Sport Psychology: The Basics

Optimising Human Performance

This comprehensive and accessible resource can be used as textbook or a self-help book and is aimed at students, athletes, coaches, sport scientists or indeed any-one looking to enhance their performance, whatever their sport or activity. The psychological concepts may even be useful for those working in business. It covers the key topics in sport psychology, but also addresses current issues such as talent identification, mental toughness, risk taking, stress management, mindfulness, gender issues, sporting injuries and the use of social media. It contains examples from a multitude of sports around the world, and new developing areas such as strength and conditioning, extreme sport and combat sports.

Recognising the importance for the reader to fully understand the topic in order to apply this knowledge, the book provides a comprehensive overview of each topic before presenting practical applications as well as recommending online resources. Every chapter focuses around answering key questions integral to each topic within sports psychology, helping the reader to progress in their understanding of the theory and learning how to apply it.

Sports used as examples include: Football (soccer), rugby, tennis, cricket, motorsport, swimming, winter sports, weight lifting, martial arts, athletics (track & field), baseball, and American football.