Attachment theory is a concept well known to 'mainstream' psychologists, informing the literature in areas as diverse as psychodynamics, developmental psychology, social psychology and counselling. This important new book is the first to demonstrate the relevance of attachment theory to the psychology of sport, exercise and wellness, opening up important new avenues for research and professional practice. In this book, author Sam Carr explains that attachment theory can help us to better understand well established themes and processes in sport and exercise, including motivation, social relationships, cognitive models of coping, and group processes. By introducing the core elements of attachment theory and mapping out those areas in which it can inform the knowledge and practice of psychologists working in sport, exercise and wellness, this book represents an innovative and important contribution to the psychological literature.

What is single-case research? How can single-case methods be used within sport and exercise? Single-case research is a powerful method for examining change in outcome variables such as behaviour, performance and psychological constructs, and for assessing the efficacy of interventions. It has innumerable uses within the context of sport and exercise science, such as in the development of more effective performance techniques for athletes and sportspeople and in helping us to better understand exercise behaviours in clinical populations. However, the fundamental principles and techniques of single-case research have not always been clearly understood by students and researchers working in these fields. Single-Case Research Methods in Sport and Exercise Psychology is the first book to fully explain single-case research in the context of sport and exercise. Starting with first principles, the book offers a comprehensive introduction to the single-case research process, from study design to data analysis and presentation. Including case studies and examples from across sport and exercise psychology, the book provides practical guidance for students and researchers and demonstrates the advantages and common pitfalls of single-case research for anybody working in applied or behavioural science in a sport or exercise setting.

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.

• What is single-case research?
• How can single-case methods be used within sport and exercise?

Single-case research is a powerful method for examining change in outcome variables such as behaviour, performance and psychological constructs, and for assessing the efficacy of interventions. It has innumerable uses within the context of sport and exercise science, such as in the development of more effective performance techniques for athletes and sportspeople and in helping us to better understand exercise behaviours in clinical populations. However, the fundamental principles and techniques of single-case research have not always been clearly understood by students and researchers working in these fields.

Single-Case Research Methods in Sport and Exercise Psychology is the first book to fully explain single-case research in the context of sport and exercise. Starting with first principles, the book offers a comprehensive introduction to the single-case research process, from study design to data analysis and presentation. Including case studies and examples from across sport and exercise psychology, the book provides practical guidance for students and researchers and demonstrates the advantages and common pitfalls of single-case research for anybody working in applied or behavioural science in a sport or exercise setting.

• How can the skills of the sport psychologist be put to best use within a football club?
• How can a sport psychologist help elite footballers perform at their maximum level?

In this groundbreaking guide to the role of the sport psychologist within elite and professional football, leading sport psychologist Mark Nesti argues that working closely with coaches and players to create a receptive environment is vital if psychologists are to add maximum value to team and individual performances.

Drawing on a decade's professional experience working at the top level of English football, Nesti offers a detailed guide to delivering sport psychology in an elite team sport environment, from practical drills on the training field to shaping organizational behaviour at club level. The book explores the full range of issues and themes that define the role of the professional sport psychologist working in football today, including:

• mental skills training
• group cohesion and team dynamics
• counselling, trust and confidentiality
• transitions in football
• managerial and coaching philosophies
• structure, communication and organizational psychology.

The book is illustrated throughout with real-world case studies, drawing on research into sixteen professional clubs across five European countries, and concludes by suggesting how other elite team sports can learn from the experiences of professional football. This is the only book to outline a holistic approach to psychology in football and the to offer such a rich combination of theory and practice. It is therefore essential reading for all students of sport psychology and all psychologists and coaches working in elite team sport.

Despite the prevalence of behavioral research conducted through genetic studies, there is an absence of literature pertaining to the genetics of motor behavior. Genetics and the Psychology of Motor Performance is the first book to integrate cutting-edge genetic research into the study of the psychological aspects of motor learning and control. The book's central line of enquiry revolves around the extent to which psychological factors central to motor proficiency - including personality, emotion, self-regulation, motivation, and perceptual-cognitive skills - are acquired or inherited. It explains how these factors affect motor performance, distilling the latest research into their genetic underpinnings and, in doing so, assessing the magnitude of the role genetics plays in the stages of motor development, from early proficiency through to expertise. Written by leading experts in the genetics of human performance and exercise psychology, and thoroughly illustrated throughout, Genetics and the Psychology of Motor Performance is a crucial resource for any upper-level student or researcher seeking a deeper understanding of motor learning. It is an important book for anyone studying or working in exercise psychology, motor development, exercise genetics, or exercise physiology more broadly.

