Game Sense is an exciting and innovative approach to coaching and physical education that places the gameat the heart of the session. It encourages the player to develop skills in a realistic context, to become more tactically aware, to make better decisions and to have more fun. Game Senseis a comprehensive, research-informed introduction to the Game Sense approach that defines and explores key concepts and essential pedagogical theory, and that offers an extensive series of practical examples and plans for using Game Sense in real teaching and coaching situations. The first section of the book helps the reader to understand how learning occurs and how this informs player-centred pedagogy.It also explains the relationship between Game Sense and other approaches to Teaching Games for Understanding. The second section of the book demonstrates how the theory can be applied in practice, providing a detailed, step-by-step guide to using Game Sense in eleven sports, including soccer, basketball, field hockey and softball. No other book explores the Game Sense approach in such depth, or combines theory and innovative practical techniques. Game Senseis invaluable reading for all students of physical education or sports coaching, any in-service physical education teacher or any sports coach working with children or young people.

The Third World Congress of Science and Football was held in Cardiff, Wales in April 1995. The aim of the conference was to continue to bridge the gap between the theory and practice of the various branches of football and increase the awareness of the value of a scientific approach to these games. These aims and the outcomes of the conference are reflected in this third volume of Science and Football. The volume is divided into eight parts, each part containing a group of papers that are related by theme or disciplinary approach. Metabolism and nutrition, football training, match analysis, medical aspects of football and psychology and football behaviour are just a few of the areas covered in this comprehensive, in-depth volume that has been fully edited and revised. The conclusions drawn during the congress represent an invaluable practical reference for coaches, scientists, players, managers, and all those involved in the many football codes.

Sports coaching is a social activity. At its heart lies a complex interaction between coach and athlete played out within the context of sport, itself a socio-culturally defined set of practices. In this ground-breaking book, leading international coaching scholars and coaches argue that an understanding of sociology and social theory can help us better grasp the interactive nature of coaching and consequently assist in demystifying the mythical ‘art’ of the activity. The Sociology of Sports Coaching establishes an alternative conceptual framework from which to explore sports coaching. It firstly introduces the work of key social theorists, such as Foucault, Goffman and Bourdieu among others, before highlighting the principal themes that link the study of sociology and sports coaching, such as power, interaction, and knowledge and learning. The book also outlines and develops the connections between theory and practice by placing the work of each selected social theorist alongside contemporary views on that work from a current practicing coach. This is the first book to present a critical sociological perspective of sports coaching and, as such, it represents an important step forward in the professionalization of the discipline. It is essential reading for any serious student of sports coaching or the sociology of sport, and for any reflective practitioner looking to become a better coach.

This book applies the principles of well-being theory and positive psychology to sport to establish a basis of servant leadership in sport organizations. Though the win-at-all-cost mentality is pervasive in sport, leading to acceptance of leadership styles more associated with controlling and extrinsic motivators, the author proposes need satisfaction based on three psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and belongingness, which leads to enhanced job performance, job satisfaction, and well-being. Through need satisfaction, servant leaders positively influence organizational outcomes by enabling followers' growth and well-being. This book will make a new contribution to sport management research in applying the principles of positive psychology to servant leadership and to sport.

An effective strength and conditioning program is an essential component of the preparation of any athlete or sportsperson. Strength and Conditioning for Sports Performance is a comprehensive and authoritative introduction to the theory and practice of strength and conditioning, providing students, coaches and athletes with everything they need to design and implement effective training programs. The book includes a clear and rigorous explanation of the core science underpinning strength and conditioning techniques and gives a detailed, step-by-step guide to all of the key training methodologies, including training for strength, speed, endurance, agility, flexibility as well as plyometrics. Throughout the book the focus is on the coaching process, with every chapter highlighting the application of strength and conditioning techniques in everyday coaching situations. The book also includes a unique and extensive section of sport-specific chapters, each of which examines in detail the application of strength and conditioning to a particular sport, from soccer and basketball to golf and track and field athletics. The book includes contributions from world-leading strength and conditioning specialists in every chapter, including coaches who have worked with Olympic gold medallists and international sports teams at the very highest level. Strength and Conditioning for Sports Performance is an essential course text for any degree level student with an interest in strength and conditioning, for all students looking to achieve professional accreditation, and an invaluable reference for all practising strength and conditioning coaches.

The first Positive Youth Development title to focus on the role of sport, this book brings together high profile contributors from diverse disciplines to critically examine the ways in which sport can be and has been used to promote youth development. Young people are too frequently looked upon as problems waiting to be solved. From the perspective of Positive Youth Development (PYD), young people are understood to embody potential, awaiting development. Involvement with sport provides a developmental context that has been associated with PYD, but negative outcomes can also arise from sport participation and school PE. Sport itself does not lead to PYD; rather, it is the manner in which sport is structured and delivered to children that influences their development. Positive Youth Development Through Sport fills a void in the literature by bringing together experts from diverse disciplines to critically examine the ways in which sport can be and has been used to promote youth development.