The Routledge Handbook of Coaching Children in Sport provides a comprehensive and extensive range of critical reflections of key areas impacting on children’s sport and coaching up to the age of 16. With coaching related chapters authored by academic across various disciplines, including nutrition, psychology, pedagogy, medicine, youth development and sociology, the text provides detailed reviews of the existing state of research and consideration of the implications of these particular factors upon parents, coaches, administrators and clearly the young people themselves as well as recommendations for future research. This new volume provides in-depth investigation to key topics of coaching topics such as Learning and Child Development, Protecting Young Athletes, Talent Identification and Development and Inclusive Coaching and finally introduce a broad array of contextual considerations for coaches from considering professional learning through to coaching in particular contexts. This book is more than simply an academic text and it offers insights that will further inform practice in children’s sport coaching. The handbook is relevant for students (UG, PG), researchers, academics, parents, coaches and administrators, as well as those interested in children’s sport coaching and the related topics therein. Martin Toms, PhD is a senior lecturer (associate professor) in the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Birmingham, UK. A former professional sports coach with an MPhil and PhD exploring the sociological issues of young people in junior sport, Martin has been heavily involved in juniors sport all of his adult life. He has published widely and presented extensively around the world on youth sport, including working on international projects and for NBGs/Federations and National Governmental organisations. He has gained European and SCUK funding for youth and coaching related projects as well as being involved in international consultancy. He is a co-editor of the European Journal for Sport and Society as well as the current Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Golf Science. Ruth Jeanes, PhD is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at Monash University, Australia. Ruth’s research examines inclusion and exclusion within youth sport, particularly examining how sport can be used to achieve broader social policy objectives targeted at young people. Within this, she is particularly interested in the role of coaches in facilitating broader social outcomes for young people. Ruth has published extensively in these areas with over 100 publications across journal articles, book chapters and books. She is widely cited and has been successful in securing extensive funding for her research including two highly competitive Australian Research Council grants.

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.

The Routledge Handbook of Youth Sport is a comprehensive survey of the latest research into young people’s involvement in sport. Drawing on a wide diversity of disciplines, including sociology, psychology, policy studies, coaching, physical education and physiology, the book examines the importance of sport during a key transitional period of our lives, from the later teenage years into the early twenties, and therefore helps us develop a better understanding of the social construction of young people’s lives. The book covers youth sport in all its forms, from competitive game-contests and conventional sport to recreational activities, exercise and lifestyle sport, and at all levels, from elite competition to leisure time activities and school physical education. It explores youth sport across the world, in developing and developed countries, and touches on some of the most significant themes and issues in contemporary sport studies, including physical activity and health, lifelong participation, talent identification and development, and safeguarding and abuse. No other book brings together in one place such a breadth and depth of material on youth sport or the engagement of young people in physical activity. The Routledge Handbook of Youth Sport is therefore important reading for all advanced students, researchers, practitioners and policy-makers with an interest in youth sport, youth culture, sport studies or physical education.

This handbook represents the first comprehensive and evidence-based review of theory, research, and practice in the field of adapted physical education (APE). Exploring philosophical and foundational aspects of APE, the book outlines the main conceptual frameworks informing research and teaching in this area, and presents important material that will help shape best practice and future research. Written by world-leading researchers, the book introduces the key themes in APE, such as historical perspectives on disability, disability and the law, language, and measurement. It examines the most significant theoretical frameworks for understanding APE, from embodiment and social cognitive theory to occupational socialization, and surveys current debates and practical issues in APE, such as teacher training, the use of technology, and physical inactivity and health. Acknowledging the importance of the voices of children, parents and peers, the book also explores research methods and paradigms in APE, with each chapter including directions for further research. Offering an unprecedented wealth of material, the Routledge Handbook of Adapted Physical Education is an essential reference for advanced students, researchers and scholars working in APE, and useful reading for anybody with an interest in disability, physical education, sports coaching, movement science or youth sport.

Concussion has become one of the most significant issues in contemporary sport. The life-changing impact of head injury and the possible threat that chronic traumatic encephalopathy poses to children and young athletes in particular is calling into question the long-term future of some of our most well-established sports. But what are the real issues behind the headlines and the public outcry, and what can and should be done to save sport from itself? This concise, provocative introduction draws on perspectives from sociology, medicine, ethics, psychology, and public health to answer these questions and more. The book explores the context in which the current cultural crisis has emerged. It assesses the current state of biomedical knowledge; the ethics of regulating for brain injury; the contribution of the social sciences to understanding the behaviour of sports participants; and the impact of public health interventions and campaigns. Drawing on the latest research evidence, the book explores the social roots of sport’s concussion crisis and assesses potential future solutions that might resolve this crisis. This is essential reading for anybody with an interest in sport, from students and researchers to athletes, coaches, teachers, parents, policy-makers, and clinicians.