The ability to effectively use one's thoughts, emotions and motivation to enhance performance and well-being is one of the most important skills in sport and exercise contexts. Motivation and Self-Regulation in Sport and Exercise explores the theories, research and processes that underpin these self-regulatory and motivational processes. A deeper understanding of motivation and self-regulation has far-reaching implications, from helping individuals to begin an active lifestyle, to seasoned athletes looking for a competitive edge. For the first time, the globally leading researchers in this research field come together to provide their unique, cutting-edge insight into how to exercise or perform more effectively. In doing so, the book provides new insight into established theories of motivation and self-regulation, but also breaks new ground by inspecting lesser-known or emerging paradigms. This book is intended for all scholars interested in self-regulation and motivation, from undergraduate students to experienced researchers, as well as practicing sport and exercise psychologists, coaches and athletes.

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.

The context specific chapters are progressive and well thought out and include reflections from trainees and practitioners as case study examples. The first book that provides a detailed overview of the three pathways to becoming an accredited Sport and Exercise Psychologist in the UK and how to locate supervisors, which students often get very confused about. The book integrates the business and marketing side of developing a private practice, needed for this target audience. The first book to address the aspect of the mental health of practitioners and their use of self-care strategies.

Over the past fifteen years, there has been a great increase in the knowledge of eating disorders in sport and effective means of treatment. In this book, the authors draw on their extensive clinical experience to discuss how to identify, manage, treat, and prevent eating disorders in sport participants. They begin by examining the clinical conditions related to eating problems, including descriptions of specific disorders and a review of the relevant literature. Special attention is given to the specific gender and sport-related factors that can negatively influence the eating habits of athletes.

The second half of the book discusses identification of participants with disordered eating by reviewing symptoms and how they manifest in sport; management issues for sport personnel, coaches, athletic trainers, and healthcare professionals; treatment; and medical considerations, such as the use of psychotropic medications. A list of useful resources is included in an appendix, as well as a glossary of important terms.

Now including exercise psychology terms for the first time in its second edition, Sport and Exercise Psychology: The Key Concepts offers a highly accessible introduction to this fascinating subject, its central theories and state-of-the-art research. Over 300 alphabetically-ordered entries cover such diverse terms as:

• 
  
• adherence
• 
  
• aggression
• 
  
• emotion
• 
  
• exercise dependence
• 
  
• home advantage
• 
  
• kinesiphobia
• 
  
• left-handedness
• 
  
• motivation
• 
  
• retirement
• 
  
• self-confidence.

Cross-referenced, with suggestions for further reading and a full index, this latest key guide contains invaluable advice on the psychology of sport and exercise. A comprehensive A-Z guide to a fast-moving field of inquiry, this book is an essential resource for scholars, coaches, trainers, journalists, competitors, exercisers; in fact anyone associated with sport and exercise.

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.

Foreword by Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson From a top mental conditioning coach-"the world's best brain trainer" (Sports Illustrated)-who has transformed the lives and careers of elite athletes, business leaders, and military personnel, battle-tested strategies that will give you tools to manage and overcome negativity and achieve any goal. He knows how to win. More, he knows the many ways-subtle, brutal, often self-inflicted-we lose. As the most trusted mental coach in the world of sports, Trevor Moawad has worked with many of the most dominant athletes and the savviest coaches. From Nick Saban and Kirby Smart to Russell Wilson, they all look to Moawad for help finding or keeping or regaining their com petitive edge. (As do countless business leaders and members of special forces.) Now, at last, Moawad shares his unique philosophy with the general public. He lays out lessons he's derived from his greatest career successes as well as personal setbacks, the game-changing wisdom he's earned as the go-to whisperer for elite performers on fields of play and among men and women headed to the battlefield. Moawad's motivational approach is elegant but refreshingly simple: He replaces hardwired negativity, the kind of defeatist mindset that's nearly everybody's default, with what he calls "neutral thinking." His own special innovation, it's a nonjudg mental, nonreactive way of coolly assessing problems and analyzing crises, a mode of attack that offers luminous clarity and su preme calm in the critical moments before taking decisive action. Not only can neutral thinking raise your performance level-it can transform your overall life. And it all starts, Moawad says, with letting go. Past failures, past losses-let them go. "The past isn't predic tive. If you can absorb and embrace that belief, everything changes. You'll instantly feel more calm. And the athlete-or employee or parent or spouse-who's more calm is also more aware, and more times than not ... will win."

