Performance Excellence

Reviews / Votes

While most books in the area of sport and exercise psychology have extensive reviews of the research literature, and provide an overview of related concepts and theories, it is relatively rare to find a book that applies this literature from the viewpoint of elite athletes. In Performance Excellence, the chapter writers tell their stories in a very personal and compelling way; abstract concepts (e.g., mental skills, leadership, confidence) are transformed into concrete thoughts, emotions, and desirable performance outcomes. The athletes in this book tell their own personalized story, applying concrete experiences and familiar concepts through "take home points" located at the end of each chapter. Readers will be fascinated by the challenges, obstacles, and innovative ways the performers go from "good" to "great." This book meets a long-standing need in the sport psychology literature by describing how elite level performers effectively apply cognitive-behavioral techniques, and are rewarded by the high status of their achievements. -- Mark H. Anshel, Middle Tennessee State University, author of In Praise of Failure The editors' fealty to the notion that stories constitute a powerful teaching and learning device is uniformly supported in their work. The book is a worthy addition to the typical sport and exercise psychology library. Its brief and interesting stories and their messages will certainly be of considerable value to students and their teachers alike. -- David Pargman, Emeritus Professor, Florida State University Performance Excellence: Stories of Success from the Real World of Sport and Exercise Psychology is designed for a diverse array of readers. These include professionals in the field, coaches, athletes, parents, and other individuals who enjoy inspirational stories related to performance excellence. Sachs, Tashman, and Razon have artfully selected vignettes that can serve as teaching tools to illustrate key theories and concepts in the field of sport and exercise psychology. In addition, applied practitioners may choose to pass these stories on to their clients who are encountering similar challenges. I highly recommend this book! It is a joy to read and provides poignant reflections on meaningful topics in both sport and exercise psychology. Performance Excellence is a must-have contribution to the literature! -- Bonnie G. Berger, Fellow of AASP, APA, NAK, Professor Emeritus, Sport and Exercise Psychology, Bowling Green State University Whether as a valuable teaching tool or as an excellent template for "research to practice" in sport consultancy work, Performance Excellence: Stories of Success From the Real World of Sport and Exercise Psychology provides authentic examples of real-life, powerful stories from both individuals and teams. This book will serve as an outstanding addition to any scholar-practitioner in the field who seeks compelling examples to frame evidence-based, best practice working with clients and to students in sport psychology classes both graduate and undergraduate. -- Colleen M. Hacker, Ph.D., CMPC, FNAP, 6-time Olympic Games coaching staff This unique and interesting book is a valuable contribution to understanding sport psychology concepts through real life stories. Each chapter successfully integrates a short personal narrative with major concepts of sport psychology and concludes with highly practical "Take Home Points" that will be valuable to athletes, coaches, and mental performance consultants. An enjoyable, interesting, and creative approach to learning about sport psychology and its practical applications. -- Jack J. Lesyk, Ph.D., CMPC, Director, Ohio Center for Sport Psychology Stories-it's all about stories. Some are first person accounts, while some are about other people; some describe exercise while others are framed around competitive sports; some are academic, others are anecdotal. Throughout, the immediacy of the story will engage and inform those who are learning about mental performance training, those who practice and those who are their clients. -- Kate F. Hays, Ph.D., C.Psych., CC-AASP, director, The Performing Edge, Toronto, past president, American Psychological Association's Division of Exercise & Sport Psychology, This thoughtful collection of stories provides a comprehensive view across many major applied sport psychology topics while personal narratives with heartfelt insights describe a multitude of perspectives on success as defined by athletes, coaches, and performers. As a seasoned professional, I have gained additional examples that I never would have thought to use, while students will be exposed to the inner workings of these private sessions which they often cannot access in class or in a typical textbook. I highly recommend this useful book for the classroom and will be using it in my own practice with athlete-performer consultations. -- Paul Salitsky, Ph.D., emeriti faculty in sport and exercise psychology, University of California Davis