Global Perspectives in Applied Sport and Performance Psychology – serie

This book details the psychological theory and research surrounding various aspects of coaching, with a specific focus on American football coaches' work with young people. These theories are explained using coaches' personal stories and the clinical insights of the author: a former athlete, sport psychology professor, and licensed psychologist. This book explores the psychological minutiae of effective coaching relationships, avenues toward expanding notions of traditional masculinity, ethnic and racial minority worldviews and experiences in sport, ways to more effectively engage gender and sexual minority athletes and players living in poverty, strategies to meet the needs of neurodiverse and physically or intellectually challenged players, recommendations for balancing coaches' role strain, and ways to weather mental health challenges surrounding grief and loss on and off the field. In addition, this book also infuses global perspectives on applied sport psychology in its focus on American football coaches from immigrant, indigenous, and non-Western backgrounds. Experiences of these coaches will be explored to better understand specific struggles, strengths, and contributions of these communities to the field of sport psychology.

This book details the psychological theory and research surrounding various aspects of coaching, with a specific focus on American football coaches' work with young people. These theories are explained using coaches' personal stories and the clinical insights of the author: a former athlete, sport psychology professor, and licensed psychologist. This book explores the psychological minutiae of effective coaching relationships, avenues toward expanding notions of traditional masculinity, ethnic and racial minority worldviews and experiences in sport, ways to more effectively engage gender and sexual minority athletes and players living in poverty, strategies to meet the needs of neurodiverse and physically or intellectually challenged players, recommendations for balancing coaches' role strain, and ways to weather mental health challenges surrounding grief and loss on and off the field. In addition, this book also infuses global perspectives on applied sport psychology in its focus on American football coaches from immigrant, indigenous, and non-Western backgrounds. Experiences of these coaches will be explored to better understand specific struggles, strengths, and contributions of these communities to the field of sport psychology.

This unique book shows how traits and emotional patterns, often seen as barriers, can be transformed into powerful assets for success. Through fascinating case studies and science-backed strategies, readers learn to regulate emotions, build emotional resilience, sharpen focus, and achieve personal and professional excellence. Each chapter delivers practical tools for strengthening emotional regulation, addressing negative thinking, and improving adaptability. Core theories–including Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Csikszentmihalyi’s flow, and Hanin’s individual zone of optimal functioning–are brought to life through real-world examples, making complex ideas accessible and actionable. Promoting a neurodiversity-affirming approach, the book invites readers to move beyond deficit thinking and unlock the full potential of individual strengths. Structured reflection, measurable progress tracking, and tailored environment design are essential to long-term performance and wellbeing. Whether you are an athlete, entrepreneur, healthcare professional, academic, or leader, this book challenges you to redefine success. Excellence is not about perfection or pressure but adaptability, emotional mastery, and sustainable growth. This is your vital guide to flourishing, even when the pressure is at its highest. It is packed with ideas and practical solutions that you can tailor to your specific journey.

This handbook is an extensive scholarly resource comprising thirty-two chapters written by respected researchers and educators working at the intersection of sport and creativity research. Showcasing a wide range of topics relevant to this emerging interdisciplinary field, the Handbook is organised into three parts:Theoretical Positions: The Nature of Creativity in SportContextual Perspectives: The Role of Creativity in SportApplied Approaches: The Promotion of Creativity in SportAcross these parts, readers are invited to navigate the varied terrain of creativity research, reconsider their assumptions about the meaning of creativity, and critically engage with the multifaceted possibilities and dilemmas of fostering creativity. Encouraging readers to move with creativity in novel ways, the Handbook provides the conceptual frameworks and applied tools to understand and work with creativity a dynamic, context-sensitive phenomenon central to growth, wellbeing, performance and innovation in sport. As such, the Handbook is a vital resource for researchers, students, and practitioners across the realms of sport – particularly those concerned with psychology, philosophy, pedagogy, coaching, youth development, sport participation, talent development, skill acquisition, and expert performance.

This book introduces the neurological foundations of dance and explores how movement engages perception, memory, emotion, creativity, and learning. Drawing on research from neuroscience, psychology, and dance studies, the book examines dance as both a complex motor skill and a meaningful human practice, with applications in education, performance, and health contexts.Written in accessible language, it is intended for dancers, educators, therapists, students, and general readers interested in the brain mechanisms underlying dance and in how dance practice shapes the brain. Scientific concepts are presented through clear explanations and embodied perspectives, linking theory to lived experience and practice.By placing dance at the centre of neuroscientific inquiry, the book offers a coherent and integrative account of how brain, body, and environment interact through creative movement.