Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 266
•
Trim: 6¼ x 9½
978-1-5381-2888-6 • Hardback • February 2020 • $76.00 • (£58.00)
978-1-5381-2889-3 • Paperback • February 2020 • $38.00 • (£30.00)
978-1-5381-2890-9 • eBook • February 2020 • $36.00 • (£30.00)
Michael Sachs is a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology, College of Public Health, at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. He is co-editor of Applied Exercise Psychology: The Challenging Journey From Motivation to Adherence, and is associate editor of Psychology of Running and coeditor of Running as Therapy: An Integrated Approach. He also co-wrote The Total Sports Experience for Kids: A Parents' Guide to Success in Youth Sports. He is a co-editor of the 12th edition of the Directory of Graduate Programs in Applied Sport Psychology. Sachs is a past-president of both the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) and Division 47, the Society for Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology, of the American Psychological Association (APA). He is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant with AASP.
Lauren S. Tashman, PhD, CMPC, is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant with the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP), providing mental performance coaching, leadership advising, and team/organization consulting in sport, exercise, and non-sport performance settings in New York City and worldwide. She has consulted with a variety of sports, such as golf, softball, baseball, gymnastics, soccer, rowing, swimming and diving, tennis, basketball, and volleyball at a variety of levels including youth, collegiate, professional, and national/Olympic.
Tashman was previously an associate professor in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology (SEPP) as well as Coordinator of the Master’s program in SEPP at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida. She also served as the Coordinator of Sport Psychology Services, providing mental performance coaching to the Barry athletes, coaches, and teams as well as supervising the master’s students with their practicum experiences. She is the co-editor of two books: Becoming a Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology Professional: A Global Perspective (2014) and Global Practices and Training in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology (2016).
Selen Razon is an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology, College of Health Sciences at West Chester University. She is co-editor of the recently published Applied Exercise Psychology: The Challenging Journey from Motivation to Adherence. Razon’s research interests focus on exercise promotion in underserved populations and the effects of exercise on cognitions and affects.
Introduction
Chapter 1: Teams: Cohesion, Dynamics and Culture, and Leadership
Is A “C” Really Necessary? - Matthieu Boisvert & Todd Loughead
Never Satisfied - Bernadette Compton
UCLA Gymnastics Team Culture - Deborah Munch
On Being & Becoming Fearless Female Athletes - Ellen Staurowsky
Culture Eats Teambuilding for Breakfast - Lauren Tashman
Chapter 2: Pursuit of Goals: Motivation, Goal Setting, and Adherence
Journey Toward Becoming an Everyday Exerciser - Bradley Cardinal
The Gruppo Ciclistico - Jeff Cherubini
Perfect Pitch - John Heil
Star Spangled Sport - John Heil
Ask the Kids - Rick Howard
One Hour at a Time - Michael Sachs
Ringer - Michael Sachs
Valuing Physical Activity/Exercise - Michael Sachs
Chapter 3: Identity and Transitions: Exercise Identity, Athletic Identity, Transitions, and Self-awareness
Embracing Change - Bassey Akpan
How my Athletic Role Affected my Identity - Arna Erega
Who Am I After Everything is Said and Done? - Shaya Schaedler
Life After Sport - Alexandra Szarabajko
Hello Life: This is Swimming Joann, It’s Nice to Meet you - Joann Wakefield
The Split Dodge - Diana Wildermuth
The Value of a Sport Transition - Taylor Wise
Leaving Sport With a Spinal Cord Injury - Derek Zike and Monna Arvinen-Barrow
Chapter 4: Mental Training: Imagery, Attentional Focus and Control, Self-talk, Arousal Control and Energy Management, and Emotion Regulation
Trying to Take it One Pitch at a Time - William Brown
Act it ‘til you In-act it - Kevin Burke
“It’s not a Typo.” - Mark Cheney
Hurdle by Hurdle - Michael Clark
Controlling a Racing Mind While Racing the Mile - Emily Galvin
Imagining Success and Staying Positive: One Lap at a Time - Al Kornspan
See it to Believe it! - Dora Kurimay
Learning to Read Your Physiological Stress Gauge - William Land
Up and Down the Ladder: The Ebbs and Flows of a Champion Jockey - Karen Lo
Ride it Out: Stress and Anxiety Management Strategies on the Slopes - Michelle McAlarnen
A Tennis Journey - Nikola Milinkovic
Be the Best Carley - Deborah Munch
The Background Noise of the Overachieving Helicopter Parent - Kate Nolt
These are the Moments we Live for - Max Pollack
Make no Mistake: Your Thoughts Build Your Game - Meghan Ramick and Selen Razon
Be The Ball - Michael Sachs
Imagining the Power - Joann Wakefield
Pool of Tears: In The Water They Can’t see you cry - Joann Wakefield
Ranger Up - Cedric Williams and Matthew D. Powless
Chapter 5: Mindset: Confidence, Emotion, Mental Toughness, Anxiety/Stress/Pressure, and Staleness/Burnout
Pidä hauskaa - have fun! - Monna Arvinen-Barrow, Amanda Visek, and Amie Barrow
The Big Three - Arna Erega
The Extreme Stupor/крайний ступор - John Heil and Paul SotorTo DNF or not to DNF, That is the Question … - Anna-Marie Jaeschke, Michael Sachs, Dolores Christensen, and Lauren Tashman
Down But Not Out - Lindsey Keenan
You Get to Choose - Jen Schumacher
Confidence: A mindset, not a feeling - Lauren Tashman
Teeing up for Success by Exploring and Shifting Mindset - Lauren Tashman
Chapter 6: Facing and Overcoming Challenges: Mental Toughness, Anxiety/Stress/Pressure, Staleness/Burnout, Resilience, and Rehabilitation from Injury
