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The relationship between mental health and elite sport has found itself under more intense scrutiny in recent years. This has occurred as a result of the increasing number of elite athletes who have chosen to talk about the mental health challenges that they have faced during their careers. It is also reflective of an emerging body of academic work that seeks to make sense of the interplay that exists between mental health and elite sport. Mental Health and Sport: Supporting Elite Athletes is offered as a further contribution to that body of work; one that is designed to benefit practitioners who are already working with elite athletes, and those who aspire to do so. It does so by providing a foundational understanding of mental health, by introducing some of the challenges that elite athletes can face during their careers, and by making some practical recommendations that can be used to help support the mental health of elite athletes. Split into six substantive chapters that introduce key overarching issues relating to mental health and elite sport, and explore the implications for specific groups of athletes, Mental Health and Sport: Supporting Elite Athletes is an important reference for anybody who has an interest in better supporting the mental health of elite athletes at youth and/or senior levels.

Analytical Psychology and Sport: Epistemology, Theory and Practice introduces the epistemology and psychology of C.G. Jung to the sport psychology readership. In doing so, it considers for the first time the implications of analytical psychology with respect to theorising on well-established psychological phenomena in sport, including confidence, mental toughness and psychological momentum. To date, sport psychology has given limited consideration to how epistemology itself informs the development of knowledge. In light of Jung's epistemological contributions and more recent developments in psychology, this new book explores how a renewed focus on the philosophy of science can help facilitate the development of sport psychology as a scientific discipline. This new research volume investigates analytical psychology in relation to a number of novel topics, including person–athlete interdependence and the psychology of performance variation, and will be key reading for academics and students of sport and exercise psychology, analytical psychology and related disciplines.

An NPR best book of the year • New York Times bestseller The Washington Post sportswriter and New York Times bestselling author of the “fascinating” (The Wall Street Journal) The Real All Americans presents a love letter to the extraordinary coaches and athletes she has covered over the years and the actionable principles of excellence they embody.Sportswriter Sally Jenkins has spent her entire adult life observing and writing about great coaches and athletes. With her engaging and expert prose, she has helped shape the way we view these talented sports icons. But somewhere along the line, she realized, they had begun to shape her. Now, she presents the astonishing inner qualities in these same people that pushed them to overcome pressure, elevate their performances, and discover champion identities. Based on years of observing, interviewing, and analyzing elite coaches and playmakers, such as Bill Belichick, Peyton Manning, Michael Phelps, and more, Jenkins reveals the seven principles behind success: -Conditioning -Practice -Discipline -Candor -Culture -Resilience -Intention Discover how you can apply these same principles to your life and become your own champion. Colorful, inspirational, and accessible, The Right Call is the one stop shop for anyone wanting to learn how to effectively elevate themselves to greatness.

Staying the Distance showcases the much-needed leadership lessons that sport can teach us: how to improve, perform and achieve, in ways that are effective and sustainable.Leadership can be hard. It can certainly be relentless. The pandemic has wreaked havoc on the well-being, health and sustained performance of many senior leaders, and yet strong leadership remains central to the performance of every single organization.Business leaders are very familiar with drawing lessons from elite sport, particularly around teams, leadership and high performance. But we have all been missing a trick. Day in, day out, sport has been showing us not only how to improve, perform and achieve, but how to do so on a sustained basis, consistently delivering results when it matters. This book shines a light on these unseen lessons, and provides a clear and practical roadmap for how to deploy them in the reader's own leadership practices.With Catherine Baker's unique view into world-class sport and top-level business, and with insights from top performers in both worlds, this book provides a fresh and dynamic take on how - consistently and over the long term - to bring out the best in yourself, and in those you lead.

Athletic Development: A Psychological Perspective is an examination of the psychological factors that help or hinder the development of participants in sport. This includes influences such as families, coach-athlete interactions, and transitional episodes on an individual's pathway in sport. This edited collection of topical chapters shines a unique psychological perspective on the athlete's development through sport. It explores a range of contemporary themes that influence athlete's development including: An introduction to athletic development which orientates a holistic, psychological perspective of the athletic development process. Social influences on athletic development, which explores the impact of varied social influences (e.g., coach, family, peers, school) on sports participation and performance from a psychological perspective. Athlete wellbeing, which explores various aspects influencing mental health and welfare as an athlete progresses through their sports career. The book combines key theory with illustrative case studies, to analyse the complexities of athletic development. It takes a critical perspective highlighting some of the debates and controversies in these areas and uses spotlight boxes in each chapter to focus on questions or topics of particular interest. Athletic Development: A Psychological Perspective is a key reader for all students in the fields of sport and exercise psychology, sport coaching, and related sport science subjects.

