Psychology in Professional Sports and the Performing Arts Challenges and Strategies ISSP Key Issues in Sport and Exercise Psychology Series

The relationship between sport and exercise psychology and the realm of professional sport and performance has grown exponentially in recent years. Elite athletes increasingly see the value in seeking psychological advice and expertise, while consultants now work in a wider range of elite performance environments.

Psychology in Professional Sports and the Performing Arts: Challenges and Strategies is a unique and timely collection that brings together the experiences and knowledge of a range of applied psychologists working in these exciting industries. The book begins with a section outlining the core skills practitioners require in the field, before chapters discussing individual sports, team sports and the performing arts. Each author looks at how theoretical principles can be applied within a particular professional context, delineating how performers may benefit from working with a psychologist, as well as the ethical and cultural challenges that they faced.

Assessing the role of applied psychologists across a truly unique range of activities, from polo to motor racing and ice hockey to modern dance, Psychology in Professional Sports and the Performing Arts: Challenges and Strategies offers unrivalled insights into how sport and exercise psychology can be put into practice in challenging professional environments. It will appeal to anyone studying sport and exercise psychology, or working in the field.

Biographies. 1. Embarking on Sport Psychology with Professional Level Athletes. Section One: Core Skills 2. Context is Everything: Working with the Transitioning Athlete 3. How To Become A Consulting Business 4. Overcoming Resistance from Clients and Stakeholders 5. Working with Transnational Professional Athletes 6. Ethical Practice Challenges of Consultation in Professional Sport. Section Two: Individual and Pair Sports 7. 20 Years’ Experience Working within Professional Tennis 8. My Consulting Life on the PGA Tour: A Twenty-Five Year Experience 9. How a Plant Pot Led Me to Performance Psychology in Women’s Professional Golf 10. The Strategies and Methods for working with professional Motor Racing Drivers 11. Consultancy with Elite Professional Boxers and their Working Teams 12. Working within Professional Mixed Martial Arts 13. Mental Training Program for a Sumo Wrestler. Section Three: Team Sports 14. Working within Polo: A Wonderland Experience 15. Working within the National Hockey League 16. Working within Professional Soccer 17. Working within Professional Rugby Union 18. Working within Elite Professional Cricket: the role of a Sport Psychology Consultant 19. Working within Professional Baseball: Reflections and Recommendations on The Practice of Sport and Performance Psychology. Section Four: Aesthetics and the Performing Arts 20. From the Sport World to the Big Top: Jean Francois Menard’s Journey with Cirque Du Soleil 21. Performance Psychology in Ballet and Modern Dance 22. My Journey into Sports Psychology: Strategies, Challenges and Case Studies 23. Synthesis and Reflections on Professional Sport Consulting

Robert Schinke is the Canada Research Chair in Multicultural Sport and Physical Activity, and a professor at Laurentian University, Canada. He is both a mental training consultant to Olympic and professional athletes and an active researcher.

Dieter Hackfort is a professor for sport psychology and the Head of Department for Sport Science at the University FAF Munich. He has served as a counselor for professional performers and athletes of various sports at the Olympic Centers in Germany. His research has been published in 27 books and edited volumes, and in more than 150 contributions in national and international journals.