Peak Performance for Soccer


Book Description

In this book, over 40 of the world’s leading practitioners working in elite soccer— over 6 continents—share advanced knowledge of the environment as well as a scientific understanding of the game and players. This book explores those traits at an intricate level through shared experiences of some of the best performance coaches working in elite soccer. The content in this book is derived from practical and evidence-based concepts that have been applied at the elite level. Uncovering the coaching strategies as well as contemporary issues in elite soccer, this comprehensive textbook illustrates what it takes to thrive as a performance coach at the top level. Collaborating with the industry leaders in soccer, the chapters address a myriad of topics such as: • the multiple roles and responsibilities; • youth development; • strength and conditioning application; • nutrition and recovery strategies; • tracking and monitoring fitness and fatigue; • powerful communication methods and staff cohesion; and • return to play and injury prevention strategies Peak Performance for Soccer is essential reading for all coaches and practitioners, at any level, who work in soccer. Alex Calder is the head of sports science with the Houston Dynamo, competing in Major League Soccer (MLS). He is an accredited level 3 elite coach with the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association (ASCA), as well as holding accreditations through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCa). Adam Centofanti is currently the head of fitness for the Seattle Sounders FC, having previously served as the head of academy strength and conditioning for Houston Dynamo FC. Formally with Melbourne City FC, Adam held various roles with the club including conditioning coach/sports scientist in the academy sector as well as overseeing the women’s performance program, achieving multiple championships.




Peak Performance


Book Description

A state-of-the-art, one-stop text for coaches and athletes who want to improve their sporting performances via the application of scientific training and nutritional principles.




Sports Psychiatry


Book Description

Although psychiatrists and other mental health clinicians interested in sports practice already have the necessary general skills to help competitive athletes deal with adversity and the multitude of emotions that sports can elicit, most typically they lack the sports-specific knowledge necessary to truly help these patients and clients. In Sports Psychiatry: Strategies for Life Balance and Peak Performance, the long-time team psychiatrist for the Baltimore Orioles and the Baltimore Ravens intends to remedy this knowledge gap by sharing his unique perspective and rare expertise in cultivating athletes' peak performance while promoting team unity, sound judgement, personal growth, pride, and a lasting sense of accomplishment. The book: Explains sports culture and team structure and function, vividly describing the environment in which elite competition takes place Focuses on the shifting nature and intensity of athletes' emotions -- the highs that come with success and the lows that accompany poor performance -- and describes the situations that magnify them, including injury and pain, media scrutiny, the availability of performance-enhancing drugs, and the fear of both failure and success Addresses critical topics, such as regulating energy, recognizing and controlling stress, preparing mentally for performance, and treating mental disorders common to athletes Draws on the author's length of experience and clinical observations, the evidence base of sports psychiatry, and fascinating stories of athletes at all levels to inform, teach, encourage, and inspire. Although written for mental health professionals, the book will also be of great interest to primary care and sports medicine physicians, athletic trainers, team owners and managers -- and of course -- the athletes themselves. Engaging and insightful, Sports Psychiatry is the go-to book for those in need of practical strategies for supporting and attaining peak performance.




Peak


Book Description

"There is a new revolution happening in sports as more and more athletes are basing their success on this game-changing combination: health, nutrition, training, recovery, and mindset. Unfortunately, the evidence-based techniques that the expert PhDs, academic institutions, and professional performance staffs follow can be in stark contrast to what many athletes actually practice. When combined with the noise of social media, old-school traditions, and bro-science, it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction. Peak is a groundbreaking book exploring the fundamentals of high performance (not the fads), the importance of consistency (not extreme effort), and the value of patience (not rapid transformation). Dr. Marc Bubbs makes deep science easy to understand, and with information from leading experts who are influencing the top performers in sports on how to achieve world-class success, he lays out the record-breaking feats of athleticism and strategies that are rooted in this personalized approach.Dr. Bubbs expertly brings together the worlds of health, nutrition, and exercise and synthesizes the salient science into actionable guidance.




The Confident Athlete


Book Description

The Confident Athlete teaches athletes, teams, and coaches how to build and maintain confidence. Stories and exercises are given to help ensure your confidence stays strong regardless of circumstance.




