Athletes are naturally exposed to significant psychological challenges in sports, but do not wait helplessly for the assistance of sports psychologists or trainers. Instead, they practise one form or another of self-regulation. Self-talk in Sport explores one such self-regulatory strategy: self-talk, the inner voice that accompanies every human being throughout their lives. Over time, research has revealed many secrets of self-talk in sport, though many others remain unveiled. This book offers you the opportunity to discover the multiple identities of our self-talk, how the “inner coach” serves as a rational counterpart to the irrational self, and what we need to do to develop our inner voice to reach its maximum self-regulatory potential. There is a general need for concrete interventions in sport, exercise, and performance psychology. In addition, the autonomous functioning of people is a central aim of psychological interventions that align with positive psychology and focus on people’s strengths rather than weaknesses. In this volume, researchers and applied practitioners are shown how they can use self-talk interventions to strengthen people’s rational self-regulation in order to deal with a variety of situations that apply to both sport and other exercise and performance contexts. Since self-talk is a tangible result of cognitive processes and inner experiences that researchers and applied practitioners can barely access, Self-talk in Sport is a tool for sports psychologists to understand and interact with hidden parts within athletes that have a major impact on sport and exercise experiences and performance. A book demonstrating the diverse – both rational and irrational identities – of self-talk, as well as specific interventions to change the inner dialogue of athletes, is a fundamental piece in the education of sport scientists.

"An excellent text to offer more depth on theories and concepts within Sports Psychology and provide learners with a greater understanding of current psychological theories. The text helps in enforcing knowledge gained and also provides a plethora of references for further reading around any of the chapters covered within the text." - John Harrison, Tyne Metropolitan College "This book provides a good introduction to sports psychology, and enables students to obtain a basic understanding of the key concepts. I will recommend this book to my level 4 students." - Marie Robbins, Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education "Provided an excellent synthesis of key topics in sport psychology. The content draws upon leaders in the field both from a research and applied sport psychology perspective." - Andrew Balsdon, Canterbury Christ Church University This book provides a focused, accurate guide for students working within the dynamic field of sport psychology. The concise and authoritative entries have been selected by experienced teachers and researchers; each one defines, explains and develops a key topic in sport psychology acting as a springboard for further reading and debate. This is a stimulating and practical resource for students defined by the clarity of writing and relevant examples. Each concept gives the student: clear definitions up-to-date suggestions for further reading careful cross-referencing. Easy to use and intelligently judged this book offers the modern student the basic materials, tools and guidance for planning essays and passing exams.

We marvel at the steely nerves, acute concentration, and flawless execution exhibited on the 18th green, at the free-throw line, in the starting blocks, and on the balance beam. While state-of-the-art training regimens have extended athletes' physical boundaries, more and more coaches are realizing the importance of sport psychology in taking athletic performance to new levels. Tomorrow's record-breaking accomplishments will not be the result of athletes' training harder physically, but of athletes' training smarter mentally. Sport Psychology for Coaches provides information that coaches need to help athletes build mental toughness and achieve excellence--in sport and in life. As a coach, you'll gain a big-picture perspective on the mental side of sport by examining how athletes act, think, and feel when they practice and compete. You'll learn to use such mental tools as goal setting, imagery, relaxation, energization, and self-talk to help your athletes build mental training programs. You'll also see how assisting your athletes in developing mental skills such as motivation, energy management, focus, stress management, and self-confidence leads to increased enjoyment, improved life skills, and enhanced performance. And you'll discover how to put it all together into mental plans and mental skills training programs that allow your athletes to attain and maintain a mind-set that fosters peak performance. The easy-to-follow format of the text includes learning objectives that introduce each chapter, sidebars illustrating sport-specific applications of key concepts and principles, chapter summaries organized by content and sequence, key terms, chapter review questions, a comprehensive glossary, and other useful resources to help readers implement mental training programs for athletes. Written primarily for high school coaches, Sport Psychology for Coaches is a practical, easy-to-use resource reflecting the two authors' combined 45 years of teaching, coaching, researching, and consulting experience. It reflects principles that are not only consistent with the latest theory and research, but have stood the test of time and worked for coaches and athletes in all sports at all levels. You'll come away from Sport Psychology for Coaches with a greater understanding and appreciation for sport psychology and the practical knowledge you need to put it to work for you and your athletes. Sport Psychology for Coaches serves as the text for the American Sport Education Program Silver Level course, Sport Psychology for Coaches.

Written by an international team of expert contributors, this unique global and authoritative survey explores in full but accessible detail the basic constructs and concepts of modern sport and exercise psychology and their practical application. The book consists of 62 chapters, written by 144 contributors, deriving from 24 countries across the world. The chapters are arranged in nine cohesive sections: sport and exercise participants; the influence of environments on sport and exercise; motor skills; performance enhancement; building and leading teams; career, life skills and character development; health and well-being enhancement; clinical issues in sport psychology; and professional development and practice. Each chapter contains chapter summaries and objectives, learning aids, questions, exercises and references for further reading. Its comprehensive scale and global reach make this volume an essential companion for students, instructors and researchers in sport science, sport and exercise psychology, psychology, and physical education. It will also prove invaluable for coaches and health education practitioners.

How do athletes overcome fears, slumps, mental blocks, or injuries? How do they deal with stress and anxiety, be it from competitors, teammates, audiences, parents, coaches, or themselves? What psychological techniques prove effective in mental training for peak performance, maintaining concentration, motivation, and competitive drive? How can an athlete enhance his or her commitment to a training regimen, or how might the average person better adhere to a program of fitness and exercise? Readers will find answers to these questions and more in the Encyclopedia of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Features & Benefits: Entries explore the theory, research, and application of psychology as it relates to sport and fitness in a manner that is accessible and jargon-free to help readers better understand human behavior in sport and exercise settings. From personal factors to situational factors influencing performance to specific psychological techniques for enhancing performance, this work provides comprehensive coverage of the field via approximately 350 to 400 signed entries. Entries conclude with cross-references and suggestions for further readings to guide students further in their research journey. Available in print and online, this monumental work is edited by two leading figures in the field with a distinguished international Editorial Advisory Board to select and assign entries, ensuring authoritative content readers can trust.

This title describes current research findings in the study of human performance Experts from all fields of performance are brought together, covering domains including sports, the performing arts, business, executive coaching, the military, and other applicable, high-risk professions.

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.

Self-belief, known as 'self-efficacy' by sports psychologists is widely believed to be an essential component of sporting success. This volume examines the nature of efficacy as it applies to sporting behaviour in coaches, athletes and teams.

Focuses on the use of imagery in sports. This work features contributors who are experts in their area, and together they have assembled the most relevant data produced by research and offer practical suggestions.