The Psychology Of Team Sports

Every fan knows that individual talent is vital to a team. But sport psychologists understand that the key to success is to incorporate talent into a supportive team unit. The editors have assembled a variety of articles to address the psychological issues related to team sport activities on and off the court or field. Chapter 1 introduces a three-phase model to cut through the complexities associated with team sports and chapters 2 to 12 offer theoretical and practical advice. In addition to addressing the major theoretical concepts related to team sport activities, the book discusses the experiences of sport psychologists who have worked with professionals and national teams. Issues include: Methodological Principles; Ethics; Pre-Performance Routines in Self-Paced Tasks; The Principles of Team Building; Understanding and Managing Emotions; Gender Differences; Working With Professional Basketball Players; Improving Concentration Skills for Soccer Players; Issues in Baseball; Optimal Use of Sport Psychology for Developing Confidence.

The ability to mould a group of talented individual athletes into an effective team takes effort and skill. Team Psychology in Sports examines the crucial factors in the development of an effective team, introducing important psychological and organizational concepts and offering evidence-based interventions for enhancing the performance of any sports team. The book neatly bridges the gap between theory and practice, with real sporting case studies, examples and practical tools included in each chapter. It covers the full range of issues in team sport, including: planning communication cohesion motivation emotions momentum leadership recovery. No other book offers such an up-to-date, relevant and applied guide to working with sports teams. It is essential reading for all students and practitioners working in sport psychology or sports coaching.

Complexity and Control in Team Sports is the first book to apply complex systems theory to ‘soccer-like’ team games (including basketball, handball and hockey) and to present a framework for understanding and managing the elite sports team as a multi-level complex system. Conventional organizational studies have tended to define team sports as a set of highly heterogeneous physical, mental and cognitive activities within which it is difficult, if not impossible, to find common behavioural playing regularities or universal pedagogies for controlling those activities. Adopting a whole system approach, and exploring the concepts of control, regulation and self-organization, this book argues that it is possible for coaches, managers and psychologists to develop a better understanding of how a complex system works, and therefore, to more successfully manage and influence a team’s performance. This book draws on literature from the biological, behavioural and social sciences, including, psychology, sociology and sports performance analysis, to develop a detailed, interdisciplinary and multi-level picture of the elite sports team. It analyzes behaviour across five inter-connected levels: the team as a ‘managed institution’; coaching staff controlling players via cybernetic flows; the team as a playing unit; the individual player as a complex dynamic system expressed through behaviour; and a player’s complex physiological/biological system. Drawing these together, the book throws fascinating new light on the elite sports team and will be useful reading for all students, researchers or professionals with an interest in sport psychology, sport management, sport coaching, sport performance analysis or complex systems theory.

Filling an important gap in performance analysis literature, this book introduces the key concepts and practical applications of performance analysis for team sports. It draws on cutting-edge research to examine individual and collective behaviours across an array of international team sports. Evidencing the close relationship between coaching and performance analysis, it promotes a better understanding of the crucial role of performance analysis in team sports for achieving successful results. This book not only presents a variety of different ways to analyse performance in team sports, but also demonstrates how scientific data can be used to enrich performance analysis. Part one delineates the main guidelines for research in performance analysis, discussing the characteristics of team sports, coaching processes, variables characterizing performance and methods for team member interaction analysis. Part two drills down into performance analysis across a range of team sports including soccer, basketball, handball, ice hockey, volleyball and rugby. Performance Analysis in Team Sports is an essential companion for any course or research project on sports performance analysis or sports coaching, and an invaluable reference for professional analysts.

"This edited textbook offers a global perspective on research, practice, and future directions in social psychology in sport. Topics include relationships, communication, leadership, motivation, and morality. Readers gain insight into the interactions and dynamics that affect sport performance and the sport experience for youth and adult athletes and coaches"--

Complexity and Control in Team Sports is the first book to apply complex systems theory to 'soccer-like' team games (including basketball, handball and hockey) and to present a framework for understanding and managing the elite sports team as a multi-level complex system. It analyzes behaviour across five inter-connected levels: the team as a 'managed institution'; coaching staff controlling players via cybernetic flows; the team as a playing unit; the individual player as a complex dynamic system expressed through behaviour; and a player's complex physiological/biological system. Drawing these together, the book throws fascinating new light on the elite sports team and will be useful reading for all students, researchers or professionals with an interest in sport psychology, sport management, sport coaching, sport performance analysis or complex systems theory.