Contemporary strength and conditioning coaching is, for the most part, informed by the exercise sciences, with little engagement being made with sociocultural and pedagogical perspectives which have emerged in sports coaching research over the last two decades. In Understanding Strength and Conditioning as Sport Coaching: Bridging the Biophysical, Pedagogical and Sociocultural Foundations of Practice, the authors – whose expertise span strength and conditioning, sports coaching and pedagogy – help students and coaches to integrate perspectives from these disciplines to enhance their strength and conditioning coaching practice. The book encourages readers to add moral, ethical and political considerations to the technical aspects of their coaching practice. It discusses and applies concepts to a full range of strength and conditioning settings, including elite performance, young athletes, ageing athletes and returning to play following injury. Featuring an eResource, and structured around rich, narrative pedagogical cases reflecting the issues faced by practising strength and conditioning coaches, the book offers a thoroughly engaging introduction to pedagogical and sociocultural concepts and literature in a strength and conditioning context. This is a vital book for students of strength and conditioning, and an important resource for practising strength and conditioning coaches and sport science staff.

The Routledge Handbook of Coach Development in Sport is a comprehensive text that underscores the importance of learning and context for those who sculpt the environment in which people of all ages develop in and through sport. Coaches and those responsible for the development of coaches are best positioned as both learners and facilitators of learning. As sport becomes more globalised, the concomitant professionalisation of coaches necessitates ongoing learning and development to embrace new knowledge and understanding. Moreover, contemporary coach development presents as a wicked problem, in that it continues to evolve, it is contextually bound, and there is no single or obvious way to approach it. Problematically, there is often limited assistance available to support coaches and coach developers in their ongoing development. As such, this book provides a truly international reference point that brings together leading scholars and practitioners from across the globe to provide an overview of the theories and practices of coaches and coach developers that are impacting the quality of sporting environments. Therefore, this book is an important reference for researchers, scholars, and practitioners alike in the fields of Sport Coaching, Coach Development, Sport Development, Sport for Development, Physical Education and related disciplines.

Health and Elite Sport is the first book to critically examine the relationship between participation in high performance sport and health outcomes. Drawing on theory and empirical data from a wide range of disciplines, including sociology, developmental psychology, epidemiology, and physical education, the book explores the benefits and detriments of participation in elite sport for both individuals (athletes, coaches, spectators) and communities. Written by a team of leading international sport researchers, the book examines key issues including: Talent identification and young athletes Abuse in sport Positive youth development through sport Athlete health in periods of transition Health, sport and the family Health in professional sport The Olympics, Paralympics and public health Long term effects of participation in elite sport Highlighting the connections and contradictions between high performance sport and health, the book also discusses the clear and important implications for our socio-cultural, political and developmental understanding of sport. Health and Elite Sport is fascinating and important reading for all students and researchers with an interest in youth sport, sports development, sport policy, sports coaching, exercise and health, physical education, the sociology of sport, or the sociology of health.

The first fully comprehensive review of theory, research and practice in physical education to be published in over a decade, this handbook represents an essential, evidence-based guide for all students, researchers and practitioners working in PE. Showcasing the latest research and theoretical work, it offers important insights into effective curriculum management, student learning, teaching and teacher development across a variety of learning environments. This handbook not only examines the methods, influences and contexts of physical education in schools, but also discusses the implications for professional practice. It includes both the traditional and the transformative, spanning physical education pedagogies from the local to the international. It also explores key questions and analysis techniques used in PE research, illuminating the links between theory and practice. Its nine sections cover a wide range of topics including: curriculum theory, development, policy and reform transformative pedagogies and adapted physical activity educating teachers and analysing teaching the role of student and teacher cognition achievement motivation. Offering an unprecedented wealth of material, the Routledge Handbook of Physical Education Pedagogies is an essential reference for any undergraduate or postgraduate degree programme in physical education or sports coaching, and any teacher training course with a physical education element.

Understanding and applying psychology within youth sport settings is key to maximising young athletes’ enjoyment, wellbeing, and sporting performance. Written by a team of leading international researcher-practitioners, this book is the first to offer an evidence-based introduction to the theory and practice of sport psychology for children and young athletes. It provides practical strategies and guidance for those working in or researching youth sport, demonstrating how to integrate sport psychology effectively in a variety of youth sport contexts. With real-life case studies that demonstrate psychological theory put into practice, it discusses a wide spectrum of issues faced by young athletes and recommends the best approaches to addressing them. Key topics covered include: the cognitive, social, and physical development of young athletes optimising fun, motivation, and self-confidence enhancing young athletes’ relationships with coaches, parents, and peers managing stress, injuries, and transitions effectively developing talent and long-term engagement in sport encouraging organisational culture change. The most up-to-date and authoritative guide to sport psychology for young people, this is essential reading for anyone working in youth sport.