This pioneering book in elite athlete wellbeing brings together the narratives of athletes and wellbeing practitioners in high-performance sport with cutting-edge theorizing from world-leading academics to explore pertinent mental wellbeing matters that present for elite athletes both during and after their careers.The journey of the elite athlete is considered from entering the high-performance system as a youth performer through to retirement, with contributions illuminating the ways in which mental wellbeing can be impacted – both negatively and positively – through common place experiences. Methods of creating holistic high-performance sports cultures along with common mental wellbeing influencers, such as parents, education, faith, injury and (de)selection are explored, as well as the ramifications of uncommon events on mental wellbeing, such as whistleblowing, legal disputes, psychological disorders and COVID-19. Drawing on this analysis, the book then proffers thought-provoking strategies for how the mental wellbeing of both athletes and staff can be understood, developed and supported, ultimately driving elite sport cultural transformation to put the person first and the athlete second. Each chapter presents the wellbeing experience from the vantage of the athlete or the wellbeing practitioner, followed by an academic unpacking of the situation. This makes the book a must read for students and researchers working in sport coaching, sport psychology, applied sport science or sport management, as well as practitioners interested in facilitating a duty of care for high performing athletes, and working in coaching, sport science support, athlete development programs, NGB policy and administration or welfare services.

From an Olympic gold medal-winning coach, a new playbook for effective athlete education and team building Championship results require championship behaviors—it's as simple as that. In this essential book, Hugh McCutcheon provides a proven framework for competitive excellence based in motor learning, psychology, and decades of coaching experience and success.Championship Behaviors provides athletes, parents of athletes, and coaches a defined path to the'how'of significant achievement while simply and clearly explaining the research behind the'why.'McCutcheon speaks to the need for aspiring athletes to work, learn, and compete and the responsibility coaches have to teach, coach, and mentor. As he says,'We won't always have five-star talent, but we can often make up the difference by being five-star teachers, learners, and competitors.'A sought-after coach and consultant, McCutcheon also illuminates the value of integrating the physical, mental, and social aspects of sport to maximize chances of competitive success.

Sport and exercise psychology as a profession is becoming increasingly popular, with a growth in the number of students applying for and studying Undergraduate and Postgraduate degrees in sport and exercise psychology in recent years within the UK and International Higher Education landscape. Developing a Sport Psychology Consultancy Practice: A Toolkit for Students and Trainees provides logistical and practical information about becoming and working as an applied sport psychology practitioner and the critical processes involved in setting up a consultancy practice. The book focuses on three broad areas: Pathways into Applied Sport Psychology Practice Setting up a Sport Consultancy Practice Personal and Professional Development Within these areas, the chapters provide coverage on topics related to UK and International training and qualification routes, setting up, operating and marketing successful consultancy practices, engaging in administrative and quality assurance processes and optimising technology for effective practice. The chapters further focus on the practitioner's journey of personal and professional development, including the importance of maintaining a healthy work–life balance for mental health, integrating self-care strategies into daily lives, developing cultural competence and engaging in lifelong learning.This book is a valuable resource for students who are considering training as an applied practitioner, including students enrolled on undergraduate and postgraduate Sport and Exercise Psychology, Sport and Exercise Science and Psychology programmes. It is also a vital aid for current trainees and recently qualified Sport and Exercise Psychologists.

Coaching is a booming and growing industry, particularly in youth sports. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of coaches and scouts is projected to grow 12 percent from 2019 – 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. Coaches need educational resources to enter the profession as either a paid coach or a volunteer. Grassroots Coaching: Using Sports Psychology and Coaching Principles Effectively isa practical exploration of coaching that focuses on the key tasks of the coach, while providing immediately applicable behaviors and concepts. The essential responsibilities and privileges of coaching are introduced along with the appropriate accompanying sport psychology and coaching principles.This book is structured as a personal independent reader and an organization trainer/reference manual. Opportunities for self-reflection and exploration are provided throughout. Utilizing examples from many sports, Grassroots Coaching offers practical coaching insights and techniques for all coaches, from the novice coach just beginning their coaching journey to the veteran coach looking to touch up their skills. This book is sure to become a foundational resource on every coach's bookshelf.

