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Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Sports training & coaching > Sports psychology
Written by bestselling author Phil Hewitt, Outrunning The Demons is an exploration of the transformative power of running – and how it can be the key to unlocking resilience we never knew we had.
Running can take us to fantastic places. Just as importantly, it can also bring us back from terrible ones. For people in times of crisis, trauma and physical or mental illness – when normality collapses – running can put things back together again. After bestselling author Phil Hewitt was viciously mugged, stabbed and left for dead in
2016, he found himself suffering the acute symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Unable to make sense of the horrific experience that had happened to him, Phil found that dedicating himself to running was slowly but surely helping him heal.
Outrunning The Demons is an enriching and celebratory exploration of the transformative power of running – and how it can be the key to unlocking resilience we never knew we had.
Told through 34 deeply affecting real-life stories and covering such diverse themes as trauma, bereavement, addiction, depression and anxiety, this compelling book is an exposition of just why running can so often be the answer to everything when we find ourselves in extremis.
Sport and the Brain: The Science of Preparing, Enduring and
Winning, Part C, Volume 240, reflects recent advancements in the
understanding of how elite athletes prepare for, and perform at,
peak levels under the demands of competition. Topics discussed in
this new release include The influence of challenge and threat
states on affect, perceived exertion, attention, and performance
during a competitive sprint cycling task, Prior self-control
exertion and perceptions of pain and task importance during a
physically demanding task, Enhancing cardiac vagal activity in
sport psychology, The influence of cardiac vagal activity on
peripheral perception performance under pressure, and much more.
There is nothing more essential to our health and wellbeing than breathing: take air in, let it out, repeat 25,000 times a day. Yet, as a species, humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly, with grave consequences.
In Breath, journalist James Nestor travels the world to discover the hidden science behind ancient breathing practices to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it.
Modern research is showing us that making even slight adjustments to the way we inhale and exhale can:
- improve our exercise techniques
- restore healthy sleep patterns and minimise snoring
- halt allergies, asthma and even autoimmune disease
Drawing on thousands of years of ancient wisdom and cutting-edge studies, Breath is full of revelations, turning what we thought we knew about our most basic biological function on its head.
You will never breathe the same again.
HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT? revisits some of the most extraordinary
moments from the history of endurance sports to show how mental
strength allows some athletes to perform at a level way beyond
their physical limits - to will their body to do what was
previously thought biologically impossible. Drawing on cutting-edge
scientific research it suggests concrete habits and tactics we can
use to cultivate our own mental strength, whilst providing
thrilling accounts of some of the most inspiring and astonishing
feats in sporting history. In 2010 Sammy Wanjiru entered the Boston
Marathon suffering from injuries to his knee and his lower back, a
stomach virus that prevented him from training and a lifestyle that
meant he spent more time in nightclubs than on the track. He
shouldn't have even been able to finish the race, and at times he
seemed as if he literally had nothing left to give, yet in an epic
battle he crossed the finishing line first. How did he manage it?
HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT? describes a new 'psychobiological' model of
endurance performance connecting the mind, body and brain.
Compelling accounts from triathlon, cycling, running, rowing and
swimming are viewed through the lens of this model shedding new
light on what science has to say about mental fortitude in sports.
Featured athletes include: Sammy Wanjiru, Jenny Barringer, Greg
LeMond, Willie Stewart, Cadel Evans, Joseph Sullivan, Paula
Newby-Fraser, Ryan Vail, Thomas Voeckler, Ned Overend, Steve
Prefontaine
Unsportsmanlike behavior by student athletes or parents at youth
sporting events happens with regularity these days. Much recent
research reveals that young people are dropping out of sport at
alarming rates due to the often toxic elements in the culture of
youth sports. The timely, innovative essays in Youth Sport and
Spirituality present a wide-ranging overview that draws on
resources from Catholic spiritual and theological traditions to
address problems such as these, as well as opportunities in youth
sport in the United States. The book consists of two sections. In
the first, prominent scholars in philosophy, psychology, theology,
and spirituality reflect on how youth sport contributes to the
integral development of the person and his or her grasp of
spiritual values. The second half of the book consists of chapters
written by coaches, athletic directors, and specialists working
with youth coaches. These practitioners share how their approaches
to working with youth in sport contribute to the integral
development of their players and their openness to transcendent
values. The essays examine coaching as ministry, youth sport and
moral development, and how parents can act as partners in youth
sports, among other topics. The book will interest coaches,
athletic directors, and youth ministers in Catholic elementary and
high schools in parish settings, as well as undergraduate and
graduate students in education who are preparing to teach in
Catholic schools. Contributors: Patrick Kelly, SJ, Daniel A.
