Coaching is a central issue in sport at all levels. This text offers a comprehensive introduction to the conceptual issues that underpin sports coaching practice and provides a complete conceptual framework for understanding sports coaching.

Sports Coaching: Professionalisation and Practice is a comprehensive evidence-based textbook of sports coaching theory and practice. The book is edited by leading academics in sports coaching studies and authored by a world-renowned team of experts in sports coaching research. It deals with all aspects of coaching behaviour and practice, including coaches' decision making, coaching pedagogy, and the development of expertise. Each of the chapters provides an up-to-date position statement on coaching themes, and makes explicit reference to the professionalisation of coaching. Written in an accessible style, and identifying critical ideas and issues, the book will complement and challenge both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching programmes, and will be an invaluable source of ideas for researchers and academics. Multicontributed chapters follow uniform structure to increase clarity and accessiblity of text 'Snapshots' of critical ideas and issues presented as models or diagrams to facilitate students' understanding Case examples and scenarios illustrate key concepts in each chapter Latest research and current literature summarised for each thematic topic.

Every successful sports coach knows that good teaching and social practices are just as important as expertise in sports skills and tactics. Now in a fully revised and updated fourth edition, and introducing a new author team, Understanding Sports Coaching introduces theories and practices while exploring pedagogical, social and cultural concepts underpinning good sports coaching practice. Broken into four sections, Understanding Sports Coaching examines the complex interplay between coach, athlete, coaching programme and social context, and encourages coaches to develop an open and reflective approach to their own coaching practice. It covers key aspects of coaching theories and practice, including important and emerging topics, such as: • leadership • athlete learning • emotion in coaching • culture as meaning making • quality in coaching • talent identification and development • philosophy and sports coaching Understanding Sports Coaching also includes a full range of practical exercises and extended case studies designed to encourage coaches to critically reflect upon their own coaching strategies, their interpersonal skills and important issues in contemporary sports coaching. This is an essential textbook for any degree-level course in sports coaching, and for any professional coach looking to develop their coaching expertise.

This book raises critical questions about the explanatory framework guiding sports coaching research and presents a new conceptualization for research in the field. Through mapping and contextualizing sports coaching research within a corporatized higher education, the dominant or legitimate forms of sports coaching knowledge are problematized and a new vision of the field, which is socially and culturally responsive, communitarian and justice-oriented emerges.

Successful sports coaching is as dependent on utilising good teaching and social practices as it is about expertise in sport skills and tactics. Understanding Sports Coaching offers an innovative introduction to the theory and practice of sports coaching, highlighting the social, cultural and pedagogical concepts underpinning good coaching practice. Now in a fully revised and updated second edition, the book explores the complex interplay between coach, athlete, coaching programme and social context, and encourages coaches to develop an open and reflective approach to their own coaching practice. It addresses key issues such as: power and the coach-athlete relationship viewing the athlete as a learner instructional methods and reflection how our view of ability informs assessment coaching philosophy and ethics. Understanding Sports Coaching also includes a full range of practical exercises and case studies designed to encourage coaches to reflect critically upon their own coaching strategies, their interpersonal skills and upon important issues in contemporary sports coaching. This book is essential reading for all students of sports coaching and for any professional coach looking to develop their coaching expertise.

All coaches working with children will know that they differ substantially from adults in their capabilities, capacity for development and in their ability to meet the demands that sport places upon them. Coaching Children in Sport provides an up-to-date, authoritative and accessible guide to core knowledge and coaching skills for anybody working with children in sport. Written by a team of leading international coaching experts, teachers, psychologists and specialists in children’s issues in sport and health, the book explains why children should not be treated as mini-adults in sport and helps coaches to devise effective ways of working that not only achieve results but also take into account the best interests of the child. It examines key topics such as: fundamental coaching skills coaching philosophies and models children’s physical and psychosocial development children’s motivation safeguarding and child protection issues and coaching ethics sport and children’s health talent identification and high performance coaching reflective practice in sports coaching. Including case studies, practical reflective activities and guides to further reading throughout, Coaching Children in Sport is an essential text for all courses and training programmes in sports coaching. It is also vital reading for all students, teachers and practitioners working with children in sport, physical education or developmental contexts.