Developing and Sustaining Sport Psychology Programs: A Resource Guide for Practitioners outlines a systemic approach to creating comprehensive, sustainable sport psychology programs in professional sports organizations, colleges, universities, and at secondary school levels.Based on the author's more than 30 years of professional experience, this volume presents a framework that delineates methods for designing, implementing, and evaluating sport psychology programs, discussing topics such as needs assessment and client identification. Featuring real-world experiences and clear, non-technical writing, this step-by-step guide can be applied to a range of sport psychology programs including mental skills, life skills, coach education, leadership training, and team development programs.Developing and Sustaining Sport Psychology Programs details a program development process that has been applied successfully at the professional, collegiate, and secondary school levels over a more than 30-year period. It has contributed to the development of sport psychology programs that have sustained themselves over the course of time and is an essential text for sport psychologists and mental skills coaches at all levels as well as graduate students and other professionals in the field.

Drawing from the preeminent research literature of master coaches, innovative sport psychologists, and from her own practical experiences as a college basketball player, coach, sport psychology researcher and consultant, Dr Vealey distills and applies the proven methods, updated techniques, and her own experience into a practical, engaging resource for coaches, trainers, and consultants to develop the Inner Edge in athletes.

This is the first book exploring the concept of home advantage (HA), the well-known beneficial effect that players and teams derive from performing at home in all sports throughout the world. Despite the fact that the existence of HA dates back to the origins of organized sport in the late 19th century, its root causes and how they operate and interact with each other are still unclear and remain the topic of intense research involving many disciplines, all with the potential objective of improving team and individual performance.This book covers a broad review of HA divided into three different sections: (i) Section 1 focuses on the theory of HA in sport (the concept of this phenomenon, its quantification, and factors supposedly associated with the HA are explored; (ii) Section 2 analyses the effects of HA in sports related to both male and female athletes, in relation to tactics and strategies, fans, referees, travel, situational variables and the home disadvantage; and (iii) Section 3 studies the HA as it applies to specific sports worldwide such as outdoor sports (football, rugby, cricket, and Australian Football), indoor sports (basketball, futsal, handball, water polo and volleyball), US professional sports, individual sports, racket sports, combat sports, minor sports, disabled sports and the Olympic Games.This book has been written in cooperation with top leading experts in this field worldwide. The book offers a better understanding of the HA effect for MSc and PhD students, athletes, coaches, performance analysts, sport psychologists, sociologists, sport scientists and sport journalists.

The most effective coaches understand the fundamentals of sport psychology, which include interacting effectively with athletes, creating the optimal environment, assessing the psychological needs of their athletes, and providing them with the mental training required to maximise performance. Fully revised and updated, the third edition of Psychology in Sports Coaching clearly and accessibly introduces the principles and practice of sport psychology in the context of the coaching process. Drawing on the very latest research and theory, the book introduces the psychological tools and techniques that coaches can use to get the best performances out of their athletes. Including three new chapters on the constraints approach to assessing psychological needs, mental imagery, managing perfectionism tendencies, and mentoring leaders, the book also offers step-by-step guidance on key topics such as: Assessing the needs of athletes Facilitating awareness through goal setting and performance profiling Coaching specialist populations effectively (e.g. children, adolescents, adults and athletes with learning disabilities) Reducing favourable attitudes towards doping Developing effective coach-athlete relationships Reducing choking under pressure Mindfulness techniques Mental imagery Every chapter contains useful features to aid learning and understanding, including in-depth case studies, critical thinking questions, clear and concise summaries, and practice exam questions. Psychology in Sports Coaching is essential reading for any student of sports coaching, or any practising coach looking to extend and develop their skills, and useful applied reading for students of sport psychology.

Stress, Well-Being, and Performance in Sport provides the first comprehensive and contemporary overview of stress in sport and its implications on performance and well-being. It explores how athletes', coaches', and support staffs'performance can be enhanced while simultaneously optimizing their well-being in contemporary sport.Divided into four sections following the stress process, Stress, Well-Being, and Performance in Sport covers key topics including: Appraising and coping with stress in sport Responses to and outcomes of stress in sport Moderators of the stress process in sport Stress management to promote thriving in sport Bringing together theory and practice, each chapter discusses conceptual and theoretical issues, current research, and innovative practical implications. Written by scholars around the globe, Stress, Well-being, and Performance in Sport offers an international perspective. It is important reading for students of sport psychology as well as coaches, athletes, and support staff.

