 12 dives in action. One senses that Moriarty, who is head swimming and diving coach at Yale University, has gone out of his way to make the text as concise as possible to eliminate any risk of the reader being bogged down with detail. He lets the series of photographs (which feature Robert Clotworthy, 1956 Olympic springboard diving gold medallist) do much of the talking. The result is unusual, but certainly effective. There is almost as great

the child or non-swimmer should develop a healthy respect for water and also learn to be at home in it.

The book is presented in three sections: teaching the very young to swim, family swimming and dives, more strokes and other “watery joys,” in which is included surf swimming and artificial respiration.

This is a cut above the normal instructional book on swimming. The objective way Sava has presented his method is a contributory factor. Then there is as fine a set of detailed drawings as could be wished for. the work of Robert Riger, of "Sports Illustrated.” Many of them depict Ann Curtis Cuneo, a Sava protege who became an Olympic champion and a world record holder and who, in a pithy foreword, paints a clever word picture of her coach.

Finally there is the quiet, reassuring competence of Sava himself, manifesting itself through the pages. It is the final touch to a splendid book.

an output of golf books today as there is of books on cricket, but the most interesting to appear for some time is the work of the world’s greatest present-day player, Arnold Palmer. It is Arnold Palmer’s Golf Book "HIT IT HARD!” (Hodder and Stoughton. 142 pp). All over the world, many men and women who could perhaps be more profitably occupied made intent efforts to overcome natural golfing deficiencies such as an expanding waist-line, or a fixation that the only way to hit the ball a satisfactory distance is to swing the club through almost the complete circle. Palmer’s book is satisfactory for these players, as well as for the studious ones engaged in the bitter battle to reduce to scratch. The text is simply expressed, the pictures, and there are many of them, are eloquent It is a beautifully printed and produced book, and one which even those golfers who have read everything else without material profit may turn to with some confidence.