Athlete Learning in Elite Sport

Athlete Learning in Elite Sport
Author: Natalie Barker-Ruchti
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 366
Release: 2019-02-05
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 135161780X

Elite athletes lead a particular way of life, which creates significant learning and shapes their selves. This is the first sociological-pedagogical text to conceptualise athlete learning in elite sport and across athletic careers. It outlines theories of learning and argues for a cultural perspective capturing contextual influence, temporal changes, individual dispositions, and subjectivity. Presented in three parts—landscaping elite sport and theorising athlete learning; showcasing athletes’ learning in elite sport; and informing research and practice—the book features nine international, multi-contextual, and multi-experience case studies of athlete careers, experiences, and learning across individual and team sports such as boxing, rugby, basketball, hockey, and gymnastics. This is fascinating reading for students, researchers, and practitioners in sport organisations, sports coaching, coach education, and sport sociology and pedagogy.

Parenting Young Athletes

Parenting Young Athletes
Author: Frank L. Smoll
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 229
Release: 2016-08-08
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 1442218215

Parenting Young Athletes tells readers exactly how to enhance the well-being of their children, both on and off the athletic field/court. The latest information on child development, sport psychology, and sports medicine is translated into a practical "how-to" guide that assists parents in assuring their sons and daughters get the most out of youth sports. The authors, seasoned experts in the field, thoughtfully address a wide range of issues including: -Promoting achievement in all areas of life -Choosing the right sport program -Understanding the unique nutritional needs of young athletes -Identifying, treating, and preventing sport injuries -Helping children cope with disappointment and performance anxiety -Applying positive principles of coaching and character-building -Addressing the special concerns of high school athletes -Recognizing and preventing bullying and abuse -Growing together as a family through sports Engagingly written, Parenting Young Athletes is targeted at parents of youngsters from elementary through high school years. Geared toward parents who have relatively little athletic experience as well as those who have a strong background in sports, the book provides clear recommendations with enlightening examples and real stories of growth-promoting sport experiences. Key concepts and principles are highlighted throughout. Parenting Young Athletes explores the joys as well as the dangers of sport participation and is a must-read for parents who hope to raise champions in sports and in life.

Loving Sports When They Don't Love You Back

Loving Sports When They Don't Love You Back
Author: Jessica Luther
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2020-09-01
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1477322175

Triumphant wins, gut-wrenching losses, last-second shots, underdogs, competition, and loyalty—it’s fun to be a fan. But when a football player takes a hit to the head after yet another study has warned of the dangers of CTE, or when a team whose mascot was born in an era of racism and bigotry takes the field, or when a relief pitcher accused of domestic violence saves the game, how is one to cheer? Welcome to the club for sports fans who care too much. In Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back, acclaimed sports writers Jessica Luther and Kavitha A. Davidson tackle the most pressing issues in sports, why they matter, and how we can do better. For the authors, “sticking to sports” is not an option—not when our taxes are paying for the stadiums, and college athletes aren’t getting paid at all. But simply quitting a favorite team won’t change corrupt and deplorable practices, and the root causes of many of these problems are endemic in our wider society. An essential read for modern fans, Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back challenges the status quo and explores how we might begin to reconcile our conscience with our fandom.

The Christian Athlete

The Christian Athlete
Author: Brian Smith
Publisher: David C Cook
Total Pages: 229
Release: 2022-04-05
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0830783261

The Christian Athlete is a gospel-centered guide that assists athletes who identify as Christians and are seeking to understand how to practically apply their faith to their sport. Athletes desire—and deserve—a more substantive expression of the Christian faith in the context of sport, but they don’t know what it looks like or where to turn to learn more. Author Brian Smith shares his story as an athlete and coach, and his experience working with high-level athletes in the last decade to help readers better understand how to integrate faith and sport by: Assisting those who want a wide-angled understanding of how to live the Christian faith in the context of sports Walking through the many questions Christian athletes ask about winning, losing, injuries, practice, and everything in between Moving Christian athletes from simply having clichéd spiritual sayings decorating their bodies or t-shirts to actually living out their faith through all the opportunities their sport offers them The Christian Athlete will show readers how to live out a biblical perspective on athletics and urge them to engage in the gifts they are given to glorify God whether they are the team MVP or riding the bench.