Athlete welfare should be of central importance in all sport. This comprehensive volume features cutting-edge research from around the world on issues that can compromise the welfare of athletes at all levels of sport and on the approaches taken by sports organisations to prevent and manage these.In recent years, sports organisations have increased their efforts to ensure athlete health, safety, and well-being, often prompted by high-profile disclosures of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse; bullying; discrimination; disordered eating; addiction; and mental health issues. In this book, contributors lift the lid on these and other issues that jeopardise the physical, emotional, psychological, social, and spiritual welfare of athletes of all ages to raise awareness of the broad range of challenges athletes face. Chapters also highlight approaches to athlete welfare and initiatives taken by national and international sport organisations to provide a safer, more ethical sports environment.As the first book to focus exclusively on athlete welfare, this is an essential read for students and researchers in sports studies, coaching, psychology, performance, development and management, and physical education. It is also a useful reference point for anyone working in welfare, safeguarding, child protection, and equity and inclusion in and beyond sport.

Coaching for Sports Performance provides a practical overview of the many disciplines necessary to be an effective coach. Using experts from across the sports science fields, this book teaches readers the core concepts in a practical, easy to understand style, separated into four sections.Part I explains the fundamentals of effective coaching including the development of coaching philosophies, best practices for coaching effectively, how athletic technique matures, and what coaches can and cannot do in specific health-related situations. Part II provides practical ways to improve athletic performance where readers learn the fundamentals of biomechanics and how to use technology to analyze performance, the physiological functions and adaptations to exercise, how the body can be physically trained and properly fueled, and mental strategies to optimize athletic outcomes. Part III introduces the business side of coaching, the important responsibilities involved in sport management, and practical methods for marketing as well as working with the media. Last, Part IV offers specific strategies for coaching across age and skill levels. Chapters are split into youth and high school, collegiate, and professional athletes, and the nuances of coaching each level are explained. Being called'Coach'is an honor, but with this title comes the responsibility of being professional, knowledgeable, and effective. Coaching for Sports Performance provides the platform for becoming a successful coach and assisting athletes in achieving their potential. Coaching for Sports Performance provides a practical overview of the many disciplines necessary to be an effective coach.

High Impact Teaching for Sport and Exercise Psychology Educators addresses the need for a resource on effective course design, assessment, content delivery, and classroom management that is specific to educators in the field of sport and exercise psychology and to working with the millennial learner. It provides discipline-specific ideas to improve teaching in higher education. The book provides an evidence-based guide of tried and tested teaching methods for teachers of sport and exercise psychology at all levels in all formats of education. Irrespective of the level and prior teaching experience in sport and exercise psychology, this is a starting point for delivering significant learning experiences for students in this field of study. Second, it addresses the millennial learner and recommends future teaching and learning experiences in traditional, hybrid, and online formats. Finally, High Impact Teaching for Sport and Exercise Psychology Educators provides a positive approach to engaging students in an ongoing process of learning and involvement in the field of sport and exercise psychology. This book is intended for any educator in a 2- or 4-year institution of higher education who is or will be teaching courses at the undergraduate or graduate level in sport and exercise psychology as well as students and practitioners in the areas of sport and exercise psychology and physical education.

The aim of Comprehensive Applied Sport Psychology (CASP) is to challenge our field to look beyond its current status and propel applied sport psychology and mental training forward and outward with a broad and multi-layered examination of everything psychological, emotionally, and socially that the athletic community contends with in pursuit of athletic success and that sport psychologists and mental trainers do in their professional capacities. Comprehensive Applied Sport Psychology is the first professional book aimed at offering a truly expansive and deep exploration of just about everything that applied sport psychologists, consultants and mental trainers do in their work. CASP plumbs the depths of the athletic mind including attitudes, psychological and emotional obstacles, mental'muscles'and mental'tools,'quality of sport training, the health and well-being of athletes, and other areas that are essential to athletic success. This new volume examines not only the many ways that consultants impact athletes, but also explores their work with coaches, teams, parents, and interdisciplinary groups such as sports medicine team and sports management. The book is grounded in both the latest theory and research, thus making it a valuable part of graduate training in applied sport psychology, as well as a practical resource for consultants who work directly with athletes, coaches, teams, and parents. The goal of CASP, in collaboration with dozens of the leading minds in the field, is to create the definitive guide to what applied sport psychology and mental training are and do.

