Skip to main content

Performance Psychology

A Practitioner's Guide

  • 1st Edition - January 25, 2011
  • Latest edition
  • Editors: David John Collins, Angela Abbott, Hugh Richards
  • Language: English

Performance Psychology: A Practitioner's Guide is a comprehensive, evidence-based text covering the key aspects of performance culture: performer development, preparation, tr… Read more

Purchase options

Description

Performance Psychology: A Practitioner's Guide is a comprehensive, evidence-based text covering the key aspects of performance culture: performer development, preparation, training and execution. Written by a team of international contributors, including national coaches, training specialists, applied sports psychologists, clinicians and researchers, and building on strong links between theory and practice, the book shows how applied psychological methods and principles can be used to enhance performance

Contributing authors offer clear implications for applied practice and each section is summarized by contributions from a 'Performers Panel'of experts who provide real-life practical examples. Performance psychology is applied to a wide variety of physical performance domains which enables practitioners to see how they can combine ideas and tailor interventions, to people and contexts, to produce effective applications of psychology.

Dave Collins is Professor of Performance and Coaching/Director for the Institute of Coaching and Performance at the University of Central Lancashire. As a practitioner, he has worked with over 50 World and Olympic medalists, and in professional performance domains spanning sport, business, motor sport, music, dance and adventure. He was formerly Performance Director of UK Athletics, a rugby player, martial artist and OE instructor. Dave currently works with the Chelsea FC Football Academy, amongst other consultancies.

Angela Button is a researcher at the University of Otago and is widely acknowledged as a world expert on talent. Angela has led funded research projects in talent development in the UK and New Zealand. Her sporting interests include squash, running and triathlon.

Hugh Richards lectures and is Director of post-graduate programmes in Performance Psychology at the University of Edinburgh. He has published in the areas of coping, talent, individual differences and professional development related to sport, the military and music. Hugh has applied psychology to professional performers from international level sport to business. He currently works with the UK Motor Sport Association, international performer development schemes and has been advisor to the BBC on learning and performance.

Key features

  • Strong links between theory and practice - a panel of top performers conclude each section with an overview, providing real-life practical examples in addition to the case studies included in each chapter
  • Holistic approach allows students to see how they can combine different approaches to address a problem
  • Written by a team of international contributors including national team coaches, sports psychologists and academics

Table of contents

1. Introduction: Performance psychology: developing a peak performance culture
Dave Collins

Section 1 – Preparation

2. Aims, principles and methodologies in talent identification and development
Angela Button

3. Expertise: the goal of performance development
Nicola J. Hodges and Joseph Baker

4. Psychological characteristics of developing excellence
Áine MacNamara

5. Talent development environments: key considerations for effective practice
Russell Martindale and Paddy Mortimer

6. Implications and applications: views from the performer’s panel
Dave Collins

Section 2 – Provision (of support)

7. Introduction: organisational issues in providing support
Dave Collins

8. Organising for excellence
Veronica Burke

9. The team perspective: promoting excellence in performance teams
Alan C. MacPherson and Patrick Howard

10. Planning for physical performance: the individual perspective. Planning, periodization, prediction, and why the future ain’t what it used to be
John Kiely

11. Practical dimensions of providing for excellence: views from the performer’s panel
Dave Collins

Section 3 – Practice

12. Introduction: practice regimens for excellence
Dave Collins

13. ‘Keeping it together’: motor control under pressure
Chris Button, Clare MacMahon and Rich Masters

14. Skill acquisition: designing optimal learning environments
Joan N. Vickers

15. Effective skill development: how should athletes’ skills be developed?
Andrew Abraham and Dave Collins

16. Mental practice: neuroscientific support for a new approach
Paul Holmes and Claire Calmels

17. Developing the performance brain: decision making under pressure
Duncan R.D. Mascarenhas and Nickolas C. Smith

18. Practical dimensions of developing skill: views from the performers’ panel
Dave Collins

Section 4 – Performance

19. Introduction: performing on the day
Dave Collins

20. Coping and mental toughness
Hugh Richards

21. Emotional issues of peak performance: managing mood
Sheelagh Rodgers and Britt Tajet-Foxall

22. Attention
Aidan Moran

23. Putting it together: skills for pressure performance
Mark Wilson and Hugh Richards

24. Putting them together: skills packages to optimize team/group performance
Dave Collins and Judy Collins

25. Practical dimensions of realising your peak performance
Dave Collins
Conclusion Where next? Getting help in your pursuit of excellence
Amanda Martindale and Dave Collins

Product details

  • Edition: 1
  • Latest edition
  • Published: January 25, 2011
  • Language: English

About the editor

DC

David John Collins

BASES Accredited Sport Psychology - Research and Support

BOA Registered Sport Psychologist

UK Sports Council World Class Guarantee Sport Scientist

Affiliations and expertise
Performance Director, UK Athletics, Birmingham, UK; Adjunct Professor and Chair in PER and Sport Performance, Edinburgh University, Edinburgh, UK

View book on ScienceDirect

Read Performance Psychology on ScienceDirect