A NEW book aims to teach young rugby players the best way to train for their games.

Chic Carvell trained as a physical education teacher and moved to Liden in Swindon in 1975..

He was part of the management team at the Oasis Leisure Centre when it opened in 1976, then worked there as activities manager for several years before leaving to set up his own fitness consultancy business which he ran for 30 years.

Now retired, the 68-year-old got together with former fitness adviser for the England rugby squad Rex Hazeldine to condense their considerable expertise and experience into a book. They hope it will be essential reading for parents, coaches and PE teachers.

Mr Carvell said: “We decided that there was a need for a comprehensive book looking at fitness for rugby players.

“It’s important that youngsters playing rugby follow a carefully-monitored pathway of training as they grow up and mature so they don’t strain their joints or muscles and do develop good nutrition and exercise.

“The key thing with rugby is that how you train determines how you win.”

Fitness for Winning Rugby offers illustrated step-by-step guidance for training regimes that suit every age, with chapters on exercise, nutrition, injuries, recuperation, and the dangers of performance-enhancing drugs.

A section of the book about how to mentally prepare to return to the sport after an injury was written by Chic’s sports psychologist daughter Sarah.

Mr Carvell said that the section that discusses the best practices for avoiding and recovering from injuries is especially necessary in modern rugby.

He said: “It’s a very important section, especially with the way the game’s been going recently, it’s become quite brutal at the top level.

“Tackles are getting too high, almost around the neck, which is a very vulnerable area, and the ‘battering ram’ philosophy has lead to a serious concern about concussions.

“There’s also a problem of players training at such an intense level that they feel the need to take performance enhancing drugs which is also addressed in the book.

“Start clean, stay clean.”

The guide took more than two years to write and has been endorsed by rugby experts including England Ladies International Player Maggie Alphonsi MBE and former Australian International Player and England Ladies coach Geoff Richards.

The book is published by Austin Macauley and is on sale now.