"Here's my recommended list of books that have most influenced my professional effectiveness, both knowledge and personal skills. I've selected sports performance books and non-sports performance books for you to dive into"
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Top books to read for sports performance
Here is my list of the top 10 books we'd recommend you read if you're hoping for a career in sports performance;
Alright, alright - let's get this out of the way now. The top two books you should read are How to Support a Champion and The First Hurdle - both written with you, the performance professional, in mind.
‘You're Hired: An Insider’s Guide to Becoming a Strength and Conditioning Coach’ is going to tackle the biggest problem faced by aspiring Strength and Conditioning coaches, breaking into the profession and forging a successful career.
Conscious Coaching by Brett Bartholomew
Readers learn the foundational principles of improving relationships, enhancing engagement, and gaining the trust of athletes through targeted communication. And, every bit as important, readers also learn concrete strategies to apply these principles in day-to-day coaching situations they will inevitably encounter.
High Performance Training for Sports by David Joyce and Dan Lewindon
The book is filled with not only the best but most current research but more importantly, the practical application arising from the research is explained and emphasised through a large variety of programme and exercise prescriptions. Each topic is addressed by a world renowned expert in a specific component of sports conditioning. Chapters are filled with facts, findings, insights and training prescriptions for enhancing each component of athletic performance.
The Chimp Paradox by Steve Peters
Prof Steve Peters explains the struggle that takes place within your mind and then shows how to apply this understanding to every area of your life so you can; Recognise how your mind is working; Understand and manage your emotions and thoughts; Manage yourself and become the person you would like to be. The Chimp Mind Management Model is based on scientific facts and principles, which have been simplified into a workable model for easy, everyday use so that you can identify what is preventing you from living a happier, more successful life.
Developing Sports Expertise by Damian Farrow
This book examines the science behind sports skill acquisition and explores the application of science to optimal sports training, and talent identification. The text also contains Coaches Corner insets throughout to provide effective day-to-day advantage based on in the text.
Performance Nutrition by Kevin Currell
Performance Nutrition provides an overview of how nutrition can be used to maximise human performance. Starting with the end in mind, each chapter takes the reader from the science through to the practical application, making the science of sports nutrition accessible.
The book shows how nutrition can be used to: reduce the risk of injury and illness for athletes; maximise strength gains in the gym; adapt effectively to endurance training; minimise the negative effects of concurrent training; improve competition performance (whether for football or for the Tour de France), and finally, lose weight safely and effectively to maximise performance. Packed full of information, each chapter takes the reader from the science through to the practical application.
The Little Black Book of Training Wisdom by Dan Cleather
In this book Dan - an elite strength and conditioning coach - describes the fundamental training principles in a simple and accessible way. In addition, he highlights some of the most common training pitfalls so they can be avoided. The book is a must for anyone who wants to learn how to build dominant athletic prowess by working smarter not harder.
Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed
Black Box Thinking is explore the world of high performance, a means of finding an edge in a complex and fast-changing world. Syed explores not just about sport, but has powerful implications for business and politics, as well as for parents and students. Drawing on case studies and real-world examples, together with cutting-edge research on marginal gains, creativity and grit, Matthew Syed tells the inside story of how success really happens - and how we cannot grow unless we are prepared to learn from our mistakes.
Cath Bishop draws on her personal experience of high-performance environments to trace the idea of winning through history, language and thought to explore how it has come to be a defining concept in fields from sport to business, from politics to education. Faced with the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century, Cath offers a new, broader approach - The Long Win.
Will it Make the Boat Go Faster by Ben Hunt-Davis and Harriet Beveridge
With its winning mix of compelling narrative and easy-to-implement performance-raising tips, this book has become a best-selling classic. The book tells the inspiring story of how Ben Hunt-Davis, "an ordinary guy in an ordinary team" achieved something pretty extraordinary: Olympic Gold. Co-author Harriet Beveridge, Executive Coach, then gives a simple, engaging account of how we can apply these strategies to raise our own game... in sport, in business and in life.
James Kerr goes deep into the heart of the world s most successful sporting team, the legendary All Blacks of New Zealand, to reveal 15 powerful and practical lessons for leadership and business. Legacy is a unique, inspiring handbook for leaders in all fields, and asks: What are the secrets of success sustained success? How do you achieve world-class standards, day after day, week after week, year after year? How do you handle pressure? How do you train to win at the highest level? What do you leave behind you after you re gone?
Score Takes Care Of Itself by Bill Walsh
The last lecture on leadership by the NFL's greatest coach: Bill Walsh Bill Walsh is a towering figure in the history of the NFL. His advanced leadership transformed the San Francisco 49ers from the worst franchise in sports to a legendary dynasty. In the process, he changed the way football is played. Prior to his death, Walsh granted a series of exclusive interviews to bestselling author Steve Jamison. These became his ultimate lecture on leadership.
Top Supporting Champions podcasts to tune into
Here's our list of top Supporting Champions podcasts for aspiring for a career in performance
Nick Grantham, performance enhancement specialist and consultant, is this week’s guest. Nick and I go way back to the mid 1990s and have worked alongside…
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This week we are joined by Gareth Sandford, exercise physiologist at the Canadian Sports Institute. Gareth is just starting his post-doctoral studies and so in…
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Podcast #34 Show Notes – Performance People In this week’s episode, Steve takes the reins as he shares some perspectives about developing the next generation…
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In Part 1 of this Podcast Special we have Head Coach of UCLA Gymnastics and orchestrator of THAT viral gymnastics’ routine by Katelyn Ohashi, Miss…
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Katherine is Great Britain’s most decorated female Olympic athlete. She won medals at 5 consecutive Olympic games in Sydney (2000), Athens (2004), Beijing (2008), London…
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Steve discusses lessons from the frontline of working with elite performers with Jamie Pringle, Rosie Mayes. We discuss the essentials of that initial engagement with…
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In this episode I talk to long standing colleague, coach and friend Toni Minichiello, coach to one of the World’s greatest athletes Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill.…
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2:32 Guru or legend?! 5:42 How Vern got into sport 8:07 Role models 10:43 Be a generalist not a specialist 13:10 It’s still the human…
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