Discover how to reach your greatest potential in golf by focusing only on the shot in front of you-nothing before or after-with the world's preeminent sport psychologist, Dr. Bob Rotella. Acclaimed sport psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Bob Rotella has advised countless professional golfers, as well as athletes in individual and team sports at the amateur and professional levels, on how to flourish under pressure and win championships. Rotella strives to make average athletes exceptional. With his decades of in-depth research and practical experience, he has encouraged people worldwide to persevere through adversity in a dozen internationally bestselling titles. In Make Your Next Shot Your Best Shot, Rotella's message is simple but effective: to reach your greatest potential in golf, you need to set your sights high and always think positively. He wants you to aim for something incredible: free your mind, concentrate on your process, accept whatever happens, and commit to making your next shot your best shot. Rotella shows you how to focus your mind, create a routine for success, persevere, and overcome failure. Drawing from lessons learned in other sports, this book is about how to train your mind to play in the moment. It's about spending your lifetime chasing greatness-and having a ball while doing it.

The majority of sport psychology research to date has been underpinned and driven by a secular perspective. There is an urgent need for sport psychologists to better understand the relevance of Christian faith in athletes' sporting experiences and day-to-day lives in order to improve their performance and well-being. Sport, Psychology and Christianity is the first book to consider the relationship between sport psychology provision and Christianity from a welfare and performance perspective. Bringing together contributions from leading scholars in the field, the book includes chapters on: The role of faith in sport injury rehabilitation Christian belief and resilience during injury The pitfalls of perfectionism in sport Collaboration between sport psychologist and club chaplain Ethical considerations when working with spiritual athletes Reflective practice in sport psychology consultancy Offering a holistic approach to improving athlete welfare and performance where faith and spirituality are core tenets of well-being, this volume is a critical and timely resource for students, researchers and practitioners working in sport psychology; sport and spirituality; or religion, sports chaplaincy and allied roles and professions.

Exercise dependence or addiction has been described as a 'positive addiction', but it can have links with damaging dysfunctional and excessive behaviours, including eating disorders. Clinical and sport psychologists now acknowledge the condition and report that it can be found in recreational exercisers and competitive athletes. This is the first text to provide a comprehensive guide to exercise dependence. The text contains case studies and reviews research into exercise dependence in both 'exercise' and 'sports' contexts. The authors examine the condition in the widest sense, exploring different types of exercise dependence, risk factors associated with the condition, the experiences and motivational characteristics of sufferers, links with eating disorders, and a number of approaches to counselling. This text will be of significant interest to psychologists working in sport, health and clinical practice, as well as to athletes and sports coaches, particularly those involved in endurance sports associated with higher incidences of exercise dependence.

"This is a powerful, richly nuanced, evocative work; a stunning and brilliantly innovative pedagogical intervention. It provides ground zero-the starting place for the next generation of theorists who study the self, narrative theory, and the place of games and sport in everyday life. A stunning accomplishment by one of America's major social theorists." Norman K. Denzin, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Games of many kinds have been played in all cultures throughout human history. This wide-ranging book explores the social and psychological processes involved in the playing of games. One player (or team) seeks to outwit another by undertaking various physical and communicative moves-not unlike conversations. Games have well-formed "narrative" structures, analogous to myths, that are enacted by each participant to give play to his/her self and its attendant emotions. These plays of the self enable each agent to seek adventures and heroic moments. Going beyond the mythmaking and catharsis that may be achieved by individuals, the author shows how games have been devised and played in particular societies and eras as means of promoting specific ideologies of a society, even social ideals such as utopias.

This book offers a radical alternative to the cognitive and cognitive-behavioural approaches that have dominated sport psychology, and is the first to systematically apply existential psychological theory and phenomenological method to sport psychology. This much-needed alternative framework for the discipline of applied sport psychology connects to many of the real and most significant challenges faced by sports performers during their careers and beyond, and bridges the gap that still exists between the real needs of sport performers and what is delivered by traditional sport psychology Existential psychology aims to assist athletes in their personal growth so that as they develop their physical strengths through sports coaching, they also become a stronger person, and are therefore more likely to achieve their true sporting potential. Existential Psychology and Sport outlines an approach that can be used to add something of depth, substance and academic rigour to sport psychology in applied settings beyond the confines of mental skills training and good listening skills.