More than that, I was Never Just… - Megan Buning and Tiffany M. Kasdorf
Coping With Injury: Deep Breathing and Praying - Damien Clement & Monna Arvinen-Barrow
Grit at 335 Miles Per Hour: A Drag Racing Story of Guts, Resilience, Initiative, and Tenacity - Tami Eggleston
Failing Forward - Kerry Guest
Being There - John Heil
Psyche of the Injured Athlete - Laura Miele
Running to Cope or Running Away - How Much is Too Much? - Kate Nolt
Defying the Odds - Selen Razon
Do Not Quit! - Selen Razon and Meghan Ramick
Coming Back From Injury - Shaya Schaedler
Life Changes for Athletic Excellence - Tshepang Tshube, Karin Jeffery, & Stephanie Hanrahan
Unconventional Success through Injury - Taylor Wise
Resilience and Recovery After Bike Collision - Anna Weltman
The Dormouse: Recollections of a Lightweight Rower with Overtraining Syndrome - Lindsay WoodfordConclusion
Bibliography
Appendix: Recommendations for Utilizing This Book in the Classroom
Index
About the Editors
About the Contributors
While most books in the area of sport and exercise psychology have extensive reviews of the research literature, and provide an overview of related concepts and theories, it is relatively rare to find a book that applies this literature from the viewpoint of elite athletes. In Performance Excellence, the chapter writers tell their stories in a very personal and compelling way; abstract concepts (e.g., mental skills, leadership, confidence) are transformed into concrete thoughts, emotions, and desirable performance outcomes. The athletes in this book tell their own personalized story, applying concrete experiences and familiar concepts through “take home points” located at the end of each chapter. Readers will be fascinated by the challenges, obstacles, and innovative ways the performers go from “good” to “great.” This book meets a long-standing need in the sport psychology literature by describing how elite level performers effectively apply cognitive-behavioral techniques, and are rewarded by the high status of their achievements.
— Mark H. Anshel, Middle Tennessee State University, author of In Praise of Failure
The editors’ fealty to the notion that stories constitute a powerful teaching and learning device is uniformly supported in their work. The book is a worthy addition to the typical sport and exercise psychology library. Its brief and interesting stories and their messages will certainly be of considerable value to students and their teachers alike.
— David Pargman, Emeritus Professor, Florida State University
Performance Excellence: Stories of Success from the Real World of Sport and Exercise Psychology is designed for a diverse array of readers. These include professionals in the field, coaches, athletes, parents, and other individuals who enjoy inspirational stories related to performance excellence. Sachs, Tashman, and Razon have artfully selected vignettes that can serve as teaching tools to illustrate key theories and concepts in the field of sport and exercise psychology. In addition, applied practitioners may choose to pass these stories on to their clients who are encountering similar challenges. I highly recommend this book! It is a joy to read and provides poignant reflections on meaningful topics in both sport and exercise psychology. Performance Excellence is a must-have contribution to the literature!
— Bonnie G. Berger, Fellow of AASP, APA, NAK, Professor Emeritus, Sport and Exercise Psychology, Bowling Green State University
Whether as a valuable teaching tool or as an excellent template for “research to practice” in sport consultancy work, Performance Excellence: Stories of Success From the Real World of Sport and Exercise Psychology provides authentic examples of real-life, powerful stories from both individuals and teams. This book will serve as an outstanding addition to any scholar-practitioner in the field who seeks compelling examples to frame evidence-based, best practice working with clients and to students in sport psychology classes both graduate and undergraduate.
— Colleen M. Hacker, Ph.D., CMPC, FNAP, 6-time Olympic Games coaching staff
This unique and interesting book is a valuable contribution to understanding sport psychology concepts through real life stories. Each chapter successfully integrates a short personal narrative with major concepts of sport psychology and concludes with highly practical “Take Home Points” that will be valuable to athletes, coaches, and mental performance consultants. An enjoyable, interesting, and creative approach to learning about sport psychology and its practical applications.
— Jack J. Lesyk, Ph.D., CMPC, Director, Ohio Center for Sport Psychology
Stories—it’s all about stories. Some are first person accounts, while some are about other people; some describe exercise while others are framed around competitive sports; some are academic, others are anecdotal. Throughout, the immediacy of the story will engage and inform those who are learning about mental performance training, those who practice and those who are their clients.
— Kate F. Hays, Ph.D., C.Psych., CC-AASP, director, The Performing Edge, Toronto, past president, American Psychological Association’s Division of Exercise & Sport Psychology,
This thoughtful collection of stories provides a comprehensive view across many major applied sport psychology topics while personal narratives with heartfelt insights describe a multitude of perspectives on success as defined by athletes, coaches, and performers. As a seasoned professional, I have gained additional examples that I never would have thought to use, while students will be exposed to the inner workings of these private sessions which they often cannot access in class or in a typical textbook. I highly recommend this useful book for the classroom and will be using it in my own practice with athlete-performer consultations.
— Paul Salitsky, Ph.D., emeriti faculty in sport and exercise psychology, University of California Davis