This book expands on the ‘Developing Thinking Players'model across a wide range of team and individual sports, to explain how coaches can help athletes to learn how to make better decisions during play and to think for themselves. It provides an overview of game-centred and athlete-centred approaches to teaching and coaching in sport, combining essential theory with practical tips and guidance.Written by an international team of coaching researchers and practising coaches, the book provides sport-specific instructions for coaching players in territory games, net games, striking games, target games, racquet games and combat sports, including netball, basketball, ice hockey, cricket, softball, football, rugby, volleyball, squash and karate. The book argues that the implementation of these student and athlete-centred approaches creates more opportunities for athletes to understand their sport and improves their ability to think for themselves and to learn to make better in-game decisions. Providing a theoretical underpinning for teaching tactical decision-making, it considers the development of players at all levels and age groups, from youth athletes to elite level. Thirteen sport-specific case studies offer real-world coaching insights. This is essential reading for any student, researcher or practising teacher or coach working in sport, physical education and coach education.

El coaching es una disciplina que guía a las personas en los procesos de cambio, mejorando su bienestar y ayudándoles a desarrollar su máximo potencial en una variedad de áreas. En este libro expondremos cómo utilizar esta metodología en el ámbito deportivo con el objetivo de maximizar todo el potencial de deportistas y equipos, generando en ellos un proceso de aprendizaje y entrenamiento a través del cual la persona logre resurgir todas sus habilidades y capacidades para convertirlas en éxitos deportivos. Afrontaremos los pasos necesarios en todo proceso de coaching, las características y habilidades del líder deportivo, junto con técnicas posibles para utilizar en el área deportiva.

Discover the next frontier in sports training—improving your mental game, no matter your age or experience—and how to become the Playmaker, both in your professional and personal life.Coaches search for it. Parents dream of it. Fans love it. Athletes want it. The playmaker on any sports team possesses it: an elusive, intangible quality combining anticipation, perception, and decision-making skills. This quality raises their game above the competition and allows them to pass when no one else can, anticipate the movement of opponents, avoid costly mental mistakes, and ultimately, hold the team together. Now, for the first time, cognitive science research is revealing the secrets of the playmaker's keen sense of awareness. Just as tests of speed, strength, and agility have provided a baseline of physiological biomarkers, coaches can now capture cognitive metrics including attention, pattern recognition, anticipation, and the ability to take quick, decisive action during the chaos of competition. The Playmaker's Advantage is a groundbreaking book that will educate athletes of all ages about this essential creative capability in an accessible, easy to understand method.

Athletes that grow into their raw potential and excel in the world of competitive sports aren't supported by good coaches—they're supported by great coaches. Sport psychologist Mark Anshel sheds light on fundamental sport psychology topics, including effectively tapping into athletes'motivation, the psychological characteristics of successful athletes, and how to strengthen athletes'mental prowess. The advice and tips will help you embody positive leadership, teach sport skills effectively, help athletes build self-confidence and team camaraderie, and meet your athletes'unique needs.

Mindfulness- and acceptance-based approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Mindfulness Acceptance Commitment (MAC) are gaining momentum with sport psychology practitioners who work to support elite athletes. These acceptance-based, or third wave, cognitive behavioral approaches in sport psychology highlight that thought suppression and control techniques can trigger a metacognitive scanning process, and that excessive cognitive activity and task-irrelevant focus (self-focused attention such as trying to change thoughts) disrupts performance. Using this perspective, the aim of sport psychology interventions is not to help the athletes engage in the futile task of managing and controlling internal life. Rather, it suggests that sport psychology practitioners should work to increase athletes'willingness to accept negative thoughts and emotions in pursuit of valued ends. Key aspects of such interventions include: teaching athletes to open up and accept, teaching athletes to mindfully engage in the present moment, and helping athletes formulate the values and engage in committed actions towards these values. The goal of Mindfulness and Acceptance in Sport: How to Help Athletes Perform and Thrive under Pressure then is to provide students, researchers, practitioners, and coaches of sport psychology with practical guidance for implementing mindfulness and acceptance approaches in their work with athletes. This book brings together highly experienced practitioners and shares their working methods, exercises, and cases to inspire the sport psychology profession.

