Advance Praise for A Warrior's Guide to Psychology and Performance --

Karate master Tom Muzila, a direct student of the great Tsutomu Ohshima, presents for the first time a complete series analyzing the mental aspects of combat. This book is a thorough study of the theory and practice of the mental elements used by the great and legendary masters in Karate-do history. The author discusses in-depth many of the different psychological elements necessary for combat as used by the legendary Samurai warriors. This book is for all practitioners of martial arts and combat sports, like Thai Boxing, Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts, and other mainstream arts who wish to tap into their mental resources and improve their level of performance in competition and fighting. It is a retrospective step back into the warrior's psychology, rediscovering the ancient ways of combat and applying it to modern day martial arts.

Sharpening the Warrior's Edge is the first text which examines survival and combat performance from a scientific perspective. Author Bruce K. Siddle methodically brings together one hundred years of research which identifies the relationship between survival stress, the heart rate and combat performance. Most importantly, Siddle explores the psychological and spiritual components which establish the warrior mindset. This pioneering test is a must read for present-day warriors, or anyone involved in use of force, combat or martial arts training.

Sport psychology is a topic of growing interest. Many professionals read journals such as The International Journal of Sports, Journal of Sport Behavior, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, and The Sport Psychologist. In August 2008, Monitor on Psychology, the monthly publication of the American Psychological Association (APA), featured a special issue on sport psychology. Indeed, Division 47 of APA is devoted to "the scientific, educational, and clinical foundations of exercise and sport psychology." The North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA) and the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP) convene conferences each year to present scientific findings and new developments in a rapidly expanding field. The AAASP and other organizations also qualify professionals as certified sport and exercise psychology consultants. Finally, a visit to any bookstore will reveal the lay public’s fascination with sports, as revealed in numerous self-help books and guides to perfecting athletic performance. Behavioral psychologists have studied sport psychology for more than three decades (Martin, Thompson, & Regehr, 2004). Applied behavior analysis (ABA), in particular, has been an instrumental approach to behavioral coaching in many sports, including baseball (Osborne, Rudrud, & Zezoney, 1990), basketball (Pates, Cummings, & Maynard, 2002), figure skating (Ming & Martin, 1996), football (Ward & Carnes, 2002), golf (Pates, Oliver, & Maynard, 2001), ice hockey (Rogerson & Hrycaiko, 2002), soccer (Brobst & Ward, 2002), swimming (Hume & Crossman, 1992), and tennis (Allison & Ayllon, 1980). ABA stresses the application of learning theory principles, objective measurement of athletic skills, controlled outcome evaluation, and socially significant behavior-change. Cognitive behavior therapy, or CBT, also has been a dominant approach to psychological intervention in sports (Meyers, Whelan, & Murphy, 1996; Weinberg & Comar, 1994). CBT addresses athletic performance through cognitive-change methods combined with behavioral practice and environmental modifications. The purpose of the book described in this proposal is to compile the most recent experimental and applied research in behavioral sport psychology. Several journal articles have reviewed critical dimensions of behavioral sport psychology (Martin et al., 2004; Martin, Vause, & Schwartzman, 2005) but no book has covered the topic with an emphasis on ABA and CBT methodology and practice. Accordingly, Behavioral Sport Psychology: Evidence-Based Approaches to Performance Enhancement is a first of its kind volume.

Performance Psychology: A Practitioner's Guide is a comprehensive, evidence-based text covering the key aspects of performance culture: performer development, preparation, training and execution. Written by a team of international contributors, including national coaches, training specialists, applied sports psychologists, clinicians and researchers, and building on strong links between theory and practice, the book shows how applied psychological methods and principles can be used to enhance performance Contributing authors offer clear implications for applied practice and each section is summarized by contributions from a 'Performers Panel' of experts who provide real-life practical examples. Performance psychology is applied to a wide variety of physical performance domains which enables practitioners to see how they can combine ideas and tailor interventions, to people and contexts, to produce effective applications of psychology. Dave Collins is Professor of Performance and Coaching/Director for the Institute of Coaching and Performance at the University of Central Lancashire. As a practitioner, he has worked with over 50 World and Olympic medalists, and in professional performance domains spanning sport, business, motor sport, music, dance and adventure. He was formerly Performance Director of UK Athletics, a rugby player, martial artist and OE instructor. Dave currently works with the Chelsea FC Football Academy, amongst other consultancies. Angela Button is a researcher at the University of Otago and is widely acknowledged as a world expert on talent. Angela has led funded research projects in talent development in the UK and New Zealand. Her sporting interests include squash, running and triathlon. Hugh Richards lectures and is Director of post-graduate programmes in Performance Psychology at the University of Edinburgh. He has published in the areas of coping, talent, individual differences and professional development related to sport, the military and music. Hugh has applied psychology to professional performers from international level sport to business. He currently works with the UK Motor Sport Association, international performer development schemes and has been advisor to the BBC on learning and performance. Strong links between theory and practice - a panel of top performers conclude each section with an overview, providing real-life practical examples in addition to the case studies included in each chapter. Holistic approach allows students to see how they can combine different approaches to address a problem. Written by a team of international contributors including national team coaches, sports psychologists and academics.

"Explains, teaches, and helps you develop the psychological skills required for peak performance and mental toughness, all the while pointing out the underlying strategies that lead to higher levels of performance." -- Back cover.

Own the Pieces: The Heart-Felt Guide to Mental Performance By: Josiah Igono, PhD This book is for you. This book is for my friends. When I was coming up, I never knew what mental skills were. I never understood the full breadth of psychology, and I still don’t. The more I learn, the more I realize there’s so much more. More history, more questions, more mystery. This book is not for everybody. What I have attempted to do is to break down some of the most popular concepts I have come across when working with athletes. In this book, I speak to you as I speak to a friend having an intense conversation about sport and performance psychology. This guidebook is designed for high-achieving performers who are not interested in fluff and unnecessary jargon. It was designed to be consumed on a long bus ride or during a team flight. Short, but action-packed. It is also designed for engagement and to be used as a quick reference to apply to your career, or to help others with theirs. This book is divided into two parts: the first part is macro (philosophy), while the second part is micro (skills you can begin applying immediately). I look forward to hearing how something you read in the following pages inspires you to do better and be more. Respectfully, Josiah Igono, PhD