Laterality in Sports: Theories and Applications summarizes recent research on the neurophysiological foundations of handedness, and how left or right lateralization (affecting primary hand use, foot use, and eye use) affects motor control, performance outcome, skill acquisition, and achievement of sports expertise-both for one-on-one sports and team sports. As laterality research has matured, greater focus has been given to applications in human endeavours and, in particular, sport. The book examines performance within individual sports, and discusses the coaching ramifications of coaching to a specific lateralization preference.

More and more people around the world are discovering how great climbing is, both indoors and outdoors. The Climbing Bible by internationally renowned climbers and coaches Martin Mobråten and Stian Christophersen is a comprehensive guide to help you train effectively to become a better climber. The authors have been climbing coaches for a number of years. Based on their own extensive experience and research, this book collates the best European training techniques into one book with information on how to specifically train for the technical, physical and mental performance factors in climbing – including endurance, power, motivation, fear of falling, and much more. It also deals with tactics, fingerboarding and finger strength, general training and injury prevention, injuries related to climbing, and training plans. It is illustrated with 400 technique and action photos, and features stories from top climbers as well as a foreword by climber and bestselling author Jo Nesbø. The Climbing Bible will help and motivate you to improve and develop as a climber and find even more joy in this fantastic sport.

"This is a powerful, richly nuanced, evocative work; a stunning and brilliantly innovative pedagogical intervention. It provides ground zero-the starting place for the next generation of theorists who study the self, narrative theory, and the place of games and sport in everyday life. A stunning accomplishment by one of America's major social theorists." Norman K. Denzin, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Games of many kinds have been played in all cultures throughout human history. This wide-ranging book explores the social and psychological processes involved in the playing of games. One player (or team) seeks to outwit another by undertaking various physical and communicative moves-not unlike conversations. Games have well-formed "narrative" structures, analogous to myths, that are enacted by each participant to give play to his/her self and its attendant emotions. These plays of the self enable each agent to seek adventures and heroic moments. Going beyond the mythmaking and catharsis that may be achieved by individuals, the author shows how games have been devised and played in particular societies and eras as means of promoting specific ideologies of a society, even social ideals such as utopias.

In 1985 Mike Brearley published The Art of Captaincy, revealing how he steered Middlesex and England to victory with his team of first-class cricketers. He got the absolute best out of his players, inspiring Ian Botham to new heights against the Australians in 1981. Few cricketers have had a greater impact on the amateur game than these two. Every captain would love Brearley's degree in people, as well as a hardhitting all-rounder like Botham. But theirs was a barely recognisable game from the one we play on often dishevelled grounds up and down the country with ragtag teams of ageing, deluded or hungover friends and acquaintances. Now, Charlie Campbell offers us a New Testament to Brearley's Old Testament, as he guides us through the realities of captaining an amateur team. Herding Cats picks its way through the minefield of an amateur's season: from the excitement and hope of pre-season nets, to the desperate scramble to gather 11 players for a frosty game on a far-flung, desolate pitch; from decoding the casual phrase 'I bat a bit', to setting a field of players who can't catch or throw; from handling the most delicate egos, to dealing with a case of the yips; from frequent moments of despair, to sudden and joyful glimpses of unexpected glory. For all those of us who recognise ourselves, our teammates, our friends and partners in the shambling joy of amateur cricket more than in the top-class international game, Campbell lights a path through a weekend world of play at the beating heart of the world's second most popular sport.

Why did Michael Jordan quit basketball and take up baseball? Why was Martina Navratilova so successful as a professional tennis player? These and many other questions about aspects of motivation and emotion in sport are addressed in this book which is newly available in paperback. Reversal theory's systematic conceptual framework allows a unique perspective for interpreting behaviour in sport contexts. Within each chapter, real-life examples are combined with research findings to provide an understanding of the emotional background and changes which accompany the individual's unique experience in sport. In addition, suggestions as to alications of reversal theory in new areas of sport psychology and the future direction of reversal theory-based sport research are outlined. For those interested in a truly insightful understanding of human behaviour in sport, this book will be required reading.