Sport Psychology: The Basics provides an accessible introduction to the fundamental ideas at the heart of Sport Psychology today. This new revised and updated second edition examines the links between sport participants’ behaviours, their personality, and their environment to identify the factors which affect performance. Exploring theory and practice, it uses case studies to illustrate how key areas of theory are applied within a sport psychologist’s practice, answering such questions as:
• What is sport psychology and what do sport psychologists do?
• What factors affect sporting performance?
• How can sport psychologists help parents and sport organizations?
• Which psychological characteristics are associated with achievement in sport?
• How can sport psychologists help with athlete’s mental health?
With a glossary of key terms, suggestions for further study, and ideas for improving performance, Sport Psychology: The Basics is an ideal introduction for students of sport and coaches who would like to know more about how sport psychologists address questions about human behaviour in sport.
1. Introduction
2. Personality
3. Motivation
4. Self-confidence
5. Arousal, Stress, Anxiety, and Performance
6. Competition and Audience Effects
7. Group Processes
8. Psychological Skills Training
9. Physical Skill Acquisition and Behaviour Modification
Biography
David Tod, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer in Sport Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University. David is a UK-registered practitioner psychologist who has worked with elite, professional, and Olympic athletes across several sports. David’s research focuses on sport psychologist expertise development, training, and supervision. David teaches on the sport psychology, sport and exercise science, and strength and conditioning degrees at Liverpool John Moores University, and is a former associate editor for The Sport Psychologist and the International Review for Sport and Exercise Psychology. David is a former committee member for the British Psychological Society’s Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology.
