Coaching adventure sports is part of the core work of many adventure educators but has been largely neglected in the adventure studies literature. This is the first book to link contemporary sports coaching science with adventure sports practice. It examines the unique set of challenges faced by adventure sports coaches, such as the dynamic natural environment and the requirement to train athletes to levels of high performance outside of traditional structures of competition, and explores both key theory and best practice. The book covers key topics such as: Skill acquisition and skill development Models of learning and teaching Performance analysis Tactics and decision-making Training principles Mental skills techniques Goal setting and progression Risk management Each chapter contains applied examples from a range of adventure sports, including mountaineering, rock climbing, canoeing, kayaking, surfing, and winter sport, as well as practical coaching techniques and a guide to further reading. Written by a team of authors with wide experience of coaching, teaching, researching and high performance participation in adventure sports, this book is invaluable reading for any student or practitioner with an interest in adventure, outdoor education, sports coaching or lifestyle sport.

“...the most comprehensive adventure sport physiology book I am aware of; therefore, I recommend it wholeheartedly.” The Sport and Exercise Scientist, March 2009 This book provides students and professionals with a well-written, accessible introduction to the science underlying a variety of adventure sports. Written specifically for this increasingly popular field of study, the text has been divided into two parts: the first provides the foundations for adventure physiology, the second the specific physiological and environmental demands of a range of adventure sports including kayaking, canoeing, sailing, windsurfing, climbing, mountaineering and skiing. Written by two adventure sports performers with extensive teaching and coaching experience, this book will prove invaluable to students taking courses in adventure and outdoor education and professional instructors involved in such activities. In addition, students of sport and exercise science and physical education will find this an excellent introduction to the physiological response to exercise. Clearly explains the basic physiological principles and applies them to a variety of land and water-based sports. In full colour throughout, the book includes numerous illustrations, together with key points and chapter summaries to reinforce learning. Contains original pieces from elite and high-level athletes describing the physiological demands of their particular sport in a real-world context. These include London sports personality of the year Anna Hemmings, respected climbers Dave Macleod and Neil Gresham, and Olympic medallists Tim Brabants and Ben Ainslie. Dedicated web site contains an original sample training programme and a set of adventure sport specific exercises.

The concept of positive pedagogy has transformed the way we understand learning and coaching in sport. Presenting examples of positive pedagogy in action, this book is the first to apply its basic principles to individual sports such as swimming, athletics, gymnastics and karate. Using the game based approach (GBA) (an athlete-centred, inquiry-based method that involves game-like activities), this book demonstrates how positive pedagogy can be successfully employed across a range of sports and levels of performance, while also providing insight into coaches’ experiences of this approach. Divided into three sections that focus on the development, characteristics and applications of positive pedagogy, it fills a gap in coaching literature by extending the latest developments of GBA to activities beyond team sports. It pioneers a way of coaching that is both efficient in improving performance and effective in promoting positive experiences of learning across all ages and abilities. Positive Pedagogy for Sport Coaching: Athlete-centred coaching for individual sports is invaluable reading for all sports coaching students as well as any practising coach or physical education teacher looking for inspiration.

In Coach Education Essentials, renowned coach educators and professionals present the key elements of quality coaching and how to cultivate it. This resource is for everyone invested in advancing the abilities and actions of coaches through effective educational and developmental experiences.