Focused for Rugby

Dr. Adam R. Nicholls is a sport and exercise psychologist registered with the Health Professions Council. He has been providing psychological support to professional rugby players for several years. Additionally, Adam has published over 40 scientific papers in international journals on topics such as coping, mental toughness, and injury rehabilitation. He has also edited a book on coping in sport. Many international rugby union players—including those who have represented the British and Irish Lions, the New Zealand All Blacks, England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Fiji, and Hong Kong—have participated in Adam's research, which gives him a unique insight into the psychology of participating in rugby at the highest level, which he shares with other players to help them be the best they can. Adam has the skills and experience to teach rugby players and coaches the most up-to-date psychological techniques. Jon Callard landed four penalty goals that helped England beat New Zealand 15-9 at Twickenham in 1993 on his test debut. Five years later he scored all of Bath's points in the 19-18 win over Brive, which earned Bath the accolade of being the first English club to lift the Heineken Cup. Jon's coaching career dates back to 1998, when he was appointed assistant to the assistant coach at Bath, and then became head coach two years later. After that, he had a spell as Leeds Carnegie's first team coach in 2002. Jon is former physical education and science teacher at Downside, and played six times for the Barbarians from 1994 to 1997 and as a specialist fullback for Bath. His 2,087 points from 210 matches contributed hugely to Bath's triumphs, including four Twickenham cup final victories and five Courage League titles between 1990 and 1996.

"Focused for Rugby is a great asset for coaches at all levels of the game. It offers a coach-friendly guide toward the understanding of psychology. In particular, it teaches you how to apply the principles to both training and competition to improve your players. Just as important, the exercises provided in this book will allow you to monitor the progress of your players over the course of the rugby season." Leigh Jones--Coach Development Manager, Hong Kong RFU

• Chapter 1 Goal Setting Chapter 2 Performance Profiling Chapter 3 Preparation for Peak Performance Chapter 4 Mental Toughness Chapter 5 Coping Effectively With Stress Chapter 6 Mental Imagery Chapter 7 Building Confidence Chapter 8 Avoiding Choking Chapter 9 The Zone Chapter 10 Managing Anger Chapter 11 Injury and Rehabilitation Chapter 12 Progressive Muscular Relaxation Chapter 13 Overtraining and Underperforming Chapter 14 Coach–Athlete Relationship Chapter 15 Effective Leadership