The challenge for today's modern coach is to push players without risking burnout, inspire them without bullying, and discipline players without constantly yelling. While no two coaches have the exact same approach to motivating their team, there are certain leadership skills coaches can develop to get the most out of their team, no matter the sport or the skill level.In The Art of Motivation for Team Sports: A Guide for Coaches, Jim Hinkson provides coaches with details and tips on how to motivate their team throughout the season. While most coaching books cover individual leadership or specific practice drills, this book focuses on how to motivate the entire team through setting goals, planning practices so as to keep players engaged and improving, pregame and postgame speeches, building quality relationships, and redefining success as more than just winning. In addition, this bookincludes team-building exercises and team behavior and value goals, stressing the importance that coaches not only create a successful team but also develop quality people who will excel outside the athletic arena.The many practical tips and keys to coaching success provided in this bookwere built from Jim Hinkson's years as a professional athlete and fine-tuned from his decades of coaching experience. A clear and comprehensive resource, The Art of Motivation for Team Sports will be invaluable to coaches at the youth, high school, and college levels.

Underpinned by a philosophy of empowerment, athlete-centred approaches to coaching are defined by a style that promotes learning through ownership, responsibility, initiative and awareness. Perspectives on Athlete-Centred Coaching offers an in-depth theoretical examination of player-focused coaching models, and provides professional guidance for practising coaches.Written by a cast of world-leading scholars and practitioners, and offering a breadth of approaches to, and critiques of, the application of athlete-centred coaching, the book covers topics including:• athlete-centred coaching and holistic development• coaching tactical creativity• athlete-centred coaching in disability sport• team culture and athlete-centred coaching• developing thinking players through Game Sense coaching• supporting athlete wellbeing• athlete-centred coaching and Teaching Games for Understanding• athlete-centred coaching in masters sport.Based on the latest research and offering the most comprehensive enquiry into this central area of coaching theory, Perspectives on Athlete-Centred Coaching is important reading for any students and lecturers of sports coaching or physical education, and practising coaches across any sport.

Discover the next frontier in sports training—improving your mental game, no matter your age or experience—and how to become the Playmaker, both in your professional and personal life.Coaches search for it. Parents dream of it. Fans love it. Athletes want it. The playmaker on any sports team possesses it: an elusive, intangible quality combining anticipation, perception, and decision-making skills. This quality raises their game above the competition and allows them to pass when no one else can, anticipate the movement of opponents, avoid costly mental mistakes, and ultimately, hold the team together. Now, for the first time, cognitive science research is revealing the secrets of the playmaker's keen sense of awareness. Just as tests of speed, strength, and agility have provided a baseline of physiological biomarkers, coaches can now capture cognitive metrics including attention, pattern recognition, anticipation, and the ability to take quick, decisive action during the chaos of competition. The Playmaker's Advantage is a groundbreaking book that will educate athletes of all ages about this essential creative capability in an accessible, easy to understand method.

A complete and easy-to-follow guide for inspiring every athlete with the proven power of growth mindsetWhether you're a coach, trainer or athlete, growth mindset has changed the game. It's helping everyone from little leaguers to professionals reach their full potential. The perfect complement to a physical training regimen, this book shows how to use growth mindset to overcome plateaus and achieve peak performance.With proven strategies and step-by-step examples, this practical handbook shows how to implement growth mindset starting today. The program is based on SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely) goals and offers a range of powerful techniques, including how to:• Use visualization for game-day success• Turn losses into learning opportunities• Improve coach-athlete communication• Build trust among teammates• Stretch athletes beyond their comfort zone• Train with different personalities and ages

This book is the first to combine principles from analytics, complex systems theory, multi-disciplinary diagnostics and sport performance analysis. It considers athletes, teams, and sport organizations in individual and team games as complex systems, and demonstrates how complexity studies can enrich analytics and give us a more sophisticated understanding of the causalities of winning and losing in sports.Part I introduces the basic categories of analytics and their uses in elite sport. Part II presents an original conception of sport analytics both as a complex of different kinds of processes and as a complexity-adapted view of human systems acting in sport performance and management. Part III considers the main principles of complex sport analytics, expanding the prism of complexity to include all levels of a sport organization from athletes, coaches and trainers to top decision makers, and suggests practical applications and simulations for cases of both individual and team sports. This is illuminating reading for any advanced student, researcher or practitioner working in sport analytics, performance analysis, coaching science or sport management.