Dombrowski, Nicole M. LaVoi, Mike McNamee, Clark Power, David Light
Shields, Brenda Light Bredemeier, Richard R. Gaillardetz, Kristin
Komyatte Sheehan, Dobie Moser, Jim Yerkovich, Sherri Retif, James
Charles Naggi, and Edward Hastings.
The phenomenal international number one bestseller with exclusive interviews with Richie McCaw, Steve Hansen, Beauden Barrett and Dan Carter, The Jersey is the definitive story behind the greatest sports team on the planet.
With a better winning record than any other sports team in history, they stand head and shoulders above their nearest rugby rivals. How did a country of just 4.8 million people conquer the world?
Peter Bills, who has reported on international rugby for more than forty years, was given exclusive access to all the key figures in New Zealand rugby as he set out to understand the secrets behind the All Blacks success. Peter talked at length with ninety people, both in New Zealand and around the world, with intimate knowledge of what makes the All Blacks tick.
The Jersey goes to the heart of the All Blacks success. It is also an epic story of not just a rugby team but a nation, whose identities are inextricably linked.
A golf instruction book written by Graham Hawkings, PGA Advanced
Golf Coach with over thirty years of experience of teaching all
standards of player, from the complete beginner to the elite
competitor. The book takes you on a journey in which you will learn
how to maximise your own personal strengths, at the same time as
giving you the necessary information you need to improve you
weaknesses. The basis of the book is that we all have what Graham
calls our own individual "DEFAULT GOLF SWING" this is the one which
we were born with, unfortunately very rarely is this the method
that will allow us to reach our optimum performance level. However
what our DEFAULT SWING provides us with is a framework on which we
can with one or maybe a number of tweaks allow us to capitalise on
our natural skills. Using tried and tested methods DEFAULT GOLF
offers the reader in plain and easily understood language the
opportunity to maximise their potential by travelling along a
structured route. It begins in Part one with a brief explanation of
the impact that the golf clubhead has on the flight that the golf
ball will take, but the book never deviates from its initial theme
that a golfers performance is totally their own responsibility. No
one method is preferred to another, the reader is encouraged to go
out and explore various options. Like all good teachers Graham
tells you where you need to look to find improvement but he doesn't
necessarily tell you what to see.
Written by a leading expert in the field of sport science, this
motivational text provides a thorough overview of fitness and
exercise psychology as it relates to everyday life. A title in the
Psychology of Everyday Life series, this unique book addresses the
connections between sport and exercise psychology and life outside
of competitive endeavors-from definitions, theories, and
applications to the real-life issues affecting athletes. It
provides an accessible overview of sport and exercise psychology
that enables readers to apply effective sport performance and
exercise psychology concepts to their own lives, regardless of
whether they pursue athletic endeavors or not. Covering topics that
range from goalsetting to motivation to personality, this book can
also serve to inspire readers to create a personal activity program
based on achievable goals and realistic expectations, regardless of
starting point or desired outcomes. Author Justine J. Reel shares
fascinating insights into the world of physical fitness and its
associated behaviors, including why athletes who adopt a
task-oriented approach will show a stronger work ethic and more
motivation than athletes who focus on outcomes, what is prompting
the spread of sport psychology to other parts of the world, why
more and more athletes are at risk for developing eating disorders,
and who social physique anxiety afflicts. The book also presents
various viewpoints and debates on current controversies in the
field of sport and exercise. Illustrates sport and exercise
psychology's growth across the globe through fascinating historical
perspectives Discusses the factors impacting body image and
associated issues, including eating disorders and social physique
anxiety Demonstrates multiple sides of controversies within sport
and exercise Features case studies related to sport and exercise
psychology to show real-life connections Includes a helpful
glossary that defines unfamiliar and technical terms
Do you remember your last peak performance? Do you remember asking:
how do I do this? How can I do it again? If you have asked this
question, and want to know the answer, then this is the book you
have been searching for.The Holy Grail of performance has many
names: the zone, peaking, even flow. The elements of this
experience are many, yet the formula is all too personal. It is
something you have to figure out for yourself. "Finding Your Flow"
will help you do just that.By understanding the principles and
applying the practices of "Finding Your Flow," you will not only
develop the awareness of peak performance principles, you will put
them to work in any "Meaningful Life Arena" you choose.Through your
peak performance journey, you will develop your own Personal Flow
Formula and clarify the core strategies that will help you increase
your performance and maximize your personal potential.
The Gutless Wonder is a true story of a young man faced with
terrific pressures from secrets about his family. He kept this
within himself and sought out the venue of playing high school
football. His determination and will to never quit made it possible
for him to achieve success under great physical and mental barriers
that could not be understood by most everyone around him. His
tragedies and accomplishments are detailed in the story and would
give others a path to imitate if faced with similar situations.
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