Performance Excellence

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.

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.

• IntroductionChapter 1: Teams: Cohesion, Dynamics and Culture, and LeadershipIs A “C” Really Necessary? - Matthieu Boisvert & Todd LougheadNever Satisfied - BernadetteComptonUCLA Gymnastics Team Culture - Deborah MunchOn Being & Becoming Fearless Female Athletes - Ellen StaurowskyCulture Eats Teambuilding for Breakfast - Lauren TashmanChapter 2: Pursuit of Goals: Motivation, Goal Setting, and AdherenceJourney Toward Becoming an Everyday Exerciser - Bradley CardinalThe Gruppo Ciclistico - Jeff CherubiniPerfect Pitch - John HeilStar Spangled Sport - John HeilAsk the Kids - Rick HowardOne Hour at a Time - Michael SachsRinger - Michael SachsValuing Physical Activity/Exercise - Michael SachsChapter 3: Identity and Transitions: Exercise Identity, Athletic Identity, Transitions, and Self-awarenessEmbracing Change - Bassey Akpan How my Athletic Role Affected my Identity - Arna EregaWho Am I After Everything is Said and Done? - Shaya SchaedlerLife After Sport - Alexandra Szarabajko Hello Life: This is Swimming Joann, It’s Nice to Meet you - Joann WakefieldThe Split Dodge - Diana WildermuthThe Value of a Sport Transition - Taylor WiseLeaving Sport With a Spinal Cord Injury - Derek Zike and Monna Arvinen-BarrowChapter 4: Mental Training: Imagery, Attentional Focus and Control, Self-talk, Arousal Control and Energy Management, and Emotion RegulationTrying to Take it One Pitch at a Time - William BrownAct it ‘til you In-act it - Kevin Burke“It’s not a Typo.” - Mark CheneyHurdle by Hurdle - Michael ClarkControlling a Racing Mind While Racing the Mile - Emily GalvinImagining Success and Staying Positive: One Lap at a Time - Al KornspanSee it to Believe it! - Dora KurimayLearning to Read Your Physiological Stress Gauge - William LandUp and Down the Ladder: The Ebbs and Flows of a Champion Jockey - Karen LoRide it Out: Stress and Anxiety Management Strategies on the Slopes - Michelle McAlarnenA Tennis Journey - Nikola MilinkovicBe the Best Carley - Deborah MunchThe Background Noise of the Overachieving Helicopter Parent - Kate NoltThese are the Moments we Live for - Max PollackMake no Mistake: Your Thoughts Build Your Game - Meghan Ramick and Selen RazonBe The Ball - Michael SachsImagining the Power - Joann WakefieldPool of Tears: In The Water They Can’t see you cry - Joann WakefieldRanger Up - Cedric Williams and Matthew D. PowlessChapter 5: Mindset: Confidence, Emotion, Mental Toughness, Anxiety/Stress/Pressure, and Staleness/BurnoutPidä hauskaa - have fun! - Monna Arvinen-Barrow, Amanda Visek, and Amie BarrowThe Big Three - Arna EregaThe Extreme Stupor/??????? ?????? - 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 KeenanYou Get to Choose - Jen SchumacherConfidence: A mindset, not a feeling - Lauren TashmanTeeing up for Success by Exploring and Shifting Mindset - Lauren TashmanChapter 6: Facing and Overcoming Challenges: Mental Toughness, Anxiety/Stress/Pressure, Staleness/Burnout, Resilience, and Rehabilitation from InjuryMore than that, I was Never Just… - Megan Buning and Tiffany M. KasdorfCoping With Injury: Deep Breathing and Praying - Damien Clement & Monna Arvinen-BarrowGrit at 335 Miles Per Hour: A Drag Racing Story of Guts, Resilience, Initiative, and Tenacity - Tami EgglestonFailing Forward - Kerry GuestBeing There - John HeilPsyche of the Injured Athlete - Laura MieleRunning to Cope or Running Away - How Much is Too Much? - Kate NoltDefying the Odds - Selen RazonDo Not Quit! - Selen Razon and Meghan RamickComing Back From Injury - Shaya SchaedlerLife Changes for Athletic Excellence - Tshepang Tshube, Karin Jeffery, & Stephanie HanrahanUnconventional Success through Injury - Taylor WiseResilience and Recovery After Bike Collision - Anna WeltmanThe Dormouse: Recollections of a Lightweight Rower with Overtraining Syndrome - Lindsay WoodfordConclusionBibliographyAppendix: Recommendations for Utilizing This Book in the ClassroomIndexAbout the EditorsAbout the Contributors