The fully revised third edition of the popular Foundations of Sports Coaching textbook aims to provide a comprehensive and engaging introduction to the practical and theoretical principles that underpin the sports coaching process, from both a participation and performance perspective. The focus of this contemporary edition is to bridge the gap between practical sports coaching delivery and the conceptual theories that underpin a sports coach’s practice. It provides a wealth of real-world examples and up-to-date case studies from a wide range of sports to support the developing practitioner and help sports coaches understand how to apply key concepts and theories to their practice. In addition, there are countless practical coaching tips, techniques and strategies to further support sports coaches in their practice and development. The book will provide the reader with the skills, knowledge and background they will need to prepare athletes and sports people technically, tactically and strategically, covering the key components of a sports coaching-related undergraduate course, including: ■ the continuing professionalisation of sports coaching ■ the International Sports Coaching Framework (I.C.C.E.) ■ the fundamental skills of a sports coach ■ how to coach populous groups ■ coaching philosophy ■ coaching pedagogy ■ creating a positive learning environment ■ talent ID and sevelopment ■ the reflective coach ■ performance analysis to support coach feedback. This third edition updates the style of previous versions with all-new chapters focusing upon international professional practice frameworks, coaching philosophy, coaching pedagogy, talent identification and development, and reflective practice. All of these are critical for the contemporary practitioner to understand in order to ensure they provide the best possible coaching environment for their athletes to develop and succeed. No other introductory textbook explains the importance of a holistic approach to sports coaching practice. This is an essential companion to any sports coaching course.

Over the last three decades sports coaching has evolved from a set of customary practices based largely on tradition and routine into a sophisticated, reflective and multi-disciplinary profession. In parallel with this, coach education and coaching studies within higher education have developed into a coherent and substantial field of scholarly enquiry with a rich and sophisticated research literature. The Routledge Handbook of Sports Coaching is the first book to survey the full depth and breadth of contemporary coaching studies, mapping the existing disciplinary territory and opening up important new areas of research. Bringing together many of the world’s leading coaching scholars and practitioners working across the full range of psychological, social and pedagogical perspectives, the book helps to develop an understanding of sports coaching that reflects its complex, dynamic and messy reality. With more importance than ever before being attached to the role of the coach in developing and shaping the sporting experience for participants at all levels of sport, this book makes an important contribution to the professionalization of coaching and the development of coaching theory. It is important reading for all students, researchers and policy makers with an interest in this young and flourishing area.

The facilitation of learning is a central feature of coaches’ and coach educators’ work. Coaching students and practitioners are, as a result, being expected to give increasing levels of thought towards how they might help to develop the knowledge and practical skills of others. Learning in Sports Coaching provides a comprehensive introduction to a diverse range of classic, critical, and contemporary theories of learning, education, and social interaction and their potential application to sports coaching. Each chapter is broadly divided into two sections. The first section introduces a key thinker and the fundamental tenets of his or her scholarly endeavours and theorising. The second considers how the theorist’s work might influence how we understand and attempt to promote learning in coaching and coach education settings. By design this book seeks to promote theoretical connoisseurship and to encourage its readers to reflect critically on their beliefs about learning and its facilitation. This is an essential text for any pedagogical course taken as part of a degree programme in sports coaching or coach education.

Athletes and sports people at all levels rely on their coaches for advice, guidance and support. Foundations of Sports Coaching is a comprehensive introduction to the practical, vocational and scientific principles that underpin the sports coaching process. It provides the student of sports coaching with all the skills, knowledge and scientific background they will need to prepare athletes and sports people technically, tactically, physically and mentally. With practical coaching tips, techniques and tactics highlighted throughout, the book covers all the key components of a foundation course in sports coaching, including: the development of sports coaching as a profession coaching styles and technique planning and management basic principles of anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, and psychology fundamentals of training and fitness performance analysis reflective practice in coaching. Including international case-studies throughout and examples from top-level sport in every chapter, Foundations of Sports Coaching helps to bridge the gap between coaching theory and practice. This book is essential reading for all students of sports coaching and for any practising sports coach looking to develop and extend their coaching expertise.