Understanding psychological preparation for sport : theory and practice of elite performers

Sports psychologists are concerned with the application of psychological theories and methods to sports, play and recreational activities and with the discovery of more effective ways to further the learning and enjoyment of sports.

It is a rapidly growing field that is actively extending its areas of application to mental health and business and other organizational settings.Designed to advance both theory and practice in the psychological preparation of elite sports performers, this text starts with an introduction to the psychological preparation of elite sports performers, reviews, summarizes and integrates sports psychology research from both the qualitative and quantitative domains and includes evidence from the UK, North America, Europe, and Australia.

The main chapters address different aspects of mental preparation for performance, and each aspect is viewed from a variety of perspectives - a critical analysis of the research, the major implications for best practice and the implications for future research.

The authors draw on their experience gained from working with high performance athletes and coaches from a variety of sports and the book contains quotations from performers.