Sports Psychology

Odysseus

Hi all, I'm aware that a few people here are interested/studying coaching. As a psychotherapist and of course an endurance runnere I have a passing interest in the topic. In the process of peoples study has anyone come across any sports psych books that they would recommend?

Running Bing

Odysseus wrote: »

Hi all, I'm aware that a few people here are interested/studying coaching. As a psychotherapist and of course an endurance runnere I have a passing interest in the topic. In the process of peoples study has anyone come across any sports psych books that they would recommend?

Its an area I find fascinating and Id also love to hear some recommendations.


May be a bit shallow for somebody like yourself Odysseus but Tim Noakes Loare of Running has some very good stuff on the psychological aspect of the sport.

He has a lot of stuff on the "central governor" theory (i.e. its the brain that ultimately dictates how fast we go in a race).

Running Bing

Also a lot of the stuff by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (especially "finding flow") is held in pretty high regard and widely referenced.

Odysseus

Cheers thanks for those refs, anyone recommend a core text?

RacoonQueen

I did Sports Psychology when studying personal training, we learnt from handouts though. The fitness forum might be a good place to ask people in there might have had texts when they were studying PT.

johnnyfox24

An excellent sports psychology book is "pure sport' by Aidan Moran and John Kremer.

Also as mentioned Noakes' the lore of running.

LDB

An excellent sports psychology book is "pure sport' by Aidan Moran and John Kremer.

+1 for this book

also, Sport and Exercise Psychology: A Critical Introduction by Aidan P. Moran.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sport-Exercise-Psychology-Textbook-Introduction/dp/0415168090/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240864024&sr=8-1

Zuppy

More from a beginners point, anyone know any distance learning/ Irish courses on the matter?

LDB

ZuppyLurk wrote: »

More from a beginners point, anyone know any distance learning/ Irish courses on the matter?

Dublin Business School do a course. Not sure if it can be done distance or not. I did it last year and found it really interesting.

Odysseus

Thanks for the recommendations, I had a quick flick through Noakes in Waterstones last night, I think I will go with that as a starting off point.

xroguetrader

Hi all....

I am really considering doing a course in Sports Psychology. It is something that really interests me and would love to learn more and develop more knowledge about. However, I am unsure as to the long term employment opportunites out there as this is relatively a new area. I say this in respect to numbers currently taking courses in S&C and how that area is now flooded with people involved with this side of things all of which may not be able to gain worthwhile employment (just my opinion).

I am just conscious that admittedly like anything if you are good at something you will reap rewards but just how saturated and big the market is in Ireland. So is it possible to get any advice/feedback as to regards peoples experiences/opinions on the role itself and the future growth expected in the sports psychology field...

tunguska

Best Sports psychology book I ever read was Think and grow rich by Napoleon Hill.

Dubgal72

More a general one but definitely applicable to all areas of life: The Chimp Paradox. Am only half way through so won't give a verdict just yet.

The Black Oil

Think Prof Aidan Moran of UCD has written about this area.

Murph_D

Dubgal72 wrote: »

More a general one but definitely applicable to all areas of life: The Chimp Paradox. Am only half way through so won't give a verdict just yet.

Heard the author on Marathon Talk a while back. He sounded like a right huxter. Tell me you smell snake oil.

RayCun

The Black Oil wrote: »

Think Prof Aidan Moran of UCD has written about this area.

yeah, I've read this
http://www.librarything.com/work/8282449/book/92558788
he was one of the authors
I can't remember the four Cs though... Confident, Calm, Control, Concentrated?

annapr

and an alternative view of sports psychology from one of our national sceptics...

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/joe-brolly-why-i-cant-lose-with-a-career-in-the-bull****-industry-35191230.html

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/joe-brolly-mindfulness-gurus-put-my-bullstometer-in-overdrive-34301432.html

Enduro

annapr wrote: »

and an alternative view of sports psychology from one of our national sceptics...

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/joe-brolly-why-i-cant-lose-with-a-career-in-the-bull****-industry-35191230.html

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/joe-brolly-mindfulness-gurus-put-my-bullstometer-in-overdrive-34301432.html

I have no interest in GAA, so wouldn't read his columns. I think I might have to change that. Those were two of the best I've read in ages, and hit the nail firmly on the head. Class. Thanks for the links.

jamule

annapr wrote: »

and an alternative view of sports psychology from one of our national sceptics...

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/joe-brolly-why-i-cant-lose-with-a-career-in-the-bull****-industry-35191230.html

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/joe-brolly-mindfulness-gurus-put-my-bullstometer-in-overdrive-34301432.html

He's been banging on about this for a long time now. I had the 'joy' at listening to him give a talk recently , jaysus he's a hateful fooker but I can only agree with him.

I have had the joy to listen to Enda McNulty and a few others on the subject, great orators and masters at coming up with mottos and other words that amount to the sum of fook all.

Murph_D

Commit
Focus
Believe
Achieve

tang1

Just received Jeff Galloways Mental Training for Runners, hope to get stuck into it soon to see if its of any use to me.

annapr

Murph_D wrote: »

Commit
Focus
Believe
Achieve

Ah now Jim is obviously exempt.

ploughon

Odysseus wrote: »

Hi all, I'm aware that a few people here are interested/studying coaching. As a psychotherapist and of course an endurance runnere I have a passing interest in the topic. In the process of peoples study has anyone come across any sports psych books that they would recommend?

Hi Odysseus,
I wonder would it be worth a call to the PSI (Psychological Society of Ireland) to ask if they recommend any courses in Sports Psychology? With a bit of digging you could then check out the reading list for the course??

PVincent

The best one I have read is ' In Pursuit of Excellence ' by Terry Orlick ...well worth a read . Has been republished many times so have not read the latest version , but certainly a very comphrensive bible , yet easy to read , on Sports Phychology , both for athlete and coach , individual or team .

The Black Oil

The British Psychological Society's Research Digest PsychCrunch podcast had a recent episode that may be of interest.

Link here.