Raising Young Athletes

Raising Young Athletes
Author: Jim Taylor, PhD
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 183
Release: 2018-10-12
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1538108127

Sports are an amazing environment in which to raise children. The benefits they gain from athletic participation are many, including physical, personal, and social. Yet, there is also a dark side to today’s youth sports culture, as an emphasis on winning has made what was once fun become a burden for many young athletes. As a result, parents can’t always be certain their children’s athletic involvement will be safe and enjoyable. In Raising Young Athletes: Parenting Your Children to Victory in Sports and Life, Dr. Jim Taylor—an internationally-recognized authority on sport psychology, child development, and parenting—offers a guiding hand to help parents ensure their children’s sports participation encourages positive attitudes and promotes healthy developments as they move toward adulthood. The role of parents in shaping their children’s sports experience has never been more important, and Dr. Taylor shows parents how to send the right messages to their young athletes with clear and practical advice. Whether playing sports just for fun or with aspirations to play professionally, Raising Young Athletes helps parents steer their children toward a healthy, positive experience. As such, their participation will become an impactful part of their lives that will prepare them to be victorious both in sports and in life.

Don't Waste Your Sports

Don't Waste Your Sports
Author: C. J. Mahaney
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 66
Release: 2010-11-03
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433522500

“Why is it that sports seem to bring out the best and the worst in us?” asks author C. J. Mahaney. “Sports are a gift from God. But as soon as you introduce the human heart, things get complicated.” For the Christian athlete, sports are one of the key battlegrounds in which pride and self-glory are regular temptations. If sports are indeed a gift from God, why are playing fields and courts so often arenas for our egos? How are we to enjoy sports in a godly way? Self-described “pastor athlete” C. J. Mahaney looks to Scripture for principles that speak to the role of sports in our lives. This booklet outlines how Christian athletes are to play for the glory of God and model gratitude, humility, and service. With candor and humor, Mahaney recounts his own story with sports and through illustrations and practical applications exhorts athletes not to waste their sports. The booklet concludes with application questions and an addendum to parents. A great gift for Christian athletes, these booklets are also sold in packs of twelve.

The Norton Book of Sports

The Norton Book of Sports
Author: George Plimpton
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 508
Release: 1992
Genre: American literature
ISBN: 9780393030402

A collection of short stories and other writings centering around sports for each season.

Train Your Mind for Athletic Success

Train Your Mind for Athletic Success
Author: Jim Taylor, PhD
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2017-10-06
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1442277092

Much too often, the mental aspect of sport performance is overlooked. While all top athletes are in outstanding physical condition and technically exceptional, mental preparation is often what separates the best from the rest. This is just as true for young athletes as it is for pros and Olympians. And even though relatively few athletes will ever reach the top of their sport, the attitudes and life lessons learned from mental training—such as motivation, confidence, focus, perseverance, and resilience—will serve them well in all aspects of their lives. In Train Your Mind for Athletic Success: Mental Preparation to Achieve Your Sports Goals, Dr. Jim Taylor uses his own elite athletic experience and decades of working with some of the world’s best athletes to provide competitors of every ability with insights, practical exercises, and tools they can use to be mentally prepared when it really counts. His Prime Sport System explores the attitudes that lay the foundation for athletic success, the mental obstacles that can hold athletes back, the preparations they must take, the mental muscles they should strengthen, and the mental tools they need to fine tune their competitive performances. Most importantly, Dr. Taylor shows athletes practical strategies they can use to become mentally strong so they can perform their best when it matters most. Train Your Mind for Athletic Success goes well beyond the typical mental skills that are discussed in other mental training books. Readers will not only learn why mental preparation is so important to athletic success, but also where they personally are in each area thanks to brief mental assessments in each section of the book. In addition, each chapter includes exercises to show athletes how to incorporate mental training directly into their overall sport training regimen. The most comprehensive and in-depth book on mental preparation for athletes available, Train Your Mind for Athletic Success is an essential read for athletes, coaches, and parents.

Athlete Activism

Athlete Activism
Author: Rory Magrath
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2021-11-24
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1000509168

This book examines the phenomenon of athlete activism across all levels of sport, from elite and international sport, to collegiate and semi-pro, and asks what this tells us about the relationship between sport and wider society. With contributions from scholars around the world, the book presents a series of fascinating case studies, including the activism of world-famous athletes such as Serena Williams, Megan Rapinoe and Raheem Sterling. Covering a broad range of sports, from the National Football League (NFL) and Australian Rules, to fencing and the Olympic Games, the book sheds important light on some of the most important themes in the study of sport, including gender, power, racism, intersectionality and the rise of digital media. It also considers the financial impact on athletes when they take a stand and the psychological impact of activism and how that might relate to sports performance. It has never been the case that ‘sport and politics don’t mix’, and now, more than ever, the opposite is true. This is essential reading for anybody with an interest in the politics or sociology of sport, the politics of protest, social movements or media studies.

The Ethics of Sport

The Ethics of Sport
Author: Robert L. Simon
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2016
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0190270195

The moral significance of sport -- Winning, cheating, and the ethics of competition -- Health, safety, and violence in competitive sport -- Enhancement, technology, and fairness in competitive sport -- Competitive sport: education or mis-education? -- Sports, equity, and society -- Concluding comment: the two sides of the force or are sports so great after all?