This comprehensive resource on the history, theory, and practice of mindfulness in sport offers a fresh, exciting approach to performance enhancement for athletes and coaches at all levels, from amateur to professional. All athletes and coaches know that peak performance requires more than just physical exertion. There is a psychological component as well, which can be expressed in attributes such as awareness, focus, emotion regulation, and motivation. For many years, systematic mental training was ignored in athletics. Thankfully, this is starting to change. Rooted in the traditions of mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, Kaufman, Glass, and Pineau present mindful sport performance enhancement (MSPE), an empirically supported, six-session program that can be adapted for athletes or even performers in other high-pressure domains. Each MSPE session includes educational, experiential, and discussion components, as well as recommendations for home practice. There is special emphasis on incorporating mindfulness into workouts, practices, and competitions, as well as everyday life. The book includes handy scripts for mindfulness teachers, athletes, and coaches, and handouts summarizing each session that are also available for download from the APA website.

Some of the most effective coaches understand the fundamentals of sport psychology, which include interacting effectively with athletes, creating the optimal environment, assessing the psychological needs of their athletes, and even providing them with the mental training required to maximise performance. Fully revised and updated, the second edition of Psychology in Sports Coaching: Theory and Practice clearly and accessibly introduces the principles and practice of sport psychology in the context of the coaching process. Drawing on the very latest research and theory, the book introduces the psychological tools and techniques that coaches can use to get the best performances out of their athletes. Including six new chapters on applying self-determination principles in coaching, creating the optimal motivational climate, increasing motivation, developing anti-doping attitudes, promoting challenge states, and mindfulness-based stress reduction training, the book also offers step-by-step guidance on key topics such as: Assessing the needs of athletes Facilitating awareness through goal-setting and performance profiling Working with special populations, including children and injured athletes Building team cohesion Maximising relationships and socially supporting athletes Teaching mental skills such as imagery and coping Building mental toughness and confidence. Every chapter contains useful features to aid learning and understanding, including in-depth case studies, critical thinking questions, clear and concise summaries, and practice exam questions. Psychology in Sports Coaching: Theory and Practice is essential reading for any student of sports coaching or any practising coach looking to extend and develop their skills, and useful applied reading for students of sport psychology.

Filling an important gap in performance analysis literature, this book introduces the key concepts and practical applications of performance analysis for team sports. It draws on cutting-edge research to examine individual and collective behaviours across an array of international team sports. Evidencing the close relationship between coaching and performance analysis, it promotes a better understanding of the crucial role of performance analysis in team sports for achieving successful results. This book not only presents a variety of different ways to analyse performance in team sports, but also demonstrates how scientific data can be used to enrich performance analysis. Part one delineates the main guidelines for research in performance analysis, discussing the characteristics of team sports, coaching processes, variables characterizing performance and methods for team member interaction analysis. Part two drills down into performance analysis across a range of team sports including soccer, basketball, handball, ice hockey, volleyball and rugby. Performance Analysis in Team Sports is an essential companion for any course or research project on sports performance analysis or sports coaching, and an invaluable reference for professional analysts.

'Why don't young athletes in sport just quit?'Starting with this question and drawing on existential philosophy, phenomenology and hermeneutics, Talent Development, Existential Philosophy and Sport seeks a deeper understanding of the experience of being a talented young sportsperson striving to become an elite athlete.As an alternative to conventional approaches to talent development governed by a worldview of instrumental rationality, the book introduces key ideas from educational philosophy to describe talent development through the concept of elite-Bildung. It pursues an existential understanding of developing in sport as a process of freedom, self-transcendence, striving for excellence and building up habits.The book highlights a range of ambiguous and intriguing existential phenomena – most prominently wonder, question, expression, humour and repetition – and reveals an existential layer of meaning within talent development in sport, which can facilitate the process of becoming an elite athlete and give young athletes a number of reasons not to quit. By deepening our understanding of performance and development in sport, and the process of becoming an elite player, this book is important reading for any serious student or researcher working in the philosophy of sport, sports coaching, sports development, sport psychology or applied sport science.

Have you ever wondered how athletes learn and make use of the feedback they are given by their coach, or how a coach could make his or her feedback more effective for athletes? Psychology in Sports Coaching has been written specifically for students studying coaching who want to improve their understanding of incorporating psychology into coaching practice. As such, it provides information on how coaches establish the psychological needs of athletes in order for them to provide psychological interventions, such as mental imagery, mental toughness training and coping effectiveness training. This book also provides the reader with information on enhancing the awareness of athletes and the relationships that occur between the coach and the athlete. It explains how coaches can coach children, adolescents, adults and athletes with learning disabilities. These groups of athletes have different learning styles, are motivated by different factors and prefer instructions to be administered differently. So, it is important that coaches tailor their coaching based on the athlete they coach, as this has the potential to enhance the performance and enjoyment of the players that are being coached. Essential reading for all students of sports coaching and sport psychology, and for practising sports coaches, this book will help develop and extend coaching expertise.

