Sport Psychology: From Theory to Practice (4th Edition)
This book fills a need for an applied sport psychology book based on credible, published research. A deliberate attempt is made to base application on theory while avoiding scientific and statistical jargon so readers at various levels of education, past experience, and expertise can feel comfortable with the book's content. Sport examples from media publications and from the author's own experiences as a sport psychologist nurture the connection between the professional literature and real-life sport experiences.  The opening chapter explains the field of sport psychology, which also encompasses the related field of exercise psychology. Chapter 4 focuses on how coaches and athletes interpret and explain the causes of contest results, and how that plays an important role in future participation. Chapter 5 uncovers the underlying causes of an athlete's emotions just prior to the contest and what one can do about them. To lend additional credence to the application of cited research studies, Chapter 12 includes portions of the author's conversations with many athletes, showing that many ideas believed to be widely held "truths" in the coaching profession often are considered myths by the athletes themselves.  For anyone interested in the psychology of sport.