Sport Psychology: A Complete Introduction

Very interesting. I am a very mature horse rider have been bucked of several time the last time I seriously broken my wrist was unconscious for a moment taken to hospital, spent 5 days there; the 2nd time a year later bucked of again over the horse's neck badly hurt my pelvis I could hardly walk and had to wear a back support for weeks. A few weeks later I got seriously bucked of again got my right leg twisted into the stirrup leather pulled the stirrup of the saddle and the horse galloped of back to home, a neighbour found me laying on the ground and took me home in her car home but lucky I had not broken any thing. I will never ride my horse again, but have bought another one. I now bought the book and reading it every evening. The book explain the Psychology of fear and mind and help me how to overcome it.

It is a very detailed book. excellent for collage students.

Superbly written, the book has a lot of lessons for sport and in life. Lots of excellent references to develop further understanding.

A great short summary of the current science rather than just a load of anecdotes it laid out a summary of the theories that seem to have the most evidence at the moment and are most commonly used.

As a badged lawn bowls coach, I find the book gives a great insight into the mental and psychological aspects of sport. Well researched and written, I will definitely use for reference in coaching others . I hope to improve my own game too.

I have read a lot psychology books, and realised that Sports Psychology is an area about which I knew very little, so I bought this book to rectify the situation. I was quite disappointed as I expected a lot more from it. Now I should point out that this is the only book I have read on the subject, so it may be that Sports Psychology itself is not a particularly interesting area, and this book just reflects that. But it seemed to be a lot of pretty basic and quite old undergraduate psychology, such as theories of anxiety and consideration of team dynamics, and very little I had not encountered elsewhere. It certainly did not inspire me to do any further reading.

Rarely have I got so little from book. I’m a beginner in this subject (I’ve read a few other books about performance, such ‘The Inner Game of Tennis’ and ‘Peak’), so I was hoping for an up-to-date practical guide to help me use sport psychology for myself and performers I teach. I wanted enough theory to give me an understanding of the main concepts and debates and I wanted to be entertained and inspired. This book gave me none of those things. The label ‘Teach Yourself’ is misguiding. The book is more a description of Sport Psychology than an actual guide of how to do it. For example, there’s a chapter on ‘Becoming a Sport Psychologist’ (which includes information about how Sport Psychologists are certified in the UK). Perhaps useful to some, but not to me. I should have read a warning signal from the structure of the book: the 'theory first, application second' approach to learning belongs back in the nineteenth century. Part One: Theory (the first 180 pages) is filled with unexciting ideas expressed in the kind of overcomplicated jargon that social scientists love. When you finally get to Part Two: Applying Sport Psychology, the content is brief and banal: there are a few pages on positive self-talk and goal setting, a little on visualisation, a chapter on ‘coping mechanisms’ (such as relaxation and mindfulness), and … that’s it! No detailed case-studies, no do-it-yourself tasks, no insightful descriptions of how the human mind works. Amusingly, the author recounts an anecdote of himself failing to explain to a taxi driver what a sport psychologist does. I’m not surprised! I conclude that the author is not very good at sharing his knowledge with a lay audience. This book may be a useful accompaniment to Sport Psychology GCSE, but for any other reader, please, please go and find a better introduction.

Love it. Well thought out flow and layout. Evidence based and well referenced. Will keep going back to it.

For all new in the field, a must read! Very informative, full with newest science research.

Great book! Easy read!

Alle Informationen verständlich rübergebracht als Introduction in die Sportpsychologie

El libro está enfocado a los psicólogos del deporte, una rama completamente nueva para mí. Además, de que percibo que solo se extiende a unos países. Lo cual es una verdadera lástima. todos necesitamos de ayuda y consejos de profesionales. El libro es muy interesante en todos los aspectos, desde la organización y estructura, pasando por el contenido, las actividades y la reflexión en cada capítulo, hasta la buena cantidad de referencias. Es el segundo libro que leo sobre esta rama y me ha p dearecido esencial, en otras palabras, es una introducción bien planeada y que puede captar el interés no solo de psicólogos y deportistas profesionales, sino incluso de aquellos que como en mi caso, hacemos ejercicio por diversas razones, pero no nos dedicamos de forma profesional.

Good Content for beginners