Sport performance analysis techniques help coaches, athletes and sport scientists develop an objective understanding of actual sport performance, as opposed to self-report, fitness tests or laboratory based experiments. For example, contemporary performance analysis enables elite sports people and coaches to obtain live feedback of match statistics and video sequences using flexible internet systems, systems that have become an indispensible tool for all those involved in high performance sport. The Routledge Handbook of Sports Performance Analysis is the most comprehensive guide to this exciting and dynamic branch of sport science ever to be published. The book explores performance analysis across the four main contexts in which it is commonly used: support for coaches and athletes; the media; judging sport contests, and academic research. It offers an up-to-date account of methodological advances in PA research, assesses the evidence underpinning contemporary theories of sport performance, and reviews developments in applied PA across a wide range of sports, from soccer to track and field athletics. Covering every important aspect of PA, including tactics, strategy, mechanical aspects of technique, physical aspects of performance such as work-rate, coach behaviour and referee behaviour, this is an essential reference for any serious student, researcher or practitioner working in sport performance analysis, sport coaching or high performance sport.

An effective strength and conditioning program underpins the training regime of every successful athlete or sportsperson and it is now widely recognized that psychology plays a significant role in the application of strength and conditioning principles. This is the first book to examine the importance of psychological factors in strength and conditioning and to offer a comprehensive overview of current research, theory and best practice.Written by a team of leading international researchers and practitioners, the book looks at how psychology influences training and performance and how training can influence an individual's psychological well-being. It explores a range of key topics in contemporary sport psychology and athletic training, including: mental skills training behaviour change psychology in professional practice psychological problems, including exercise dependence, eating disorders and steroid use. Throughout, the book combines evidence-based research with discussion of the practical issues facing athletes, coaches and sport science professionals. By firstly developing our understanding of the latest psychological skills and techniques used by athletes and coaches to maximize strength and conditioning training and performance, and then the ways other psychological factors influence, and are influenced by, strength and conditioning training, this book represents invaluable reading for all advanced students, researchers, trainers and sport scientists with an interest in strength and conditioning or sport psychology.

What does it take for a person starting out in their career to succeed in a highly challenging environment? Apart from the technical skills, what are the key values, attitudes and behaviours that deliver outstanding performance in a constantly changing and demanding world?This book examines these questions within the demanding world of elite sport, a stage that places arduous pressures not only on the dedicated athletes, but also on the backstage talent of coaches, scientists and medical support staff.With case studies and interviews throughout, this book provides students with a practical analysis of the personal strengths, determination and interpersonal skills required to reach the top. The book also contains practical guidance for students wishing to begin a career in elite sports, including further reading, websites and contact details of organisations at this elite level.

First published in 2011. The pursuit of excellence in sport depends on four key facets of performance, namely physical, technical, tactical and mental skills. However, when physical, technical and tactical skills are evenly matched, a common occurrence at elite level, it is the performer with greater levels of mental toughness that seems to prevail most often.This book brings together the world's leading researchers and practitioners working on mental toughness to discuss this vital ingredient of performance excellence in sport, to survey the latest research and to present cutting-edge developments in theory and professional practice. It explores key conceptual, methodological and practical issues including: what mental toughness is and is not, how to measure mental toughness in sport, how to develop mental toughness in sport, mental toughness in other human performance settings, from business to coping and life skills.Also highlighting important avenues for future research, Mental Toughness in Sport is essential reading for all advanced students, researchers and practitioners with an interest in sport psychology or performance sport.

Advances in Applied Sport Psychology aims to bridge the gap between research and practice in contemporary sport psychology. Now available in paperback, the book draws together reviews of cutting edge research in key areas of applied sport psychology, assesses the implications of this research for current practice, and explores future avenues of research within each thematic area. This book surveys the scientific literature underpinning the most important skills and techniques employed in contemporary sport psychology, examining key topics such as: imagery goal setting self-talk stress management team building efficacy management attention control emotion regulation mental toughness. Representing the most up-to-date review of current scientific research, theory and practice in sport psychology, this book is a vital resource for all advanced students, researchers and practitioners working with athletes and sports performers.