16 books and manuals on sports psychology

If you want to be a great sports psychologist, pay attention to these works.

Sports psychology is one of the areas of psychology that is booming in recent years and few now doubt the importance of mental factors in increasing the potential of athletes and their sports performance.

More and more teams and athletes are deciding to hire a professional in this field because of the benefits that his work brings both to the team and to the athlete. for the benefits that their work brings in competition, training or interpersonal relationships.

Best sports psychology books

If you are interested in this subdiscipline of psychology and would like to know more about this topic, below you can find a list of great manuals and books on sport psychology that will provide you with knowledge and allow you to delve deeper into this field of application.

1. Soccer: from head to toe (Fernando Callejo Muñoz and Carlos Rey García)

Soccer is a sport that is subject to the continuous fluctuation of the multiple physical, technical, tactical and psychological skills that influence the behavior and performance of the soccer player. This book gathers the best techniques used from the sports psychology as well as showing us a great variety of practical exercises to carry out in the planning of a season.

It explains the psychological work that can be done with soccer players, both at individual and team level, with the aim of helping them to optimize and enhance their basic psychological skills to achieve high levels of performance, well-being and satisfaction with the sports practice of the athlete, regardless of the category and level.

Undoubtedly an essential book for psychologists, coaches and any agent dealing with soccer players.

• You can find more information about this book by clicking here.

 

2. Psychology of sports training (José María Buceta)

This book is one of the best books to introduce you to sports psychology. José Maria Buceta is the author of several editorial works and director of the Master in Psychology of Physical Activity and Sport of the UNED..

In fact, this text has trained hundreds of sports psychologists. The content is, without a doubt, of great quality, and in its pages he reviews and analyzes the bases of the psychology of sports training, as well as providing many necessary strategies for both coaches and sports psychologists. A great manual, very complete.

• You can buy it through this link.

 

3. Soccer. Mental strength training (Bill Beswick)

With this book, Bill Beswick, a renowned British psychologist who has worked with the England National Team and several Premier League teams, aims to make us understand, always from a practical point of view, how the work on the different psychological variables has a great importance in the success of soccer players and clubs.

In addition to being a psychologist, Beswick was also a coach.This has allowed him to narrate, from a broader point of view, how it is possible to achieve the optimum performance of soccer players.

• Buy it here.

 

4. With Jordan's Strength (Pat Williams and Michael Weinreb)

Michael Jordan is one of the greatest players of all time in the sport of basketball.. Undoubtedly, he is an example of how a successful athlete should be and how it is possible to remain at the highest level throughout his career.

But, how does one of the greatest athletes of all time prepare to compete? This text answers this and other questions about the winning mentality of this true basketball genius. A book full of vital and personal stories, but with a strong psychological and mental component that will hook you. As the authors of the text say: "Jordan is a true role model. He personifies how one should behave on and off the court".

• You can buy it here.

 

5. Mental Training to Optimize Sports Performance (Steven Ungerleider)

There are many psychological variables that affect athletic performanceEmotional management, self-confidence, motivation, level of activation or stress are some examples.

This book presents the necessary ingredients to increase the mental capacities of athletes and to optimize their potential to the maximum.

• You can buy it here.

 

6. Tennis. Mental strength training (Antoni Girod)

This text is similar to the second in this list, but focused on the racket sport, tennis.. Tennis is a sport that requires individualized work with the tennis player, and in which it is really necessary a great training in mental work, because the conditions during the game can be adverse.

The author, Antoni Girod, does an excellent job with this book, useful for players, coaches and psychologists.

• Buy this manual here.

 

7. Psychology and sports injuries (José María Buceta)

One of the worst moments in the life of an athlete is to suffer an injury.. The psychological aspect, although many do not think so, influences both the prevention and recovery from this problem. There are few books like this one in the market, and, undoubtedly, its reading is totally recommended.

• You can buy it here.

 

8. Psychological Strategies for Coaches of Young Athletes (José María Buceta)

This book is intended for coaches, teachers, managers and parents of young athletes, so that they can learn and apply the appropriate psychological strategies for the sports experience of children and adolescents.It is intended for coaches, teachers, managers and parents of young athletes, so that they can learn and apply the appropriate psychological strategies for the sports experience of children and adolescents. The practitioners of sport at this age are in a developmental phase and, therefore, need to be treated differently from adults.

Therefore, this book deals with the values that these athletes must acquire in their formative stage and offers the appropriate methodology to allow them to progress towards success. A totally practical text, which contains exercises throughout its chapters.

• Buy it at this link.

 

9. Running. Mental strength training (Matt Fitzgerald)

Running has become a very popular sport nowadays.. This is a tough sport in which mental work is necessary not only for competition, but also for training.

The correct attention in the difficult moments that help to stay alive, the proper motivation to train or the ability to recover quickly after a failure, are some of the aspects covered in this book.

• You can buy it here.

 

10. To manage or to lead? Keys to group cohesion (José Carrascosa)

A work designed for both coaches and sports psychologists.. Leading a group is not easy, especially in sports environments, where interpersonal relationships can affect for better or worse the team's performance.

This book provides the necessary knowledge to create a winning group, where communication and group cohesion positively affect the work of athletes.

11. Neurosciences and Sport (Stefano Tamorri)

This is a long book but with an unmissable content, which proposes a different way of doing sports psychology. proposes a different way of doing sports psychology. In its pages it is possible to find interesting topics such as: neurosciences applied to sport, learning, memory, attention and motor skills in training and competition or how to diagnose the athlete's diseases.

• You can purchase it at this link.

 

12. Fundamentals of Sport and Exercise Psychology (Robert S. Weinberg and Daniel Gould)

It is one of the most consulted books in this field, and one of the best manuals to get started in this field.. The text offers a rigorous presentation of the fundamental concepts of the psychology of sport and makes a compilation of the most important investigations that have been produced in the last years.

• Buy it here.

 

13. Mindfulness for runners (J. Moisés González Martínez and Montse Rodrigues Fígols)

One of the most innovative works that we can find in the market.. In fact, there are many athletes who have applied mindfulness training to their sports routine in order to improve their performance on the field, for example, Roger Federer. But for some people, this practice is unknown in the world of running.

Mindfulness helps to better manage emotions, improves attention and helps athletes to achieve a state of flow. Also for runners.

• You can buy it here.

 

14. The mind of the champion (Ed Martin)

A work that combines topics closely related to sports: self-confidence and performance, and how they are linked to emotion when it is time to move. It offers simple explanations to describe complex phenomena, and uses a pleasant language.

• If you are interested, you can buy it here.

 

15. Sports Leadership and Coaching (Alejo García-Naaveira Vaamonde and Roberto Ruiz Barquín)

The leader is one of the most important roles in sport, capable of energizing teams and making them work as an effective performance-oriented system. This book explains the keys to sports coaching used strategically to enhance the effectiveness of leadership.

• In this link you will find more related information.

 

16. Coach leader: sports psychology for the management of successful teams (Oriol Mercadé Canals)

A book to understand leadership styles and how sports psychology can be used in team management. Especially recommended for coaches.

• To read more about it, check this link.