Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The Routledge Handbook of Elite Sport Performance is the first book to examine a broad span of performance and support issues in contemporary elite sport; including coaching, sports science and medicine, leadership and management, operating in different societies, living in the system as a performer, and future developments in the domain.

The book is written by authors with elite-level experience, expertise, success, and status across individual and team sports, including football, NFL, track and field athletics, rowing, and rugby, in professional, Olympic, and other elite domains. The book also considers the integration of systems at micro to macro levels, from working with individual athletes to developing national organisations and policy, and features in-depth case studies from real sport throughout.

This is an essential reference for any researcher or advanced student with an interest in elite sport or applied sport science, from sport injury and sport psychology to sports coaching and sport policy. It is also an invaluable resource for coaches, managers, administrators, and policy-makers working in elite sport, offering them a "breadth first" guide to how and why specialists may work together for maximum effect.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• List of illustrations (p. ix)
• List of contributors (p. xi)
• Foreword (p. xv)
• Introduction - defining, delineating, and driving elite performance (p. xvi)
• Part I Coaching elites - art and science (p. 1)
• 1 The principles of elite coaching - blending knowledge, experience, and novelty (p. 5)
• 2 Being the personal coach (p. 15)
• 3 Being the national coach in an Olympic sport (p. 23)
• 4 Coaching a national team in professional football (p. 31)
• 5 Doing it week in, week out (p. 39)
• 6 Coaching in action/adventure sports - a novel challenge (p. 47)
• 7 Specialist coaching - coaching quarterbacks in NFL, college, and high school (p. 58)
• 8 Developing the players of tomorrow (p. 65)
• Part II The appliance of science - uni-disciplinary perspectives (p. 77)
• 9 Physiology - working in endurance (p. 79)
• 10 Strength and conditioning in the elite team sport environment (p. 85)
• 11 Performance analysis - working in football (p. 99)
• 12 Working with psychology in professional football (p. 114)
• 13 Keeping them on the pitch (p. 133)
• 14 Medical practice with elite athletes (p. 143)
• Part III The appliance of science - interdisciplinary perspectives (p. 159)
• 15 Effective performance support - an integrated view (p. 161)
• 16 Interdisciplinary performance development in elite sport - applied sport science (p. 169)
• 17 Using data in football (p. 177)
• 18 Research and innovation - seeking and securing competitive advantage (p. 186)
• Part IV Managing elite performance systems (p. 199)
• 19 Culture, leadership, and management with elites (p. 201)
• 20 Developing elites - academy systems (p. 212)
• 21 Supporting performance - a national institute perspective (p. 225)
• 22 The performance director's role (p. 235)
• 23 Leading a national system (p. 244)
• 24 Managing a professional football club (p. 253)
• 25 Managing impressions and relationships when speaking to the sports media (p. 258)
• Part V Fitting systems to societies (p. 267)
• 26 Fitting within the social milieu (p. 269)
• 27 Vive la difference - perspectives on the challenges of being a woman in high-level sport (p. 278)
• 28 Developing coaches and players around the globe (p. 291)
• 29 The coach nomad (p. 302)
• 30 The transition to elite performance - societal contrasts in the same sport (p. 310)
• Part VI Living in the system - the performer perspective (p. 323)
• 31 The new kids on the block (p. 325)
• 32 Staying at the top in Olympic rowing for 25 years (p. 335)
• 33 Playing home and away - and away and away (p. 343)
• 34 Life AND sport - making it happen AND progressing while you play (p. 353)
• Part VII Integration - making it all work (p. 363)
• 35 Driving the performance system - DOES research help? (p. 365)
• 36 Working in the jungle - how should elite sport practitioners operate and be developed? (p. 374)
• 37 Creating long-term high performing teams (p. 384)
• Index (p. 390)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Coedited by a British-European team of sports and performance experts--Collins (Univ. of Edinburgh), Cruickshank (Univ. of Central Lancashire), and Jordet (Norwegian School of Sport Sciences)--this lengthy volume of 37 essays may be the first to examine support issues in elite sports, as claimed. The author-editors, overwhelmingly male and British, have considerable combined experience in the academy and as leaders in team sports. The handbook is designed for researchers and advanced students in applied sports science, as well as sports coaches and administrators seeking guidance to maximize efficiency and success. All contributors seem to agree unanimously that elite sports teams, and individual athletes, require the following types of support: development of a team-based culture; focus on ethics in applying science to their needs; stress on good communication skills; and effort toward building trust. Various chapters address ways of enhancing cooperation between researchers and practically minded coaches, but overall these contributions give limited coverage to women in sports. Although redundancies or overlaps among the chapters are striking, the contribution by Mads Davidsen (chapter 27, "Fitting within the Social Milieu"), analyzing his personal experiences with coaching in the Chinese sports environment, is indeed unique and illuminating. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students through faculty and professionals. --Steven A. Riess, emeritus, Northeastern Illinois University

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Dave Collins is Director of Grey Matters Performance Ltd and a Professorial Fellow at the University of Edinburgh. As a practitioner, he has supported over 70 world or Olympic medalists, and worked at the highest levels of professional sport and other performance domains. His current support roles include Chelsea FC, Gloucester RFC, and Snowsports New Zealand.
Andrew Cruickshank is Lead Psychologist for British Judo, Sport Psychologist for England Golf, and consultant for other elite sport organisations and governing bodies through Grey Matters Performance Ltd. Andrew is also Researcher/Lecturer within the Institute of Coaching and Performance at the University of Central Lancashire in the UK.
Geir Jordet is Professor in Sport Psychology at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Norway, and regular consultant for several European football associations and professional football clubs. He is co-owner of cognitive training software company BeYourBest.