Apex Soccer Journal


Book Description

Do you know what world-class soccer players do to become their best? Do you want to improve your soccer skills efficiently and effectively? Do you know how to obtain a positive and competitive mindset? The secret: deliberate practice makes perfect. This Apex Soccer Journal helps you turn a simple practice into a deliberate practice and turbo-charge your improvement by: -Setting clear and focused intention for each practice; -Ensuring quality practice through self and coach evaluation ;-Encouraging daily practice and cross training; -Recording and reflecting on lessons learned from your coaches. -Training your mind through a 6-month Sports Mindset Training. With deliberate practices, you will become your very best this soccer season. This journal is a must-have for aspiring champions and elite athletes. Brian has been working with athletes and teams for over 15 years since earning his MA in Sport Psychology from John F. Kennedy University in California. He joined Sport Psychology Institute Northwest as a sport psychology consultant in 2007, and took over as director in 2011. Now as the Director of AMPlify Sport Psychology, he is constantly evolving his craft. Brian's interest in sport psychology developed during his time as a high school football kicker/punter, college soccer player, and USSF C license soccer coach, where he found the mental game to be important, but under-taught. He believes strongly that training the mind is as important as training the body, and has dedicated his professional life to helping athletes achieve their goals, play up to their potential, and improve enjoyment in sports and in life. Amplify your game with the Apex Soccer Journal!




The Peak Performance


Book Description




Elite Soccer Players


Book Description

The sport of soccer has evolved immensely since its beginning around 2,000 years ago and is now considered the most popular sport in the world. The research related to the physical, psychological, and tactical aspects of the game has risen in conjunction with its fame. Elite Soccer Players: Maximizing Performance and Safety seeks to inform the reader with the most current research connected to optimizing physical performance and reducing the risk of injury of the elite soccer athlete for a variety of ages. After providing an initial brief overview of applying physical and psychological scientific concepts in soccer ("Part I: Laying the Foundation”), this book then takes the reader through a series of important yet novel parts including: “Athlete Monitoring and Data Analysis,” “Optimizing Physical Performance,” “Injury Epidemiology and Risk Reduction,” “Achieving Peak Performance and Safety in Various Environmental Conditions,” and “Unique Aspects of the Game.” The goal of Elite Soccer Players: Maximizing Performance and Safety is to conceptualize and expand upon the current research associated with these topics and provide an applicable point of view to the coaches, sport scientists, strength and conditioning coaches, and sports medicine professionals who work with these athletes every day.




Achieving Excellence


Book Description

Perform to your potential with proven mental training techniques! Achieving Excellence: Mastering the Mindset for Peak Performance in Sport and Life offers a variety of peak performance strategies to help athletes, coaches, and performers of all kinds achieve a winning mindset. The book explores sport psychology concepts and provides practical, proven strategies to incorporate into your daily life and competitive career. Renowned mental skills coach and performance psychology expert Colleen Hacker has helped hundreds of Olympic and professional athletes to achieve their individual and team goals. In Achieving Excellence, she shares her approach for cultivating confidence, focus, and habits of excellence. She will teach you how to create action plans for success and develop performance routines that optimize achievement. Inside, you will discover the strategies and practical tools needed for success in life and sport, such as these: Bulleted checklists that offer step-by-step application tips for mental skills Sidebars that highlight strategies for overcoming common challenges Success stories from top athletes and firsthand accounts of their experiences using different techniques Inspirational quotes throughout the book will motivate you, and implementation worksheets—available both in the book and online through HKPropel—are provided to help you apply mental training strategies in competition or in other achievement domains. With Achieving Excellence, you will develop a winning mindset with evidence-based, step-by-step plans that lead you to peak performance. Note: A code for accessing HKPropel is included with this ebook.




Peak Performance


Book Description

"A transfixing book on how to sustain peak performance and avoid burnout" —Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Option B, Originals, and Give and Take "An essential playbook for success, happiness, and getting the most out of ourselves." Arianna Huffington, author of Thrive and The Sleep Revolution "I doubt anyone can read Peak Performance without itching to apply something to their own lives." —David Epstein, New York Times bestselling author of The Sports Gene A few common principles drive performance, regardless of the field or the task at hand. Whether someone is trying to qualify for the Olympics, break ground in mathematical theory or craft an artistic masterpiece, many of the practices that lead to great success are the same. In Peak Performance, Brad Stulberg, a former McKinsey and Company consultant and writer who covers health and the science of human performance, and Steve Magness, a performance scientist and coach of Olympic athletes, team up to demystify these practices and demonstrate how you can achieve your best. The first book of its kind, Peak Performance combines the inspiring stories of top performers across a range of capabilities—from athletic to intellectual and artistic—with the latest scientific insights into the cognitive and neurochemical factors that drive performance in all domains. In doing so, Peak Performance uncovers new linkages that hold promise as performance enhancers but have been overlooked in our traditionally-siloed ways of thinking. The result is a life-changing book in which you can learn how to enhance your performance via myriad ways including: optimally alternating between periods of intense work and rest; priming the body and mind for enhanced productivity; and developing and harnessing the power of a self-transcending purpose. In revealing the science of great performance and the stories of great performers across a wide range of capabilities, Peak Performance uncovers the secrets of success, and coaches you on how to use them. If you want to take your game to the next level, whatever "your game" may be, Peak Performance will teach you how.